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Owensboro holds required public hearing on use of state road funds; residents urge backyard-chicken rule change
Summary
At a June 3 public hearing required before expending state-derived road tax money, city staff said the approved FY 2025-26 budget includes $1.4 million for municipal road aid. In open forum, a resident asked the commission to amend city code to allow backyard chickens and several public commenters raised unrelated matters.
The Owensboro Board of Commissioners conducted a public hearing June 3, as staff said is required under state law, to take public input before expending state-derived tax revenues for roads. City staff member Angela Waniger told attendees the city's approved FY 2025-26 budget contains $1,400,000 for municipal road aid and $16,000 for local government economic assistance.
"It requires us to have a public hearing by any local government before expending state derived tax revenues on its roads to take the sense of the public regarding the use of these tax monies," Waniger said while reading the public-hearing notice. After the statutory notice, the meeting's open public comment period followed.
Jim Glenn of Owensboro addressed the commission and began by asking about pensions for firefighters and police officers. Glenn said he had noticed a large difference in pension allocations and asked why the disparity existed; he acknowledged the hearing was focused on roads and said he would present his question during public comment if appropriate.
During the open public forum later in the meeting, Isabel Burkett of 3537 Cannonade Loop North asked the commission to change city ordinance Chapter 4, Section 4.2 to allow residents to keep backyard chickens. Burkett said Owensboro is "actually the only major city in Kentucky that does not allow backyard chickens" and urged the commission to adopt "clear, thoughtful, common sense regulations" such as limiting the number of hens, prohibiting roosters and requiring secure, clean housing. "Keeping a few hens, no roosters, gives families access to fresh eggs," she said.
Diana Friend of 316 Hale Avenue also spoke in the open forum and said she supported the backyard-chicken request while thanking commissioners for their work.
No formal action to change ordinance language was taken at the meeting; the request was presented as public comment for the commission's consideration at a future date. The hearing on municipal road aid was a required procedural step tied to the budget; staff recorded the road-aid and local-government-economic-assistance amounts as part of the FY 2025-26 budget materials.
The meeting adjourned after the public forum and routine business.
