Council considers master fee updates; staff adds urban‑poultry registration and raises park rental fees

City staff presented Lancaster’s proposed master fee schedule for FY24–25 during the Sept. 16 work session and explained several changes that respond to recent state law updates.

Staff and legal counsel described a state urban‑poultry provision that requires municipalities to permit up to six hens in certain municipal settings, with roosters generally excluded; to comply, the draft master fee schedule includes a $50 registration/application fee for urban chickens. Counsel explained setback and proximity rules that limit where coops can be placed and said the registration approach is designed to confirm compliance with state conditions.

Council members questioned applicability to typical Lancaster lots; staff said the setbacks (about 50 feet from a residence or property edge in some examples) mean many smaller subdivided yards will not qualify but residential acreage or larger lots could. One council member summarized staff’s estimate: "I almost feel like ... probably 90% of the neighborhoods in Lancaster probably don't qualify for the chickens."

Staff also confirmed a $10 increase will be applied to listed park rental fees (the work‑session packet shows increases to the amounts printed in black), and said a clean, final redline will be provided prior to the vote.

Why it matters: The urban‑poultry change implements a state mandate and the registration fee is a local administrative response; the park rental increase is a small revenue change that staff said addresses operational needs.

Next steps: Council asked staff for a clean version of the master fee schedule and for legal clarification where needed before the item returns for formal action.