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Hartland trustees debate whether to cap backyard chickens or keep case-by-case approvals
Summary
Trustees discussed proposed guidelines for residential chickens and expressed divergent views: some favor codified numeric limits, while others prefer the current case-by-case permitting and planning-commission review. No ordinance was proposed and no vote taken.
Trustees considered whether to adopt formal guidelines limiting the number of chickens on residential lots or to continue the current practice of handling requests through restricted-species permits and planning-commission review.
A trustee summarized ordinances in nearby municipalities — examples included per-lot caps tied to minimum lot size, limits per acre, prohibition of roosters and restrictions on commercial activity like egg sales — and suggested the village could adopt a clearer application and numeric limits so routine cases would not need board review.
Trustee Hawquist pushed back, saying that bringing requests to the planning commission and requiring a site plan gives the village better control. He warned that a prescriptive ordinance could be difficult to enforce and might not prevent people from skirting the rules. "I think the way the current situation is right now, we actually have more control and know who's doing what by going through the planning commission," he said.
Other trustees said they had not received formal complaints and prefer to keep the case-by-case review rather than create a uniform cap that might be overly restrictive for large lots. Trustees requested that any complaints be submitted in writing so staff can track them rather than rely on anecdotal reports.
No motion to adopt a new ordinance was made; the discussion concluded with direction to continue the current review process and to ask the public to file formal complaints if issues arise.
