A push to give Peoria residents permission to raise chickens at home has flown the coop.
Amid concerns over projected expenses and staffing burdens, the city council tabled consideration of having city staff draft an ordinance allowing backyard chickens.
City manager Patrick Urich told the council Peoria County estimated it would need to charge the city an additional $250,000 a year for animal control regulation services if backyard chickens were permitted.
“That would involve them having to hire an additional animal control officer, someone to do the licensing,” Urich said. “Then also, currently without this ordinance in place, I believe it says they get about 15 to 20 chickens a year — and they currently have to house those next to, in dog kennels because they don't have space. So there'd be some capital costs involved as well to build out a facility.”
Mayor Rita Ali said that cost figure was a main factor in her opposition to allowing backyard chickens.
“Just not to absorb a million-dollar cost every four years is one thing,” Ali said. “But I've gotten a lot of feedback, and I'm sure many of you heard pros and cons, those that want this and those that don't. And I've actually heard from more people that have concerns about imposing such an ordinance to allow the backyard chickens in the city of Peoria.
“The cost is substantial. The county has concerns, and I am not comfortable directing staff to create an ordinance to allow for this.”
The consideration of backyard chickens originally came through a citizen submission from Kim Giraldo through the planning and zoning committee. Giraldo told the council she questioned the county’s financial estimate, and said that other cities across Illinois that have legalized chickens have not seen increased burdens.
Giraldo offered a compromise solution.
“Give us a set number of permits. Let us prove ourselves and that how this is going to be a non-issue for the city,” she said. “Let's look at the actual numbers and make an informed decision.”
Realtor Mike Van Cleve also addressed the council to advocate for allowing chickens, saying that prospective buyers he’s worked with on relocating to Peoria are interested in the policy.
“Odd as it is, ‘can I have backyard chickens?’ is one of the biggest questions that my team receives from people who are moving here from other similar-sized cities,” Van Cleve said.
Before the vote, council members Andre Allen and Bernice Gordon-Young said they were open to the pilot program idea. Allen said a non-scientific survey he posted on Facebook received almost 1,000 responses, with an overwhelming majority in favor of allowing backyard chickens.
“My stand still remains the same: I would be open to some type of pilot where we would allow so many permits per council district, just to evaluate this to see if it's something that can truly, again, play in Peoria,” he said.
But council member Mike Vespa said he could not form his decision based a poll of that nature.
“It didn't ask, ‘Are you willing to raise your taxes? Are you willing to hire more code enforcement officers, or pay the county a quarter million a year for this?’” Vespa said.
“I do believe that, yeah, there are people that are more inclined to come here if we had backyard chickens. But I also have heard people say that if there are backyard chickens next door, they're going to leave our city. So that goes both ways.”
Eight members voted to table the issue, with Denis Cyr casting a ‘no’ vote and Zach Oyler and Kiran Velpula not voting.
City attorney Patrick Hayes explained that by tabling the matter instead of deferring or receiving and filing it, the agenda item remains dormant until a council member makes a motion to bring it back and a majority vote approves.
“It allows staff to move on without addressing the issue unless there’s a specific request for a report-back,” Hayes said. “It will end staff’s efforts in this area unless there’s some specific direction otherwise, so it effectively ends the matter.”
