Chickens in the City

[james]

Hey backyard chicken lovers,

Here is a link to the Statesman Journal article in the Real Living
insert last week http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009901230337

The group C.I.T.Y. (Chickens In The Yard) is rallying to amend code,
with a formal presentation to City Council sometime in February. We
should all be there! The amendment has received letters of support
from Marion-Polk Foodshare, Oregon Tilth, Willamette University Center
for Sustainable Communities, and so on.

If you would like to help, organizer Barbara Palermo says you can help
gather signatures over the next two weeks, to be presented to City
Council. Below you will find a PDF proposal document, and a word
document for the petition signatures. Signers must be at least 18
years of age and live within the city limits.

You can mail signed petitions and letters of support to:

Barbara Palermo, CITY
851 Whitetail Deer St NW
Salem OR 97304
getaho...@hotmail.com

Do any Salem Locavores have chickens of your own already, or want to
have some?
james

[james]

Message below from Barbara Palermo, CITY Organizer,
Anyone want to set up a petition booth in front of the downtown
library?


Dear C.I.T.Y. Members,

Unfortunately, we suffered a recent setback in our efforts to legalize
backyard chickens. I had a long conversation with the city councilor
who has been helping us and she told me that, while some councilors
are open to the idea, others remain skeptical. Apparently, the
skeptics will not agree to put chickens on a city council meeting
agenda because "they visualize chickens running wild in the backyard
and a pile of rusty old cars in the front yard". They also think it
will be a "code enforcement nightmare" and the city is suffering a
huge budget deficit so it can't devote any time or money to
chickens.

However, the public can speak at the end of any council meeting under
the section called "public comments on items not on the agenda" and
two councilors have encouraged us to take advantage of this. We may
not be invited, but it doesn't mean we can't crash their party! The
skeptics will not take the time to read our packet, so we will read it
to them! There are a lot of misconceptions and untruths that we need
to clarify and this is our only opportunity to do that.

We plan to give our presentation at the City Councilor meeting
scheduled for Monday, February 23rd at 6:30 pm. Your presence at this
meeting is essential. Please mark your calendars and plan on
attending. Without a show of strong citizen support, our proposal
will not pass. By February 23rd we should have more neighborhood
associations on board.

The councilors have emphasized the importance of getting neighborhood
associations to support us (especially NEN and SCAN), so please find
out what neighborhood association you live in and write or email the
chair and tell them that you live in their neighborhood and would
encourage them to support our efforts. You can look up your
neighborhood association at:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/CommunityServices/neighbor/Pages/default.aspx

Your can also look up your city ward at:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/CityCouncil/Pages/CouncilWardsMap.aspx
to find our which councilor represents you and you can send him/her
the same letter.

The petitions are more critical than ever. We currently have 283
signat I have still not heard back from about 10 people who I think
are circulating them. Please do your best to gather more signatures
and mail your petitions to me at the address below so they arrive
before February 23rd or contact me to pick them up. If you still need
to sign a petition, you can do so at the Tea Party Book Shop on Ferry
Street or you can contact me.

We have 13 speakers lined up which includes members of C.I.T.Y.
representing each ward, as well as speakers from Marion-Polk Food
Share, Oregon Tilth, and St. Vincent de Paul. I will call a meeting
for our C.I.T.Y. speakers, so we can rehearse and field all possible
questions. For everyone else, we need to fill the city council
chambers with bodies and have everyone stand to show their support.
If you are serious about wanting this to pass, it is vital that you
show up and bring all your friends and family, no matter where they
live. Please do not become discouraged by our recent setback. You
will see by the attached revised packet, we are more than ready and
able to convince them!

Attached is the newest version of our packet. I would love to hear
your comments! I would also love to know that you are coming on Feb
23rd and how many others you think you can bring along.

Sincerely,

Barbara / C.I.T.Y.

[james]

From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 8:36 AM
Subject: C.I.T.Y. Update 2.16.09

Neighborhood Association Update: More good news . . . another
neighborhood association agrees to support us! That makes four
(SEMCA,
West Salem, SCAN, and Northgate). Another one, NEN, will vote on it
tomorrow. We have one more presentation scheduled (Sunny Slope)
before the Feb. 23rd meeting so there is a chance we can announce
support from six neighborhoods when we give our presentation!
THANK YOU DANA!
Petition Update: It's time to collect your petitions. Please mail them
to: Barbara Palermo, 851 Whitetail Deer St NW, Salem OR 97304 as soon
as possible. I need enough time to collect them all, count the
signatures, and make copies. If you would rather I pick them up in
person, let me know and I will make arrangements to do that. If you
gave
a petition to someone else, please track it down for me. THANK
YOU EVERYONE!
Media Update: We contacted an environmental writer at the Statesman
Journal and told her about our intentions on the 23rd. We also asked
if she would be willing to write a story about us; waiting for her
response. In the meantime, please consider writing a brief (less than
200 words) letter to the editor. I've attached Sarah's suggestions for
how to go about this. In these final days before our presentation,
media attention is critical so if you can find the time to do this,
that would be great.
Dana was interviewed by CCTV for a segment called Living Culture. It
doesn't air until March, but a clip will be available for us soon.
The Big Day: We are still on for February 23rd, but we may not get to
speak until 8:30 so be prepared to stay late. The CCTV fellow that
interviewed Dana will be there and may video tape our presentation.
Please bring all your friends. The meeting will be in the council
chambers (Room 240) at City Hall. You can enter the parking structure
from either side (off Liberty or Commercial). The address is 555
Liberty. Take the elevator up to the second floor and look for Room
240. You don't need to sign in. Just take a seat. If you are a
speaker, your name will be called (I will sign speakers in). If not,
just wait until we ask supporters in the audience to stand. Maybe we
should clap too???
I'll keep sending frequent updates up to the last minute, but I urge
you
join the Yahoo Group I set up called "Salem Chickens" for updates,
it's
is much easier for me that way.

Again, thank you for helping us legalize chickens in Salem.

[james]

Another message from Barbara Palermo with CITY.
Hope to see locavores this Mon night Feb 23rd Rm 240!
________________________________________

From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 7:49 PM
Subject: I need your petitions right away - please!

Hi everyone,

As our big night approaches, it is important that I collect all the
petitions floating around out there as soon as possible. If you have
one, or gave some to others, please gather them up and get them to me
by Saturday. I need time to count the signatures and make copies
before I present them to the Mayor on Monday evening.

You can mail them to: Barbara Palermo, 851 Whitetail Deer St NW,
Salem OR 97304.

Or you can call me at: 541-602-1129 to make other arrangements. I
will be happy to pick them up if necessary.

Thank you for all your hard work gathering signatures.

PLEASE PLAN ON COMING TO CITY HALL MONDAY NIGHT! Room 240
(6:30-10:00?)

Barbara
Chickens in the Yard

[james]

_______________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 4:03 PM
Subject: Chicken Update 2.21.09

Hi Everyone,

Our big day is almost here and I hope everyone is ready!
Here's the latest:

1) A CCTV program called Living Culture interviewed one of our
members,
Dana, along with a woman in Portland who keeps chickens. Dana did a
fantastic job! The program will be aired on TV sometime in March
(cable channel 22). In the meantime, you can view the video online at
www.livingcultureonline.com. Just scroll down and click on the
chicken picture.

2) New members continue to join almost daily. Our packet was recently
emailed to 340 master gardeners in Marion and Polk counties. Here's
what one of them had to say: "I have previous experience with a
group who challenged The City with disabled parking issues~~and we
were successful~~all of the monies that had illegally been collected
by The City over an 18 month period were returned to each party. I
have found that public exposure, persistence, and accountability for
"dumb rules" is the best way to get a City Ordinance revised~~or
better yet~~reversed. Don't expect too much from the Statesman
Journal, however--they are very City Council-friendly, and have been
known to not print Letters To The Editor that lend to controversy with
City Government or it's members.

