Shorewood chicken ordinance 'lives to see another day': survey results split on topic

“The chicken ordinance lives to see another day,” Shorewood Village Board Trustee Eric Couto reported to rest of the board during Monday’s regular meeting.

Earlier that evening, the village’s Community and Business Relations Committee directed Planning and Development Director Bart Griepentrog to submit a draft of an ordinance that would reverse Shorewood’s ban on chickens.

The decision came after the committee heard a presentation on the results of a survey sent out to gauge resident interest in allowing for the keeping of backyard chickens.

The village received 522 responses to the brief, three-question survey, Griepentrog said in presenting the results to the committee.

The results are in: resident support for Shorewood chickens is split

In response to the main question on whether Shorewood should allow chickens, 256 (49.04%) respondents were not interested in the idea, while 259 (49.62%) were either interested or maybe interested depending on the regulations, according to the presentation.

Separately, 138 households indicated that they were interested or maybe interested in keeping chickens themselves.

“There was a lot of discussion. A lot of back and forth,” Couto, chairperson of the committee, said as he summarized the presentation later that evening during the regular board meeting. "There were folks on the (meeting) call who did want chickens and folks who didn't want chickens."

Comments from the survey from unsupportive residents discussed the village’s density and small lots, which were noted 76 times within the 401 responses, according to the presentation.

They also raised concerns over noise (almost 17% of responses), odor (13%), rodents (12%) and permitting and enforceability (8%).

Neighboring municipalities see few chicken complaints

This isn't the first time Shorewood has discussed changing the ban on chickens.

In 2009, the village board shut down discussions after some residents passionately pleaded for and against egg-laying hens in the densely populated North Shore community.

Shorewood village code currently states that, “No person, business or entity shall harbor, raise or possess, either temporarily or permanently, any swine, goat, sheep, horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, bees, chickens, turkeys, geese, cattle or fur-bearing animals within the Village.”

But in recent years, several surrounding communities, including Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Glendale and Bayside, have allowed the keeping of backyard chickens, which has nudged Shorewood to reconsider.

Village officials reached out to officials in many of the areas that allow chickens to assess whether they’ve seen any negative impacts.

One of the municipalities Shorewood officials consulted with, Wauwatosa, has no documented complaints or permit violations relating to chickens, Communications Manager for the city Eva Ennamorato said. The city has 25 households with active chicken permits — 17 of which were approved within the last three years.

“Because chicken owners have to get signatures from the adjoining neighbors, we have not seen complaints — or none that our staff are aware of,” she said, though she specified that it's possible issues arise and are resolved between neighbors, which city staff wouldn’t be aware of.

In the City of Milwaukee, when concerns arise related to chickens between neighbors, Department of Neighborhood Services manager Don Schaewe arbitrates a hearing where both sides provide testimony.

Milwaukee has allowed the keeping of chickens since July 2011. Since November 2016, the city has issued 224 chicken permits.

Schaewe sees around eight to 10 complaints or permit issues per year, said DNS spokesperson Jeremy McGovern.

“We’ve found that the people who are applying for permits are typically chicken enthusiasts who are looking to do the right thing in terms of the care and keep of their fowls,” McGovern said.

During the presentation, Griepentrog noted his intention for Shorewood’s ordinance to resemble Wauwatosa’s and Milwaukee’s.

Bill circulating state legislature could usurp village action

Meanwhile, the state legislature might act this session to require that all local governments allow chickens.

At the same time, a proposed bill being circulated for co-sponsorship would require local governments to allow the keeping of up to four chickens, as well as geese, ducks, quail and guinea fowl.

The bill notes that permits can be required, as can neighbor notifications, a ban on roosters and specifications on where housing for the birds can be kept on the property.

"Obviously, we can't overrule what the state does," Griepentrog said. "It would be my hope that the state's legislation still allows us to provide our own take on enforcement.

In the coming weeks, Griepentrog will submit the draft ordinance to the Community and Business Relations Committee, which on Dec. 4 will consider whether to forward it to the village board.

Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shorewood chickens: Nearly 50% opposed, but ordinance moves forward