2015.05.12 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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May 12, 2015 Page 8 of 13 Philip Goodrich, 1129 Pike Lake Drive, stated he was a registered professional engineer that works at the University of Minnesota where he focused on animal waste management. He stated after speaking with several colleagues regarding the proposed Ordinance, he recommended that the Council not proceed with chicken keeping. He encouraged that the Council more clearly define "fowl" within the Ordinance. He discussed the amount of manure generated by chickens noting it was not allowed in landfills. He believed that the strong odor from chicken manure would become a concern for the City. He recommended that the City reconsider its Ordinance and not allow chickens in New Brighton. Eileen Biernat, 537 10th Avenue SW, encouraged the Council to disallow chickens in New Brighton, while grandfathering in those that were good chicken keepers. She suggested that residents interested in keeping chickens move further out of the suburbs in order to have the proper amount of land for farm animals. She discussed the inaccuracies within the circulated flyer. She stated she has lived in New Brighton for 40 years and did not want to live next to chickens. She encouraged the City to enforce its current codes before approving additional Ordinances. Greg Engelke, 2260 Inca Lane, commented he has been a resident of New Brighton since 1984. He stated he recently became aware of the chicken keeping issue. He was actively involved in farming and was a poultry nutritionist. He noted he served on the Poultry Science Association. He discussed the importance of manure management and encouraged the Council to more closely define the term "fowl ". Motion by Councilmember Burg, seconded by Councilmember Jacobsen to close the Public Hearing. 5 Ayes, 0 Nays - Motion Carried The Public Hearing was closed at 8:30 p.m. Mayor Jacobsen explained he has been involved in this process for the past four and a half years. He noted that this matter has consumed more of the Council's time than any other issue. He believed there were far more critical issues in the City than chickens. He was heartbroken by how this matter was dividing the City and its residents. He wanted to see the Council reach a middle ground that would best serve the community. Motion by Mayor Jacobsen, seconded by Councilmember Bauman to direct staff to draft an Ordinance that would ban all fowl and chickens from the City of New Brighton until such time that the State and Federal goveriinient establishes guidelines that may render any Ordinance that would be non-compliant with State or Federal policy. Mayor Jacobsen discussed the amount of money the State and CDC was investing in chicken research He recommended that the City not get out ahead of this issue, but rather, wait until further information was available from the State or Federal government. Councilmember Bauman commented she has heard from many residents regarding this issue and has r spondo l to as many calls as possible. She appreciated the calls and emails. She explained that ofthe calls and comments she received 95% were against chickens. She provided comment on the flyer that was distributed in the community. She discussed the realness of histoplastnosis explaining that it can occur. She feared how liberal the City was at this time with regard to chickens and fowl. She expressed fiustration that the proposed Ordinance was not a good enough compromise for chicken owners. She appreciated all of the messages she received and respected the opinions provided this evening. However, she explained she was not in favor of having chickens in New Brighton and supported a total ban of fowl. Councilmember Strub applauded the Mayor and understood this was a difficult discussion for the City. He appreciated respect and order the Mayor had in adc ivssing this issue. He questioned why the Mayor was