Ordinance committee sends rooster-noise amendment to public hearing after neighborhood complaints

The Chair called the ordinance committee to order and read a written public comment from a Bristol resident reporting two roosters that have disturbed neighbors, sometimes as early as 4 a.m. The resident said animal-control had not returned calls since August.

Committee members discussed a proposed amendment that would remove a collar requirement from the ordinance and instead require removal of a rooster by the property owner if "a valid noise complaint is received by the city." Committee members pressed for clarity on who decides a complaint is "valid," whether removal would be at the owner's expense, and where owners could rehouse roosters if required.

"If a valid noise complaint is received by the city, the city will require removal of the rooster by the property owner," a committee member said when summarizing the proposed change. Several members described the current collar technology as ineffective and noted rehousing options are limited.

The committee voted to send the amendment to a public hearing to give residents a chance to speak and to surface enforcement questions before the committee finalizes language. The public hearing is set for March 3 at the conclusion of the regular ordinance meeting.

The committee recorded no final ordinance change at the meeting; the public hearing is intended to gather resident input and additional details on enforcement, rehousing options, and the definition of a "valid" complaint.