3) Petitions have been pouring in. As of 3:30 Saturday I have 449
signatures, but more are coming so I'm sure we'll exceed our goal of
500. Good job!

4) Dana won the support of a fifth neighborhood association,
Sunnyslope. A map showing all the neighborhoods that support us is
attached. Check it out! It's pretty impressive because they are
scattered across town and include some of the largest ones.

5) February 23rd Meeting at City Hall - Also attached s the agenda for
the City Council Meeting on Monday. Unfortunately, it is really long
(5 pages). We can't speak until item #10; see the very last page. But
I spoke with the City Recorder about this and she said some of the
items will go very quickly. Her best
estimate is that we will be able to start between 8:00 and 8:30. If we
are not finished by 10:00, the council will vote to either stay late
and keep going, or continue at another time.

Note to Speakers: If you happen to be speaking when/if they
decide to wrap things up and cut us off, be sure to immediately
request that we be placed ON THE AGENDA for the next meeting.
Hopefully, this won't happen, but I wanted to have a plan just in
case.

SEE YOU ALL MONDAY NIGHT - City Hall, 555 Liberty, Room 240!

[james]

________________________________________

From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 8:27 AM
Subject: Thank you chicken helpers

To everyone,

Last August when my garden was flourishing and my four pet hens
starting laying their first eggs, I couldn't imaging life being any
better. I was content. After a bully of a neighbor complained and I
was ordered to get rid of my sweet girls, I was devastated. I know,
there are much worse things that can happen in one's life, and believe
me, they have, but for some reason I just couldn't accept this simple
thing being taken from me. I cried for days, got little sleep, and
anguished over it for weeks, dreading the deadline the city had given
me. I finally made arrangements to send my girls to a friend's farm
up in Canby. But I knew it would be too far for me to visit regularly
and I worried that his tough "farm" chickens would beat up my pampered
"pet" chickens. In the end ,I just couldn't go through with it.
Instead, I found a temporary solution and put my girls in foster care
where they could stay only until spring, and then set out to change
the law.
That's where all of you come in to the picture. Imagine if it were
just me standing in front of city council for my allotted three
minutes last night. Even if I had all the same materials to give
them, it simply would not have had the same impact. In fact, I'm
certain they would have blown me off and never even looked at the
information. My efforts are only working because of you. So, from
the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you.
I understand how busy everyone is. We have jobs, families, elderly
parents or small children to care for. Some of us have school, and
other obligations. We live in a time where it never slows down and
there always seems to be some crisis to handle. I guess that's why
watching chickens and gardening is so special, it slows things down
and simplifies life.
I realize it's just the beginning of our chicken-legalizing battle,
but we have been heard and seen now. I feel certain that we will be
successful; it's just a matter of working out the details and
negotiating a workable plan with the city.
To everyone who circulated a petition or signed someone else's, showed
up last night at City Hall, helped with the research, helped spread
the word, or even just prayed for our success . . . THANK YOU. And
SPECIAL THANKS and appreciation goes to Dana who stuck with me from
the onset and ran all over town doing presentations and interviews so
I didn't have to.
Next, we will draft thank-you letters to the Mayor and City
Councilors. I will contact Councilor Tesler and find out what's going
on behind closed doors after our spectacular presentation, and
together we will draft a plan. I will keep you all informed. One
member has already given me a great idea for a free permit that would
satisfy both sides. It wouldn't cost money, which is something the
President of Marion-Polk Food Share feels strongly about. Yet, it
would require would-be chicken owners to go through a process that
would require them to receive educational materials and provide that
accountability that the city wants and a permit that could be revoked.
I'm sure members of our group would be willing to help the city do
this, I know I would.
Before I move forward on this, the very first step is to thank all of
you, so again, please know that I could not have come this far without
every single one of you. (there are so many to thank, I had to do it
in separate emails because hotmail only lets you send to 50 at a
time!)
Barbara

[james]

Another update from Barbara Palermo with C.I.T.Y.

________________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 7:40 PM
Subject: Chicken Update 2.25.09

Dear Chicken Supporters:

Our presentation at City Hall was successful! We certainly got the
city council’s attention, especially when the room full of supporters
stood and clapped (and we handed the Mayor a petition with 659
signatures). Special thanks to all our speakers who did a great job
delivering our message in such a professional manner. After our
presentation Councilors Nanke & Tesler agreed to work on a motion that
would put us on the agenda at an upcoming council meeting. This is
exactly what we were hoping for!

If you weren’t able to be at the presentation, or if you were but want
to re-live it, you can view the entire show online at:
http://www.cctvsalem.org/streaming/city-of-salem.php, then choose Feb
23, 2009 under City Council Meetings. Wait a moment for it to buffer
and once it begins, you can jump to Item #10- Public Comment.

Also, if you haven’t seen our segment on the CCTV show “Living
Culture” you can view it at: http://livingcultureonline.com. Just
scroll down, and click on the chicken to watch an interview with one
of our members, along with a city chicken-keeper in Portland.

After our big night, we sent a thank-you letter to the Mayor and each
City Councilor and since then, we've received responses from several
of them, all complementing our professional and thorough
presentation. Councilors Nanke and Tesler have already asked to meet
with a few members of our group next week. Barbara, Dana, and Lisa
will meet with them and let you know how it went. Councilor Dickey
also wrote to us, saying she is inclined to support us, as long as it
doesn’t cost the city money but she feels we can work to ensure that
doesn’t happen. Councilor Bennett said he would consider supporting
our proposal but listed some concerns he wants addressed first.
Council Cannon had just one concern, but is otherwise open to the
idea. I think we are in good shape; it's just a matter of negotiating
and fine-tuning things, which we will work very hard at during the
coming weeks.

Councilor Nanke would like to shoot for the city council meeting on
March 23rd to have this topic appear as an agenda item for further
discussion (and possible vote). He wanted to give us time to get more
neighborhood associations on board, which is very important to the
Council. In my next post, I will provide a list of upcoming
neighborhood association meetings. Please attend your neighborhood
association meeting and/or write to them urging them to support us. A
list of neighborhood associations can be found at:
www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/CommunityServices/neighbor/Pages/default.aspx.

Mark your calendars for March 23rd! We will need to fill the room
again. In fact, it would be great if this time there was standing-
room-only!

Barbara,

Chickens in the Yard

[james]

FYI three recent messages from Barbara Palermo with Chickens in the
Yard, regarding:

1. Neighborhood Associations -- help needed
2. Article in today's Statesman Journal about C.I.T.Y.
3. C.I.T.Y. to be on Channel 2 News tonight.

________________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 2:00 PM
Subject: Chicken Support Needed

Hi Everyone,

It is absolutely critical that we get more neighborhood associations
to support chickens in the yard before we go before city council
again. Below is a list of the neighborhoods that are pending and
those that we haven't heard from yet. Please use the link below to
determine which neighborhood you live in. If it's one of the ones
listed, please contact them asking that they put us on the agenda for
their next meeting and urging them to support chickens in the yard.

http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/CommunityServices/neighbor/pages/map.aspx

Pending

South Gateway - Won't vote until March meeting (currently
undecided)

Morningside - C.I.T.Y. presentation set for March 11th

SESNA - C.I.T.Y. presentation set for March 12th

ELNA - Very interested, probable yes vote, but not on agenda yet

NESCA - Responded, but not on agenda yet

No Response Yet

CAN-DO - Contact: Ida Lafky at 503-588-1724 / 3rd Wednesday 6:00 pm

Grant - Contact: Terri Frohnmayer at 503-364-7400 / 1st Thursday
6:15 pm

Lansing - Contact: Patty Tipton at 503-947-1413 / 4th Tuesday 7:00
pm

Highland - Contact: 503-588-6261 / 2nd Thursday 7:00 pm

South Salem - Contact: Randy Johnson 503-763-6039 / 1st Thursday 7:00
pm

NOLA - Contact: Bill Osborn at 503-587-0833 / 3rd Monday at 6:30 pm

Thank you so much!

