Agenda Packets - 2015/05/26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Item No: 11(B)2 Meeting Date: May 26, 2015 Type of Business: Reports City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: James Ericson, City Administrator Item Title/Subject: Review Draft Regulations and Requirements Associated with Backyard Chickens Introduction: Over the last few years, Council members have been asked to amend the City Code to allow residents to keep chickens in their backyards. With urban chickens and urban farming a frequent topic in cities and suburbs across the country, the City Council has been asked once again to consider the potential for something similar here in Mounds View. At the May 4, 2015, Work Session, the Council heard testimony from Deb Nygaard and other residents asking that the Council consider amending the Code to allow for the keeping and raising of chickens. The Council seemed supportive and directed staff to prepare language for potential future action. City Code reference: The Mounds View City Code defines farm animals in Section 701.03 as follows: Subd. 2. FARM ANIMALS. Those animals commonly associated with a farm or an agricultural setting. Unless otherwise defined, farm animals shall include members of the equestrian family (horses, mules), bovine family (cows, bulls), sheep, poultry (chickens, turkeys, pheasants), fowl (ducks, geese), swine (including Vietnamese pot- bellied pigs), goats, bees, and other animals associated with a farm, ranch, or stable. Later in this same Chapter, Section 701.06 prohibits farm animals as follows: Subd. 1. Nuisance Declared: It is hereby declared to be unlawful and a public nuisance affecting the public peace, safety, and welfare for an owner within the City to keep or raise any farm animal unless the animal is currently being kept or raised on the date of the enactment of the ordinance. Discussion Many cities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, including St. Paul and Minneapolis, allow keeping or raising chickens or ducks in residential areas. The number of cities that allow for this practice seem to be increasing as a growing number of residents are embracing a more organic, home-grown lifestyle. Opponents of urban chickens often cite concerns with noise, cleanliness, disease and odors, suggesting that chickens, and the like, do not belong in a residential neighborhood, but rather at farms or agriculturally zoned lands.