[{"_1":2,"_85":-5,"_86":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6513232,"mediaKeyId","5074217-104c75eba42f26f0568c2a75b196c8df","parentId",5074217,"title","Clinton council approves new residential chicken rules: covered runs, 5-foot property-line setbacks, $40 permit","audioSeconds",3800,"startMs",407000,"endMs",4207000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5074217-104c75eba42f26f0568c2a75b196c8df&start=407&end=4207","thumbnailUrl","https://d352y6ypj4mjo3.cloudfront.net/AudioPlaceholder.png","articleUrl","/articles/6513232/Utah/Clinton-council-approves-new-residential-chicken-rules-covered-runs-5-foot-property-line-setbacks-40-permit","mediaUrl","author","Clinton City Council","date","2025-06-24T18:00:00Z","article","The Clinton City Council on June 24 reviewed and approved changes to the city's zoning ordinance that define how residents may keep chickens in residential areas, including a new requirement that outdoor runs be covered and a onetime permit fee.

Council members and staff described the changes as a compromise between residents who asked for fewer restrictions and public-health and nuisance concerns raised during the process. Council member Marie Doherty, who led much of the conversation, said she collected resident feedback and consulted a poultry expert at the Utah State University Extension: \"I actually just first of all, I got a — we got a ton of feedback from residents ... a majority of the residents are interested in having some of these restrictions relaxed,\" Doherty said, later relaying the USU expert's advice that runs be covered to reduce disease transmission from migratory birds.

The council adopted a package of edits that, as described at the meeting, include: a requirement that chicken runs (the outdoor area where birds roam) be covered with mesh or screening; a 5-foot setback from property lines for coops and runs; a 25-foot distance from coops/runs to any dwelling on an adjacent lot (measured to the adjacent dwelling unit); a onetime permit fee of $40; a prohibition on roosters in residential zones; and a restriction that quail may be allowed but quail and chickens may not be kept on the same residential property. The council left the minimum coop/run space at the city's existing metric—2 square feet of coop space and 8 square feet of run per bird—rather than adopting the larger standards recommended by the planning commission.

Council discussion emphasized grandfathering for residents who already hold a valid city permit: \"If they are currently in compliance with the code and we have ... given them that approval and that licensure, that's a property right that we've granted them,\" a staff member said during the meeting, explaining that existing permitted coops would normally remain acceptable unless changed.

City staff and several council members said enforcement of the new rules will be handled through the city's administrative code enforcement process. The ordinance language adopted at the meeting references the city's administrative enforcement provisions; the council also discussed and gave direction that administrative citations should be available for clear, on‑the‑spot violations (for example, coops built immediately on a property line without a permit) while lesser infractions could be addressed through notices of violation with a two‑week correction window.

At the council's request, staff will include educational materials in the permitting packet, linking to the Utah State University Extension guidance (the extension indicated it can provide online materials and outreach to residents). The ordinance changes as approved to apply setbacks to both the coop and its run and require covered runs to reduce disease risk, while explicitly excluding ducks and turkeys from the residential rules (those species would need separate, agricultural‑scale regulation).

The council also set a special allowance for larger lots: the code amendment allows additional birds on proportionally larger lots, capped in the ordinance text at 12 birds for a 12,000-square-foot lot (the amendment links larger allotments to additional lot area). The planning commission's earlier recommendations—such as bumping the per‑bird square‑foot minimums—were discussed, but the council chose the more permissive spacing (retain 2/8) to expand opportunities for residents on smaller lots.

Public comments at the hearing included support for greater resident choice and several requests for clear, plain‑language permit checklists; resident Rex Griffin thanked the council for completing the update and asked for clarity on the 25-foot measurement to adjacent dwellings.

Staff will return clean ordinance language to the council reflecting the changes the council directed: covered runs; 5-foot setbacks from property lines for coops/runs; the 25-foot dwelling separation; the onetime $40 permit; explicit administrative‑enforcement language referencing the city's code enforcement policy (including the possibility of citations and penalties); and the prohibition of ducks and turkeys in residential zones. The council asked staff to publish a short permitting checklist and a fact sheet explaining the disease‑prevention rationale behind the covered‑run requirement.

