Resident urges Green council to allow backyard hens; council members volunteer to sponsor ordinance

Christina Gardner, a resident of 4416 Royce Avenue, urged the City of Green to amend its ordinance to allow backyard chickens, presenting a petition and handouts that she said show strong neighborhood support. "When I started this petition, I had hoped for 100 signatures to show the city that the Greens residents supported an amendment to keep backyard chickens," Gardner told the council, adding that she has collected many more and provided written materials for council review.

Gardner described chickens as a low‑maintenance, low‑noise source of fresh eggs and home composting benefits, and proposed rules including no roosters, safe enclosures, and a suggested cap of six hens per household. "Allowing a maximum of 6 hens per family would provide enough eggs for the average family. No roosters allowed. Chickens would need to be safely enclosed at all times," she said.

Councilmember Justin Spate thanked Gardner for her presentation and said he plans to "bring legislation forward to amend our ordinance, to follow much of the guidelines that Miss Gardner has in here." He invited other council members to sponsor the measure. Mrs. Babbitt said she will cosponsor the legislation with Spate and praised Gardner's research: "I plan to cosponsor this with Mister Spate, and I just wanna thank you for the thorough research that you've done and the presentation that you made for us because it's excellent."

Councilmembers asked practical questions about containment, predators and examples from other municipalities. Planning and operational details Gardner offered included breed recommendations, guidance at permit application, and education materials for new keepers. Councilmember Neugebauer cautioned about predator control and enclosure difficulties because chickens can fly; Gardner said guides and coop design could address those concerns.

The clerk noted an email from a resident (Stephanie Black) about the proposed chicken‑hen ordinance change had been received and listed with the correspondence. Council members said they expect to see draft legislation in a future meeting and noted HOAs could retain separate restrictions. The council did not take formal action on the ordinance during the meeting; councilmembers said they will work on drafting language and return the item for consideration.