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By Garth Meyer
Gazette Reporter 

Colfax city council discusses chicken ownership

 

March 11, 2021



COLFAX — A question of owning chickens in Colfax may come back to the city.

Donna Huntwork, a member of the planning commission, broached the subject to the city council Monday night during their regular meeting.

She asked if the council would consider allowing people to have chickens legally in Colfax.

“Not at our house,” said Councilman Tom Huntwork, Donna’s husband.

Mayor Jim Retzer and councilors laughed, and then chimed in to indicate there was interest to take up the matter.

“Divorce papers are in the mail,” joked Tom Huntwork.

The city does not allow chickens inside city limits, under an ordinance.

Asked about it on Tuesday, Retzer suggested the issue will be discussed again.

“It very well could come up to council for a vote,” he said.

Chickens in Colfax was debated before with no change to the policy. In 2019, former councilman J.W. Roberts proposed that the council have the planning commission take up the matter again.

Since then, the commission has worked on updating the overall animal ordinance.

With their work nearly complete, Donna Huntwork brought the matter up to gauge interest on adding proposed language to the ordinance to allow chickens.

Concerns about chickens regarded the attraction of predators, odors, and more.

Donna Huntwork, who is in support of allowing chickens, notes that any allowance would require rules for proper care, limits of animals, banning roosters and regulations for coops to discourage predators.

The council may be discussing it on March 15.

Since chickens were last debated in Colfax, the city council has five new members and the new mayor.

Author Bio

Garth Meyer, Former reporter

Author photo

Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.

 

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