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Council hears proponents of backyard chickens; asks staff to study enforcement before changing law
Summary
Residents and a school representative spoke in favor of allowing backyard chickens for educational and home-food purposes; council asked staff to research enforcement, waste management and related code implications before taking action on any ordinance change.
Public comment and a council discussion on April 14 brought the topic of backyard chickens back to the council agenda. Parents and educators urged the city to consider an ordinance permitting small chicken coops for educational use and backyard food production, and councilmembers asked staff to study enforcement implications and related animal-control issues before any legislative change.
Matt Cravens, identified in public comment as a Georgetown resident, said Keystone Montessori students keep chickens as part of the school’s educational program and that a local ordinance change could allow school programs and residents to maintain small flocks for learning and food-cycle lessons. "It's a big part of the kids' school and their education," Cravens said, adding that many students had submitted letters in support.
Council members noted a prior ordinance that restricts livestock and discussed enforcement challenges. Mayor and council sponsors said they had received a petition of roughly 400 signatures in support of allowing backyard chickens; the mayor said petitioners had asked how to change the law. Several council members stressed the operational side: code enforcement capacity, animal-control responsibilities (the county currently handles much animal control), sanitation and waste management, and the potential for requests to expand to other livestock types.
Council direction: staff study enforcement and implementation Council declined to alter law at the meeting. Instead, council asked the mayor and staff to gather more information and to build an implementation plan if a change were to be proposed. That study should include who would enforce violations (city code enforcement vs. county animal control), how coop waste would be managed (composting or solid-waste rules), potential nuisance mitigation (noise, predation, vermin control), allowable flock size and setbacks, and whether schools or other educational institutions should be treated differently.
Councilmembers emphasized that adopting an ordinance without the capacity to enforce it would be unfair to staff and confusing for residents. The mayor said staff would return with enforcement options and administrative details before the council would vote on any change.
The meeting included no ordinance text, no first reading, and no vote on changes to poultry rules.
