RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO.com) — After much discussion, the Rapid City Council voted to continue allowing urban hens until at least mid-November on a 6-3 vote.
The issue was not without controversy, with both advocates and opponents in attendance to plead their case for or against urban birds.
Some of the complaints included issues of sound, waste, and lower property values. Those in attendance were largely advocating for urban hens, though Ward 3 representative Jason
Salamun said the issue is more controversial among his constituents.
“I don’t know if I’ve heard from this many people on a single topic,” Salamun said, adding the responses he was hearing were “very split.”
Salamun said the question boiled down to rights of property owners. Specifically, if urban hens infringe on the rights of their neighbors.
The city of Sioux Falls has allowed urban hens for years, and has had relatively few complaints regarding them since first being allowed.
The council will take the issue back up at their meeting on November 16.
(C.J. Keene, KOTA, contributed to this report.)
