Annapolis City Council Plays Chicken

There is a serious bill before the City Council regarding the ability to raise chickens in the city. You can read the bill here beginning on page 4. To bring you up to speed, the City Council has postponed a vote until next month to do more chicken studying. In a nutshell (or maybe it is an eggshell) the ordinance proposes allowing City residents to raise up to 5 chickens on their property in an approved coop that is set a minimum of five feet back from the property line.The Mayor introduced two amendments to the ordinance. The first amendment essentially put the program on a test run of three years. This passed. The second amendment was to limit the number of residents who could raise chickens to 24 and the issuance of the permits be via a lottery system. This one failed.

The coops will have to be to code (no word on if fiberglass will be allowed in the historic district) and the City will develop a web page and printed brochures specifically for “maintaining urban chickens.” Residents will need to have a permit to raise the chickens and under no circumstances will roosters be allowed.

So, that is the nuts and bolts of the legislation. However, the hour-plus discussion over this issue had its lighter moments. Alderman Classie Hoyle, who in January was confused about how chickens lay eggs, did not disappoint again when she opposed the lottery amendment based on “no one that wants to win lotteries ever wins.”

Below is a selection of tweets that were flying back and forth throughout the discussion. Enjoy!

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/GlennAnnapolis/status/181884631388389377″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/GlennAnnapolis/status/181891467164401665″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/elishasauers/status/181893443407183873″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/GlennAnnapolis/status/181895476268900353″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/elishasauers/status/181896031305342976″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/fauxAnnapolis/status/181890458040020993″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/fauxAnnapolis/status/181893150170824705″]

[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/#!/fauxAnnapolis/status/181898836753645568″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/WorkMommyWork/status/181929960175443971″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/z34mc/status/181895585186586625″]

[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/stephencearley/status/181893120802304002″]