C.O.O.P. Letter Requesting City Council Meeting Discussion
(Copy Sent To Commissioner Jane Myron)
_
City Manager Pete Peterson
Municipal and Safety Building
P.O. Box 2150
Johnson City, TN 37605-2150
Dear Mr. Peterson:
I am writing to ask you to support a request by C.O.O.P. Group (Chickens On Our Property) to appear before the City Council at the second council meeting in January, 1/19/12. For the past six months, C.O.O.P. has been working to organize the many citizens that are in favor of allowing (or not prosecuting) small numbers of backyard hens that are being cleanly and reasonably kept.
As I understand it, the City Code is the law that controls poultry in the city. While the City Code states “no animals, fowl, swine or poultry described in § 10-111 shall be kept within a distance of one thousand (1,000) linear feet of any residence or place of business or industry within the city, without the approval of the health officer,” that “the health officer is authorized to prohibit the keeping of animals and fowl … within the city when it has been determined that the keeping of such animals and fowl is not in compliance,” there is in fact no “health officer” appointed in Johnson City. Rather, the duty of enforcing this portion of the code falls to Johnson City Codes Enforcement. Per Codes Enforcement, it utilizes an unwritten, non-promulgated policy that there will be no process of determination of compliance. Instead, the policy of the Codes Enforcement division is that all chickens, even small numbers of neatly kept pet hens, will be ordered removed from the city.
C.O.O.P. Group is prepared to ask for the city:
1) To enforce the Code as written, with proper efforts made to determine whether a backyard coop with a small number of hens is truly endangering human health and then issuing citations as needed to correct a problem; and
2) To enact a small ordinance/amendment to ensure pet hen owners have similar rights and responsibilities as owners of all the other diverse pets in the city.
This is an important, multifaceted issue in our community that needs to be addressed quickly and efficiently. Swift action by the City Council on this issue will benefit the community at large by not only enhancing the city’s healthy relationship with companion animals, but also increasing our city’s health through individual food safety/security. Additionally, it will ensure due process to those who keep hens safely and within the law as set out in the City Code and are currently denied any recourse to Code Enforcement’s blanket policy.
Thank you for your consideration, and your assistance in allowing C.O.O.P. to approach the City Council on this matter.
Sincerely,
Emily Katt
C.O.O.P. Group
Johnson City, TN
City Manager Pete Peterson
Municipal and Safety Building
P.O. Box 2150
Johnson City, TN 37605-2150
Dear Mr. Peterson:
I am writing to ask you to support a request by C.O.O.P. Group (Chickens On Our Property) to appear before the City Council at the second council meeting in January, 1/19/12. For the past six months, C.O.O.P. has been working to organize the many citizens that are in favor of allowing (or not prosecuting) small numbers of backyard hens that are being cleanly and reasonably kept.
As I understand it, the City Code is the law that controls poultry in the city. While the City Code states “no animals, fowl, swine or poultry described in § 10-111 shall be kept within a distance of one thousand (1,000) linear feet of any residence or place of business or industry within the city, without the approval of the health officer,” that “the health officer is authorized to prohibit the keeping of animals and fowl … within the city when it has been determined that the keeping of such animals and fowl is not in compliance,” there is in fact no “health officer” appointed in Johnson City. Rather, the duty of enforcing this portion of the code falls to Johnson City Codes Enforcement. Per Codes Enforcement, it utilizes an unwritten, non-promulgated policy that there will be no process of determination of compliance. Instead, the policy of the Codes Enforcement division is that all chickens, even small numbers of neatly kept pet hens, will be ordered removed from the city.
C.O.O.P. Group is prepared to ask for the city:
1) To enforce the Code as written, with proper efforts made to determine whether a backyard coop with a small number of hens is truly endangering human health and then issuing citations as needed to correct a problem; and
2) To enact a small ordinance/amendment to ensure pet hen owners have similar rights and responsibilities as owners of all the other diverse pets in the city.
This is an important, multifaceted issue in our community that needs to be addressed quickly and efficiently. Swift action by the City Council on this issue will benefit the community at large by not only enhancing the city’s healthy relationship with companion animals, but also increasing our city’s health through individual food safety/security. Additionally, it will ensure due process to those who keep hens safely and within the law as set out in the City Code and are currently denied any recourse to Code Enforcement’s blanket policy.
Thank you for your consideration, and your assistance in allowing C.O.O.P. to approach the City Council on this matter.
Sincerely,
Emily Katt
C.O.O.P. Group
Johnson City, TN