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Item No: 7A Meeting Date: June 22, 2015 Type of Business: Council Business City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Honorable Mayor and City Council From: James Ericson, City Administrator Item Title/Subject: Public Hearing, Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 903, an Ordinance Amending Chapter 701 to Add Provisions for the Keeping and Raising of Chicken and Ducks in Certain Residential Districts (ROLL CALL VOTE) 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, the Council directed staff to prepare language for consideration. On May 26, 2015, the Council reviewed a more refined set of conditions wo form the basis of the attached ordinance. On June 8, 2015, the Council approved the first reading and introduction of the ordinance, with a few revisions. 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: At the June 8, 2015, City Council meeting, the Council considered the first reading of Ordinance 903. A few minor changes were made to the ordinance which are summarized as follows: • Allowance only to chickens and ducks instead of the more broadly defined poultry and fowl • Removed submission of a “neighbor consent form” as a condition of application • Removed requirement that birds be leg banded for identification purposes • Excluded drakes (male ducks) in addition to roosters.