Resident asks council to drop ban on raising chickens in city limits

Bardstown resident Nick Kipper talks Tuesday evening to the Bardstown City Council about its ordinance that prohibits raising chickens in the city limits.

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Tuesday, March 1, 2016, 11 p.m. — The agenda for Tuesday’s Bardstown City Council’s work session began with a fowl topic — chickens in the city limits of Bardstown.

North Third Street resident Nick Kipper appeared before the council to ask its members to consider changes that will allow city residents to keep and raise chickens.

Right now, keeping livestock in the city limits is prohibited. According to Ordinance 90.24, prohibited livestock includes cattle, cows, horses, sheep, swine, goats, ducks, turkeys, geese — and chickens.

Kipper said raising chickens in an urban environment is part of a larger “micro-livestock” movement where people have an interest in raising some of their own food — which can include chickens, meat rabbits or other small animals.

Other Kentucky communities — including Louisville, Lexington and Bowling Green — all allow their residents to raise chickens.

“Its just not unusual a thing,” he said.

Kipper owns a small tract on West Daugherty Avenue where he has raised a vegetable garden and for three years, raised chickens — until he was told they had to go.

Bardstown Mayor John Royalty turns a page in the city book of ordinances during a discussion about the city ordinance prohibiting raising chickens in the city limits.

His neighbors never complained about the chickens as a nuisance. “That’s because I kept my chickens controlled,” he said. “They never got out and never bothered anyone.”

As far as nuisances go, chickens are less of a problem that owning a dog, he said. Dogs can be more dangerous, do more damage, make more noise and can create a bigger smell.

“You don’t forbid people from having dogs,” he said. “What we do is tell people what they have to do with their dogs.”

The city’s animal control ordinance requires dogs to be under their owner’s control, stipulates standards of care and prohibits them from being a nuisance.

“I don’t know why we can’t do the same thing with chickens,” he said.

Raising chickens is his hobby, he said, and he said there are other residents in town who also keep chickens. There are chickens running loose in the city, and they are the real nuisance. Chickens that are kept in their coop are not the problem, he said.

Councilman Bobby Simpson said Kipper isn’t the first city resident who had to get rid of their chickens. It wouldn’t be fair to those who had to get rid of their chickens in the past if the council changes course and allows chickens now, he explained.

“I don’t think we should mess with (the ordinance),” Simpson said.

Councilman Bill Buckman said making an exception for chickens may open the door for other livestock which can potentially create more problems.

Councilmen Fred Hagan and Roland Williams said they would be interested in seeing how other cities handle chickens in their city ordinances.

Councilman Fred Hagan listens during discussion at Tuesday night’s Bardstown City Council working session.

The council took no action, but may take up the issue at a future council meeting.

SAFER GRANT. Bardstown Fire Chief Randy Walker told the council the he will ask the council to approve an application for a two-year FEMA grant that will pay to add three full-time firefighters to the city fire department.

The grant — called the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant — will pay salary and benefits for two years, and it would require the city to commit to funding the positions for at least one additional year.

In other business, the council:

— reviewed a zoning decision by the Joint City-County Planning Commission and decided not to make a formal review.

Following changes designed to streamline the process, routine zoning changes approved by the planning commission no longer are required to have approval of the city or county government. The city or county government have the option of reviewing a zoning recommendation if they wish; if they take no action the planning commission recommendation becomes the final action.

NEXT UP. The city council next meets 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, 2016 in the council chambers adjacent to the rec center gym on Xavier Drive.

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