Citizens' Environmental Commission

MINUTES CITY OF DEKALB CITIZENS’ ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION August 23, 2018 The Citizens’ Environmental Commission held a Special Meeting on August 23, 2018, in the Executive Conference Room at the DeKalb Municipal Building, 200 South Fourth Street, DeKalb, Illinois, 60115. Chair Kenney called the meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. A. ROLL CALL The following members of the Citizens' Environmental Commission were present (indicated by x): X Dan Kenney (Chair) X Ken Koch X Mary McGinn X Clare Kron (Vice-Chair) X Bill Oleckno X Sharon Skala X Ann Shult The following ex-officio members were present (indicated by x): X Amy Doll, DeKalb Park District Mike Holland, Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District Melissa Burlingame, Northern Illinois University Lacey Carlson, DeKalb County Health Department B. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION - Ms. Shult to approve the agenda. Agenda was approved unanimously by voice vote. C. PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Kurt Rissman spoke against backyard chickens. He indicated that he believes chickens do not belong in town. He used to have chickens and they are a nuisance. The manure is hard to get rid of and they smell. Many of the heaters used to heat chicken coops are fire hazards. Also, the eggs they lay are small. He also brought up the issue of disposing of the chickens after they no longer lay eggs. He said chickens attract coyotes and rats. He believes chickens belong in the country, not in the city. He wonders where it will stop. Will people be allowed to have goats, duck, etc. He believes chickens are more trouble than they are worth. Mr. Matt Anderson spoke in favor of backyard chickens. He said, although he did not grow up with chickens like Mr. Rissman, he does believe that the City Ordinance can address all of the issues Mr. Rissman raised. He believes that the smell and other issues can be addressed by limiting the number of chickens allowed. He said we already have the pests like rats and coyotes. He knows several people who have backyard chickens and the chickens are not a problem. Batavia has an ordinance allowing backyard chickens. D. NEW BUSINESS 1. LED Street Lights Press Release and Public Forum Citizen Environmental Commission August 23, 2018 Page 2 of 2 The draft version of the announcement of a public forum on LED street lighting was discussed. Ms. McGinn mentioned blue light is everywhere and the announcement made it sound like it was only from streetlights. Mr. Koch said it seemed alarmist to him. Mr. Oleckno agreed with Mr. Koch and supports addressing blue light as a broader issue. Ms. Skala agreed that the announcement should address blue light. Ms. Kron proposed to re-write the announcement. Mr. Oleckno agreed to review the draft. Chair Kenney asked Ms. Kron to work on the announcement and have Mr. Oleckno review it. Mr. Oleckno suggested considering total body burden in their assessment. Ms. Kron agreed. 2. Draft Chicken Ordinance Ms. Kron presented the draft Backyard chicken Ordinance (Attached). Mr. Kenney mentioned the comments he received from residents (Attached). Ms. Shult suggested limiting the number of chickens. Ms. McGinn thought there should be two parts to the ordinace, one for residential and one for commercial. Mr. Oleckno thought it would be good to begin with limiting the number of chickens to just a few. Mr. Koch suggested limiting the number of licenses to perhaps 20. Ms. Kron though 10 would be enough. Ms. McGinn was concerned that 10 may not be enough. Mr. Oleckno wants to make sure there are enough licenses to ensure the results of the program are meaningful. Ms. Kron suggested a 3 year trial period with 15 residential and 8 commercial licenses. There was a discussion about setbacks. Twenty feet seemed to be the most agreeable distance. Ms. Kron will take the input received and rework the ordinance. E. ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. McGinn announced the environmental series at the Egyptian Theater. Next Regular Meeting: Thursday, September 6, 2018, 4:00 pm H. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Shult moved to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Chair Kenney declared the meeting adjourned at 6:08 p.m. Respectfully Submitted: Tim Holdeman, Staff Liaison Approved by Voice Vote on September 6, 2018 2  Draft Ordinance for Backyard Chickens in the City of DeKalb Hens shall be defined as the female of the species Gallus Gallus Domesticas. It shall be unlawful to keep roosters within City limits. 1. The number of hens allowed shall be no less than two (2), and no more than six (6), except if an establishment such as a church elects to operate a coop for a segment of a community larger than a single-family unit. 2. Structures housing hens shall be at least 20-25 feet from a residential structure and shall not be placed in a front yard. 3. Applicants shall register with the Illinois Department of Agriculture Livestock Premises Registration and must have proof of registration on-site. 4. Care for hens shall follow the provisions set forth in this chapter. 5. Hens shall be kept in such a way as not to cause a nuisance as defined in Chapter 12, Section 12.01, 1, 14, 18, 30 of the Municipal Code of the City of DeKalb: https://www.cityofdekalb.com/DocumentCenter/View/120/Chapter-12-Nuisances- PDF?bidId and shall be kept in conformance with the following requirements: a. Hen yards and coops shall be constructed and maintained to reasonably prevent the collection of standing water; and shall be cleaned of hen droppings, uneaten or discarded feed, feathers, and other waste with such frequency as is necessary to ensure the hen yard and coop do not become nuisances, as above. b. Hens shall always be kept in an enclosure, which includes an exterior fenced area (outside run), which shall be maintained in such a manner to protect the hens from predators and trespassers. c. Hen coops shall be built and kept in such a manner to allow for easy ingress and egress for the hens and shall offer protection from weather elements including cold temperatures. d. Hen coops and adjacent exterior fenced areas shall be large enough to provide at least 2-3 square feet of coop space and 8-10 square feet of run space per average-sized hen. 6. Licenses for coops shall be obtained at a cost of $10-50. a. Prior to a license being granted to an applicant, the applicant must show proof of notice to all adjacent landowners, with the option to comment/approve, except landowners that are municipalities or utilities. b. A license shall not be granted unless the applicant has obtained all necessary building permits and can show proof that a coop that complies with this section has been erected. c. Applications shall be submitted to the City (department) who shall have the authority to enforce this Section. d. An applicant who lives in an apartment or condominium building is not eligible to receive a coop license. 7. No person shall slaughter any hen, or any other animal, within city limits. Residents who raise backyard chickens must make end-of-life arrangements with slaughter facilities outside the city limits. 8. Any person found to be in violation of this section shall be fined not less than fifty dollars ($50.00), nor more than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750.00) for each offense. If an owner is adjudged to have three (3) violations of this section, the owner's coop license shall be revoked. Each day an owner is not compliant with this section shall constitute a separate offense. Based on points from original document at: https://library.municode.com/il/evanston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT9PUSA_CH4DOCAANF O Current DeKalb City Code regarding prohibited animals City Code Section 18.17 18.17 ANIMALS PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep any horse, mule, sheep, goat, cattle, hogs, other domesticated animal or fowl, chickens, ducks, snakes over six feet in length, or other life threatening reptiles, within the City. Bee keeping is prohibited in the City of DeKalb. In addition, no person shall have a right of property in, or keep, harbor, care for, act as custodian of, or maintain in his possession any dangerous animal (defined as lion, tiger, leopard, ocelot, jaguar, cheetah, margay, mountain lion, lynx, bobcat, jaguarundi, bear, hyena, wolf, or coyote), except at a properly maintained zoological park, federally licensed exhibit, circus, scientific, educational institution, research laboratory, veterinary hospital or animal refuge in an escape-proof enclosure.