HomeMy WebLinkAboutSCMinutes_2016_01_05Sustainability Council
January 5, 2016
A meeting of the Sustainability Council was held on Tuesday, January 5, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Brookings
City & County Government Center with the following members present: Holly Tilton Byrne, Nels
Granholm, Jane Hegland, Alvaro Garcia, Bob McGrath, Norma Nusz Chandler, Stephanie Aure and Mike
Lockrem. Absent: Ben Kleinjan, Betty Beer and Paul Peterson. Others present included: Shari Thornes
and Laurie Carruthers.
Chair Tilton Byrne called the meeting to order at 2:06 p.m. A motion was made by Nusz Chandler,
seconded by McGrath, to approve the agenda. All present voted yes; motion carried.
Recommendation on format, process and procedures for a chicken pilot demonstration program in
the City of Brookings. Thornes reported that Mayor Reed, Council Member Patty Bacon, Tilton Byrne
and Thornes met to discuss the chicken pilot demonstration program. It was agreed that the process
should mirror the ordinance. The first 10 qualifying applications will receive temporary permits. Tilton
Byrne advised the Bill Ross is willing to take in chickens if the ordinance is not adopted. She researched
three cities, which allow urban chickens – Sioux Falls, SD; Dubuque, IA and Fort Collins, CO. Each one
provided the following information:
• Animal control would be called if a bird is found at large
• None of the cities had issues with chickens at large
• None of the cities tag or id hens
• Any unclaimed birds would be taken in by a farmer, not euthanized
Lockrem commented that a sample of 10 would not be an accurate representation in which to
draw conclusions. Members agreed that Animal Control should log all complaints and list nature of
complaint. Inspections should only occur if there is a complaint. Thornes advised the Chief of Police
would like to meet with the Sustainability Council regarding the procedure for Animal Control. Rental
houses would need permission from landlord. Health risk information would be posted on the city’s
website.
Regarding the subject of leg banding, the Council felt the process would be cost prohibitive to
implement every year and also be an ordeal to band the chickens and track the information.
Chickens normally return to their coop at night. A preventative measure would be to make sure the
coops has netting or enclosed over the top of the run.
The Council agreed that all applicants should be on the same schedule to get an accurate sampling and
neighbor consent would not be required. The Planning Commission will need to implement zoning
amendments.
Applicants will receive educational materials when they apply. The applicants would allow Sustainability
Council Members to tour the coops for educational purposes and inspect the coops at the end of the
program for reporting purposes.
No avian flu has been reports in backyard flocks. If it ever occurred the US Department of Agriculture
would step in. Common diseases among chickens are mites and pasty butt, which can be remedied by
regular care.
A motion was made by McGrath, seconded by Granholm, to make the following recommendation to the
City Council regarding an Urban Chicken Demonstration/Pilot Project:
• No application pre-approval inspections through Animal Control:
o Pre-approval inspections are not done for any other licensed animals in town. The
ordinance should mirror other animal ordinances and should not create an additional
workload on animal control staff.
• No notification to neighbors:
o Neighbor permission isn’t needed for other animals. The Council feels the ordinance
should mirror other animal ordinances. It should also mirror the original ordinance in
order to be a true test of the concept.
• No leg banding:
o Leg banding to track an at-large chicken was initially suggested. None of the
communities contacted band urban chickens. The Council felt leg banding would be
cost prohibitive for a temporary program, time consuming, create unnecessary
paperwork, and difficult to track.
All present voted yes; motion carried.
The Council recommended Animal Control track the following for the Pilot Project:
• Address of applicant
• Number of chickens
• Number of complaints and the nature of complaints regarding the pilot project
• Comparison of all pet complaints to pilot project complaints
The Sustainability Council will inspect coops at the end of the project and prepare a report to include
number of birds, deaths, map/addresses, and photographs.
Reports:
• Initial: number of applicants awarded, location, number of hens
• Quarterly: number and nature of complaints received, comparison to other pet complaints
• Final: map/address, photos of coops, complaints received, comparison, map
Meeting adjourned at 3:31 p.m.
Submitted by Laurie Carruthers