After a few weeks of learning, public input, and more “fowl” jokes than I thought possible, the City Council reversed ourselves last night and removed the limit on Hens in the city limits, reverting back to the policy that had been in place since the beginning. We expressly said “No Roosters”, and have preserved the integrity of the remainder of the animal control ordinance. Noise, nuisance, and sanitary ordinances are all in place to handle if any resident doesn’t manage their chickens properly. Frankly, though, it didn’t appear to be something that was a problem before and hopefully will go back to being a normal part of Coeur d’Alene life.

Live, learn, and I’ll have mine over easy, please.

Chickens Come Home to Roost

This great park is the newest gem in Coeur d’Alene’s parks system. With tennis courts, basketball courts, a splash pad, covered picnic area, walking path and other amenities, this will be a great spot for neighbors to gather and kids to play for generations to come!

This photo is also evidence that some people (the guy second from the left) shouldn’t wear shorts…

This is a link to a preliminary budget, and in the budget workshop on Thursday the City Council will drill down into the areas that need to be discussed and have department heads and staff available to answer questions. That workshop will be held Thursday, 7/22, at City Hall at 5:30 pm (Old Council Chambers).

Caution – it’s a big pdf file (4 Mb)!

City of CdA Preliminary 2010 budget

The feathers have been flying today!  A story in the Coeur d’Alene Press brought the issue of domestic chickens to the forefront and I received several informative emails and calls from constituents.  The General Services Committee which I chair is going to look at the limits enacted a few meetings ago on chickens in the city limits and then possibly forward a new recommendation to the full City Council for action.

If you have any good information on urban chicken farming – forward it on to me!  Below is a copy of the email I sent to a few interested citizens on this matter this afternoon.

______________________________________________________

Hello, all!

This afternoon the General Services committee asked staff (Deputy City Attorney Warren Wilson, in particular) to review the issue of the limits on the numbers of chickens in the city limits and bring the matter back to us at our July 12^th General Services Committee meeting.

The information presented by residents today was very helpful, particularly the FAQ “Myths and Facts” that Chris White handed out.  Thanks to those of you who were there to help educate us.

Bottom line is that no one intended (certainly I didn’t) to alarm or upset any existing practices that have been working well.  In the absence of any comments from any residents at all during the long redrafting process – including two televised hearings and a few newspaper stories about the animal ordinance – I assumed that things were pretty accepted.  In fact I made the motion to change the staff recommendation from zero permissible domestic chickens to three, because I had known and read about sustainable urban farming but I knew nothing about the limits or average number in a city setting.

So please forgive me (us) for perhaps not getting this quite right to your interests on the front end.  I’m looking forward to getting a better resolution the second time around and if you all can help me with good facts and local information that will go a long way.

I’m also interested in touring a site in the city limits if someone is willing to have me there to see things on site – the more unique the better.

One last note – in the category of “be careful what we wish for” – there is a likelihood that raising the profile of this issue will bring out detractors and also people who will want to challenge whether these are commercial operations in residentially zoned areas within the city and thus should be disallowed all together.  While I may not necessarily agree with that argument, please know that it’s likely that additional questions will be raised relative to those and other issues (i.e. what to do about roosters, other fowl that someone may want to domesticate, etc).  The more clear, calm, and fact-based any and all discussions on this matter both with the council and in the media the better.  I’ve already gotten a few calls and emails from opponents of any chickens today.

In closing, rest assured that I am a supporter of sustainable urban farming and want to find the best outcome to this situation.  I’ll work with you as best I can and look forward to doing so.

Thanks for your feedback, call me or email me if you have any questions or thoughts.

Regards,

Mike Kennedy

PS – please feel free to forward this to anyone you may feel is interested in the information.  You can reach me at: mkennedy@cdaid.org, mike@idahokennedys.com, or I’m on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/idahokennedys and you can reach me and educate me (and other citizens who pay attention to city matters) there, too.

PS – the chicken image above was taken from a website called: http://howtobuildachickencoopin3days.com – thanks to them!

In case you were wondering, the Brannon-Kelso legal extravaganza continues without any end in sight – more hearings today.  The losing candidate has officially asked for a trial date next September – no kidding – while we’ve continued to try and get it over with at the earliest possible time as Idaho code demands (supposed to be within 30 days of the election).  I suppose this is what can happen when you have a plaintiff’s attorney putting up every conceivable objection – legitimate or not.  As always, we’re accepting contributions to continue fighting this nonsense – and we appreciate all of your help and support!

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2010/jun/14/hosack-hear-motions-brannon-case/

Dear friends and supporters,

I want to give you an update on the seemingly-unending campaign lawsuit and a suggestion for a couple of simple ways to help if you’re able to.

BACKGROUND AND STATUS

My defeated 2009 opponent Jim Brannon and Starr Kelso, his lawyer, have taken their electoral pursuits to a new level.  Brannon’s lawsuit to overturn the election (in which I’m now the only defendant due to a quirky clause in Idaho’s statutes) continues.

These men and their supporters have cast accusations at me and the city, of course, but also have now added County Clerk Dan English and County Prosecutor Barry McHugh to their list of “conspirators”.

We believe that the county conducted the election without fault.  However, with 6,350 voters, innocent mistakes can happen.  These could result in someone honestly voting but through error of a volunteer election judge not being eligible to vote in the city election.  The result could then be that the vote of Brannon or for me is voidable.

HOW YOU CAN HELP PART ONE

Here’s where you can help if you are able:

• If you have heard any claims about voters outside city boundaries who voted in the city election, please let me know.

• If you have heard any claims about people voting in the city election who hadn’t lived in the city limits for at least 30 days before the election, also please let me know.

All information will be treated with appropriate confidentiality.  Email me at mike@idahokennedys.com or call me at 208-661-7337.

HOW YOU CAN HELP PART TWO

Finally, if you are willing to assist in any way financially, I’m attaching a link to my campaign website where you could make a contribution (http://www.kennedyforcda.com).  I hesitate to ask again since so many people were so generous last fall, but this process is costing real money and I need to turn to my friends, family, and political supporters for help once more.

Thank you again for your friendship and support.  I appreciate the support of my friends and family more than you’ll ever know.

Best regards,

Mike Kennedy

Behold the highest honor an Irish politician can receive – Grand Marshal of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade! This will be one for the ages – hope you can come down for it this Saturday!

“‘This is the coolest thing that has happened to me since I was elected, other than the birth of my children,’ Kennedy said. ‘It is just going to be so much fun.’

The parade will begin at 4 p.m., in the middle of a day of festivities to celebrate the holiday. Downtown businesses will offer a variety of activities throughout the day, said Ilene Moss, owner of All Things Irish and parade organizer.”

http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_990e3b4f-8b3c-54a1-9ec1-1c30cfeaa789.html