More chicken talk

Discussion continues at May town council meeting

Although there was no ordinance to react to, general discussion about whether to allow chickens to be kept in the Lovell town limits was held during the May 13 regular meeting of the Lovell Town Council.

The discussion followed a public meeting on April 29 during which the council took testimony for and against a proposal to change the town code to allow chickens in town.

Jennifer Leonhardt, a firm opponent of allowing chickens in town, began the May 13 meeting by addressing the council on the matter and making several points including the difficulty of enforcement, the application of town ordinances, lack of concern by pet owners, dogs running at large, the existing availability of fresh eggs in the community, the effect of sounds and smell on neighbors, chicken coop waste and more.

While running a daycare business on Main Street for more than 30 years, Leonhardt said she has consistently had to clean up after other people’s animals so that the children in her care don’t get into it and calls regarding a neighbor’s barking dogs tend to go unheeded by law enforcement, leading her to believe that the police are already overworked on enforcement.

She also said she does not take her daycare kids to “certain parks” including Great Western Park because of the dog excrement in the park from dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets. She said loose dogs are also a hazard to citizens walking or riding a bicycle in town.

“If we want to start a new ordinance, why don’t we start one that keeps a town safer?” she asked. “The town has not been enforcing these dog and cat ordinances now. If they do not have the manpower or resources or the desire to cover these, then how are they going to enforce this one?”

She said she doesn’t see junk cars and out-of-control weeds in Cody and Powell.

Fresh eggs are plentiful in the area, she said, noting that while using 10 to 12 eggs a day to feed daycare kids, she has never run out of eggs.

Leonhardt worries about the smell of chicken coop waste, heated coops being susceptible to fire, the possibility of other fowl being allowed in town and the effect of chickens on property values.

As he began a discussion about the proposed ordinance, Mayor Tom Newman said his primary concern is enforcement. While the town has made headway on junk cars and weeds, he is well aware of the concern regarding ordinance enforcement, though he noted that an officer assigned to that duty had been out of commission for a while and will be back on duty soon.

“You always hope people will do the right thing as citizens,” Newman said, noting that while most people abide by the law, “two or three people can ruin it,” and he added that he’s “not a heavy-handed government guy” and believes in the ability of citizens to make decisions.

Newman added that citizens give up some rights (to livestock and the like) when they move into town but noted that it’s not as simple as telling people to move to the country if they want chickens, saying that stance is “not realistic.”

Returning to the enforcement issue, Newman said staffing is a huge issue, noting that the town had been actively trying to hire a law enforcement officer for two years. He said 10 out of 12 people will do the right thing, adding, “How do we enforce this? How do we self-govern?”

As discussion ensued, one citizen argued that, while dogs are an issue, they are far more numerous in town than chickens would be, around 12 residents seriously interested, proponent Debbie McConnaughey estimated. Another man said ordinances are being enforced, and he has been fined for having barking dogs on his property.

Mayor Newman proposed a committee to work on the issue made up of supporters and opponents, plus a representative of law enforcement, with the committee charged with “openly and respectfully working on this.” He added, “I honestly don’t know what the right thing is,” but he said an ordinance will likely be “heavy handed” to make it work.

Councilman Dan Anderson said it’s time to resolve the issue once and for all, noting that the issue keeps coming back to the council, which then devotes considerable time and effort to the issue.

“The time spent on a chicken ordinance is getting a little silly,” he said.

He added after being asked as an officer of the law in Cowley that Cowley does have issues with roosters and “chickens at large.”

Councilman Mike Grant said he sees both sides.

“I’m in the middle here,” he said. “I agree it’s an enforcement issue, but I read other ordinances, and other towns are making it work. We should be able to make it work without pitting neighbor against neighbor.”

Nebel said a high percentage of calls the police deal with are dealing with dogs.

“We deal with dogs so much,” he said. “We’re spending so much time on that. And we can’t find an animal control officer to enforce that. Dogs keep our officers running. About 90 percent of our municipal court cases are dogs at large.”

Nebel said what people have to realize is that Lovell generally has only one patrol officer on duty at a time who must be the ordinance officer, detective, animal control officer, patrol officer and more, while Powell has two officers on patrol at a time and separate positions for the other duties.

Councilwoman Carol Miller said she is firmly against allowing chickens in town, noting that chickens “should be in the country.” She asked, while loose dogs and cats are taken to the animal control shelter, where would loose chickens be taken? Councilman Bob Mangus joked that he’d be happy to take them to property he owns just outside of the town limits. But on a serious note, he said his concern is for the neighbors of those who would raise chickens.

Newman said he would like anyone interested in serving on a committee that would work through the issues to submit a letter of interest to town hall for review by the council, noting, “I want people to be open and honest to find a solution.”