Barbara

________________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 6:20 AM
Subject: Great article in SJ about chickens today!!!

Check it out and please leave POSITIVE comments as soon as possible:

http://statesmanjournal.com/article/20090302/NEWS/903020345&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

________________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 12:09 PM
Subject: C.I.T.Y. on Channel 2 news tonight!

Melica Johnson with Channel 2 news (KATU) is interviewing one,
possibly two, of our members today and it will be on the news
tonight. Please watch it if you get a chance.

This, of course, will stir up some opposition, so be ready. We need
to stay professional and factual and avoid any arguments with the
other side.

Barbara

[Salem Monthly writer]

Dear Chicken Enthusiasts,

I'm a writer for Salem Monthly who is reporting on an article about
the backyard chicken issue for the magazine's April issue. I am
interested in talking to anyone who owns or who is interested in in
owning chickens in Salem, especially those who were at the February
City Council meeting.

You can contact me at the email address listed here or through my
blog, desperatelyseekingsalem.com.

Thanks,
Emily

On Mar 2, 12:55 pm, james <santa...@pringlecreek.com> wrote:
> FYI three recent messages from Barbara Palermo with Chickens in the
> Yard, regarding:
>
> 1. Neighborhood Associations -- help needed
> 2. Article in today's Statesman Journal about C.I.T.Y.
> 3. C.I.T.Y. to be on Channel 2 News tonight.
>
> ________________________________________

> From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaholdo...@hotmail.com]

> Sent: Saturday, February 28, 2009 2:00 PM
> Subject: Chicken Support Needed
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> It is absolutely critical that we get more neighborhood associations
> to support chickens in the yard before we go before city council
> again.  Below is a list of the neighborhoods that are pending and
> those that we haven't heard from yet. Please use the link below to
> determine which neighborhood you live in. If it's one of the ones
> listed, please contact them asking that they put us on the agenda for
> their next meeting and urging them to support chickens in the yard.
>

> http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/CommunityServices/neighbor/pag...

>
> Pending
>
> South Gateway  -   Won't vote until March meeting (currently
> undecided)
>
> Morningside  -  C.I.T.Y. presentation set for March 11th
>
> SESNA  -  C.I.T.Y. presentation set for March 12th
>
> ELNA  -    Very interested, probable yes vote, but not on agenda yet
>
> NESCA -  Responded, but not on agenda yet
>
> No Response Yet
>
> CAN-DO -  Contact: Ida Lafky at 503-588-1724 / 3rd Wednesday 6:00 pm
>
> Grant  -  Contact: Terri Frohnmayer at 503-364-7400 / 1st Thursday
> 6:15 pm
>
> Lansing  -   Contact: Patty Tipton at 503-947-1413 / 4th Tuesday 7:00
> pm
>
> Highland -   Contact: 503-588-6261 / 2nd Thursday 7:00 pm
>
> South Salem -  Contact: Randy Johnson 503-763-6039 / 1st Thursday 7:00
> pm
>
> NOLA -  Contact: Bill Osborn at 503-587-0833 / 3rd Monday at 6:30 pm
>
> Thank you so much!
>
> Barbara
>
> ________________________________________

> From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaholdo...@hotmail.com]

> Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 6:20 AM
> Subject: Great article in SJ about chickens today!!!
>
> Check it out and please leave POSITIVE comments as soon as possible:
>

> http://statesmanjournal.com/article/20090302/NEWS/903020345&referrer=...
> ________________________________________
> From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaholdo...@hotmail.com]

[james]

________________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 8:03 PM
Subject: Very important chicken update - please read

Hi Everyone,

I have big news. I spoke with Councilor Nanke today and have
summarized our conversation below:

* Based on conversations he and I have had with the other councilors
and the Mayor, we think we have the majority (five) votes needed to
pass our chicken ordinance! We feel pretty certain that the Mayor and
councilors Nanke, Tesler, Dickey, and Cannon are prepared to vote
yes. At this point, councilors Clem and Bennett are "maybe" votes,
and councilors Sullivan and Rogers are probable "no" votes. Of
course, we will work hard to win them over in the coming weeks. But I
think we are in good shape.

* Unfortunately, the city has indicated it could take 4 to 6 months
to change the ordinance if it passes. I emphasized to Councilor Nanke
how important it is for us to accomplish this by spring so that we can
buy our chicks and have eggs by mid-summer. He agrees! He wants
chickens too (as does Councilor Tesler) and has already picked out the
spot for his coop. He will try to find out why the city thinks it
would take so long and point out that after reading our packet, the
City of Keizer is ready to adopt the change almost immediately.

* At the city council meeting scheduled for March 9th, the subject of
chickens will be on the agenda --- But only to vote to see if it
warrants a public hearing later on. He said a few of us should show
up to support the motion that it be scheduled as a public hearing
sometime in April (we have to wait until Councilor Tesler returns from
vacation because we need her vote) I will be there and so will Dana.
You are encouraged to come too, if you can.

* Prior to the public hearing (date unknown), we will meet with Tesler
and Nanke and negotiate changes to our proposed ordinance that will
make it most likely to pass. Mr. Nanke indicated to me that the city
is NOT interested in a permitting process - which is really good
news! I told him we are also against neighbor notification, and he
agreed. But he did say the Mayor is leaning toward allowing only 3
hens. We might have to give in to this, but we'll see. There is much
to be worked out and everyone's concerns will be addressed. You'll
have to trust me on this.

* As most of you know, we made the front page of the Statesman
Journal this morning and also were featured on Channel 2 (KATU) news
tonight at 5:00 and again at 6:00. Mr. Nanke told me to expect a call
from national news - ABC - by the end of the week, as they may also
want to do a story, as well! I'll let you know if I hear from them.

* We will NOT be on the agenda March 23rd (because Tesler will be
still be out of town), which is probably okay, since it is spring
break and many of us will also be gone. Our next important meeting
(the public hearing) will most likely be in mid or late April. Be
prepared to show up . . . we absolutely must pack the room that night.
And there will be opposition! In fact, many people will probably
speak against us, so we must out-number and out-smart them.

* Councilor Nanke also said his sister-in-law happens to work for the
zoning department in another capital city, Olympia, and said they have
had only one chicken complaint in four years and he plans to bring
that up at the next council meeting!

* Please continue to recruit new members and have them contact me
through a new email address I set up, so I can stop using my personal
one. Please direct folks to SalemC...@yahoo.com. They can also
join our Yahoo Groups page "Salem Chickens."

* One of our members has generously offered to pay for the printing
of postcards with our C.I.T.Y. logo on one side and a statement on the
other side urging council members to vote yes on the proposed chicken
ordinance. When these are available, I will let you know. He is
printing 1,000 of them for us! Thanks John!

By the way - excellent job with the comments to the Statesman Journal
article today. Thank you so much!

Barbara

[james]

________________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:getaho...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Friday, March 06, 2009 6:59 AM
Subject: BIG NEWS-Need help March 9th!

Hi Everyone,

I spoke with Councilor Nanke last night (and a reporter from the
Statesman Journal seeking a comment) about a motion made yesterday
directing city staff to do a resolution to initiate a code change
involving chickens!

