A step in the right direction:
“CARBONDALE – The Carbondale Sustainability Commission on Thursday unanimously decided to recommend approval of a change in the city code that would allow for certain residents to keep chickens.
The commission made the vote after brief discussion. Some minor changes were made from when the commission first introduced the ordinance in January. Under the current recommendations, chickens would be licensed at a cost of $5 each, instead of $5 per chicken per year, as originally considered.
For the most part, however, the recommended code changes remain the same. Up to six chickens would be allowed for egg-producing purposes in a single-family residence, and no roosters would be allowed. Each chicken would have to be licensed and issued a unique identification tag by the city.
Owners would also have to ensure chicken coops were clean, dry and well-maintained, that no odor would be detectable, and that they were at least 10 feet from a property line and at least 25 feet from any residence, business or church. Chickens also could not be slaughtered within city limits.
Two citizens spoke during the meeting, one in favor of chickens in the city, one opposed.
Marie Blankenship, a local landlord, said she was worried tenants would start to keep chickens in spare bedrooms, even if prohibited by city ordinance. She also said she was worried about the odors chickens would cause, but commission members said they believed the ordinance addressed all of those issues.
The proposed code change will now be passed to Carbondale City Council, which could decide to act on it, or could pass it to the Planning Commission for further review.”