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Council debates whether Donald should adopt ordinance limiting backyard chickens; item tabled
Summary
City Manager Eric Underwood said Donald currently has no rules on chickens after a July complaint; councilors debated numeric limits, permitting versus complaint-driven enforcement, and whether to borrow language from Aurora’s code before deciding to table the issue for further work.
City Manager Eric Underwood introduced the issue, explaining it originated with a July complaint about numerous animals on a property and noting plainly that "Donald doesn't have rules that regulate chickens." Councilors then debated whether the city should set a numeric limit for fowl, require permits, or rely on a complaint-driven approach.
Some councilors said they favored adopting an approach similar to Aurora's municipal code, while others disagreed that that model fit Donald. The council did not reach consensus and agreed to table the topic for additional study and drafting. No ordinance, permit, or numerical limit was adopted at the Nov. 3 work session.
The conversation focused on balancing neighbor concerns about nuisance conditions with residents' interest in keeping small numbers of backyard fowl; councilors asked staff to return with proposed language and options for enforcement mechanics at a future meeting.
