Proposed Animal Ordinance

As some of  you may now know, the proposed animal ordinance that would allow miniature goats and pigs in all zones failed to pass out of the Planning and Public Works Committee on Tuesday by a vote of 5-4.   I believe the proposed ordinance was a good faith effort to allow families the freedom to improve their quality of life while protecting their neighbors from concerns about waste, noise, and odor.  Despite the many improvements made to the ordinance to address the issues raised in discussions in the Committee,  the majority of the Committee continued to have concerns about possible negative impacts of implementation.

Many people assisted in the work on this proposed ordinance, but I would particularly like to thank Ken Andries and Terry Hutchens from Kentucky State University, Jeremy Porter with Seedleaf and CLUCK, Lara Doth de Martinez with the Goat Justice League, and my aide, Leah Boggs, who did all the heavy lifting on research, consultation, and drafting of the ordinance.

I regret that we were not able to move the ordinance forward at this time, and I will continue to champion the many benefits to be gained from the urban farming movement  as the opportunities arise.