Politics & Government

UPDATED: Stillwater City Council Passes Backyard Chicken Ordinance

The ordinance will have a second reading at the next council meeting.

Stillwater has gone to the chickens.

On a 3-2 vote, council members Mike Polehna and Jim Roush dissenting, the Stillwater City Council passed the first reading of an ordinance allowing residents to keep backyard chickens.

The ordinance will have a second reading at the next council meeting.

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The City Council approved the Planning Commission’s revised recommendations of an ordinance that will allow a maximum of five chickens, with no roosters; the birds must be kept in a weather sturdy coop 20 feet away from any neighbor's home (4 square feet per bird) and an attached pen (6 square feet per bird), completely fenced, including the roof.

In addition, there must be a fenced exercise yard of 174 square feet per bird. As an alternative to the exercise yard, the commission accepted the applicant's suggestion that the city allow a "chicken tractor," which is about a 5x10 fenced and wheeled box with no bottom that can be moved around the backyard.

Find out what's happening in Stillwaterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A permit—good for a two-year period—will be required to keep chickens.

More on Urban Chickens: Stillwater Planning Commission Tables 'Urban Chicken' Proposal

The Great 'Urban Chicken' Debate Comes to Stillwater

From the Birds to the Bees: Stillwater City Council Looks into Easing Beekeeping Restrictions

Several residents spoke in favor of urban chickens during the public hearing Tuesday night saying backyard chickens provide eggs, a good educational experience, the feces makes for good compost and the birds are great pets.

“As a council, we have to look at what’s good for the entire city, and people who want to raise chickens are pretty much all from one side of the town,” Council Member Jim Roush said. “I don’t care if people on the east side of town want to raise chickens, I’d support that in a heartbeat, but because we can’t partition it, people in my ward simply don’t want chickens. It just doesn’t fit in our lifestyle.”

Roush went on to cite information from the Center for Disease Control that discusses salmonella issues with backyard chickens. He also said chickens often fall prey to cats, dogs, foxes, coyotes and hawks.

“So naturally with the increases of backyard chickens we will also see an increase of these other animals,” Roush said. “The attraction of rodents is a public health hazard potentially associated with urban chicken farming.”

Council Member Doug Menikheim said the points Roush made are valid, but they are the same risks that people take when facing the flu germ.

“Every animal carries something,” Mayor Ken Harycki said.

Council Member Mike Polehna said Stillwater is not farm area, it’s part of the Twin Cities metro area, and is no place to raise chickens.

“It comes down to code enforcement,” Polehna said. “We can’t enforce our building codes, but we’re going to allow chickens and all these things in town when we can’t even enforce our ordinances. But we’re going to keep building more and more and more to meet the needs of a few... Why did our forefathers ordinance chickens out of Stillwater?”

Roush said he’d bet the reason was disease and predators.

“Look at all the people on the South Hill who have been asking how we’re going to control coyotes up on the hill, now we’re going to put bait up there,” Polehna said. “I grew up on my grandpa’s farm. I’ve been around chickens. I understand it, I just don’t believe it belongs in Stillwater.”

The mayor ended the discussion with a spoof on Herbert Hoover's 1928 Presidential campaign slogan.

“A chicken in every pot, or a chicken in every lot,” Harycki said before casting the deciding vote. “I vote for chickens in every lot.”


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