Council amends backyard-poultry ordinance, schedules Jan. 2 public hearing

Springdale City Council voted unanimously Dec. 4 to amend a proposed ordinance that would allow limited keeping of chickens, rabbits and bees in the city and set a public hearing for Jan. 2, 2025.

At the meeting, Mister Jacobs proposed amendments from the Urban Farming Committee to the second reading of Ordinance 55-2024. The changes approved by council would: clarify several definitions in the ordinance, increase the minimum lot size for keeping hens from one-quarter acre to one-half acre, prohibit free-roaming chickens, and reduce the cap on outstanding city certificates for poultry from 50 to 25. The motion to amend passed by roll call (7–0).

Shelly Darnell, a resident who addressed the council during the communications-from-the-audience period, urged approval of the amended text and cited a city survey she said showeda majority of respondents support responsible backyard chickens. "The proposal is more strict than nearby communities and allows responsible ownership," Darnell said.

City staff and the chair clarified procedure: the packet included the original ordinance text that went to planning; the Urban Farming Committee's amendments will be incorporated and the Jan. 2 meeting will include a public hearing and the amended version will be read before any final vote.

The ordinance language read at the meeting described a pattern of rules including coop setbacks, maximum coop size, a nontransferable permit and inspection-based certification. The amended draft approved Dec. 4 reduces the permit cap and increases lot-size requirements; other technical changes (including the public-hearing date in the ordinance recitals) will be corrected before the Jan. 2 hearing, according to the city attorney.

Next steps: the council will present the amended ordinance and hold the public hearing on Jan. 2, 2025, at which point it may adopt a final version or take further amendments.