(KNSI) – Supporters of a backyard chicken ordinance may feel as if the Cold Spring City Council laid an egg Wednesday night by voting the measure down 3-2.
Council members Fran Ramler, Doug Schmitz and Mike Fall voted no, while Council member Ryan Hennen and Mayor Dave Heinen voted yes.
The ordinance would have let homeowners keep up to six hens with a city permit. Roosters would not have been allowed, and the city would have capped permits at 10 a year.
Ramler said the rules on coops and runs didn’t address his biggest concern. “I’m more concerned about health. The smell of it and stuff is what my concern is.”
Fall pointed to homes near wooded areas on the edge of town, recalling what happened with backyard chickens where he used to live. “They attracted coyotes and dogs, and they got in there and killed all the chickens.”
One council member also noted that nothing in the ordinance would have required owners to tear down a coop if they gave up on raising chickens, leaving the possibility of run-down structures sitting in backyards.
While drafting the ordinance, the planning commission looked at nearby St. Joseph, which has a similar ordinance and has issued two permits. Commissioners also considered requiring neighbors to sign off on a permit but decided against it.
City code will continue to ban chickens and other poultry within Cold Spring city limits.
St. Cloud has also turned down backyard chickens twice in recent years. The St. Cloud City Council voted 5-1 on December 2nd, 2024, to reject an ordinance allowing up to four hens. Council President Jeff Goerger cited public health and bird flu as his biggest concerns. On February 9th of this year, the council voted 3-2 against taking the issue up again.
(KNSI) – Supporters of a backyard chicken ordinance may feel as if the Cold Spring City Council laid an egg Wednesday night by voting the measure down 3-2.
Council members Fran Ramler, Doug Schmitz and Mike Fall voted no, while Council member Ryan Hennen and Mayor Dave Heinen voted yes.
The ordinance would have let homeowners keep up to six hens with a city permit. Roosters would not have been allowed, and the city would have capped permits at 10 a year.
Ramler said the rules on coops and runs didn’t address his biggest concern. “I’m more concerned about health. The smell of it and stuff is what my concern is.”
Fall pointed to homes near wooded areas on the edge of town, recalling what happened with backyard chickens where he used to live. “They attracted coyotes and dogs, and they got in there and killed all the chickens.”
One council member also noted that nothing in the ordinance would have required owners to tear down a coop if they gave up on raising chickens, leaving the possibility of run-down structures sitting in backyards.
While drafting the ordinance, the planning commission looked at nearby St. Joseph, which has a similar ordinance and has issued two permits. Commissioners also considered requiring neighbors to sign off on a permit but decided against it.
City code will continue to ban chickens and other poultry within Cold Spring city limits.
St. Cloud has also turned down backyard chickens twice in recent years. The St. Cloud City Council voted 5-1 on December 2nd, 2024, to reject an ordinance allowing up to four hens. At the time, Council President Jeff Goerger cited public health and bird flu as his biggest concerns. On February 9th of this year, the council voted 3-2 against taking the issue up again.
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