Zion residents press council to allow backyard chickens; officials point to zoning process

Two residents asked the Zion City Council on Feb. 18 to reconsider restrictions on backyard chickens, and city officials said any change would have to follow the city’s zoning process.

At the start of the meeting’s public-comment period, Jessica Clinton said she and others in the community support allowing backyard chickens and that surrounding cities permit them. “This is what we’re passionate about, and we would love to know how to get on the agenda in regard to talking about this subject in a correct way,” Clinton said. Vicky Cardenas, who testified after Clinton, argued backyard hens could help families with food security and noted concerns about bird flu; she also said she was not seeking roosters at this time.

Why it matters: Residents said backyard hens could provide daily eggs and help low-income families; city administrators and the city attorney said those community benefits must be balanced against public-health and nuisance concerns and that any regulatory change is subject to the city’s zoning code and review process.

City response and next steps: Administrator Nabel told the speakers and council that officials consider public safety, disease risk and nuisance questions when evaluating changes to animal-keeping rules. He noted that while he had not seen reported backyard-flock cases of avian influenza in Illinois or Wisconsin at the time of the meeting, surrounding states have had cases and that 33% of reported cases involved backyard flocks in nearby jurisdictions. Nabel said the city must weigh noise, pest attraction and other neighborhood impacts.

A speaker identified as city counsel explained the formal process for regulatory change: “Any change to the regulation on chicken or the the hosting of chicken, in the city would need to go through our zoning process,” the city attorney said. He described the Joint Planning and Zoning Board as an advisory body that provides a recommendation to the council and said applicants must file a zoning application and follow standard public hearings and notice requirements. The attorney encouraged the residents to file a zoning application if they wish to pursue formal consideration.

No ordinance change: The council did not vote on or change the city code during the Feb. 18 meeting. The public-comment speakers were given guidance on procedure and next steps; staff and the council indicated that a formal zoning application would be the route to place the topic before the planning board and the council.

Clarifying notes from the meeting: City staff pointed residents to the online zoning code and confirmed the joint planning and zoning board is the appropriate venue for zoning text amendments or special-use requests. Administrator Nabel and staff said 211 (a county United Way resource line) can help residents with counseling and other social services if a speaker raised related welfare needs during public comment.

What the speakers asked for: Clinton asked how to get the matter on an agenda for formal discussion; Cardenas asked the council to consider subsidizing small backyard flocks for low-income families. Council members thanked the speakers for coming and reiterated the application process.

No formal policy change or action occurred at the meeting; the record shows only guidance and instructions about the procedural path to seek a zoning change.