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neighbors. She added that a water source should also be a requirement. <br />Mayor Jacobsen understood that there was a shortage of bees and there was a growing need for hives in order to assist <br />with pollination. <br />Councilmember Jacobsen stated he could support chickens, but believed 12 was too high a number. He suggested that <br />the number be closer to a range of three to six. He recommended that residential lot size also be discussed by the <br />Council. He was in favor of the chicken coops also being located off the property line. <br />Councilmember Strub commented that there was a movement towards growing food locally. He explained that more and <br />more cities in the metro area were allowing chickens in residential areas. He questioned how many rooster complaints <br />the City received last year. Code Enforcement Officer Hatch discussed the complaints received in detail with the <br />Council. <br />Councilmember Bauman encouraged the Council to proceed with caution with the chickens because a number of suburbs <br />and rethinking their decisions. <br />Councilmember Strub asked if existing chickens and roosters could be grandfathered in if a new City Code were <br />approved that restricted these animals. Planning Director Gundlach stated there has been discussion regarding <br />grandfathering. She noted the City Attorney attended a task force meeting and advised that the City did not have to grant <br />any grandfathering rights in this case. <br />Councilmember Strub was not convinced that there was a big enough problem in New Brighton to require a City Code <br />amendment. <br />Mayor Jacobsen summarized the discussion thus far and noted the Council agreed there should be some regulation on the <br />first category, on chicken coops. He believed there should be no roosters in the City. He supported further regulation or <br />the registration of bee hives. <br />Code Enforcement Officer Hatch thanked the Council for their direction and indicated staff would work in the coming <br />weeks to revise City Code to revise the language. <br />Councilmember Bauman recommended this item come back to the Council at an upcoming worksession meeting. <br />Councilmember Strub suggested that a public hearing be built into the urban farming code amendment in order to allow <br />the Council to gain input from the public prior to making a final decision. <br />Councilmember Bauman did not believe that a public hearing was necessary given the fact this matter has been discussed <br />by the task force for the past year. <br />Lotter explained he would work with Janice and Joe in order to get the revisions back to the Council in February. <br />Worksession adjourned at 6:25 pm. <br />Respectfully Submitted, <br />Terri Haarstad, <br />City Clerk