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Bloomington board keeps current animal-code approach, schedules barking-dog trial; approves park cooler repair
Summary
Chief Small reported a barking-dog trial scheduled Dec. 5 and plans to cite a residence exceeding the five-dog limit; the board decided to continue addressing backyard-chicken and animal complaints under current ordinances and revisit in 6–12 months. The board also approved up to $5,000 to repair the park concession cooler.
Chief Small updated the board on animal-control matters and park operations during the Nov. 3 meeting. He said a barking-dog trial is scheduled for Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. at the Lancaster courthouse and reported a separate complaint about a residence harboring seven to eight dogs—exceeding a five-dog limit—that he plans to cite within the next week.
On backyard chickens, Chief Small presented sample ordinances from surrounding municipalities and noted Bloomington’s existing ordinances address noisy fowl and odors (Chapters 7 and 9) but lack explicit coop setback or flock-size provisions. After discussion, the board reached consensus to continue handling complaints on a case-by-case basis under current codes and to revisit whether to adopt more-specific chicken regulations in 6–12 months, particularly in light of pending state legislation.
In parks maintenance, Leitzinger said the concession cooler discovered during roof repairs is rotted and estimated rebuild costs at about $5,000; the board approved proceeding with the repair and indicated the village should resume charging users for concession operations once the cooler is functional.
Ending: The board approved the cooler repair and took a cautious approach to new chicken-specific ordinances, asking staff to enforce existing provisions and return with recommendations if issues persist.
