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Resident urges council to reconsider chicken-ownership rules amid egg shortages
Summary
Tanya Dexter told Reynoldsburg City Council on Feb. 10 that allowing backyard chickens could help residents cope with egg shortages and rising prices; she asked the council to address regulations that currently prohibit chicken ownership in the city.
Tanya Dexter, a Reynoldsburg resident, urged the Reynoldsburg City Council on Feb. 10 to reconsider local rules that prohibit chicken ownership, saying that backyard hens could help residents cope with recent shortages and higher grocery prices.
"If I were able to own four chickens, my 18 count would be free," Dexter said, citing recent price checks and availability limits at stores. She told council she has raised the issue previously and asked what steps are needed to bring the matter before the body.
Context: Dexter told council that on Feb. 9, 2025, national coverage reported large-scale poultry losses from avian influenza and farm fires; she said those events, along with retail purchase limits, have made eggs harder to obtain and more expensive. She said she first raised the issue at the council on Oct. 14, 2024 and has attended nearly every meeting since then to press the point.
Dexter asked the council to treat the item urgently given the national egg-supply issues. She said she had written letters and made phone calls but that the issue had not been placed on a council agenda and that only one council member had reached out to her while she pursued the matter.
What the council said and did: The public-comment period is an opportunity for residents to bring matters to council's attention; during the Feb. 10 meeting members did not take formal action on chicken-ownership rules. Staff and council members did not present a change of policy during the meeting; no ordinance or study on backyard poultry was introduced that evening.
How residents can follow up: The meeting packet and future agendas will list any staff reports or ordinances if the matter is placed on a future agenda; the mayor's office said informational meetings are scheduled on flooding and the State of the City on Feb. 18 and Feb. 19, respectively.
Dexter concluded her remarks by asking what steps would be necessary to have the council address municipal rules on chicken ownership.
