Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP / Getty Images
A meeting in Salina will be held tonight (April 13) to discuss a proposal that could allow residents to keep backyard chickens. This comes after resident Heather Weick submitted a petition last year with over 1,300 signatures requesting a change in the town's zoning code to permit chickens. Currently, Salina's zoning code only allows domestic animals like dogs, cats, and birds, while chickens are classified as farm animals and are not permitted.
The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Salina Town Hall. Residents are invited to share their opinions on the proposed ordinance. Weick has advocated for allowing residents to keep up to eight hens in appropriately sized yards, at least 100 feet from other residential structures. Her proposal excludes roosters and chickens raised for meat.
Weick expressed frustration over the town's delay in addressing her petition. "It's frustrating," she said, noting that she had to repeatedly ask the town to consider the proposal. The meeting will provide a platform for both supporters and opponents of the ordinance to voice their views. Weick has mentioned that she knows of about 20 people and two experts who plan to speak at the discussion.
Salina Town Supervisor Raul Huerta was not available for comment. The meeting is expected to draw significant attention from the community, with residents eager to discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of allowing backyard chickens.