WAUPUN — The ordinance on backyard chickens is uniquely restrictive, according to some Waupun residents.
This matter was brought to the Waupun City Council last Tuesday when Avonelle Booth, who lives on the 700 block of E Franklin Street, addressed the Council and requested that the backyard chicken ordinance be loosened.
According to Booth, she previously had a small flock of chickens that she owned for two years that had to be rehomed because she was unable to secure a permit from the City for this year.
The current backyard chicken ordinance limits the number of permits to a total of 10 in the entire City, which Booth claimed was the most restrictive in the region. Permits are also issued on a first-come-first-served basis, meaning that current or previous permit holders might lose out on receiving one after they expire.
“The last I knew there were two households racing against each other to obtain the last permit, and I know of several other residents who are looking to apply in the next year,” Booth said.
The only other nearby community with a backyard chicken ordinance that limited the number of permits was Oakfield, which has a population of only one tenth of Waupun.
Booth went on to describe other aspects of the ordinance that she feels are extremely restrictive, particularly the section that requires nearby property owners to give permission to have backyard chickens.
“I’m at an impasse with a nearby property management company who will not give me permission to have my chickens,” Booth said. “In researching other communities I found that no other city requires a signed permission slip from abutting neighbors. Columbus however requires an open forum after a permit request is submitted so neighbors can speak before the common council to express concerns.”
“I’ve seen permission from landlords, however I am a property owner and a taxpayer, and I should not be required to get permission because it might cause resentment between neighbors and I absolutely should not have to answer to a property management company that has locations all over the state and may have chickens located near other properties but are not notified because those communities don’t require they be asked or notified,” she said.
The current ordinance also limits the number of chickens that a household could have to only four chickens, which Booth requests be increased to eight.
“Studies have shown that for a family of five, which is the size of my household, six to eight hens give a family fresh eggs daily,” she said. “Even in our capital city of Madison, residents are allowed eight birds without a cap on permits or permission slips from abbuting neighbors.”
“My chickens are not just a hobby, they provide a source of food for me and my family,” Booth said. “And as State Representative Shae Sortwell states, you have an inherent right to produce your own food for yourself and your family.”
While the Council could not vote on the issue during the meeting, Mayor of Waupun Rohn Bishop said that the issue will be discussed at a future meeting.
Last month the Waupun City Council discussed a number of budgetary issues and timelines for amendments to other city ordinances including bicycles on sidewalks, business liquor licenses, public art, and more.
