City councilmembers did themselves no favor in their recent on-again, off-again votes on whether households can raise live chickens.
It doesn’t matter if you are in favor of this proposal or against it, the council looked hopelessly lost in the issue.
Realistically, there was a good chance that only a handful of residents would have taken up urban chicken raising, a trend that is being accepted in many cities.
But certain councilmembers just couldn’t seem to make up their mind on the issue, and in the process made it look like local officials are far from being ready to take back control of the city from the state-appointed emergency manager.
It was a small issue in the grand scheme of things, but how the city handled it spoke volumes.
Proposals like allowing chickens to be raised in enclosed pens shouldn’t go back and forth. If a proposal like this proves to be such a difficult decision, what about ones that really matter?
What this council has failed to do is hold work sessions to vet these proposals. Instead, they try to figure them out on the fly and then realize they made a mistake.
City councils in the past would regularly hold work sessions and committee meetings, but this council does nothing of the sort. This is poor leadership, and will only lead to poor decisions being made.
Get off your duffs councilmembers, and go to work. Let’s show state officials that you are grown up and willing to take on the chore of running a city.
Hena Begum
August 15, 2014 at 6:38 pm
How about ducks? can you raise ducks on your back yard? Is it legal?
csercombe
September 7, 2014 at 5:52 pm
As long as you keep them in a row.