By David Fleet
Editor
Ortonville- By a 4-3 vote on Monday night the village council dashed any plans to allow chickens. Denied was a motion by Brice, seconded by Dylus to instruct the village manager to prepare ordinance revisions for Village Ordinance 90.35-90.62 in order to allow the keeping of chickens within the village with restrictions as approved by council. Voting for the ordinance revisions were Tonja Brice, Keith Dylus and Wayne Wills. Voting against were Mark Butzu, Dan Eschmann, Coleen Skornicka and Karen Sleva.
The chicken ban was implemented on Aug. 28 by a 4-3 vote by the village council to direct the village manager to enforce the current animal ordinance that makes owning a chickens along with cows, horses, pigs, goats, pigeons, geese, ducks or any other animal, fowl or insect except birds, dogs, cats or other harmless and domesticated household pets unlawful. The animal ordinance dates back to 1982.
Since that time village chicken owners have until Oct. 24 to remove their chickens from their village home. John Lyons, village manager said nine village residents were notified of their chicken violations.
Brenda Timmermans, a village resident who currently owns seven chickens received a notice her chickens have to go. She has not received any complaints about her chickens, which roam a fenced area in her yard. Timmermans recently spearheaded a petition regarding the chickens in the village.
In late August, 183 signitures were colletcted including 108 village residents all supported chickens in downtown Ortonville. There was not one negative response, added Timmermans.
“Reconsider and allow chickens in the downtown Ortonville,” Timmermans told the council. “I’d like to invite the council to my home so you can share my passion for chickens.”Carrie Pollard and her 3-year-old daughter attended a village council meeting. A Ball street resident who also received a letter to remove her chickens.
“The chickens belong to my daughter,” said Pollard. “We do not have roosters we keep (our chickens) cooped. Keep them penned to be respectful to our neighbors. These are my daughters chickens. This means a lot to us it means a lot to her. She came to fight for her chickens. They are her livelihood. She feeds and waters them every day and collects the eggs. Please, please reconsider, this was decided in 1982 do we need keep this around. It has not been enforced since then.”
Sleva opposed chickens in the village.
“I’m not going to say who but I’ve been approached by a number of people who say they do not want chickens in the village,” she said. “And they definitely don’t want to live next door to chickens.”
Sleva suggested only a small percentage of the population of the village supports chickens.
“There could be a large population that don’t want chickens next door or across the street,” she said.
Sleva, along with other council members would consider a more comprehensive ballot or survey to determine who wants chickens in the village.
Wills questioned the opposition to chickens in the village.
“Who says the don’t want chickens?” replied Wills. “One person two persons.”
“Four or five people,” said Sleva. “They don’t dislike chickens they just don’t want them across the street.”