by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
The Sartell City Council will not be discussing chickens in the city limits – at least not anytime soon.
At its Sept. 23 meeting, members voted unanimously not to pursue that topic at upcoming meetings.
Mayor Ryan Fitzthum and council member Mike Chisum said that issue – whether to allow chickens in yards of city residents – had been discussed at council workshops and council members had received input from residents via emails and phone calls. Neither Chisum nor Fitzthum divulged what kind of communication they received from residents – whether pro, con or indifferent. Both expressed no interest in revisiting the issue. Council member Brady Andel concurred. Chisum said he has no interest in amending the city’s “poultry ordinance” at this time.
The council action followed a request by the Ryan and Molly Siemens family to bring the topic up for public discussion at an upcoming council meeting.
The Siemenses had attended council meetings twice, pleading for council members to allow the family to keep their three pet chickens, which they purchased as chicks about 18 months ago, unaware at the time the city had an ordinance against having chickens in yards.
The day after the council meeting, Fitzthum emailed Molly Siemens to inform her with regret of the council’s decision. She said she, her family, friends, neighbors and supporters are very disappointed.
“The council members may not be looking into this issue, but the community sure is,” she said, noting that stories in the Newsleader about their pet chickens has brought “overwhelming” support for her family’s efforts to keep their pets. The support, she said, has been constantly offered by school students, teachers, coaches and parents – all of them strongly favoring a change in the city’s animal ordinance to allow for pet chickens.
“Sartell,” said Siemens, “is filled with people who love animals, including pet chickens.”
