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Heated public comments over a chicken ordinance lead Newland board to table the matter
Summary
A lengthy and sometimes confrontational public-comment period focused on enforcement of the town's chicken/livestock ordinance and on board members' conduct; a motion to remove poultry from the ordinance was introduced but the town manager successfully moved to table the discussion and schedule a public hearing early next year.
A tense and extended public-comment period at the Newland meeting centered on enforcement of a chicken/livestock ordinance and criticisms of the board's conduct at a prior meeting.
One resident (speaker 12) said the prior meeting had "almost 3 hours" of yelling and called the behavior unacceptable for elected leaders, adding the town's image matters as the community receives media attention. The resident pressed the board on enforcement and fairness, specifically citing an ordinance (referred to as chapter 81.09) and asking why some people appeared to receive special treatment for keeping poultry.
"We can't act like this," the resident said, describing altercations at the earlier meeting and urging enforcement or a formal change. Another board member moved to take poultry out of the livestock ordinance that night. The town manager said the topic deserved a full public hearing after recovery work is under way and proposed tabling the motion until January or February so the town can prioritize storm recovery.
The board agreed to table the ordinance change and to schedule a public hearing in the coming months. The manager also asked for decorum: she urged all participants to stop personal attacks and for the board to refrain from calling constituents names.
What happens next: the board directed staff to schedule a public hearing on any ordinance change early in the next calendar year and to continue focusing on recovery priorities in the near term.