There has been a change in plans and we are now on the fast-track for
getting our proposed ordinance changed. If I understood Mr. Nanke
correctly, the timeline listed below is what we might anticipate
happening. We did not get much notice, so please spread the word
quickly because we need a big show of support at the City Council
meeting this Monday, March 9th. I only need a few of the speakers
this time (I’ll contact you in a separate email), but I need everyone
else to fill council chambers showing their support. We will be on
the agenda this time and it will be for the purpose of negotiating the
terms of the ordinance

On March 9th - Councilors Nanke & Tesler will put forth a “front end
baseline direction” to staff asking that they bring back a
resolution. This baseline proposal will start off very simple,
allowing six hens in the rear yards of RS and RA zones and will
include a “sunset clause” to expire in one year if not extended. From
there, we negotiate possible amendments. Here’s the tricky part . . .
since we speak first, we must anticipate what types of amendments to
the baseline proposal city councilors are going to suggest. I have a
good idea of what these will be, but I will know more after I speak
with Brad again on Saturday, as he will be seeking input from the
other councilors about this. So, each of our speakers will have three
minutes to discuss things like why we don’t want to have a permit
process added to the proposal, or why we don’t want the number of hens
reduced, what we think about a neighbor-distance requirement, etc.
After this, council will vote on what the ordinance should say (we can
listen to them deliberate, but we can not speak any more at this
point).

On March 16th – This is not a normal city council meeting, but they
can bring back a resolution at these special meetings. Chickens will
be on the consent calendar as an action item this time. This is
basically just to formalize the decision they made the previous week.
City staff will come back with an official document and councilors
will vote on it (not to make chickens legal, but to decide if the
resolution should be supported). If pulled, there may be questions so
some of our core members should be there just to answer questions and
to say we support the resolution. There is no need for a large crowd
at this meeting, just a few of us is sufficient. They will basically
vote on what was already decided the previous week.

On March 17th - City staff notifies the State Land Conservation and
Development Dept. and the City Planning Commission that they are
planning to make a land use change. The law requires that they get 45
days notice. Nothing happens during this 45-day period.

45 Days Later (approximately May 1st) - A public hearing is held as
part of a city council meeting in front of the Planning Commission
(seven people). We must pack the room with supporters and give our
entire presentation (like we did on Feb 23rd) because the planning
commission hasn’t heard it yet. Then the planning commission
deliberates and makes a recommendation to city councilors either that
night or within a week.

Then it goes onto the consent calendar and can be voted on. The staff
can recommend that city council vote yes on it the way it’s written,
or they can recommend further changes, or they can recommend it not be
passed (in which case there will have to be another public hearing,
but this is not likely to happen).

By June 1st – We can all have our chickens in the yard!!!

Councilor Nanke said he’s not aware of any real opposition and he
thinks we have 7 out of 9 “yes” votes at this point, so we’re in good
shape. In fact, he’s thinking of getting his chickens now and keeping
them at his friend’s house in the country until this thing passes.

Please send an RSVP to SalemC...@yahoo.com letting me know if you
can be there on March 9th and how many bodies you think you can bring
along.

Also, two very generous members of our group have created a website
called www.salemchickens.com. Thank you Keith & Amy!

Barbara

[james]

An important message from Barbara Palermo, C.I.T.Y.
Note: Morningside Neighborhood Association is meeting at Morningside
Elementary this month only (typically at Leslie Middle School). If
you're going to the Morningside meeting tonight, I'll see you there...
To find out which Neighborhood Association you live in, and/or to read
their Agendas and meeting times/locations, go to
http://www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/CommunityServices/neighbor/Pages/default.aspx
james
________________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:salemc...@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 3:34 PM
Subject: Could really use your chicken help tonight/tomorrow!

Hi,

We desperately need your help. Things did not go well Monday night at
City Hall. At the end of the meeting city councilors deliberated
about the chicken issue and four of them were very irritated with the
whole thing and want to kill it before it can reach a public hearing.
The best way to win them over is to get more neighborhood associations
on are side. This is critical and we can't do it alone! If you
really want chickens to be legal, here's how to help. If you live in
one of the neighborhoods listed below (see attached maps if you aren't
sure), then please attend. If you don't live in that neighborhood, but
know someone who does, please ask them to attend.

Tonight (March 11th) we are giving a presentation at the Morningside
neighborhood association meeting - 6:30 pm at the Morningside
Elementary School.

Tomorrow night (March 12th) we are giving a presentation at the
Southeast Salem neighborhood association (SESNA) meeting - 7:00 pm at
the Capital Park Westleyan church (410 19th St).

Tomorrow night (March 12th) the South Gateway neighborhood association
will vote whether to support us or not (we gave a presentation to them
last month). They have set up a comment section on their website. If
you live in that neighborhood, go to <www.sgna.us>, scroll down, and
click on "Should Salem Residents be allow to keep up to 5
chickens...." and leave your comment asap.

Thank you! If you can help, please drop me a line and let me know.

Shannon - please post this on Face Book for me...thanks!

[james]

Another update from Barbara Palermo. Looks like they have encountered
opposition.
Having the neighborhood associations on board is going to be key...
Locavores unite! Let's support this group as much as we can...

______________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:salemc...@yahoo.com]

Sent: Friday, March 13, 2009 6:40 AM
Subject: CHICKEN ANNOUNCEMENT

Hello Everyone,

A group has formed called C.A.C. (Citizens Against Chickens) and they
intend to do everything they can to make sure we lose the battle of
legalizing a few backyard hens. They have been flooding city
councilors with emails and are launching a campaign against us. It is
critical that we get serious and out-number and out-smart them. I
need more than just your support now, I need you to become more
actively involved if we are to win. Please review the list below and
see if there is anything more you are able to do. I understand
everyone has a busy schedule, but this simply will not happen without
more active participation. So here's what you can do . . .

1) Recruit more members and urge them to join our Face Book Group
(Chickens in the Yard) and/or our Yahoo Group (Salem Chickens) to keep
abreast of the situation and so that I have a way to contact
supporters when help is needed.

2) We submitted 659 signatures on a petition, but we need to keep
collecting more. If you haven't signed one yet (and you are at least
18 years old and live inside the city limits), please go to the Tea
Party Book Shop downtown on the corner of Liberty and Ferry Streets
and sign our petition.

3) Better yet, if you think you can get 10 or more signatures from
friends, relatives, and co-workers who haven't already signed, then
download our petition (attached) and collect signatures for us. If
you decide to do this, please let me know so I can collect them weeks
or months from now. You can contact me directly at
SalemC...@yahoo.com.
4) It's time to unleash the postcards we had pre-printed, asking city
councilors to vote yes on urban hens. These postcards are also
available at the Tea Party Book Shop. Just sign the back, add a
stamp, write an additional note if you like, and mail it. Please take
extra postcards and ask your friends to do the same.

5) Use the website below to determine which neighborhood you live
in. If it’s one on the attached list that we haven't heard from yet,
please urge them to put Chickens in the Yard on the agenda for their
next meeting. We are happy to come and give a presentation but we
have to be invited first. Once we are on the agenda, it’s important
that you show up to support us and urge the board to vote for urban
hens. The support of neighborhood associations is absolutely critical
to getting the city councilors' vote later on. I have attached a list
of where we currently stand with each of the 19 neighborhood
associations.
http://wwwcityofsalem.net/Departments/CommunityServices/neighbor/Pages/map.aspx

6) Show up at City Hall when we give presentations at city council
meetings. These events will be announced on our Yahoo Group and Face
Book pages. You can also keep informed through our website www.SalemChickens.com.

Thank you,
Barbara - Chickens in the Yard (C.I.T.Y.)

