Idea defeated 3-2 in 2021
It might be too early to say that the chickens have come home to roost in Burlington. But a push to permit “backyard chickens” may nevertheless be circling back before Burlington’s city council less than four years after a majority of its members gave this proposal the axe.
Burlington’s elected leaders had previously brooded over the proposed legalization of chickens after interest in this form of animal husbandry spiked at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The enthusiasm for this idea eventually prompted the city’s planning staff to draw up a proposal to allow residents to obtain permits to keep up to four chickens in pens outside of their homes.
Despite an initial flutter of positive feedback, this plan received a more muted response when it came up for a public hearing in the spring of 2021. The proposal also drew some skepticism from city officials, who feared the backlash as farm fowl proliferated through the city’s residential neighborhoods. Meanwhile, the manpower needed to permit and inspect chicken pens and to investigate potential violations raised additional concerns for the city’s administrators.
In the end, the council rejected this plan by a margin of 3-to-2 when it came up for a vote in May of 2021.
Yet, this inauspicious outcome hasn’t prevented some residents from continuing to crow about the benefits of hens in an urban environment. These appeals have been buoyed by the legalization of hens in other communities as well as apparent financial incentive of home husbandry as the cost of eggs has shot through the stratosphere.
Earlier this week, the council heard from two residents who insist the time is ripe for Burlington to revisit the prospect of backyard chickens.
Frank Poppa, a resident of Grand Oaks Boulevard, was particularly keen to have the city’s leaders give this idea another crack when he broached the issue during a regularly-scheduled council meeting on Tuesday. Poppa went on to describe his own “journey as a chicken dad” to underscore the potential value these farm fowl can have for city dwellers.
“Chickens have their own personalities,” he said when he approached the council during a designated public comment period. “They each have their own songs, and on Sundays, I would listen to their peaceful chattering songs.”
Poppa went on to contend that backyard chickens could be a viable option in Burlington provided that the city adopts rules that reduce the potential nuisance these animals may have in a dense, urban setting. He went on to propose a cap of two chickens per household, a vaccine requirement, and mandate for fencing, along with a $5 registration fee for anyone who wants to experience the joy of chicken ownership.
Poppa’s remarks were followed by some comments from Tanja Rutherford, who has approached the council on a couple of other occasions to lobby on behalf of backyard chickens. During Tuesday’s comment period, Rutherford argued that, by maintaining its prohibition on hens, the city of Burlington has found itself increasingly out of step with its municipal peers.
“I think we should allow chickens in Burlington because every city around us allows them. We’re one of the last holdouts, and I don’t understand why.”
– Burlington resident Tanja Rutherford
“I think we should allow chickens in Burlington because every city around us allows them,” Rutherford said before she ticked off a half dozen municipalities that she said have deigned to permit chickens. “We’re one of the last holdouts, and I don’t understand why.”
