A familiar topic came up at the Weston board of aldermen meeting Monday evening – backyard chickens.
The meeting was the first the city held in person since March, but was streamed online with aldermen distanced within the meeting room.
Former mayor Greg Hoffman submitted a proposal to current mayor Steven George seeking to legalize up to six backyard chickens. As city attorney Jeremy Webb said, this topic has come up several times over the past decade. Each time, the board of aldermen has referred the matter to the planning and zoning commission, where it was denied.
This time, the chicken question didn’t even make it that far. With alderman Michael Goentzel casting the only dissenting vote, the board agreed the planning and zoning commission should not again waste time on discussing chickens.
Goentzel said he supported the idea of backyard chickens, but could understand the complications of keeping the fowl within city limits. One of those complications would be the burden on law enforcement for chicken owners who did not comply with city ordinances.
Webb said his only input on the matter was that as an ancillary building, any chicken coops would need to be inspected just as a shed or other structure would.
Alderman Joyce Priddy said she grew up on a farm and chickens could smell if not properly cared for. Alderman Rebecca Rooney said chickens would need to be vaccinated, due to diseases that could be transmitted to humans. The vaccination requirement would then need to be enforced by the city, creating new layers of bureaucracy.
Ideas floated at the meeting included creating a test program to allow chickens on a trial basis, creation of a citizen group to oversee backyard chicken programs and formation of a Weston farmer’s market to provide fresh eggs on a regular basis as an alternative to urban chickens.
A vote of the people to determine if a majority were in favor of backyard chickens was also suggested.
The board voted 3-1 to end the chicken discussion that night.
Also at the meeting, the board agreed to hold back on public events in May, with the exclusion of a possible parade in honor of West Platte High School seniors on Saturday, May 30. The vehicle parade would be held while maintaining social distancing standards.