Status of Neighborhood Association Support

Name # on Map Status
SEMCA 18 We have their support
West Salem 11 We have their support
SCAN 3 We have their support
Northgate 8 We have their support
Sunnyslope 14 We have their support
So. Salem 17 We have their support
Faye Wright 2 We have their support
Morningside 13 We have their support
SESNA 4 We have their support

NEN 5 Chose not to vote

South Gateway 1 Still undecided - accepting comments from
neighborhood residents on its website (www.sgna.us). Has 12
positive
comments so far, no negative ones!

NESCA 9 Responded, but not on agenda yet, next meeting March 17th
ELNA 15 Very interested, hoping to be put on April 2nd agenda


NOLA 19 No response, their next meeting is March 16th
CAN-DO 6 No response, their next meeting is March 18th
Grant 7 No response, their next meeting is April 2nd
Highland 12 No response, their next meeting is April 9th
Lansing 10 No response, don’t expect support
Croisan-Illahe 16 No response, don’t expect support

---------------------------------
PS: from james,

For those of you who read to the bottom, I couldn't resist the 1980's
Saturday Night Live "Musicians for Free Range Chickens" chorus...

"Raise your hands
Raise your voice
Give the chickens another choice
Join with me, set them free
Brothers and sisters, let the chickens be!"

[james]

Also nice story in the Statesman Journal, mentions Sundays' "Cooped up
in Corvallis" part of the "Edible Corvallis Initiative."

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20090313/COLUMN1203/903130308/1001/NEWS

March 13, 2009

Chicken tractors let you move hens around yard

Carol Savonen

Question: I have been reading organic gardening guides, and they use
the term "chicken tractor." What is a chicken tractor?

Answer: Free-ranging chickens can be incredibly destructive to
vegetable and flower gardens. If you want chickens to do their
rototilling without ruining your flowers, fruits and veggies, you'll
need to wrangle them. That's why building a chicken tractor is on my
list of things to do this spring.

A chicken tractor is a portable pen without a bottom that you can move
around to different spots in your yard. It permits a few hens to feed
on plants, bugs and worms in any given area.

The Chicken City Web site, http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html,
has photos of 140 different backyard chicken tractors, submitted by
chicken tractor owners from around the world. Most of the chicken
tractors posted on this Web site seem like they could be replicated
with recycled materials, such as scrap wood, chicken wire, corrugated
roofing and small wheels.

These contraptions can be moved around each day, so the enclosed
chickens can graze on fresh greens and hunt bugs. In return, the birds
rototill the garden's surface and leave behind fertilizer. Some
tractors have a place for the chickens to lay eggs and sleep.

For the past three years, I have kept a small flock of hens that I
sometimes allow to free range. I have enjoyed watching their antics,
eating their fresh eggs and using their manure and coop litter to heat
up my compost pile. They come running to see me when I arrive home. I
like having hens so much that I am now raising five more little chicks
to add to my "flock" of egg-laying, compost-making, bug-eating pals.

Having chickens at home isn't all roses. I'm constantly tracking bits
of straw and chicken poop into the house. Then, there is the
mortality. Without management, hens can get into a whole heap of
trouble, really quickly. My first fatality occurred when my prized
buff Orphington hen experienced playful overtures from my friendly
Labrador retriever.

Don't forget about natural predators. If you have an area of your yard
or wild meadow you aren't particular about, then it is tempting to let
your chickens free range, but to do so runs the risk of having your
pet poultry attacked by visiting hawks, owls, raccoons, foxes, skunks
and weasels. Chicken tractors can help prevent these mishaps.

Backyard chickens seem to be in the news a lot these days. With our
free-falling economy, food-safety issues and a growing local food
movement, people are finding comfort in becoming more self-sufficient.

The urban chicken movement is burgeoning — a 2008 Newsweek article
claimed that 65 percent of major U.S. cities allow chicken keeping.
Some Oregon communities, including Corvallis and Portland, and other
cities around the country, including New York City, Los Angeles and
Seattle, all permit urban chickens. Ordinances generally limit urban
and suburban residents to five or fewer hens, with no roosters

Locally, a cadre of citizens in Salem called Chickens in the Yard is
asking the City Council to allow residents to keep as many as five
backyard hens — but no roosters. City code currently prohibits keeping
livestock and fowl within city limits except for areas zoned
residential-agricultural. The Salem City Council postponed action this
week on a proposed amendment to city code that would allow chickens in
the city.

If you are interested in seeing well-kept backyard chicken coops in
action, come to Corvallis from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday to the "Cooped Up
in Corvallis" self-guided chicken and duck coop tour.

On the tour, you'll get a chance to visit eight chicken and duck coop
sites in the Corvallis community and talk with backyard fowl keepers
who can give you first-hand tips for integrating poultry into your
backyard.

The tour is a fundraiser for the Corvallis Environmental Center Edible
Corvallis Initiative, a local community gardening project. Tickets
cost $8 or $14 per family. Tickets and maps are available at the First
Alternative Co-op (North & South Stores) or at the Corvallis
Environmental Center, 214 SW Monroe Street, from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Mondays through Fridays. For more information, contact Leslie Van
Allen at youthgard...@live.com.

[james]

Another update from Barbara Palermo with C.I.T.Y.
________________________________________

From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:salemc...@yahoo.com]

Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2009 3:21 PM
Subject: Chicken Update 3.22.09

Hi Everyone,

I met with Councilor Brad Nanke for an hour and a half yesterday and
he is very optimistic and still thinks we will be successful in our
efforts to legalize hens. He is working very hard at trying to push
this through. Here are the highlights:

1. Chickens will not be discussed at the March 23rd meeting after
all Instead, city staff will bring back their report on April 27th
(when Councilors Tesler and Cannon are back from vacation). At that
time, they will most likely report that the county does not want to
help enforce a chicken ordinance, making it the city's sole
responsibility. Then, Brad will offer a motion to have staff come back
with a resolution and we will move toward a public hearing. He is
still trying to avoid an advisory meeting and just go straight to a
public hearing, hopefully in May.

2. He is looking into making this a permissive pet issue, instead of
a land use issue to simplify and speed up the process. A land use
change requires a 45-day waiting period and we have to convince the
Planning and Land Use Committee, whereas a permissive pet issue would
simply list permitted pets which would be defined as things like dogs,
cats, rabbits, hens, pot-bellied pigs, etc.

3. He thinks we currently have four "yes" votes (Nanke, Tesler,
Dickey, and Cannon) but we need five for it to pass. In order to try
to gain the Mayor's vote I had to agree to just 3 hens. I know some
of you will be upset but I had to compromise or risk losing
everything. But the good news is, instead of a Sunset Clause in a
year, it would be reviewed in 18 months and we could request more hens
at that time if there hadn't been any significant problems.

4. Apparently, there isn't an anti-chicken group. Brad thinks it may
have been a joke or a rumor when he heard about Citizens Against
Chickens a few weeks ago. To his knowledge there are only individuals
who are against chickens, but not an organized group. He agrees they
have no valid argument.

5. Brad said the Mayor was concerned that our proposal might not
help those who are struggling financially because they won't be able
to afford to build a coop. I told him we have members who have
offered to donate time, money, and/or materials to help them do so.
He thought the Mayor would love it if we held a "Habitat for Chickens"
event where a bunch of us show up to help build someone's coop (I hope
some of you will commit to this).

6. According to Brad, the councilors are getting a lot of calls and
emails from people opposing chickens. He said we should do the same.
We can send an email to the Mayor and all 8 city councilors by sending
it to a single address (Cityc...@cityofsalem.net) and telling them
why you want chickens. Be sure to title the email something like
"Please vote yes for chickens" so if they delete it without reading,
they will still know it was a positive vote. Please send an email to
them as soon as possible!

