MANKATO — Some Mankatoans were madder than a wet hen in 2009-10 when the prospect of live chickens in residential neighborhoods came before the City Council.
For the mayor at the time, the intensity of the foul attitudes was striking.
“There’s a lot of anger around this issue for some reason,” Mayor John Brady said.
After two years of often emotional debate, the council’s solution in 2010 was to essentially end the discussion without taking sides — approving a pilot project that included application requirements so stringent that no one ever applied for one of the three authorized chicken permits.
Now, 17 years later, the idea of lifting the ban that has been in place since at least 1949 is looking strikingly peaceful.
“I think we should start with four,” Council member Jessica Hatanpa said of the number of hens people could keep behind their single-family home. “… Just give it a whirl, and we can always make changes.”
Council member Mike Laven agreed, noting that people can have up to four dogs and unlimited cats in Mankato without much municipal regulation.
“I don’t think we need to overregulate chickens,” said Laven, the only person on the seven-member council who was involved in the previous chicken fight.
While council members asked questions, none opposed the idea of lifting the chicken ban. Michael McLaughlin wondered if the city should cap the number of homes on any block that can raise chickens, concerned that too many birds might attract wildlife looking for a meal.
“Racoons, possums, skunks are attracted to chicken eggs,” McLaughlin said.
Other council members, along with Arntz, doubted there would be large concentrations of people looking to raise chickens. And density restrictions would force city staff to track the location of poultry through chicken permits — something the council had little interest in requiring.
Instead, the only permit required will likely be a building permit for the chicken coop — a process identical to obtaining a permit for a new shed. That procedure will be adequate for ensuring the chicken coop meets standards and abides by setback requirements that will likely be set at the same distance already in place for sheds, swimming pools and other construction.
The elected officials concurred that no extra poultry permit, educational requirement or annual fee was needed, and there was consensus that four hens — and no roosters — was a proper limitation.
They also decided to limit chickens to single-family homes — none at apartment complexes or duplexes. Coops behind rental houses will be allowed if the owner of the property agrees to let tenants raise the birds.
After observing the council consensus, Arntz said she would work with the city attorney to complete a draft ordinance to present for a public hearing and final approval — maybe as soon as the next scheduled meeting on June 8.
Unlike in 2010, it didn’t appear the topic was destined to ruffle anyone’s feathers — even if one or two details of the policy turn out to be imperfect.
“If it doesn’t work, we can make modifications in six months, six years,” Hatanpa said.