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Resident asks council to allow students to raise chickens and questions city sales of THC products
Summary
A Kasson City resident told the council his students want to raise about 16–17 chickens for an educational program and urged the council to reconsider city acquisition/sale of THC products, citing health concerns he attributed to national figures and a family member's clinical observations.
During the public-comment period, resident Johan Marsden asked Kasson City council to consider two items: permission for an educational flock of about 16–17 chickens to be kept at his child center and reassessment of city involvement in THC-related product sales.
Marsden told the council the child center’s property is isolated from neighbors and that students constructed a mobile chicken tractor that can house up to 20 birds. He said no immediate action was required because the chicks remain indoors, but he asked staff to check zoning and any variance requirements and to report back at the next meeting.
Marsden also raised concerns about a line in the council packet that, he said, shows the city invested more than $3,300 in wholesale THC products this month and suggested that retailing such products may conflict with the city’s role in promoting the public welfare. He described clinical observations from a daughter who works as a psychologist and summarized national statistics as he understood them, telling the council his research suggested a higher risk of serious mental-health outcomes for some users.
Council members asked staff to double-check the chicken ordinance and clarify whether poultry is permitted on the site under existing zoning; staff agreed to do so and to provide feedback at the next meeting. Staff also told the resident the products the city sells are not cannabis flowers and said they would provide further clarification.
What happens next: staff will review zoning and the chicken ordinance and report back; the council did not vote on either matter during the meeting.
