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Commission sends livestock ordinance to City Council

The city Planning Commission on Tuesday voted to send a proposed animal husbandry ordinance to City Council for consideration.

The ordinance would make the keeping of livestock a zoning “right,” while restricting the kind and number of animals and setting standards for their living conditions.

The original draft proposed by Planning Director Lee Slusser last month would have required property owners to obtain a “special exception” from the Zoning Hearing Board to keep livestock.

The commission backed off the special exception requirement because it would have required applicants to pay $450 to obtain a hearing before the Zoning Board.

Residents attracted to a lifestyle that includes keeping livestock like chickens or goats seek to save money, and the $450 fee could be a serious obstacle, said commissioner Dave Albright.

“You can buy a lot of chickens for $450,” said commissioner Bob Gutshall.

It would also make some 4-H projects costly, Slusser said.

In deleting the special exception requirement, the commissioners decided to forego the advantages of public notice to neighbors, the public hearing, a written record from that hearing and the ability of the Zoning Board to add conditions specific to each case.

The commission added a prohibition against butchering on city property, when the animals being butchered were raised on site.

City Manager Marla Marcinko favored that change, Slusser said.

The butchering prohibition makes sense, because conditions for home butchering might not always be sanitary, said senior planner Nic Ardizzone.

Professional butchering would also probably be more humane, Ardizzone said.

The prohibition might disappoint some people aiming for self-sufficiency, but those would probably be a minority, Albright said.

Butchering can be a “bloody mess,” said Slusser, who grew up on a farm in Crawford County.

Permitting it in the city could also create a problem with disposal of the remains, officials said.

The butchering prohibition would not apply to deer taken by hunters, because those are not raised on site.

After a short discussion, the commission retained a prohibition against the selling of livestock products — like eggs — on site.

It also retained permission for keeping bees.

Beekeeping sounds “scary,” but it’s safe, if done right, Slusser said.

Safety rules include providing water nearby on the property, so bees don’t drink at a neighbor’s bird bath, for example, and a “flyway barrier” to ensure they cross their home property lines at a sufficient height.

The city doesn’t regulate livestock directly now, although the noise, property maintenance and nuisance ordinances can sometimes apply.

The proposed new ordinance wouldn’t restrict the keeping of pets.

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