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~y <br />CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION <br />Topic Report: The regulation ofnon-domestic animals <br />By: Amber G. Miller, Planning Manager <br />Background: <br />Per the request of the City Council members, this item was requested to be discussed. Current code prohibits <br />the maintenance of horses, llamas, cows, mules, donkeys, burros, ponies, goats, pigs, sheep, Iambs, turkey, <br />geese, chickens and ducks on any parcel that is not at least three acres in size. Requests have come up in the <br />past to allow non-domestic animals on smaller lots in the past. With current sustainability issues, there is some <br />justification for the allowance of smaller property owners the ability to have some egg producing fowl or a milk <br />producing cow or goat. This would have to be balanced with the surrounding neighborhood to insure their <br />presence on the property will not be a source of nuisance or annoyance to the occupants of the adjacent <br />properties. <br />Additionally, bee keeping is not currently addressed by our ordinance in any way. This is a question that <br />typically comes up a couple of times a year, so it should probably either be allowed or disallowed by code. <br />Staying silent on the issue may allow the Council to consider it under a conditional use permit as an "exotic <br />animal", which is currently defined. Honeybees and other bee pollinators play a major role in the function of our <br />ecosystem and our food web and do not sting. Honeybees are an integral part of fruit and vegetable production <br />as well as flower blooms due to their role as pollinators. Furthermore, a number of beneficial products come <br />from honeybees including, honey, propolis, pollen and beeswax, with uses ranging from food to candles to <br />nutritional supplements and medicine. However, the honeybee populations across the country are beginning to <br />decline due to disease, parasitic mites and something known as colony collapse disorder. Considering the vital <br />role that honeybees play, it seems prudent to consider permitting, at least to some extent, beekeeping in the <br />City. <br />Furthermore, rabbits and alpacas are not defined in our city code and should probably be included somewhere <br />in the definition. Attached is the existing ordinance for your information. <br />Several surrounding communities have current ordinances for the keeping of non-domestic animals and a <br />summary has been for your review. There are several things to consider if the Council wishes to change <br />existing regulations. <br />1. Do you want to change the regulations for fowl, and hoofed animals orjust fowl? Fowl may require less <br />space and be less intrusive than the larger animals. Staff would recommend prohibiting roosters. <br />2. What would be the permitting process required? Would you want to leave the three acre requirement <br />and have anything fewer than three acres go through a conditional use process or change the entire <br />process to require anyone who is not zoned agricultural to go through a similar process (i.e. permit or <br />license as required by other communities) or an Interim Use Permit? <br />3. Do we want to require an enclosure? The code currently does not require a shelter or a fencing of any <br />kind. <br />