Committee to talk chickens Aug. 27

The Belgium Public Safety Committee will take a crack at crafting an ordinance that allows village residents to have chickens on Wednesday, Aug. 27.

The committee forwarded the idea of such an ordinance to the Village Board, which last month voted, 6-1, to send back to the committee to hammer out details.

Trustee Andrew Bartley said he isn’t sold on the idea and voted against it.

“I just feel this community is a residential area and should stay as such,” he said at the July board meeting.

Trustee Rose Sauers said she wouldn’t want chickens living next door to her, and added that the cost and stipulations will limit the number of people interested in keeping the birds.

Adopting the ordinance would require a public hearing by the Plan Commission.

Megan Phillips of Belgium asked the Village Board in spring to change its ordinance to allow “a limited number of chickens” in residents’ backyards and filed the request via a petition on change.org. Phillips said her family grows as much non-genetically modified organism food as possible

The committee meeting is at 6 p.m. at Village Hall, 104 Peter Thein Ave.