Jamestown, N.D., city committee hears case for backyard chicken coop

Talk about it

The Jamestown Finance and Legal Committee cried fowl over a request by Patti Pfaff to keep six chickens in her backyard. The request came before the committee during its regular meeting Tuesday.

Jamestown ordinances allow fowl, including chickens, with the purchase of a $55 permit and certification the poultry coop is at least 100 feet from any residence.

Pfaff said she had intended to keep the chickens at a rural residence two miles out of town. However, road conditions make travel to the location difficult.

“I’ve grown attached to them and so have the neighborhood kids,” she said. “They don’t make the noise the neighborhood dogs do.”

Pfaff said she had letters of support from the neighbors and was planning on taking the chickens to school show and tell for the neighborhood kids this fall.

The chickens are an exotic breed that lay colored eggs. The flock includes only hens and will not be kept through the winter.

But city officials had problems with the request.

“I don’t have a particular concern,” said Ken Schulz, city councilman. “But I wonder how many people would want livestock right in town.”

The city does allow horses on large lots on the edge of town through a permit process, Schulz said.

Jeff Fuchs, city administrator, questioned the distance between the coop and the home.

Pfaff said she doubted her lot was large enough to allow the 100-foot minimum distance required by the ordinance.

The committee forwarded the issue to the City Council without recommendation, pending measurements by the city engineer’s office.

If the distance is not 100 feet the city could issue a variance if meeting the requirements posed a hardship or deny the request, Fuchs said.

In other business, the Finance and Legal Committee approved the flex pace interest buy down agreement from the Jamestown/ Stutsman Development Corp. to the Jamestown Regional Airport Authority. The loan will help reduce the interest rate for the $325,000 loan the airport is taking to pay for the new terminal project.

The city share amounts to $56,000 with the county agreeing to cover $14,000 during this morning’s meeting.

The city also agreed to a JSDC request to furnish $20,000 to the North Dakota Trade Office. The funds are the local dues for the organization that promotes North Dakota products internationally.

The Stutsman County Commission had approved its $5,000 contribution during its meeting Tuesday morning.

Sun reporter Keith Norman can be reached at (701) 952-8452 or by e-mail at knorman@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, city, chickens, fccnetwork