*CORRECTION

[The email address I provided in the 3.22.09 update has expired (even
though its still posted on the city's website). Please send your
chicken support email to the Mayor and city councilors by cutting and
pasting the following email addresses:

jta...@cityofsalem.net; crbe...@cityofsalem.net;
lte...@cityofsalem.net; bna...@cityofsalem.net;
tjsul...@cityofsalem.net; ddi...@cityofsalem.net;
bro...@cityofsalem.net; bca...@cityofsalem.net;
dc...@cityofsalem.net]

I will send another update in a few days that will include a list of
tasks I need volunteers for. In the meantime, please send an email to
the councilors, continue with the petitions and postcards, and mark
your calendars for April 27th, as we will want to have a strong
showing of support at the city council meeting on that night.

Thank you!

Barbara / C.I.T.Y.

[james]

Another great update below from Barbara Palermo with Chickens in the
Yard.
james

---------------------------- Original Message
----------------------------
Subject: Chicken Update 4.7.09
From: "Barbara Palermo" <salemc...@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, April 7, 2009 6:37 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neighborhood Associations. We got the endorsement of ELNA last week!
That makes 10 neighborhoods that support us, which represents 68% of
all Salem households. This week we hope to earn the support of
Highland and South Gateway. If you live in either of those two
neighborhoods, please attend their meeting on April 9th and urge them
to vote yes for chickens. If you have friends in those neighborhoods,
please ask them to do the same.


Spring Garden Fair. We have a new display and used it for the first
time at the garden fair on April 4th. Our booth also had chickens
which drew a big crowd. Many people signed our petition and took a
postcard to send to the mayor. Pictures of this event are posted on
our Yahoo Group page and also on our website.


Volunteers Needed. We would like to set up a table in front of the
Salem public library this Saturday, April 11 and possibly subsequent
Saturdays, as well. Our new display is available for this purpose. We
need some volunteers to work in shifts. If you are interested and
available, please let me know as soon as possible.


Media Attention. We were recently in the Keizer Times and the Salem
Monthly. The Salem Monthly article is still available online at:
http://willamettelive.com/story/Salem39s_Chicken_Dance119.html . If
you haven’t already, please read the article and leave a positive
comment at the end.


Petitions & Postcards. Still available at the Tea Party Book Shop
downtown (corner of Ferry & Liberty). If you have a petition that is
filled up, please send it to me so I can add the email addresses to my
membership list and invite them to our next city hall presentation.


City Hall Presentation. At this point, we are still anticipating our
next presentation to be on April 27th at City Hall, 555 Liberty St,
Room 240, at 6:30 pm. I will let you know more as the date gets
closer. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending because every
time we do this, it's important that we have a strong show of
support.


Email / Future Updates. We now have over 150 members, which is great!
But this also makes it difficult to keep everyone informed. If you are
not a member of our Yahoo Group, please join as it is the easiest for
me to manage and best way to stay informed. Here's the link to join:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SalemChickens/.

[james]

Update from Barbara.

---------------------------- Original Message
----------------------------
Subject: Chicken Update 4.29.090
From: "Barbara Palermo" <salemc...@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, April 29, 2009 6:23 am
To: undisclosed recipients:;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Chickens in the Yard Supporter:

We will be giving a presentation at City Hall on Monday, May 4th and
we need to fill council chambers with supporters. This is more
important than ever, because as time passes and they hear less about
chickens, they have begun to back away. To affect change, we must
keep the pressure on. We have worked too long and too hard to give up
now, so I ask you to please come and bring your friends and families.
Please stand when I ask all supporters in the room to do so.

They will not be voting on our proposal this night, but we have new
information to present since our last presentation 8 weeks ago that
could persuade them in the right direction. We also need to show them
that we are not going away but have instead, grown stronger and more
determined.

Please plan on attending:
May 4th at 6:30 to 8:30 pm €“ Salem City Hall, 555 Liberty St, Room
240 (this room extends over the parking lot).

If you have a petition with signatures, please email me at
salemc...@yahoo.com so I can make arrangements to pick it up as
soon as possible. I would like to present all petitions to the Mayor
on Monday night.
Thank you

[james]

________________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:salemc...@yahoo.com]

Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2009 7:52 AM
To: undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Chicken Update 5.6.09

THANK YOU to all who showed your support by attending the city council
meeting Monday night and especially to those who served as our seven
speakers. You were all great! I think we were successful in
establishing at least two things; 1) showing council that we have
grown bigger and stronger since the last meeting, and 2) showing them
that we are not going to give up and go away. Our purpose Monday
night was to do just that, and also provide them with another 573
petition signatures (bringing the total to 1,232), along with letters
we’ve acquired recently from city officials elsewhere, and an update
about all the neighborhood support we now have.

We wanted to make sure they had time to review all the materials we
provided and a chance to think about this new information prior to
resuming deliberations next week. In that respect, our efforts were
extremely important even though we weren’t on the agenda. Every time
we appear (invited or not), it is documented in the public record and
that is key to our success. By showing up, even when we are not on
the agenda, we show them how determined, persistent, and serious we
are.

We will be on next week’s city council agenda (Monday, May 11th, 6:30
pm) and it’s important that you show up once more. I think we can do
a much better job of filling council chambers than we did last night.
If you want chickens, then it’s necessary for you to sacrifice a few
evenings to make this happen. I understand everyone is busy. Believe
me, I do actually have another life and a full-time job outside of
running this chicken liberation movement. When something is important
it takes more than just wishing it so, signing our petition, or
following our progress in the newspapers to get the attention of our
local government. Unfortunately, there will probably be several more
meetings before the council actually votes on this issue and each will
require the attendance of those who want to have chickens. Numbers
are important, every face counts.

We have made very good progress in the last few months and it would be
a shame to lose momentum now. If you currently have chickens and you
are worried about being caught, do not let that stop you. Supporters
do not sign in, speak, or reveal any personal information. You simply
sit and listen to the presentation and then stand when we ask
supporters in the room to do so. You will be completely anonymous and
there is no reason for them to suspect any wrongdoing. With your
support we will change things and you will not longer have to worry.

Here’s what we can expect next week: City staff will [finally] come
back with their report that will no doubt say the Marion County Dog
Control office is not interested in helping enforce a chicken
ordinance. We knew that would be the case and the city essentially
wasted 8 weeks waiting for that unnecessary report. Next, staff will
make a recommendation to the council which will most likely be to
defer the issue to the Planning & Zoning Commission, which will be
another waste of time. Councilor Nanke does not want to waste any
more time by doing that and will probably offer an alternative motion
(not sure what yet, until I meet with him later this week) to try to
get this to move forward and actually accomplish something.
Unfortunately, Councilor Cannon won’t be present next week to help
support that motion, so I have concerns about that.

We have 4 yes votes (Nanke, Tesler, Dickey, and Cannon) but we need
one more. Our best bet is to win over the Mayor or Councilor Clem.
If you live in West Salem, send an email to Councilor Clem, your
representative, and tell him how you feel (bc...@cityofsalem.net) and
be sure to tell him you are one of his constituents. Most of our
members live in his district and his neighborhood association voted
unanimously to support us, so there is no legitimate reason for
Councilor Clem not to vote for us. Do this, even if you have done so
in the past.

Since the mayor represents all of us, please bombard her with emails
too (jta...@cityofsalem.net) . I was pleased when the Mayor pulled
out a big stack of all the postcards she had received in support of
C.I.T.Y. (she obviously knew we were coming), so you have been doing a
good job of contacting her, but don’t let up now because WE NEED ONE
MORE VOTE TO WIN!

Rather than bombard you with emails filled with ever-changing details
that occur over the next week, just know this. Bring your spouses,
significant others, friends, neighbors, and kids. I will send a brief
reminder Monday morning, as several of you requested. Every meeting
with our supporters there sends a message and brings us one step
closer. And this time we ARE on the agenda. Let’s fill the council
chambers!

