So you’ve done all your ground work and are on the agenda. For us, this was a huge step in the right direction. Here is what that process looked like for us. We were on the agenda a total of 4 times. The first time was for the board to decide if they wanted pursue a chicken agenda. Then there was three readings of an ordinance. At the final reading, it was voted on and passed. Once we were on the agenda, the work picked up. We moved quickly from research to providing evidence and talking with the city council members to address their concerns. We planned special activities to help promote our cause.
When we were on the agenda we had the opportunity to speak about chickens. We coordinated and encouraged everyone to attend. The more in the audience, the better for proving there was interest in chickens. We also had as many people as possible to speak sharing their reasons for wanting chickens. We addressed concerns the council expressed. Since we’d seen the ordinance prior, we were able to directly discuss and address concerns we had with the proposed ordinance. This is another chance to really leverage the FB group getting people there and speaking.
We also organized a couple of special events to help promote excitement in the community. We were able to get some interest from the media which I believe was a big factor in the ordinance passing. We hosted a coop tour for the city council members. This way they could get out and see what chickens looked like in person. It was a good way to get some one on one time with the council members. We also planned an event were the community could those of us working on the ordinance. We had some chickens available and had an ice cream. The goal was to create a family friendly way to learn more about the ordinance. The final even we planned was a chicken meet and great. This was set-up about 1 week before the vote. We invited the FB group and others in the community. This goal was really to rally the troops. The final vote was coming and we wanted the excitement to continue.
So that was it. Our city voted and passed the chicken ordinance. It wasn’t as inclusive as we hoped. But it allows the citizens to have chickens.
My coop arrives in two weeks. My next post will be the arrival of the coop. And then shortly after that, my chicks will arrive!
I’m curious. Does your city allow chickens? Were you part of the process? If your city doesn’t allow chickens, will you try to get an ordinance passed?
Tales of the Working Mom 