Public commenters urge review of Tooele rooster ban and complain of neighborhood noise and safety issues

During the public-comment period of the Tooele City Council meeting on Feb. 5, residents raised concerns about the city’s rooster ban and about persistent neighborhood nuisances including late-night vehicle racing and smoke.

Chelsea Fisher said animal-control officers have contacted her about keeping roosters and asked the council to consider lifting the rooster ban. Fisher said roosters are used by some residents to protect flocks from wildlife, provide fertilized eggs for FFA and classroom projects, and in a few cases provide a small livelihood. She said people have been dumping roosters at Grantsville Reservoir where they cannot survive. Fisher said she has a petition with 87 signatures seeking to lift the ban and asked the council to consider the broader context, including other noise and nuisance issues in the city.

Kallen Thurman, who said he lives in the same neighborhood, described repeated late-night vehicle racing and people working on cars in the street until 2–3 a.m., and said he has experienced slow police responses after calling for help. Thurman said he installed vinyl fencing to block visual disturbance and described smoke from burning in a neighbor’s garage that worsens his asthma.

Council response: The council chair closed public comment and said the council does not address issues at that moment but will take the comments back to the mayor and staff for further consideration and to determine next steps.

Context: The remarks were part of the publicly noticed comment period; no ordinance or policy change was proposed on the floor and the council did not schedule action during the meeting. The transcript did not record staff follow-up details or a formal direction from the council beyond taking the comments to the mayor and staff.