I have in my possession another 107 petition signatures which I will
submit on May 11th. This will bring our total to 1,339. If you have
any more signed petitions, please get them to me BEFORE May 11th, so I
can make copies before giving them to the Mayor. Thank you.

We were mentioned in this month’s Oregon Business Magazine, check it
out at:
http://www.oregonbusiness.com/.docs/action/detail/rid/36746/pg/10002

If you are interested in watching our 5.4.09 presentation go to:
http://www.cctvsalem.org/streaming/city-of-salem.php.


Thanks,
Barbara

[james]

An important opportunity tonight to support the local food movement in
Salem...

---------------------------- Original Message
----------------------------
Subject: City Hall May 11th / Update
From: "Barbara Palermo" <salemc...@yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, May 10, 2009 6:40 pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

City Hall on Monday (May 11th)

We have read the city staff report and recommendation. This is what
will be presented to the Mayor and councilors on Monday night. After
having reviewed the long-awaited report and a private meeting with
Council Brad Nanke this morning, here’s the scoop:

The city staff report warns council that if we pass this ordinance the
number of chickens will go up which would lead to an increase in the
number of complaints, and therefore cost to the city (despite all the
evidence we’ve provided that indicates that won’t be the case). The
staff does, however, recommend a public hearing be set for June 15th,
probably because of the overwhelming support we have shown thus far.

We are listed on Monday night’s agenda under Consent Calendar, Item 4.3
(b) which is very early on in the meeting so there won’t be much
waiting this time. Normally, all items listed on the Consent Calendar
(in this case, seven items including chickens) are passed collectively
and proceed as recommended by staff. This means we would get our
public hearing on June 15th. However, any councilor could decide to
€œpull an item€ off the calendar for further discussion and offer a
substitute motion. Brad does not want to pull the chicken item and
offer any other motion because we don’t have enough votes for it to
pass since Councilor Cannon won’t be present Monday night. We are
hoping nobody pulls the item and the councilors accept the
recommendation as is. But if someone does pull the item, they would
have to get 4 more councilors to back them up, which is unlikely (a
tie vote 4 to 4 would not pass).

Prior to all this, we have the opportunity to speak (this time during
Item #3, public comment on an agenda items). We can only speak about
what the staff recommended, nothing else. We will not be discussing
why we think chickens should be allowed or all the good reasons for
it. We will simply say we want a public hearing on June 15th. This
only requires one speaker, but a lot of support. I will urge council
to let the issue go forward and ask that everyone in the room who
agrees with me, to please stand. This is where you come in. Please
come to show your support. The entire thing should only take a half
hour or so and then we can all leave.

What then? Well, we have one month to prepare for the BIG DAY, our
public hearing on June 15th. During that time we should continue to
collect petition signatures. You can download a petition off the
Salem Chickens yahoo group page, or ask me for one directly. We need
to have a table in front of the public library every non-rainy
Saturday between now and then to get as many signatures as possible.
We need volunteers to work 2-hr shifts. All materials, table, chair,
etc., will be provided. All you have to do is chat with people and
let them sign the petition. Please consider doing this!

At the public hearing we need to absolutely fill the room because the
opposition will be invited to speak as well. The news media will be
there too. This will be a really big event. There has to be way more
of us than them! You don’t have to sign in or speak. I will have
speakers lined up; the rest of you just need to sit until we ask
supporters to stand. It’s simple, but REALLY IMPORTANT. This will be
a long night, as we will hash out the exact wording of the ordinance,
decide if a permit is required, and all the gory details. They will
decide that night which route to take. In other words, should this be
added to the code as a special use (like pot-bellied pigs), change the
definition of livestock, make an entirely new ordinance (which might
include listing hens along with other permitted pets), etc. Anything
could happen. Whichever route they ultimately decide on that night
will require a code change, which requires a 45-day
waiting period, mandated by the state, before it can go to the
Planning Commission (around August 1st).

The Planning Commission will then make a recommendation to council.
They can a) recommend it pass as proposed; b) recommend it pass with
some modifications; or c) recommend it not pass in which case it will
come back to council for further discussion and we start all over.

There is absolutely no way to avoid the public hearing / 45-day
waiting period. We discussed in great detail all possibilities and
this is what we are stuck with. Forest Grove is having their public
hearing (using our research) on May 18th. Watch and see how theirs
goes.

I will keep you posted. But for now, please come May 11th and mark
your calendars for June 15th .

Thank you,

Barbara

[james]

An important and successful step forward for chickens, thanks to the
hardworking folks in C.I.T.Y., see below.

While nothing is perfect I find it unfortunate they would require
chickens to be enclosed at all times, and not allowed to forage for
bugs and fresh greens in an enclosed, fenced-in back yard.

Also their recommendation to exclude multi-family and mixed-use zoning
-- if, for example, there is a large community garden or common space
shared by an apartment complex, even if the 20ft setback rule were
met, those families would not be allowed chickens. Hopefully there
will be a conditional use permit for special cases?

Regardless looks like the time has come to support this initiative at
a public hearing Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30 pm. Hope all Salem Locavores
can be there!
james

---------------------------- Original Message
----------------------------
Subject: Public Hearing Set for Chickens!
From: "Barbara Palermo" <salemc...@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, May 12, 2009 6:16 pm
To: undisclosed recipients:;
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

THANK YOU
We had a good showing last night.
Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to come
down to city hall on a Monday evening. I know you all have better
things to do, so I really appreciate it!

Last Night‘s City Council Meeting
It was very positive! Councilor Bennett agreed we should move right
along and suggested that the revised proposal be sent to all the
neighborhood associations. City staff said they will send it out today
and post it on the city‘s website.

When Councilor Sullivan asked what this program would cost the city,
staff responded by saying not a great deal of money for enforcement.

Councilor Rogers made a motion to hold the public hearing sooner than
we expected (just two weeks from now), and they unanimously agreed!

PUBLIC HEARING
Tuesday, May 26 at 6:30 pm at City Hall (555 Liberty St, Room 240).
Mark your calendars and please come. All the work we have done will be
presented that night and council will finally vote for or against
chickens in the yard.
If you would like them to vote yes, this is your chance to actively
participate in making that happen. If you have public speaking
experience and would like to be one of our speakers at the hearing,
please contact me. This will be done in a professional, organized
manner. We need to cover certain aspects and try not to be redundant.
If you prefer not to speak, please come and show your support by
simply standing when we ask all supporters in the room to do so.

Either way, we need you - A large crowd will have a big impact! There
will be lots of speakers both for and against chickens this time, so
it will be a long night (you should probably consider leaving younger
children at home for this one).

Staff‘s Recommendation
Staff has revised our original proposal somewhat.
Here‘s what it currently says:

No roosters
Up to three hens allowed
Minimum lot size 10,000 square feet
Coops must be 20ft away from any property line
Chickens must remain in an enclosure at all times (your yard is not an
enclosure)
Chickens allowed as a special use in single family residential zones
Chickens must be maintained in a sanitary condition

Keep in mind these points are just a foundation from which to build
upon. We can argue for or against these points at the public hearing,
and we intend to! We have done the research and can provide good,
sound arguments against items # 3 and 4.

We‘ve already gone round and round with council on the other items,
which are reasonable given what other cities allow, so it‘s unlikely
those will change.

Volunteers Needed
Please contact me right away if you are willing to donate two hours of
your time on Saturday, May 16th and/or May 23rd to staff our display
table and help collect more petition signatures before the public
hearing.

Thank you!

[james]

_______________________________________
From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:salemc...@yahoo.com]

Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 1:04 PM
To: undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Only 11 days left to go!

