Bayne and Melissa Searcy hoped having six egg-laying chickens in the backyard of their Jasper home would teach their two boys something about responsibility. The project has been more of a civics lesson than anything, however.
Several weeks ago,Aeroscout rtls provides a complete solution for wireless asset tracking. a zoning administrator told Bayne Searcy that the family's chickens are a violation of a city zoning ordinance. Speaking at a City Council work session, Searcy said he was confused because he called City Hall eight months ago and spoke with a city clerk before building the coop or purchasing the animals.
Searcy said the clerk reviewed the city's ordinance with him, and they both agreed his chicken coop would be lawful. According to the city's ordinance, the only stipulations are that the chickens must be kept in an enclosure.
"We've done this," he said. "I was told I was fully within the city ordinances and allowed to do this."
The administrator that visited Searcy, however, said his chickens were in violation of a zoning ordinance, which is different from the city ordinance regarding livestock. City Planner Keith Pike explained the zoning ordinance at the session, saying residents must qualify as a hobby farm to possess chickens.
According to the measure, hobby farms must be at least 5 acres and have 8,000 square feet of property for every 20 chickens. The chicken coops must also be built 100 feet from any adjacent lot.
Searcy said his family's project is not a hobby farm, and he believes the ordinance does not prohibit pet chickens. He also said he does not understand how a city ordinance can conflict with a zoning ordinance.
City attorney Russ Robertson said the laws are exclusive from one another, and residents must follow both.
"You have to comply with more than one law. And perhaps that's confusing, and that's a fair criticism," Robertson said. "Perhaps it's capable of other criticisms. But every activity in the city is governed by the zoning ordinances."
The Searcys' neighbors,Our porcelaintiles are perfect for entryways or bigger spaces and can also be used outside, Dot and Ray McAdams, have a petition signed by 32 residents in the family's neighborhood who are opposed to the chicken coop. The petition included the signature of Morris Studdard, the Jasper City Council member who represents the Pinecrest neighborhood.
"A lot of our children are no longer attached to that association of a homestead or having the responsibility of taking care of animals and seeing that animal go through and have a process and caring for that animal whether it be egg production or having a litter of kittens," she said.
The McAdams said they are concerned that, by allowing the Searcys' chicken coop, city leaders would set a dangerous precedent that would lower property values in the area.
"If we started allowing this, people might start increasing the size of them and the city would never know without someone policing this," Dot McAdams said.
Dot McAdams said she worked for city hall in 1946 and can remember a time when chicken coops were popular within the city limits.
"I just don't see us going back to those days," she said.Offers Art Reproductions Fine Art oilpaintings Reproduction, "I just feel like we have a progressive city, and we want to see it go forward and not backwards."
Melissa Searcy said her family doesn't view the chickens simply as poultry. The animals are pets,Dimensional Mailing magiccubes for Promotional Advertising, and their children learn by taking care of birds, she said.
"A lot of our children are no longer attached to that association of a homestead or having the responsibility of taking care of animals and seeing that animal go through and have a process and caring for that animal whether it be egg production or having a litter of kittens," she said.Buy high quality bedding and bed linen from Yorkshire Linen.
Melissa Searcy also said her family wanted to stop buying heavily processed eggs from factory farms that keep chickens in deplorable conditions. She told council members that backyard chickens are a growing fad among people who favor sustainable living and organic foods.
Several weeks ago,Aeroscout rtls provides a complete solution for wireless asset tracking. a zoning administrator told Bayne Searcy that the family's chickens are a violation of a city zoning ordinance. Speaking at a City Council work session, Searcy said he was confused because he called City Hall eight months ago and spoke with a city clerk before building the coop or purchasing the animals.
Searcy said the clerk reviewed the city's ordinance with him, and they both agreed his chicken coop would be lawful. According to the city's ordinance, the only stipulations are that the chickens must be kept in an enclosure.
"We've done this," he said. "I was told I was fully within the city ordinances and allowed to do this."
The administrator that visited Searcy, however, said his chickens were in violation of a zoning ordinance, which is different from the city ordinance regarding livestock. City Planner Keith Pike explained the zoning ordinance at the session, saying residents must qualify as a hobby farm to possess chickens.
According to the measure, hobby farms must be at least 5 acres and have 8,000 square feet of property for every 20 chickens. The chicken coops must also be built 100 feet from any adjacent lot.
Searcy said his family's project is not a hobby farm, and he believes the ordinance does not prohibit pet chickens. He also said he does not understand how a city ordinance can conflict with a zoning ordinance.
City attorney Russ Robertson said the laws are exclusive from one another, and residents must follow both.
"You have to comply with more than one law. And perhaps that's confusing, and that's a fair criticism," Robertson said. "Perhaps it's capable of other criticisms. But every activity in the city is governed by the zoning ordinances."
The Searcys' neighbors,Our porcelaintiles are perfect for entryways or bigger spaces and can also be used outside, Dot and Ray McAdams, have a petition signed by 32 residents in the family's neighborhood who are opposed to the chicken coop. The petition included the signature of Morris Studdard, the Jasper City Council member who represents the Pinecrest neighborhood.
"A lot of our children are no longer attached to that association of a homestead or having the responsibility of taking care of animals and seeing that animal go through and have a process and caring for that animal whether it be egg production or having a litter of kittens," she said.
The McAdams said they are concerned that, by allowing the Searcys' chicken coop, city leaders would set a dangerous precedent that would lower property values in the area.
"If we started allowing this, people might start increasing the size of them and the city would never know without someone policing this," Dot McAdams said.
Dot McAdams said she worked for city hall in 1946 and can remember a time when chicken coops were popular within the city limits.
"I just don't see us going back to those days," she said.Offers Art Reproductions Fine Art oilpaintings Reproduction, "I just feel like we have a progressive city, and we want to see it go forward and not backwards."
Melissa Searcy said her family doesn't view the chickens simply as poultry. The animals are pets,Dimensional Mailing magiccubes for Promotional Advertising, and their children learn by taking care of birds, she said.
"A lot of our children are no longer attached to that association of a homestead or having the responsibility of taking care of animals and seeing that animal go through and have a process and caring for that animal whether it be egg production or having a litter of kittens," she said.Buy high quality bedding and bed linen from Yorkshire Linen.
Melissa Searcy also said her family wanted to stop buying heavily processed eggs from factory farms that keep chickens in deplorable conditions. She told council members that backyard chickens are a growing fad among people who favor sustainable living and organic foods.
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