After Vote, Hens Still Prohibited In Warsaw City Limits
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
Hens will still not be allowed in Warsaw city limits. Warsaw City Council Monday night voted four to three against allowing hens in city limits. It was the final vote on the ordinance first discussed Feb. 3. Council members Elaine Call, Diane Quance, Cindy Dobbins and Charlie Smith voted against the proposal to allow as many as five hens on properties in city limits. Council members Mike Klondaris, Jerry Frush and Jeff Grose voted in support of it. James Bausch, Warsaw, first approached the city requesting it to consider allowing hens in the city limits. Warsaw Plan Commission provided a favorable recommendation to the city council for the ordinance. During its April 7 meeting, the council could not vote on the ordinance because there were not enough members present to vote. During the May 5 council meeting the ordinance passed its first reading, four in support and three against. Klondaris, Grose, Frush and Dobbins voted yes, and Smith, Quance, and Call voted no. Dobbins said she switched her vote against the ordinance after hearing comments from her constituents, half of whom where in support of the ordinance and half who were opposed to it. She said over the last three to four days she has received more comments from constituents who don’t want hens in city limits. “When it was 50/50 that was one thing. Now I am seeing a great many people who are overwhelmingly against it so I have concerns,” Dobbins said. Quance said she did not receive calls in support of the ordinance, but received calls thanking her for her vote against it. “Overwhelmingly in my district people are against it,” Quance said. She said there are lake dwellers in her district who have concerns about disease from the hens that could potentially spread to the lakes. She also said there could be a potential of wildlife being negatively impacted. Smith said he had petitions from 80 residents who were opposed to allowing hens in the city limits. “I think we are looking at less than 15 households that are in favor of the chicken ordinance. We have roughly 14,000 residents in this community and I think we are neglecting 13,975 others who are opposed to this and don’t want this in their neighborhood or next door to them,” Smith said. Smith said he is opposed to the use of tax dollars to enforce the ordinance. Call said she felt the ordinance should include a waiver where neighbors would be required to sign off in allowing hens to be located at adjacent properties. Councilmen Grose and Klondaris spoke in favor of the ordinance. Grose said he supported the ordinance and its two-year trial period, and the animal control officer having the ability to shut down an operation if the ordinance was violated. Klondaris said he has lost sleep over the decision, and said it has not been any easy decision to make. “Personally I don’t want to raise chickens. I don’t know if that should prohibit my neighbors from raising chickens,” Klondaris said. Klondaris said he has lived in Warsaw all his life and he would like to think Warsaw is a progressive community that welcomes others and their ideas. He said the majority of constituents in his district supported the ordinance. Community members had the opportunity to speak about their thoughts on hens in city limits. Tony Silveus, Lassus Brothers Oil consultant, said he has lived in Warsaw all his life and is opposed to allowing hens in the city limits. He said in his job he has come in contact with many people who have informed him they are opposed to hens in the city limits. He also said there is an enforcement issue, and said he felt law enforcement should not be required to enforce the ordinance when their time could be spent on other issues. Sheila Burner, Warsaw, said she was opposed to the ordinance. “Until you can get somebody to prove to us that you have somebody to police this it will be overtaken,” Burner said. Two Warsaw residents spoke in support of the ordinance. Ellen Schwendeman, Warsaw, said she hoped to have the opportunity to prove to the city the ordinance would work. “I really think we need to consider the thousands of communities across the U.S., both big cities and small towns, that allow backyard chickens,” Schwendeman said. Sarah Steele, Warsaw, said she supported the ordinance. She said over the weekend she had tried to sleep in and was awoken by barking dogs. She said she wished they were hens because there would not have been noise.
