The Weatherford City Commission took no action during its regular meeting Wednesday on changes to the city ordinance regarding the raising or keeping of chickens within city limits.
Currently, City Ordinance Chapter 3, Article 2, Section 3-5, Item No. 6 forbids raising and keeping chickens within city limits.
This item was tabled during the February 26 commission meeting as the commission members were unsure what they wanted to do.
The commissioners voiced mixed opinions regarding changes to the ordinance. Some said tickets and complaints were rare, so the ordinance should be left as-is. Others said they received a lot of positive feedback regarding changes to the ordinance, but there should be regulations in place to protect neighboring property.
“I heard a lot of positive things in favor of changing the ordinance,” Ward 3 Commissioner Lezley Bell said. “I think we need to look a little more into the regulations and restrictions.”
Ward 2 Commissioner Jimmy Ingram said he had several constituents both for and against the changes. His main question was asking how it would affect the existing neighborhood covenants forbidding the raising of livestock in those particular neighborhoods.
City Attorney David Duncan said neighborhood covenants would override the city ordinance. Additionally, Duncan said it is pretty rare for established neighborhoods to either adopt new covenants or change old ones.
Ingram also questioned why the ordinance needed to be changed.
“I have heard we have people in town who own chickens, and I have not heard any complaints (regarding the ordinance) except from the gentleman who got a ticket,” Ingram said.
Ward 4 Commissioner Mark Shadid said he did a lot of research on the topic and looked at what neighboring cities were doing. He said his main concern was protecting neighbors from those who will not care for their animals property, and the commission had not talked about regulations.
“For me, what it came down to is the people who are going to take care of their business and do what’s right for their animals won’t cause issues,” Shadid said. “They will keep things clean and be compliant. However, we all know there are people who will not keep track of their animals.”
Weatherford Animal Control Officer Andrew Vaughan said he can recall dealing with three cases of chickens during his time in the position.
“I don’t go looking for chickens,” Vaughan said. “I’m dealing with dogs who are running at large or other things which can lead to traffic problems or animal bites. When we deal with chickens, it is because we got a call about chickens.”
In addition, those who receive citations are given a 8-10 day period to get rid of them.
A few local residents also gave their input. Their main points brought before the commission were:
• The ordinance was put there to protect neighboring property from animal waste and other by-products of raising livestock.
• The City of Weatherford website is somewhat unclear about whether chickens are allowed in city limits, and more clarity is needed whether or not the ordinance changes.
Duncan suggested speaking with local residents who are raising chickens and an agent from the Custer County OSU Extension to draft regulations for raising chickens within city limits if the commission wished to move forward.
Once discussion had ended, all four commissioners declined to make a motion regarding this item and no action was taken.