The new rules were advanced as part of ordinance number 25-05-Z (zoning text amendment). The ordinance text and the revised permit materials will be posted to the city website once staff combines the council's edits and the city attorney reviews the final draft. The council indicated staff may bring back a brief, single‑item meeting to finalize the ordinance language if needed.","mediaType","Audio","parentTitle","City Council Meeting - http://audiofiles.clintoncity.com/City%20Council/2025/CC%2020250624","oneSentenceSummary","The Clinton City Council on June 24 reviewed and approved changes to the city's zoning ordinance that define how residents may keep chickens in residential areas, including a new requirement that outdoor runs be covered and a onetime permit fee.","taxTitle","Clinton, Davis County, Utah","taxId",68850,"location","Utah","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":50,"_51":82,"_53":-5,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6513226,"Clinton adopts tentative FY2026 budget, council sets Truth-in-Taxation hearing after approving 7.5% property tax plan",3672,4128000,7800000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5074217-104c75eba42f26f0568c2a75b196c8df&start=4128&end=7800","/articles/6513226/Utah/Clinton-adopts-tentative-FY2026-budget-council-sets-Truth-in-Taxation-hearing-after-approving-75-property-tax-plan","The Clinton City Council voted 3–2 on June 24 to adopt the city's tentative fiscal 2026 budget using a 7.5% property tax increase as the planning figure and set a Truth‑in‑Taxation public hearing for Aug. 5, 2025, at 6 p.m. The action gives staff a clear budget target while preserving the council's ability to finalize the tax rate and any further changes at the August hearing.

Council members and city staff framed the decision around two long-standing fiscal challenges: a recent decline in sales-tax revenue compared with prior years and the need to begin funding capital and replacement projects the city has deferred. Staff said the city's sales-tax receipts have softened from their recent high, which reduces the variable revenue stream the city previously relied on to balance operations and capital spending.

Staff recommended a package of changes that included utility fee adjustments (water, sewer, stormwater and garbage) and other pass‑through increases. During the meeting staff said the initial, staff‑recommended utility package would raise the average household utility bill by approximately $11.01 per month. Council members then asked staff to reduce the water portion of the increase; after adjustments the council approved a utility schedule that reduced the total estimated average household impact to $9.75 per month. Staff said many fee increases are pass‑throughs tied to outside providers (waste collection, North Davis Sewer District, dispatch) and that a full rate study is underway for water and other enterprise funds.

Council members discussed tradeoffs between spreading smaller increases over multiple years and adopting a larger immediate increase to build reserves and to fund required matching payments tied to major projects. Staff described an upcoming borrowing arrangement with the Board of Water Resources (Weber Basin project) that requires the city to match roughly 15% of the loan amount in cash when payments are made; council members noted the timing of those match payments in 2026–2027 as a reason to move more revenue into capital funds now.

After debating several options (including keeping the tax rate at 5% or moving to 10%), the council settled on a 7.5% planning figure. The council emphasized that the figure adopted on June 24 is the working number used to finalize the tentative budget and that the final certified tax rate will be set after the Aug. 5 Truth-in-Taxation hearing. Staff said they will present the full rate‑study results and updated revenue numbers to the council before that hearing.

Other actions and votes during the meeting included:
- Approval of fee schedule adjustments for utilities with the council reducing the water-related component so the combined utility increase averages $9.75 per month for the typical household after pass‑through adjustments. (Council roll call recorded a dissent on the broader fee schedule earlier in the meeting.)
- Adoption of budget amendments (Resolution 11-25) to reallocate and consolidate certain project funds and to correct accounts identified during final audit preparation; the council adopted those amendments earlier in the evening.
- Approval to continue the Home Depot water-service agreement item to a future short meeting so city attorney and staff can finalize language.
- Approval to purchase a used Toro Z sprayer with a full warranty at $13,000 for parks/facilities operations.

Council members described the vote as a compromise intended to balance the need to increase recurring revenue with concern about the immediate burden on residents. Mayor and staff urged that the council's chosen path will be adjusted if the upcoming rate study or updated revenue numbers indicate a different course. The council also asked staff to return a final, consolidated budget document after August public hearings and to continue work on fee processors and other administrative efficiencies (for example, charging card-processing fees as a pass‑through to reduce the general fund impact of electronic payments).

The Aug. 5 Truth‑in‑Taxation hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the council chamber; staff will post updated budget and rate‑study materials on the city website once the full analyses are available.","The Clinton City Council voted 3–2 on June 24 to adopt the city's tentative fiscal 2026 budget using a 7.5% property tax increase as the planning figure and set a Truth‑in‑Taxation hearing for Aug. 5, 2025.","actionData","errors"]

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Clinton council approves new residential chicken rules: covered runs, 5-foot property-line setbacks, $40 permit

Clinton adopts tentative FY2026 budget, council sets Truth-in-Taxation hearing after approving 7.5% property tax plan