Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Backyard Chickens topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Edmonston council declines to advance backyard-chicken ordinance amid enforcement, noise concerns
Summary
At a Jan. 7 teleconference, the Edmonston Town Council discussed a proposal from the Edmonston Green Team to permit backyard hens with a registry and maintenance rules but reached no consensus after members cited enforcement, predator and noise issues; the proposal would allow up to four hens per household.
The Edmonston Town Council discussed but did not advance a proposed ordinance to permit backyard chickens after members raised enforcement, predator and noise concerns during a Jan. 7 work session held by teleconference.
Jona Elson, co-chair of the Edmonston Green Team, described the proposal as intended to “legitimize practices already in place” by creating a registry process, maintenance guidelines and a violation system. The draft ordinance, as described in the discussion, would allow up to four hens per household.
Council Member John Johnson asked about the proposed limit per household; according to the proposal discussed, each household could have up to four hens. Council Member Betsy McCauley said the town is still dealing with a cat problem and raised a related concern that deforestation along Tanglewood has increased the local fox population, creating a predator issue for backyard animals.
Council Member Kony Serrano Portillo and Police Chief Eric Beale flagged enforcement challenges, saying it may be difficult for officers to police private property and questioning when county authorities might become involved. Mayor Tracy R. Gant said she did not support moving forward, citing both the likelihood that more homeowners might acquire roosters and the difficulty of monitoring compliance given the size of the police department.
Town Administrator Rod Barnes said the town attorney, DeLoach, would provide guidance about enforcement options if the council decided to pursue the ordinance. Council members did not reach consensus to advance the measure during the session.
The meeting opened at 5:39 p.m. and adjourned at 6:12 p.m. The agenda also listed a planned presentation of the town's FY23-24 annual audit by Lindsey & Associates; the transcript does not record the audit presentation itself. The council listed consideration of the Nov. 5 work-session minutes and Nov. 13 regular-meeting minutes on the agenda but the transcript does not show a recorded vote on those items.
