What are some of the more agonizing issues local city officials have to vote on? Budget? TIF's? Zoning?
These can be tough, but more often than not the things that keep aldermen and council people up at night are the seemingly small things. These tough issues are the ones which affect residents personally.
So it is with Clayton. The board of aldermen is facing one of their toughest voting challenges-to allow or prohibit the raising of backyard chickens.
"Up until recently, it hasn't been an issue, but we have seen a greater
number of chickens coming into Clayton," Catherine Powers, city
planning director, said last week at a meeting of the Board of Aldermen.
She said chickens are being raised in all of the city's three wards but
didn't have an estimate of either the number of homes with chickens, or
an overall number of fowl."
Mayor Linda Goldstein said that no action on chickens would be taken without public hearings.
It's an emotional issue. People who love their chickens, see them as producers of great eggs versus neighbors who find the incessant squawking annoying.
"You can't talk over the squawking, and there are flies all over the place." "I didn't move to Clayton for this".
Residents supporting keeping the pro-chicken ordinance see it as just one more reason to be proud of Clayton:
"Our existing chicken ordinance is in line with our environmental
leadership, and reversing it would be an embarrassing step backwards
for Clayton".
The aldermen are working hard to see both sides.
It's going to be a tough one. But, there will be a public hearing on city chickens.
