Corbett presents to the subcommittee

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Councilor at Large Karen Kalinowksy and a city resident continued their push to make chicken keeping more affordable in the city on Monday.

The Ordinance and Rules subcommittee tabled a request to amend the zoning ordinance for keeping chickens so that they could explore different options that were presented to them.

The panel agreed that the multi-step, over $500 process is excessive but was unsure of the best way to fix it.  A popular suggestion was to make the process similar to $20 annual dog licensing, which City Solicitor Stephen Pagnotta will look into along with a $200 site plan approval.

"The reality here is that residents should be able to have chickens," Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said.  "And it should be less expensive and it should be less complicated."

Kalinowsky requested in September that the permitting process be changed to go through the Board of Health instead of the Zoning Board of Appeals which would have an initial fee of $25. She brought this forth after resident Melissa Corbett contacted her with a proposed permitting process for the raising of six chickens. 

Last week, Director of Public Health Andy Cambi told the Board of Health that he believes the current process is effective and the board agreed not to take on chicken permitting.  Instead, they suggested that the city find a way to provide financial assistance for it.

Corbett argued that the ordinance should not remain a special permit because the process is overly complicated. Also, its cost cannot be changed at the local level due to the deed fee and legal note.  Further, she said that if the application fee is reduced significantly, the cost will remain high because of these state requirements for a special permit.

"The processes of the fees cover are unnecessary. Neighbors can be easily notified without a legal process and adding a note to the deed of a property is very unnecessary because not everyone wants to keep chickens for the entire length of time that they own their home," she added.

"They can choose to do it for a season and then stop.  Hens actually only lay for an average of three years, so there's not a need for a deed note for the length of the property ownership but a yearly license or permit renewal would be more than sufficient as long as the property occupants have chickens."

Corbett believes that the Board of Health overestimated its responsibility in the process but made three alternative suggestions: a chicken license similar to a dog license applied through the City Clerk's office, through the Agricultural Commission and Right to Farm bylaws, and creating a different permit through the ZBA that is not a special permit, a simpler process.

Unfortunately, she found that the Agricultural Commission doesn't exist.

"I just hope you find a way to make it less complicated to do the right thing," Corbett's daughter said to councilors.

Councilor At Large Pete White speculated that the panel has some options in front of them and needs to choose the one that will have the best future outcomes.

"Right now it's closed off too much, in my opinion, to where it's ridiculous," he said.

Kalinowsky feels that asking residents for $200 to keep chickens is still not affordable.  She highlighted all of the additional costs that come with it such as a coop and fencing in a yard.

"We are making this difficult.  It doesn't need to be this difficult," she said.

Ward 1 Councilor Kenneth Warren commended Corbett for her impressive presentation and pushed to have Pagnotta draft an ordinance for a chicken license, asserting that it is the way to go.

Wanting to confirm the legality of a non-domesticated fowl license before drafting an ordinance, White said he is willing to work with Pagnotta and Kalinowsky before the next meeting and see what they come up with.
 

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