MENTONE – With the Mentone Town Council voting not to change town ordinances, resident David Hudson will have to get rid of his chickens at his property in the town limits.
Monday night, the council continued its discussion about permitting urban farming in town limits.
At the Nov. 7 meeting, Hudson asked the council to adjust its ordinances so he could keep his chickens. The council allowed him to keep the chickens until a decision could be made on whether or not to change town ordinances and permit urban farming.
During Monday’s meeting, resident Chris Yoder said he’s been to Hudson’s place. The chicken coop is kept clean and Hudson does a good job with it. However, Yoder said, he does not think keeping farm animals in the town limits is a good idea.
Yoder asked what the chickens next door to his property will do to the value of it. “Has anyone investigated what it will do to property values?” Yoder asked.
There are a lot of stray dogs in the town that could get to the chickens. If the town permits the chickens, will the cops have to patrol them and make sure all the ordinances are followed and smell is kept down? Yoder asked. The cops have their hands full as it is.
Mentone is trying to draw people to the town. Yoder said he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to have the farm animals in the town limits.
Councilwoman Jill Gross said she had two people approach her and say they were against urban farming in the town. Personally, she said, she’s not opposed to it, but she’s had no one approach her and tell her that they were for it.
Hudson had the chickens, violating town ordinances, and then expected the town to change the ordinances so he could keep them, councilman Kent Ganshorn said. He said it was all done in the wrong order.
“Good point,” said Tim Croy. “Is this something we want to continue?”
According to town ordinances, “No wild, farm or exotic animal shall be kept within the town.”
Fowl is defined as “any wild or domestic bird excluding homing or racing pigeons, canaries, parrots or similar types of birds kept in cages.”
Hudson said he keeps his chickens and coops clean, and urban farming is a nationwide trend. He said urban farming could draw people to Mentone, along with the farmer’s market. While he could understand the concerns if it wasn’t taken care of, Hudson said, his neighbors don’t have a problem with what he is doing.
Clerk-Treasurer Barb Ross said she grew up in Mentone, and it was a mess when the town had farm animals in the town limits. The purpose of the town ordinances was because people didn’t want it anymore. If a person wants to farm, they should move out of the town limits.
Having done research on urban farming, Yoder said, it’s more toward the growing of plants than having animals.
Croy also researched it online and found that in Indianapolis, a person can have up to four chickens. It’s the same in New York. Ann Arbor, Mich., Croy said, allows chickens but not roosters.
An unidentified woman said that while Hudson may keep his clean, another person may not. Then the town would have to have someone keep a check on them.
Rodney Bays, resident, said someone else may want pigs. He’d like a horse. A line has to be drawn somewhere.
As a resident, and not the clerk-treasurer, Ross said, she doesn’t want to live next door to someone who has rabbits, chickens and goats.
“I don’t want to live next to that,” she reiterated.
She also said the police department has enough already on their hands without policing farm animals.
After a brief argument between Hudson and town marshal Jim Eads, Eads said the police department has enough on its hands and there is enough in the town ordinances as they are to keep chickens out.
“I think the ordinance is fine as it is with no farm animals or fowl in the town limits,” Eads said.
“I don’t have a problem with it myself with a little tweaking,” Croy said.
“Are you thinking of the whole town or supporting David?” Ross asked Croy.
“I’m thinking of the whole town,” Croy responded.
“I hate to table it, but I think the majority is against it,” Gross said. “Personally, I don’t care. I did have two people against it, but no one came to me for it.”
If the council did permit it, then they would need to regulate what a person does with the maneur, Eads said. “If you do it, you need to regulate it to the nth degree.”
Ganshorn made a motion to not change the town ordinances, and the council unanimously approved Ganshorn’s motion.
