Relief

The city council meeting was a non-event...other than the city gossip I got filled in on.  But that's a different story.

The issue of chickens was a specific agenda item.  I'm still amazed at that.  Anyway, the city planner presented her findings then opened discussion for the council members.  There was some back and forth for about 10 minutes about what the issues really were, how much needed to be done from a city code standpoint, etc.  At one point, one of the council members made a comment about how this discussion would never had happened if "some poor sucker" hadn't brought it up in the first place.  (I hope that makes it into the official meeting minutes.)  They directed a couple of questions to the planner about how many chickens the resident was planning on keeping.  I finally spoke up and made myself known as the sucker.

The final outcome was there won't be any changes made to the existing city code unless/until there are complaints from the neighbors.  There take was the 'farmer' would know to take care against predators (there is a pack of coyotes nearby along with normal urban pests) and vermin so there shouldn't be a need to legislate that.  And if there are issues, permits don't need to be renewed.

The person I was sitting next to at the meeting asked to buy the first dozen - turns out he is one of the incoming city council members.  There was no need to worry after all. 

Except that I still don't have a coop....and there are coyotes in the neighborhood.

Oh...and they left the ordinance as is, so pretty much and non-domesticated farm animal is on the table...a pygmy goat is in my future?