Standard-Examiner: Ogden City Ordinance Ruffles Feathers; Election Could Decide Fate of Backyard Birds

Or... Backyard Birds Could Decide Fate of  Council Incumbents

Weirdly enough, it looks like we're seeing the first murmurings of a genuinely devisive campaign issue in the 2013 Ogden Municipal election race, as the Standard this morning reports that "Results from the upcoming Ogden City Council elections could determine the fate of backyard chickens in Ogden for the next four years."

We look at it the other way around of course, and wonder: "Could backyard birds decide the fate of council incumbents?" we ask.

 According to this morning's Randi Weston report, the battle lines are being drawn, with incumbents Doug Stephens and Bart Blair standing historically opposed to the raising of backyard poultry by Ogden lumpencitizens, whilst their council challengers Turner C. Bitton and Courtney White, in the Ward 3 and At-large "B" races, respectively, cry foul over the council's current anti-backyard chicken stance:

• Ogden City ordinance ruffles feathers; election could decide fate of backyard birds

There's no word on the positions of any of the other council candidates, although Ward 1 incumbent Neil Garner appears to be anti-chicken too.

"Although not directly noticeable by looking through the city ordinances online, chickens are not allowed within Ogden city limits," Ms. Weston's morning story reports. And Ms. Weston says a real mouthful,  in light of  woefully "muddy" condition of the existing Ogden City "chicken ordinance":

• 12-7-8: KEEPING FOWL IF ALLOWED; ENCLOSURES REQUIRED; PROHIBITED WHERE:

Thankfully, the very trendy BackyardChickens.com website provides a "plain English" summary of the current Ogden ordinance, framed in language unladen with the usual Ogden City legalistic gobbledygook:

• Ogden Utah Chicken Ordinance

For a little background reading concerning the circumstances precipitating this highly polarizing issue, here are a couple of recent articles on that topic:

• Pair on Ogden council revive backyard chicken debate
• Salt Lake Tribune: Ogden Couple Fighting City to Keep Backyard Chickens

And for those who'd like to examine the plethora of material which the council considered the last time the Ogden Council considered the Ogden backyard chickens issue, check out the November 27, 2012 Council work session packet which includes the draft of a proposed (but ultimately rejected) ordinance, pro and con citizen correspondence and a marvelous collection of local news articles addressing the "urban chickens" issue:

• CHICKENS IN RESIDENTIAL ZONES

Added bonus:  As cited in this morning's S-E story, navigate via this link for a glimpse of the chatter occurring within in the "backyard chicken underground":

• Facebook - Ogden Urban Chicken Fans

Nope.  The issues forming up as we approach the November Municipal election don't have the quite the pre-election gravitas of Gondolas, Downtown Money Pits, Velodromes, Giant Downtown Icicles or creepy Money-laundering Scandals, but in an election season which has been so far a mite ho-hum, we'll take what we can get, so long as it will motivate Ogden voters, and drive them to the polls, we guess.