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Resident urges council to allow backyard hens; councilmembers signal plan to introduce ordinance
Summary
At the Feb. 25 Green City Council meeting, resident Christina Gardner urged the council to amend the city’s regulations to allow backyard hens with rules; Councilmember Spate said he plans to introduce legislation and Councilmember Babbitt said she will cosponsor it.
Christina Gardner, a Green resident, urged the Green City Council on Feb. 25 to amend the city’s ordinance to allow residents to keep hens in backyard coops under a clear permitting and rule framework.
Gardner told the council she began a petition and “had hoped for 100 signatures” but has since been “overwhelmed with responses” from residents supporting an amendment. She urged the council to adopt a permit scheme with breed recommendations, enclosure requirements and limits on flock size so ownership is “far easier to manage when a clear set of fair rules is created.”
Gardner framed the proposed changes as modest and manageable. She told the council that roosters are unnecessary for egg production and that hens are quieter than native songbirds, that properly managed chicken manure does not smell, and that a maximum of six hens per household would supply a typical family’s needs. Gardner said educational materials and city-approved guidelines should accompany any permit program.
Councilmember Spate thanked Gardner for her presentation and said he intends to draft legislation reflecting many of the guidelines she described. “I do plan on bringing legislation forward to amend our ordinance, to follow much of the guidelines that miss Gardner has in here,” Spate said during the meeting and invited colleagues to co-sponsor the proposal.
Councilmember Babbitt told Gardner she would cosponsor the proposal with Spate and praised Gardner’s research. “I plan to cosponsor this with Mister Spate,” Babbitt said, and noted homeowners associations could set stricter rules if they choose. Other council members discussed practical concerns such as predator control and enclosure requirements, and requested copies of Gardner’s research when the draft ordinance is circulated.
No ordinance was introduced or voted on at the meeting. Councilmembers indicated the matter will return as proposed legislation for formal consideration and required readings.
The matter will next appear when Councilmember Spate files the draft ordinance; the meeting transcript does not specify the timing of that filing.
