Several friends and I have had lots of good chuckles about the question the article (“Island clarifies ag and farm land use codes”) last week said I was asking at the City Council meeting – about roosters.
It’s funny, in a way, to be talking about roosters in City Council, but the question I was asking isn’t the question the story reported, or that my friend Hilary thought I was asking.
But what’s more important than my rooster question is for the community to understand what the council was really debating. We were debating how to strike the right balance between animals and nearby neighbors – the balance between animal agriculture in residential zones and the desires of nearby residents to peacefully enjoy their home.
We were debating the balance between the potential noise and aroma and runoff issues from animals like horses, goats, hens, roosters, etc., versus the expectations of nearby residents in their homes. And it’s an important debate, because most islanders appreciate and value local food and farming.
We love the locally grown crops at the Farmers’ Market and at the city’s Day Road farmland and, now, we can get local eggs, goat cheese and veggies at Bay Hay and Feed.
But let’s also remember that animal noise disputes have disrupted neighborhood life more than once – even going to court in at least one widely publicized case in recent years.
What’s important for readers to know is that the council last week considered three different approaches. One would have allowed roosters only on our largest rural properties – 2.5 acres and above. A second would have limited roosters to properties larger than one acre. The one adopted as the tentative proposal is to allow roosters anywhere on the island except the Winslow mixed-use town center zone.
The final decision will be made by council later this spring. If you have an opinion about this, let us know.
And if you’d like to know the rooster question that I was actually trying to ask, send me an email and I’ll tell you.
Barry Peters
City Council member
