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Resident urges council to prioritize enforcement and collaboration over broad changes to chicken rules
Summary
Nikki Moy told the council she and other chicken owners worked with staff to craft recommendations and urged targeted enforcement of coop standards and existing codes instead of changing rules for all residents; she asked council to listen to constituent proposals ahead of a July hearing.
Nikki Moy, a Prospect Heights resident, addressed the council during public comment on June 24 about how the city has handled complaints regarding chicken ownership. "I'm speaking to you tonight regarding the handling of the current issue of chicken ownership in our city," Moy said, asking the council to consider targeted enforcement of problem properties rather than a blanket change to the city’s rules.
Moy said the matter dates to October, when three residents complained about neighbors' chickens, and that subsequent public meetings have not resolved the underlying neighbor-to-neighbor issues. She said that after a March meeting, several chicken owners worked with staff (including meetings with Dan Peterson and other city representatives) to prepare recommended changes intended to preserve chicken owners’ rights while addressing nuisance problems. "We provided him with the requested information ... we all met several times to put all this together," Moy said.
She asked the council to avoid broad regulations that could punish compliant owners and to focus on enforcement of coop construction, auxiliary structures, a free annual permit and enforcement of existing noise and animal-welfare codes. Moy said residents value Prospect Heights’ relaxed allowances for chickens and that many moved to the city in part because of that policy.
The council did not take action on the matter during the meeting; Moy asked council members to review the residents’ recommendations ahead of the scheduled Wednesday meeting where staff will present proposed regulatory changes.
