ALLOW OWNERSHIP OF BACKYARD EGG-LAYING FOWL WITHIN CITY LIMITS IN BOONE, IOWA.
- Target:
- Boone, Iowa City Council
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- drive.google.com
In 2015, the Boone City Council quietly banned chickens from properties within the city limits regardless of the fact that people have been peacefully and safely keeping chickens in Boone for decades. In August 2015, council members approved an amendment to Section 55.12 of the Animal Control and Standard of Care ordinance. The amendment states that no livestock, including fowl, may be kept within city corporate limits unless the livestock are in an agricultural district
(http://www.amestrib.com/news/boone-approves-amendment-concerning-chickens-residential-areas). However, the city code of ordinances currently provided by the city of Boone does not reflect the ban on backyard egg-laying fowl (http://boonegov.com/pdf_files/general%20pdf/Boone%20Code.pdf). The Backyard Chicken group of Boone, Iowa is lobbying to have the ban lifted on backyard fowl ownership, with the intent on returning to the original ordinance that lists poultry, turkeys, and ducks as domesticated animals.
The benefits of backyard chicken ownership: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-OETJclAN8oaEtkSk5QbE5Ta1U/view?usp=sharing
Please consider supporting this cause by signing the following petition.
*Please note that street addresses and email addresses will not be available to the public and will be viewed by the petition administrator and Boone city council members only.
We, the undersigned, support a revision to the zoning ordinance to allow a property owner to own up to 10 egg-laying fowl (not roosters) in an appropriate sized, well-maintained backyard coop within the city limits of Boone, IA. This ordinance would be based on those in cities which have passed similar measures with remarkable success, such as Ames, Oakdale, Council Bluffs, Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant, Iowa City, Keokuk, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines. The ordinance would include confinement regulations, nuisance clauses, and other rules to be determined at a later date, based on examinations of other city ordinances.
We support this measure because:
-Chickens produce a rich fertilizer by-product, high in nitrogen, eliminating the need for petrochemical fertilizers.
-Many young professionals and families are drawn to cities which allow backyard chickens as part of the local food and food security movements.
-Chickens eat bugs, including ticks, reducing our backyard pest population, and allowing for reduced use of pesticides.
-Backyard hens provide an educational opportunity to teach children where our food comes from and demonstrate responsible pet ownership.
-Fresh, naturally raised eggs have an improved nutrient profile compared to conventional eggs.
-Chickens eat table scraps, reducing municipal solid waste.
-A properly cleaned and maintained chicken coop poses no sanitation or health risks.
-Hens are not noisy, as they only make noise when scared, or sometimes when laying an egg. They sleep all night and are less noisy that a neighborhood dog. Roosters will not be allowed.
-Local businesses can see an upswing in sales, due to sales of feeders, lamps, coops, and other chicken supplies.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The ALLOW OWNERSHIP OF BACKYARD EGG-LAYING FOWL WITHIN CITY LIMITS IN BOONE, IOWA. petition to Boone, Iowa City Council was written by Sarah Kolb and is in the category Miscellaneous at GoPetition.