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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes June 11, 2024 Page 2 IV. PUBLIC HEARING - NONE. V. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF. A. Ordinance 2024-02 — Amending the St. Anthony City Code by Amending Title IX Sections 91.06 and 91.56 of the City Code Relating to Animals. 8 City Planner Steve Grittman reviewed the proposed Ordinance amendment has been generated 9 by the Parks and Environmental Commission (PEC) to allow beekeeping in St. Anthony. If 10 adopted, beekeeping would be allowed upon approval of the City Council as a waiver from what 11 is currently a prohibition on "farm animals". The approval would be subject to a set of 12 regulations that are designed to ensure that applicants are thoroughly trained to responsibly keep 13 and maintain bees on their residential property. 14 15 The existing City Code provisions relevant to "farm animals" prohibit them in the City, with the 16 allowance that the City Council may approve specific requests, waiving the usual prohibition. 17 This waiver has been primarily utilized for chickens in the past. There are no specific 18 requirements for the keeping of chickens, however, staff and the Council routinely add 19 requirements to ensure that chicken facilities are installed and managed to minimize 20 neighborhood concerns. 21 22 For bees, the waiver process would still exist, however, extensive requirements for bees are 23 proposed. Beekeeping operations can be difficult for potential beekeepers to successfully and 24 safely implement in residential environments, and the requirements in the proposed ordinance 25 are intended to address those issues. 26 27 Staff requests the City Council consider this first reading of a proposed ordinance to allow 28 beekeeping in the City's residential areas, subject to the regulations and standards included in the 29 draft language. If approved, a formal ordinance amendment will be prepared for subsequent 30 readings in anticipation of final adoption. 31 32 The Planning Commission considered the proposed ordinance language at a public hearing at its 33 regular meeting on May 21, 2024. The Commission recommends adoption of the ordinance, but 34 made a number of recommended modifications to the proposed language which have been 35 incorporated into the draft. 36 37 The Commission's comments (as well as staff input) include the following changes from the 38 draft forwarded by the PEC: 39 40 1. The language is modified to refer to the process as a specific permission of the City Council, 41 similar to the way in which chicken requests are proposed — as opposed to a "permit" or 42 "license". 43 2. The language is modified to simplify notice to neighbors of a potential application, in that 44 abutting property owners would be notified by the City of the proposed request. Neighbors 45 could submit concerns, including notification of any bee sting allergies. This alters the PEC's