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Mounds View City Council August 24, 2015 <br />Regular Meeting Page 7 <br /> <br />Chip Gruver, 5278 Red Oak Drive, was pleased that the City was amending its code to allow for <br />the keeping of bees. He stated that his grandfather would be training him on bees and asked if <br />this training would be sufficient. He suggested that the City allow for a nucleus hive. He <br />commented that he has a half-acre lot and was requesting the Council consider allowing him to <br />have four hives. Mayor Flaherty thanked him for his previous correspondence. <br /> <br />Hearing no further public input, Mayor Flaherty closed the public hearing at 8:06 p.m. <br /> <br />Council Member Meehlhause asked why bee licensing was being treated differently than <br />chickens/ducks. City Administrator Ericson explained that the keeping of bees differed because <br />the amount of work necessary to manage the hive was considerably different. He did not believe <br />there would be a lot of City involvement in managing beehives. <br /> <br />Council Member Meehlhause requested further information on a nucleus hive. Mr. Gruver <br />indicated a nucleus hive was the smallest possible size to survive the winter. He commented that <br />the nucleus hive would provide beekeepers some insurance to ensure that the hive continued to <br />thrive after the winter. <br /> <br />Mayor Flaherty inquired what type of bee training the City was requiring of its beekeepers. Jens <br />Loder, 7575 Pleasant View Drive, discussed the various types of bee keeping courses that were <br />provided in the metro area. <br /> <br />Mayor Flaherty did not believe that the City was requesting too much by requiring beekeepers to <br />attend a training course. He questioned why Mr. Gruver should be allowed to have more than <br />two hives. Mr. Gruver commented that he has .46 acres and would like to have four hives, given <br />the fact this is allowed on all properties over .5 acres. He did not believe that the bees would be <br />disruptive creatures and for this reason, he was seeking the freedom to have four hives. <br /> <br />Kathleen Smith, 7405 Spring Lake Road, explained that four hives would assist beekeepers with <br />covering their winter loss. She reported that in Minnesota alone, beekeepers had a 52% loss last <br />winter. She encouraged the Council to allow for homeowners to have more than two hives to <br />assist with winter loss. She appreciated the formal training requirement being suggested by the <br />City. <br /> <br />Council Member Meehlhause did not believe that Mr. Loder would require training as he has <br />been around bees his entire life. <br /> <br />Mayor Flaherty agreed with this comment, but wanted all residents to be properly trained. <br /> <br />Finance Director Beer questioned if the Council would consider approving a variance from the <br />proposed Ordinance to allow for homeowners to have more than two hives on their property. <br />City Administrator Ericson did not believe this was the proper way to manage this situation as it <br />was not a zoning issue and it would be difficult to determine a hardship. <br /> <br />MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Gunn. To Waive the First Reading and Introduce Ordinance