REMINDER – PUBLIC HEARING at City Hall on Tuesday, May 26th at 6:30
pm.
(555 Liberty St, Room 240 – this rooms hangs over the parking
structure).

A copy of the city staff’s recommended proposal can be downloaded at:
http://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/home.aspx.

A lot of you have written to me expressing concern about the 10,000 sq
ft lot requirement. This is, of course, a ridiculous and unfair
stipulation. Statistics indicates this would essentially disqualify
75% of the households right off the bat. There is also a 20’ setback
from property line stipulation. We will vigorously argue against both
of these requirements and push for no minimum lot size and 10’ from
property lines OR at least 20’ from residential structures on adjacent
properties (not both). This would allow those of us who live next to
an alley or other natural buffer, to build our coops next to the
fence.

I encourage anyone who disagrees with these stipulations to send an
email right away to the mayor and all city councilors explaining why
you think it’s unfair. You can cut & paste the following email
addresses into a single[polite] message to: (jta...@cityofsalem.net,
crbe...@cityofsalem.net, lte...@cityofsalem.net,
bna...@cityofsalem.net, tjsul...@cityofsalem.net,
ddi...@cityofsalem.net, bro...@cityofsalem.net,
bca...@cityofsalem.net, dc...@cityofsalem.net).

We also need to emphasize this at the public hearing. Therefore,
after our assigned speakers argue against these two stipulations, I
urge some of you to consider speaking, in your own words, to reinforce
what we said. You do not have to be a powerful public speaker and you
don’t have to talk for the entire three minutes. Also, you are no
longer required to give your address; you can just state your name and
the city ward number you live in (which you can look up on the city’s
website if you don’t know it). If you would like to speak be sure to
sign up beforehand (there are sign-up sheets on the counter near the
entrance but you have to arrive early enough to put your name on it).
When the Mayor calls your name, go to the closest podium and speak.
Be sure to be polite, dress nice, and be sure you can finish in less
than 3 minutes (typically 500 words or less). A small light on the
podium will flash yellow when you have one minute left and stay solid
red when your time is up. The mayor is very strict about enforcing
this time limit!

I anticipate a big crowd, media attention, and a lot of speakers both
for and against chickens. It will be a long night, so please leave
young children at home (if you can) and bring as many older children
and adults with you as possible Older children who can see over the
podium are also encouraged to speak about why they want chickens.

If you are not already a member of the Salem Chickens Yahoo Group, I
urge you to join so you can download our petition and flyer about the
public hearing and read all previous updates. It would be nice if
some of you could help distribute the flyer as soon as possible.
Please place them on any bulletin boards you are aware of in your
neighborhoods.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at
salemc...@yahoo.com.
Thank you.

[james]

A reminder about tonight's big Public Hearing on chicken-keeping in
Salem, from C.I.T.Y.

They have worked very hard for many months to get to this point, so
hope you can make it to City Hall tonight to support them.

WHEN AND WHERE:
The Public Hearing regarding backyard chickens is at 6:30 on Tuesday
night, May
26th, at Salem City Hall, 555 Liberty Street. Take elevator to second
floor, head
north, Room 240 (overhangs the parking structure).

CITY STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
If you have not yet seen the proposal by city staff on this issue, you
can view it
at: http://www.cityofsalem.net/Pages/home.aspx. In the upper right
under “What’s
New?” click on “Public Hearing for Keeping Urban Chickens”.

LENGTH OF MEETING:
There are a lot of items on the agenda. You can view it at the
following website.
http://www.cityofsalem.net/MeetingAgendas/default.aspx. However,
since this is a
Public Hearing, it can start no later than 7:30. This means they will
skip agenda
items, if necessary, and jump to the public hearing, and then go back
to the missed
items after the public hearing ends. Don’t assume it will start at
7:30 though,
because the Mayor can decide to hold the public hearing first,
especially if there
are a lot of people (with children) in the audience. She has done
this before. The
public hearing could be lengthy, plan on about 3 hours.

[james]

________________________________________

From: Barbara Palermo [mailto:salemc...@yahoo.com]

Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 10:39 AM
To: undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Chicken Update 5.28.09

I am extremely grateful to everyone who showed up for the public
hearing. Every speaker was superb. The room was filled to capacity
with supporters and many even stayed till the bitter end which was
nearly 11:00 pm. Thank you all very much!

It was a grueling 3.5 hours of testimony and debate. There were 31
speakers, only 3 of which were against chickens. In the end, no
decision was made. Instead, they sent the staff’s proposal (as is) to
the Planning Commission for more input. This is essentially the same
outcome as if they had voted FOR chickens, and is therefore a victory
(even though it doesn’t feel like one). This is because if we had won
the majority vote, the next step still would have been to wait the
mandatory 45 days, then go to the Planning Commission for yet another
public hearing. This hearing was just an “advisory public hearing”
which is a step Councilor Nanke tried his best to skip.

For those of you who weren’t there, or couldn’t stay until the end,
here’s the scoop. By the way, don’t go by what the Statesman Journal
reports, they frequently get it wrong.

Mayor – voted yes
Nanke – voted yes
Tesler – voted yes
Dickey – voted yes

Bennett – voted no (as did his neighborhood associations)
Rogers – voted no (despite the fact that his neighborhoods want
chickens)
Clem – voted no (despite the fact that his neighborhood wants chickens
and most of our supporters live in his ward).
Sullivan – voted no (will only support chickens if there is a $100
permit, registration, and annual inspection)

Cannon – This one’s interesting. He does not object to chickens. In
fact, he thinks we should be able to do whatever we want on our own
property without ANY restrictions. Of course, nobody is going to
support this (I’m not even sure I would). But he will only support
the proposal if it’s a “permitted pet issue” rather than a “land use
issue”. The city attorney says this is not possible and even if it
were, the city’s definition of livestock would first have to be
changed (which is a land use issue). In other words, Cannon is
standing in his own way, so to speak, because his refusal to support a
land use change prevents us from having chickens, which he ultimately
supports. He was the deciding vote. Go figure.

Anyway, there is still hope.

During this 45-day break, we need to submit written testimony to the
Planning Commission so that it can be reviewed prior to the next
public hearing and made part of the public record. Please start
working on a letter that might include: Why you personally think
chickens should be allowed, why you think the 10,000 square foot lot
size requirement should be reduced or eliminated, why you think the
set back requirement should be changed to read “coops shall be at
least 10’ from property line OR 20’ from residential structures on
adjacent properties” (instead of 20’ from all property lines), and why
you think the definition of livestock should be changed so that it
does not include chickens. I will tell you where to send them in the
next update.

If you would like to know who the seven members of the Planning
Commission are, go to:
www.cityofsalem.net/Departments/CommunityDevelopment/Planning/PlanningCommission/Pages/default.aspx

What next? In two weeks the staff should come back with a resolution
summarizing what happened at the advisory public hearing and
officially referring it to the Planning Commission. The staff's
recommendation will be forwarded, as is, except Brad will try to allow
for the possible definition of livestock change. If that change is
not part of this original referral and they decide it is a necessary
step later, it would require another 45-day waiting period, so it's
best to do it all at once. Once the livestock definition is changed,
if the Planning Commission agrees, we will have the option of take
this out of the land use arena, which is what Cannon wants. Thus, we
could potentially win his vote down the road. I know, it's
complicated, but hopeful.

By the way, Councilor Sullivan was wrong when he tried to argue that
Portland has a 50’ setback requirement. I spoke with code enforcement
in Portland yesterday and confirmed that their setback requirement
only applies to animal facility permits issued to people who want more
than 3 hens. People with less than 4 hens can have their coops on any
size lot and even in FRONT yards, with no setback requirement
whatsoever. Of course, I got it in writing and forwarded it to the
Mayor, city councilors, and staff!