02-22-2017 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Unhappy Resident Greetings Council Members I am writing you today to express my disappointment in how the issue of allowing chickens in Little Canada was handled. I'm not sure which part frustrates me more, the fact that you denied the measure or the fact that you were considering adopting it when it only benefited Renee Schott and potentially four other properties in the city. I wish I could have attended the meeting myself so that I could have tried to bring some reason to the discussion, but unfortunately, I could not. My husband and I moved to Little Canada in 2012 from our home in Maplewood. We have three daughters. I am a nurse and my husband is a shop foreman and Roseville Firefighter of 16 years. Before we purchased the home, I had researched about whether chickens were allowed. I love chickens. I always have and it has been a dream of mine to own them. Every year, I spend lots of time in the poultry building at the MN State Fair. I was unhappy about the fact that chickens weren't allowed in Little Canada and even considered looking for other properties elsewhere. However, we loved the 1913 farmhouse that we found ﴾on a half acre lot﴿ and decided to buy it anyway. At the time, I guessed that it was only a matter of time before the city would change the ordinance, because nearly every other city in the surrounding area had. I thought that if a city council as bad as that of Maplewood could get it together enough to make it work, surely the council members of Little Canada could as well. We're not reinventing the wheel here. Copying the codes from other nearby cities with successful, happy, chicken‐owning residents should not have been difficult. I have a brother who lives in Roseville. He and his roommates have a number of chickens on their small city lot, which measures about 1/3 of an acre. One of his roommate's sons participates in 4H with the chickens. They have never had a single neighbor complain about the chickens. In fact, the chickens have brought them together. Neighbors come to visit the chickens with their children and my brother gives them eggs. I have talked to my neighbors about the topic of chickens and they were overwhelming approving of the idea. This was something that I was looking forward to sharing with my children and all of the other kids in the neighborhood that they play with. My hopes on this matter are that the city council will be willing to have new and better discussions on the issue in the near future so that we can find a common resolution that will work for everyone. There were so many details that were not addressed ﴾or at least not discussed at the meeting﴿, like the potential of using permit fees to cover the cost of potential city inspector visits. I also believe ﴾having had so many conversations with other residents about it﴿ that other people in the city are very much in favor of this. It's unfortunate that the city council members based their decisions, at least in part, on the lack of expressed support from city residents. If I'd had enough warning that this was to be discussed, I certainly would have made arrangement to be able to attended the meeting. I would have asked my neighbors and other resident that I know to write a letter or an email, or perhaps to sign a petition. I believe that the desire is there. Going forward, this is something that I will consider in future council elections. ﴾I've heard other people say the same in past years, having asked some candidates on their views on this.﴿ I sincerely hope that this is not the end of this discussion. Regards, Amanda Gutierrez Amanda Gutierrez <amgutierrez23@gmail.com> Sun 9/18/2016 9:35 PM To:John Keis <john.keis@ci.little‐canada.mn.us>; Tom Fischer <tom.fischer@ci.little‐canada.mn.us>; Christian Torkelson <christian.torkelson@ci.little‐canada.mn.us>; Michael McGraw <michael.mcgraw@ci.little‐canada.mn.us>; Rick Montour <montourrick@comcast.net>; Cc:mlhagert@lillienews.com <mlhagert@lillienews.com>;