- Apr 21, 2013
- 19
- 1
- 24
Hi Everyone,
I first wish to thank all of you for your helpful advice and kind suggestions. However, before I even purchased my chicks, I asked all three of my immediate neighbors if they had any objections, and they all said they did not. But regarding my closest neighbor, I asked only the husband, and he said that would be fine with him. Well, having only lived here two and one-half years, little did I know that his wife was the one who really "wears the pants" in their family, and is also the neighborhood gossip and busy-body. Mind you now, my chicks haven't even been outside yet, but still, I received a threatening call from the township supervisor, informing me that I would have to submit a letter "in writing," (what other kind of letter is there?,) to get on the agenda to appear before the Township Board of Appeals, and then meet with them on May 23rd, to apply for a "variance," then pay their ensuing fees. I informed him that I already knew that one of my neighbors kept chickens, ducks, and a pig, plus another neighbor kept horses, so I had absolutely NO intention of applying for a variance, nor paying any "fees," since I was choosing to exercise my rights under the Michigan Right to Farm Act. I further stated that I had an original copy of a letter from my counselor at the Veteran's Administration, stating that since I am a 100% service-connected disabled veteran who's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he believes that my plan to raise chickens would be very "therapeutic" to my sense of well-being and mental health recovery needs, and he wholeheartedly endorses it. At that point, the township supervisor hung up on me!
So I say, let them put that in their pipe and smoke it...HAH!
Paul Anderson
Bay City, Michigan
I first wish to thank all of you for your helpful advice and kind suggestions. However, before I even purchased my chicks, I asked all three of my immediate neighbors if they had any objections, and they all said they did not. But regarding my closest neighbor, I asked only the husband, and he said that would be fine with him. Well, having only lived here two and one-half years, little did I know that his wife was the one who really "wears the pants" in their family, and is also the neighborhood gossip and busy-body. Mind you now, my chicks haven't even been outside yet, but still, I received a threatening call from the township supervisor, informing me that I would have to submit a letter "in writing," (what other kind of letter is there?,) to get on the agenda to appear before the Township Board of Appeals, and then meet with them on May 23rd, to apply for a "variance," then pay their ensuing fees. I informed him that I already knew that one of my neighbors kept chickens, ducks, and a pig, plus another neighbor kept horses, so I had absolutely NO intention of applying for a variance, nor paying any "fees," since I was choosing to exercise my rights under the Michigan Right to Farm Act. I further stated that I had an original copy of a letter from my counselor at the Veteran's Administration, stating that since I am a 100% service-connected disabled veteran who's been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he believes that my plan to raise chickens would be very "therapeutic" to my sense of well-being and mental health recovery needs, and he wholeheartedly endorses it. At that point, the township supervisor hung up on me!
So I say, let them put that in their pipe and smoke it...HAH!
Paul Anderson
Bay City, Michigan
