By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — City Council members on Monday decided to delay a vote on whether to allow up to four hens to be raised in residential areas.
The item was laid over — no egg pun intended — at the request of Alderman Kevin Frost and Alderman Tuffy Quinonez. City Council rules allow for a vote to be automatically delayed at the request of two aldermen when it’s presented for the first time.
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Before the vote was delayed, aldermen discussed the issue for 22 minutes and approved an amendment that effectively would turn backyard hens into a small pilot program.
Alderman Bill Rose, who introduced the initial measure, proposed the amendment as a means to allow for time for concerns to be evaluated during a limited rollout of the rules.
His change means backyard hens would be a pilot program for one year and that no more than 30 permits for hens will be allowed. City staff would also create a report on permits issued and the number of ordinance violations. The council would reevaluate after a year and decide whether to continue the program.
“Having listened to the council and different people in the community, I felt like it would be a lot better to move this a little bit slower,” said Rose, a 9th Ward Democrat. “There are still a lot of concerns by different residents and City Council men and women.”
Rose’s amendment was approved 8-4 with aldermen Chad Tuneberg, Aprel Prunty, Karen Hoffman and Frank Beach voting against it. Alderwoman Gina Meeks was absent. Alderwoman Linda McNeely was not present for the vote.
Whether or not the pilot program gets launched will depend on whether the majority of the council supports it when it returns to the City Council floor in two weeks.
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The proposed rules allow for a maximum of four hens kept in an enclosed coop and run. The structure cannot be more than 80-square-feet large and must be at least 6 feet from any property line. It also must be 20-feet from any structure.
Proponents of the measure say backyard hens provide a sustainable food source while protecting home gardens from pests and providing a source of education for children and families.
Those against the measure say chickens can attract coyotes and other predators, coops can be unsightly and lower property values.
Rose, the alderman who has championed the proposal, provided aldermen with a letter from a local Realtor and the National Association of Realtors that states backyard chickens do not negatively affect property values. He said allowed for backyard hens was a step toward creating a more sustainable community.
Hoffman, a Democrat who represents the 8th Ward, is concerned that people here won’t build high-quality coops. She said she’d like to see an amendment that creates a minimum lot size and language that assures the coops are quality structures.
“It can’t be some little handmade thing for $40 bucks that gets plopped on a piece of land,” she said. “I can go for a compromise on this amendment if we increase the lot size and the quality of the chick coop so it does not become a chicken shack.”
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas.