Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council pauses enforcement of disputed chicken-coop rule, will send notice to registered coop owners
Summary
City officials said they would not enforce a portion of the recently revised chicken ordinance pending a municipal review to correct wording that may have unintentionally required costly construction standards; the city will notify the 57 registered coop owners by letter.
The Warren City Council on Tuesday received an update about a recently revised chicken ordinance and accepted staff’s plan to pause enforcement of a specific provision that staff and one councilmember described as an unintended overreach.
Public Service Director Muscarelli and city attorney’s office staff told the council that a portion of the new ordinance — particularly rules that appeared to reference shed or outbuilding standards — was written in a way that could force residents to incur unnecessary costs to comply. Staff said the drafting issue appeared unintentional and that they would prepare a corrective amendment.
The attorney's office noted that a notice had been sent to 57 registered chicken-coop owners informing them they had 365 days to comply with parts of the ordinance. Councilmembers asked for a clearer communication. The city attorney’s office agreed to send a follow-up letter explaining that the department will review and amend the disputed section and that the city is pausing enforcement of that specific provision while the changes are prepared.
Council voted to receive and file the update and to have staff notify registered coop owners so they need not immediately spend to comply with the disputed provision.
Why it matters: Roughly 57 registered coop owners were previously told they had one year to comply with the new rules. The council’s action reduces near-term compliance pressure and commits the administration to correcting the ordinance language to align with the city's intent.
