Links to articles about city chickens and zoning laws.....

[SeaChick]

We did a lot of web research getting Olivia's presentation ready for the city council. I just added the links we found to our BYC personal page, if anyone is interested!!!

The city manager just sent emails to the other councilors with a link to the "Scientist" article (http://www.the-scientist.com/news/home/53190/)..... which is making us feel hopeful that we're gaining support!!!

Stacey & Olivia

 

[dottedzebra]

I see from your webpage that she gives her presentation on May 30th, I have to give mine on the 29th (in Wis.) Fun.

I found byc cause I was looking for information to help me and the links on your site are great.

I'm staying optimistic. I figure these laws should be changed and someone has to be the first to bring it up to the different city councils. We just get to be the first in our towns.

Best of Luck.

 

[SeaChick]

Hi dottedzebra,
Good luck with your presentation! We've been getting lots of support. We posted about it on the local area "Permaculture MeetUP" message board, where people who are interested in sustainable living and green issues go, and several of the people there are going to come to the city council meetings in support. We also sent out emails to friends asking them to forward them to anyone they know living in our town who would be supportive of changing the ordinance to allow chickens. One friend forwarded it to another friend, who turned out to be the Mayor of our town!! I'm pretty sure he is on our side.

In our town, you make your presentation to the city council at the Workshop, then there is a City Council meeting a week later where other citizens can speak on the issue and the council votes. They make a second/final vote 2 weeks later. So we are hoping to get a lot of people to come speak in support at the meeting (without making it totally public so that people who are possibly anti-chicken would know to come speak

)

At the workshop, my daughter is giving her presentation and we'll also give the city councilors printed hand-outs of 1) those articles about city chickens, 2) a list of other cities that allow chickens 3) a summary of the reasons we want chickens.

I'd be interested to hear what your presentation is about and what issues the city has spoken to you about. And be happy to share ours as well if you want. I think that the more well-prepared we are for any objections, the better. At this point all I can really think of that people will be worried about is:
noise
smell
disease (avian flu, salmonella)

By the way several people I emailed said that they wanted to raise chickens too, but the town had told them NO. They were excited that we were taking the initiative to change the law and will be at the meetngs in support.

GOOD LUCK!
Stacey & Olivia

 

[keljonma]

Good luck tomorrow, Olivia and Stacey!

 

[MTchick]

Don't forget the crucial worry- Money! a.k.a property values.

Here where I live, there is a Urban Fowl Subcommittee that has been formed to explore and recommend an ordinance regarding chickens inside city limits. They've had almost 30 recorded public comments, and two of the negatives were about "decrease in adjacent property values." Pretty much all the others were positive, pro-chicken comments.

But I don't want to belittle the people that are worried about this. Are they imagining 200 roosters on a 30 x 120 lot? If so, of course they would worry about their property value! As always, getting people educated (no no, don't freak out, we are talking 6 chickens, no roosters, no butchering, no free ranging) is the key.

And then some people are just... difficult. But you can't change that.

Best of luck! I'm looking forward to hearing how it goes.

-MTchick