The Bremen Town Council members are still gathering information before they take first action on a possible animal ordinance amendment that would allow chickens at residences in town limits.
Several people were in attendance to support the issue of allowing chickens on town properties during the council’s meeting on Monday.
George Fries commended a young resident in circulating a petition to gather signatures on the subject. A lot of the residents seem to be in favor of the allowance of chickens in town. However when residents called the Town Hall to speak about the issue, 15 people were against the idea, while 11 people were in support of it.
Becky Hawkins Fries said chickens are helpful in controlling the insect population as they can eat up to two pounds of bugs a day, according to her research.
Mike Clinger, who initially brought the topic to the council members, told the town council earlier this month that he believes that chickens make good pets and they serve as an educational purpose for children. They also could also produce a source of food for owners.
Bremen Town Attorney Anthony Wagner said a few items will be in the draft version of the ordinance amendment.
Wagner stated, “Just on my list I have no roosters, no butchering on site, certainly a number cap and those numbers could be based on amount of square feet available, coops would have to be well maintained – there’s probably more out there. That was just off of minimal amount of research that I came up with.”
Bremen Director of Operations Trend Weldy said when the ordinance is in place, and if it becomes a nuisance, it can be amended to the current ordinance where chickens are not allowed.
The Bremen Town Council members will review a draft ordinance at an upcoming meeting. The latest discussion can be heard during this Sunday’s Maximum Impact program on MAX 98.3 FM at noon.
