City of Glenwood chicken ordinance passes on 3-2 vote

    Bring on the chickens.
    After months of sometimes heated debate, the Glenwood City Council has passed the final reading of an ordinance that will allow city residents to raise chickens in their back yards. The final vote on the ordinance passed by a 3-2 margin at the council’s regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 11. Council members Craig Florian, Jessie Lundvall and Jeremy Rodman voted “yes” on the measure, with Susan Hirschman and  Dan McComb opposed.
    The vote was preceded by several comments from members of the audience. Joanne Kohn and Brent Von Essen were two of the audience members opposed to passage of the ordinance.
    Von Essen said he grew up around farms and never saw a chicken coop be allowed to be placed near a house and believes the chickens will attract “critters” to town, like mice, rats, snakes, raccoons, possums and flies.
    “There are some things that belong on the farm and some that belong in the city,” Von Essen said.
    Others opposed to the ordinance are skeptical about the city’s capability to enforce the ordinance.
    Some residents in opposition to the chickens believe the three council members in favor of the ordinance are ignoring the will of the majority and would like to see the matter be decided by voters at the ballot box.
    Larry Pratt, one of two people who spoke in favor of the ordinance, said he believes chicken owners in the city will be responsible, noting the ordinance restricts the number of chickens that can be harbored on a private property.
    “The idea that a chicken coop with four or five chickens is going to be equal to a farm operation is ludicrous,” Pratt said.
    The five-page ordinance, drafted by city attorney Matt Woods, includes a one-year “sunset” clause that calls for the termination of the ordinance on Sept. 30, 2017. The clause was included in the ordinance to force council members to revisit the issue next year and determine if it should be extended. Persons opposed to the ordinance could also petition for the ordinance to be placed on the ballot in the November 2017 municipal election.
    The ordinance requires chicken owners to get a permit and pay an annual fee to the city before they can construct a coop and start raising chickens. Coops must be placed in the back yard at least 80 feet from a dwelling other than the dwelling of the owner of the chickens. The 80-foot setback requirement can be waived if the chicken owner receives written consent from neighboring property owners affected. Under no circumstances will chickens be allowed to be kept within 20 feet of a dwelling.
    Chicken owners will be allowed to have up to five hens on their property. Only “domestic type of fowl birds kept for their eggs and meat” will be allowed. Slaughtering of the birds will not be allowed within the city limits and owners will be responsible for removing all chicken-related refuse, including spilled grain and manure, from their property at least once every 48 hours.
    The ordinance also includes several guidelines pertaining to the size and design of chicken coops.
    The city’s code enforcement officer will be responsible for overseeing owner compliance.