Greenwood resident Kimberlie Board is one of the residents behind a petition to get the city to change its animal ordinance to allow chickens.
Submitted photo
Local residents came out to voice their support for changing the city of Greenwood’s rules for backyard chickens, though no changes are in store yet.
Greenwood resident Kimberlie Board is seeking to change the city code to allow backyard chickens, specifically hens, creating a change.org petition. Currently, the city code outlaws residents from keeping poultry and livestock, except on properties zoned and operated as agricultural operations or suburban fringe “under other applicable laws.” Those found to violate this ordinance face a $50 initial fine, with all subsequent violations in a 12-month period subject to a fine of not less than $100 per violation.
During Wednesday’s city council meeting, Board presented the petition and some research on chicken ordinances to the council during the public comment portion. For nearly 15 minutes, Board and four other Greenwood residents spoke in favor of chickens, along with two Indianapolis children who shared their experience with chickens.
Recounting the petition, which as of Thursday afternoon has nearly 900 signatures, Board said people really want to have chickens in Greenwood.
“They’re here anyway,” she said. “What we’re looking for is legality.”
Board told the council she reached out to Johnson County Animal Control about whether there were complaints about backyard chickens, but there had not been any for a while. She also reached out to planning and zoning officials, who said they’ve had less than 12 complaints regarding chickens.
Board also brought copies of ordinances for chickens from cities like Carmel, Bloomington and South Bend as examples of what a future Greenwood ordinance could look like. The city could require permits, set how far away it has to be from a neighboring property and limit the number of chickens, she said.
People in the community want to be closer to their food source and to be self-sustaining, Board said.
“A lot has changed. You have real concerns about food supply, inflation and the quality of our food,” she said.
Like Board, co-organizer Ellen Hurd told the city council that backyard chickens can help with food security. Hurd, who has wanted to be able to have backyard chickens for a number of years, helps fill blessing boxes around the area, and sees chickens as a way to help those struggling to feed their families.
“I would like to be able, even with these blessing boxes, to be able to put a little note if, you know, ‘I have x, contact me to get some free eggs,’” Hurd said. “We’ve got a lot of vulnerable citizens with the economy and everything happening right now that need us, and I think that that would be a great community thing to do.”
Additionally, chickens produce relatively less waste compared to dogs. According to a fact sheet Hurd cited, a 40-pound dog generates more waste than 10 chickens.
Hens also tend to be quieter and they can eat bugs and kill mice. Humans are also at minimal risk of getting sick from eating backyard chickens, Hurd said.
James Sceniak, who is running for Greenwood City Council At-Large as a Libertarian, also spoke in favor of having backyard hens Monday, telling the city council it can help build community. Along with his personal experience growing up with them in Northern Indiana, Sceniak has also had the opportunity to see the benefits professionally.
“I’m a behavioral therapist, and I worked in Indianapolis,” he said. “In the neighborhood, there were several chickens being raised, and we had the opportunity to take those kids and learn about the process of chickens. It was quite therapeutic for those kids, so I believe this is good for the community as well as for food security.”
Greenwood resident Hansen Reed told the council backyard chicken were a fantastic idea, and that he didn’t understand why residents couldn’t easily have them. Reed and his sister, Jessica McGraw, had talked about the idea for years, he said.
Reed has always hoped to be able to have a little garden and wants to be able to have his kids learn how to produce some of their food and learn about livestock. It’s silly they’re not able to, he said.
“I think there’s a lot of great arguments for it. It’s been successfully elsewhere nearby,” he said.
McGraw said having backyard chickens would provide cost savings and convenience to many residents. She had asked the city before about having chickens, and learned about the lengthy process to be able to have them.
“I’ve just looked at that in the past year,” McGraw said. “And I was like, ‘OK, well, I’m a single mom. I have two kids and like where am I gonna find the time (to do this)?”
She has also considered possibly moving out of Greenwood in order to have chickens.
“I have been talking about chickens, and honestly considering moving out of Greenwood just to have that opportunity, which sounds silly,” she said. “But you know I love Greenwood and I love being here, but I want my kids to know responsibility and to have the farm fresh eggs and to have that food security.”
Two children from Indianapolis also spoke about the petition, saying they hoped the city would add the right to have chickens.
No city council members spoke about the chicken proposal during the meeting, and no action was taken. Some city council members did speak to some of the residents Wednesday night after the meeting, but for now, it’s a “wait and see” situation, said Mike Campbell, city council president.
The petition by itself does not generate an ordinance for changing the rules, someone on the council would have to ask for an ordinance to be prepared. That ordinance would generate a lengthy debate, similar to what is ongoing in Whiteland, Campbell said.
He is unsure if anyone on the council would request an ordinance to change it at this point, as there are mixed feelings on the council. Campbell said he would not consider putting forward an ordinance himself, but will see what happens.
“It’s a wait-and-see if anyone on the council is interested enough to request an ordinance,” Campbell said. “Chickens have been discussed in Greenwood for a long time. Up until this point, no one has chosen to proceed with it. We’ll see if this changes.”
There are people on both sides of the issue, and Campbell has already received an email from someone opposing any possible changes, he said.
Board plans to continue to drum up support for the petition, including going out into the community to spread the word about backyard chickens, she said.
