At their June workshop the Town Council once again raised the issue of allowing chickens within the City limits. Over the years, ownership of chickens within the City’s limits has been a repetitive topic; however, it’s never gained enough public support for the town staff to move forward with drafting revised regulations. Current city code specifically states you may not have chickens in the City even though there are many currently residing there.
While several sections of the City allow crop farming, animal husbandry is specifically excluded. Chickens, whether they are used for meat or egg production or are pets, are considered a part of the animal husbandry definition which, per the Cambridge dictionary, is defined as "the farming of animals to produce foods such as meat, eggs, and milk."
The biggest problem the Council wants to address isn't that chickens are living in town but that, per code they aren't allowed, and it’s not being enforced. Either way if the current ordinance remains in effect, or is changed to allow chickens, a mechanism will need to be developed for its enforcement.
The debate between council members once again entered a ‘circular do-loop’ over creating rules for chicken ownership versus the downside of ‘kicking the can down the road’ to the next meeting time.
Councilwoman Judith Fuller pointed out that: "as soon as you make legislation then you have to follow up." In response Councilman Chris Tillman said, "but we have legislation we’re not following now." Mayor Chris Miller asked the Council to help him fix the issue by codifying something they can all agree on that allows residents to keep their chickens and allows code enforcement to enforce the rules.
The process will open up a slew of questions, such as: Do you need a permit? Does someone have to inspect the chickens and their spaces? What happens if someone doesn’t like having chickens as neighbors? Fuller asked, "How are we going to regulate all of these things, are we going to be the chicken police?"
Thankfully, neighboring towns such as Woodsboro, Emmitsburg and Thurmont have gone through this exact process and may have the answers Taneytown seeks. In April of this year, Woodsboro amended its animal ordinance to allow a maximum of six chickens in backyard coops. The Woodsboro ordinance also includes checks and balances to ensure that the chickens do not become a nuisance to adjoining neighbors.
City Attorney Gallo suggested talking to colleagues in other municipalities about what they’ve done and their outcomes. "There’s no point in reinventing the wheel," he said. "We can talk to other towns and get examples."
City Manager Jim Wieprecht noted that they've already done a lot of homework on the topic, it’s just never moved forward. He asked for a follow up at the July meeting as to the direction the Council wishes to take.
