Trying to convince city council ... advice?

[OldGuy43]

Poultry owners in our local city addressed this last night with our local city council.

It seems it takes warm bodies in favor of chickens to show up at the meetings to sway the council's minds.

http://m.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=97650

Yep! Politicians don't see "warm bodies". They see votes.

"We've gotta protect our phoney-baloney jobs, gentleman!" from Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles.

 

[DLMKA]

Hey. I'm they guy in East Peoria, I just sent you a PM with my contact info.


I looked through the ordinance in Washington (it's on the city website) and there is nothing strictly prohibiting chickens or farm animals. The only prohibited animals are bees and goats (unless you live on a property zoned agricultural). You just can't let your chickens be "at large".

 

[flypluto76]

Will-here is the email I sent this morning.

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mr. Oliphant, [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I was told you were the person to contact regarding the issue of legalizing backyard chickens in Washington. I think this is a great idea. We are on the cusp of a movement where people are wanting to provide more for themselves instead of having to rely on the big corporations that have overtaken the food industry in the last 70 years. There has been an explosion on home gardening and a few backyard chickens is the next logical step.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I do believe there should be limits to the number of animals, but I think that other issues should be addressed on a case by case basis. There is only going to be a problem with smell if the owners do not tend to the regular coop maintenance. In those instances the city should step in and enforce code violations. I guarantee a handful of hens make no where near as much noise as a dog. I lived directly across the street from people in Germantown Hills that had 30 chickens and my family was completely unaware of their existence for over a year until the owners asked us to feed them while they vacationed.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The argument that chickens will draw in predators like coyotes and foxes is outlandish. A smart predator is not going to waste time trying to break into a locked chicken coop when there are prey such as stray cats readily available. If an owner has the animals properly secured no predator will be able to get in, and they won't waste energy trying. A chicken really isn't different from a cat, dog, or rabbit, they just provide you delicious food. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Not wanting to rewrite the bylaws is also a ridiculous argument. Think about how much the CONSTITUTION has been changed since our country was established. Amendments exist for a reason. Progress is part of the future. Everything cannot stay exactly the same for growth as a community. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I think it would be great for Washington to lead by example. I think it would be attractive for people moving to the area that Washington is the only local town to allow chickens. It would be foolish to underestimate the growing popularity of the urban homesteading movement.[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I know the current code is not properly enforced. There has been a white goose visible from business 24 near the overpass for months. I know that in the animal related ordinances it does not mention that chickens are prohibited. It specifically names goats and bees as illegal. Also, it mentions poultry in the running at large section, so it follows that if it shouldn't be running at large its allowed in town in the first place. I know people read this and think they are not breaking the law by having chickens. Its a bit ambiguous. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Anyway, I hope you will ponder my thoughts and convey this message to the voters on the city council.[/FONT]

 

[flypluto76]

his response:


Thanks for your comments. Our Planning Commission is going to generally discuss this topic at its February meeting and decide whether an amendment to our zoning code should be considered. If there is a desire to amend the code, we will draft an ordinance that the Planning Commission will review at a public hearing at a future meeting before making a recommendation on it to our City Council. Ultimately, the City Council has the final authority whether to approve or deny an ordinance.

Let me clarify one of the points you were making. Chickens are specifically prohibited currently in the city’s residential districts according to Section 154.056 of the zoning code. Listed among the Permitted Uses is: “Nurseries, truck gardening, and the raising of farm crops, but not the raising of poultry or livestock; and provided further that no building shall be erected or maintained on the property which is used for the purpose of selling the products grown or raised.”

Again, thanks for taking the time to comment on this issue.

Jon

 

[chigger bait]

Yep! Politicians don't see "warm bodies". They see votes.
"We've gotta protect our phoney-baloney jobs, gentleman!" from Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles.

True.

I frequent a military forum loaded with old "has beens" and pollsters weight those forums heavily to get a conscious on hotly debated topics.

For each option, pollsters give each the weight of influencing 10 votes out in the public.

So at the coucil meeting last night in Johnson City, TN there were 50 people in favor of keeping hens.

To the council that could be 500 votes out in the community that says if the council get to set in the same seats the following election.

Johnson City has a population of around 50,000 I think.

 

[openheartnurse]

I need help to get the idea/cause out there to the public, I just don't know how to do that? I know people raise the chickens in town all ready and I wish I could contact those individuals and have them for support. Any ideas?

 

[OldGuy43]

Yep! Politicians don't see "warm bodies". They see votes.

"We've gotta protect our phoney-baloney jobs, gentleman!" from Mel Brooks in Blazing Saddles.

True.

I frequent a military forum loaded with old "has beens" and pollsters weight those forums heavily to get a conscious on hotly debated topics.

For each option, pollsters give each the weight of influencing 10 votes out in the public. 

So at the coucil meeting last night in Johnson City, TN there were 50 people in favor of keeping hens.

To the council that could be 500 votes out in the community that says if the council get to set in the same seats the following election.

Johnson City has a population of around 50,000 I think.

Many years ago I heard an executive of a major television network comment on how many phone calls they considered to be a "landslide" of public opinion. The number astounded me. SEVEN!!! That's right, of all the millions of people who watch television it only takes seven who think enough about a particular show calling to effect the attitude of a major network. Local TV stations, it only takes one or two calls.

 

[chigger bait]

I need help to get the idea/cause out there to the public, I just don't know how to do that? I know people raise the chickens in town all ready and I wish I could contact those individuals and have them for support. Any ideas?

Put an ad in a local paper with an email contact address or set up a booth at a local arts or spring spring fair.

My dad is 79 and semi retired from the insurance business and now he makes most of his contacts from a booth at a local flea market.