Backyard chickens proposal doesn’t fly for city council

A push for an ordinance change in Tecumseh to allow residents to keep backyard chickens was defeated Monday when Tecumseh City Council voted 5-2 to not pursue the change. Instead, council voted 6-1 to modify the current ordinance to further restrict already prohibited animals by not allowing Tecumseh City Manager Kevin Welch the ability to approve requests for prohibited animals, which he is currently allowed to do. Council members Ron Wimple and Gary Fox supported the ordinance change to allow backyard chickens, while Wimple was the only dissenting vote against the proposal to modify the current ordinance. “I think a compromise is possible,” said Fox about those who want chickens and those who do not.Wimple said that any ordinance should not be too strict, but was concerned about city workers spending time enforcing any such ordinance. “I think there is enough interest in the community that this is something that needs to be looked at,” Wimple added.“I believe you’ve really hit on the crux of the problem with allowing this ordinance,” councilmember Laurence Van Alstine Jr. said. “Over the last few years we have seen our city budgets and city workforces decimated. Your police department is one less than when I came here 28 years ago.“That is just indicative of our city employees across the board. They are maxed out and the great hierarchy of all the things that the city can and should be doing for its citizens, I think chickens are towards the bottom. We have to prioritize. I just don’t see how we could in good conscious eliminate something else that is more important. And it would have to be policed and it would take a lot of building inspector time that we just can’t afford.”Councilmember Stephanie Harmon said that we’ve only heard the good things about chickens and none of the negatives.“We’ve heard about the nice things because they’re nice birds,” Harmon said. “So we need to think of the bad side when farm animals go crazy in a city situation.” Harmon added that chickens can turn cannibalistic and with the absence of a rooster, a hen can take over the crowing. “I grew up on a farm. I came to the city to get away from that,” said councilmember Gary Naugle. “I can’t see calling the police saying we have a rogue chicken running the streets.”“In my daily dealings since this first came up a few months back, other than you that have been here, I have not had anyone, any of my constituents that are in support of this,” said Mayor Jack Baker. “But I can tell you, overwhelmingly — and I talk to many people everyday — and overwhelmingly as recently as the last few hours they said, ‘Mayor Baker, please do not support this. We do not want chickens in this city.’”During public comment, six people spoke supporting allowing backyard chickens.Council members Vicki Philo and Naugle agreed with Baker that is what they have heard from their constituents as well. City employees will draft and modify the current ordinance to be brought back before council.