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Resident urges stricter rules on outdoor food storage to curb rodents
Summary
During audience comments at the May 26 meeting, resident Luke Wiki asked the council to extend food-storage requirements beyond chicken owners to all residents, citing public-health risks from rodents and inconsistent enforcement in the city code.
At the May 26 special meeting, resident Luke Wiki urged the Washington City Council to update enforcement and rules about outdoor food storage to reduce rodents and other undesirable wildlife.
Wiki read from the city code — “Chapter 56, zoning, article 3, residential districts, Section 56-77” — and said the ordinance requires food associated with poultry to be secured but does not provide equivalent guidance for other food sources that attract rats and mice. "Rodents obviously spread diseases like salmonella," Wiki told the council and asked that all residents be held accountable for leaving or storing food outside in a manner that attracts wildlife.
Wiki proposed applying a consistent standard to all outdoor food storage, not just to chicken owners, and said current code-enforcement options are limited when the issue is not tied to poultry. Council members did not take action on the request during the meeting; the comment was recorded during the public-comment portion of the agenda.
The council may refer the matter to staff for review or to its code-enforcement/ordinance-review processes in a subsequent meeting.
