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Committee approves ordinance changes on special-meeting notices, hens and mobile food trucks
Summary
The committee approved three administrative ordinance changes: authorizing electronic notice for special meetings, amending city rules for keeping hens (increasing allowable hens and changing pullet-age language), and codifying hold-harmless agreements for mobile food truck licenses.
Green Bay’s Protection Policy Committee on Feb. 24 approved three ordinance changes the committee described as administrative updates: changing special-meeting notice procedures, amending the city’s chicken/hen rules, and clarifying mobile food-truck licensing paperwork.
Committee members unanimously approved an amendment to the special-meeting provisions to allow official city email to serve as notice instead of the older requirement for personal, in-home notice. Staff said the change would reduce logistical burdens and reflect current city communications practices.
On urban poultry, the committee considered a letter from a long-time local poultry keeper and discussed a proposed change to the hen ordinance that would increase the number of allowable adult laying hens from four to five and change the age used to define pullets (young, nonlaying birds) from 16 weeks to 20 weeks. Supporters said the change would reduce the need to buy or cull single chicks when acquiring replacements; staff noted the 16–20 week range reflects research on when pullets begin laying and that inspections and other code tools remain available to address nuisance concerns. The committee voted to amend the ordinance to reflect the changes and approved the amendment as amended.
The committee also approved a change to the mobile-food-truck ordinance that codifies the requirement for a hold-harmless agreement (and authorizes the clerk to execute those agreements) for trucks operating in city right-of-way or on private property where the city requires such agreements. Staff said the change formalizes a practice already in use.
All three items passed by recorded voice vote; staff said the hen and ordinance changes will be forwarded to the Common Council as the committee’s recommendation or as required by ordinance.
Action recorded: (1) Special-meeting notice procedure amended to allow official city email for notice (approved); (2) Chapter on keeping hens amended (allow five hens; change pullet age threshold to 20 weeks) and approved as amended; (3) Mobile food-truck application ordinance amended to require hold-harmless agreements and authorize the clerk to execute them (approved).
