Council Committee Fries Mayor’s Chicken Ordinance

Finch with hen
Finch holds hen at ordinance announcement. CT Post photo.

By a 3-2 vote, the City Council’s Ordinance Committee on Tuesday plucked Mayor Bill Finch’s proposal to permit and regulate the raising of up to six chickens. Council members Lydia Martinez and Rick Torres (who says Rick’s too chicken to vote with the mayor?) voted in support of the ordinance. In general, ordinances defeated in committee will come back to the full council as a negative report for a vote, so the mayor’s proposal’s not totally fried.

Ordinance highlights, according to the mayor:
· People seeking to raise a small poultry flock would be required to secure a permit from the Department of Health after submitting a plot plan for the coop.
· A maximum of six chickens would be permitted. No roosters will be allowed.
· In a rental property, the person seeking to raise chickens would need written consent from the landlord and any other tenants.
· The chickens can only be raised as pets and for eggs for personal use and not for any commercial purposes.
· Anyone seeking a permit must complete a free city-sponsored seminar about how to properly and safely raise a small flock of chickens.

CT Post reporter Brian Lockhart shares more on this here.

“It’s something the city does not need,” said Councilwoman AmyMarie Vizzo-Paniccia, D-134, who worried the city lacked the manpower to enforce the new rules. “The city should focus on enforcing the ordinances we have before making more,” she said.

Councilman Richard DeJesus, D-136, wondered about issues like what happens if an inspection finds sick chickens and the city is forced to seize and house them?

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5 comments

  1. Councilwoman Vizzo-Paniccia worries about the City having enough inspection personnel for a proposed ordinance on chickens. I don’t want to ruffle her feathers or any other Council person specifically, but have they looked at the Mayor’s budget book?

    On the face of it this is a practical issue and one that ought to be considered for the various responsibilities thrust on City Departments.

    Would she be in favor of seeing regularly how many folks are in the Health Inspection area doing the work of the City? THOSE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN REMOVED FROM THE MAYOR’S BUDGET THIS YEAR. Did any of the 12 Council veterans notice this absence? How many vacant positions does the City have at this moment? Isn’t it important to know at least at budget time? Did you realize in the past two years the administration has funded vacant positions approved by the Council and then eliminated that funding in the fall for an average of $5 Million per year with some fringes? Where was that money spent ultimately?

    Amy and other concerned Council reps., the millions of funds that showed up as Ghost Positions did not get to the BOE per the MINIMUM BUDGET REQUIREMENT yet in the current(2014) year. Interim Superintendent Fran Rabinowitz focused upon missing personnel in her pleading last evening for reducing large class sizes and a loss of 70 teachers. What to do about that community need? It’s not chickenfeed, is it?

    Surely there would be room for this type of inspection among the varied activities shown on page 292 of the budget for 2015. Inspectors are performing so well, COMPLAINTS have reduced steadily from a high of nearly 4,000 per year five years ago to 400 estimated for next year by the Mayor. Checking out chicken raising in the City should fit right in with Nail Salons, Massage Parlors and Hair Braiding to provide some GREEN balance, right? Time will tell.

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  2. John, I don’t want to burst your bubble but you assume a lot in your above article.
    1. Amy and other concerned Council reps; you’re kidding, right? Concerned?
    2. You asked this question, “Did you realize in the past two years the administration has funded vacant positions approved by the Council and then eliminated that funding in the fall for an average of $5 Million per year with some fringes? Where was that money spent ultimately?”
    If they knew about the ghost position that would mean they went through the budget. You and I know most did not go through the budget and the ones who did could care less.
    John these people voted to BORROW $41 million dollars to un-dilapidate the city. I guess they figure they won’t have to pay that money back. They must figure Sherwood will wave his magic pencil and the debt will disappear just like the millions in tax dollars budgeted for ghost positions none of the brain surgeons on the council knew about. You can’t make this shit up, you have to live here to see and believe it.

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  3. John, one more thing while I am here. I noticed the Connecticut Post spent many columns describing Finch meeting in the hallway with the UB gymnasts. Does the reporter think he is reporting an important story? Shame on the reporter and the rest of the dweebs at the Post. They should get an award for not reporting anti-administration budgets and other dumb stuff.

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  4. The Board of Ed hired a unqualified guy from Monroe to run its maintenance dept at $125,000? Does not make sense they would do this.
    There wasn’t one qualified person from Bpt who was interested in this position?
    There was a janitor running that show, is this a step up or down?
    Does Baraka have a clue what she is doing?

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