Prospect Heights residents on Monday argued for and against a controversial set of proposed regulations on the keeping of chickens, two weeks before the city council might approve them.
The rules are the product of months of public discussion and official review, city Building and Development Director Dan Peterson said, and would end the city zoning code’s silence on chickens.
“We were looking for how to correct that,” he said. “I think the process was very open, very public.”
The first reading of the proposed ordinance at Monday’s city council meeting was accompanied by an opportunity for discussion. But no council members suggested changes to what the city’s planning and zoning board recommended in September, even after some residents were critical of the suggested rules.
Among the issues chicken-keepers raised was the proposed limit of 20 birds and a ban on roosters. They said the number is irrelevant to distinguishing a responsible owner from a negligent one, and that measures short of a total ban can keep roosters from being noisy nuisances, as with dogs.
Resident Niki Moylan suggested the city try the regulations without the limit and rooster ban, leaving open the right to add them later if problems occur.
Resident Lynn Schumacher supported the rules, citing her experience living next to an irresponsible chicken owner.
“Limiting the chickens would certainly help me out,” Schumacher said. “This proposal needs to be approved to protect all the people in the community.”
The suggested rules include a $90 fee for an initial permit and a $40 annual renewal fee.
The Prospect Heights City Council is expected to vote Dec. 9 on the city’s first set of rules governing the keeping of backyard chickens.
Rick West/[email protected], 2023
The maximum allowable size of a coop and covered chicken run would be 280 square feet. It would have to sit at least 5 feet from the property line and 20 feet from a neighboring home.
Ducks and quail are other species that could contribute to the maximum number of 20 birds, but turkeys and geese would be banned because they are noisy.
While state law prevents a local prohibition on the sale of eggs, the city intends to ban advertising signs.
If the regulations are approved Dec. 9, the enforcement would begin exactly one year later, Mayor Patrick Ludvigsen said.