Mike Lowrey, former mayor of New Carlisle, started a petition initiative to get the issue on the ballot after he said he spoke with friends, neighbors and others who were both for and against it.
He said he felt the best course of action on the legislation, “something in my opinion that everyone has a strong opinion on,” was a referendum petition.
“It’s a great option because it gives everyone in the city a voice (and) not just every member of council. (It’s) to give citizens the opportunity to vote on it. I don’t want chickens, but this way it gives everyone a choice,” he said.
Credit: Andrew Grimm
Credit: Andrew Grimm
After council initially passed the original ordinance, Lowrey had 15 days to get enough signatures. He was able to turn in more than 200 signatures to the Clark County Board of Elections.
Once he got the signatures and filed out all the paperwork, he submitted the petition to the city council, which then submitted it to the Board of Elections.
Officials at the Clark County Board of Elections confirmed Monday they did receive the petition, validated signatures and approved the measure to be on the November ballot.
Now, the ordinance to allow chickens and the amendments to those ordinances are “frozen,” Lowrey said, and will go on the ballot for people to vote on it.
“I’m not for chickens in the city of New Carlisle. I like living in a community and not next to animals … (But) the important thing was that everyone gets a chance to vote on it,” he said.
“There were people that actually signed the petition that were for chickens, (but) they agreed everyone has the right to vote and right to have your voice heard. We have people on both sides of the fence sign the petition because they understand the importance of voting,” he said.
City council chose to table the amendments that would put restrictions on it during a city council meeting on June 17, which was suggested by the city’s attorney until they know the results of the referendum.
Amy Henry, who teaches agriculture at Global Impact STEM Academy and is a 4-H volunteer through the Ohio State Extension, also spoke during the meeting about how to raise chickens, some dos and don’ts and general guidelines. She said she and her family have raised thousands of chickens over the years.
“There’s three basic things that I would break this into. One is knowing what kind of chickens you want to purchase and for what goals, selecting your birds. Two is how to feed them and nutritional needs. Three is how to care for them,” she said.
When it comes to selecting birds, there are meat chickens, egg-laying chickens, exhibition chickens such as those in shows and fairs, and pet chickens.
“The very first thing you need to ask yourself if you’re thinking about raising livestock is what are your goals. Are you wanting to put meat in your freezer or are you wanting to put eggs in your refrigerator?” she said.
Henry encourages people buying chickens to get them from a certified hatchery and start with a good stock, as well as chicken feed from feed stores or feed mills instead of a general farm store.
“If you’re new to poultry production and you don’t really know if you want to be an egg-laying family or a meat family, I would strongly encourage you to start with meat birds because they are super simple to raise, they are quick and they will give you a lot of output pretty quickly,” she said.
As for habitats, Henry said you’ll want a fully enclosed facility for any kind of chicken. Egg-laying chickens should have inside and outside space, a coop and something to roost on since they can fly. Meat chickens can have a smaller space because they don’t need a coop or to roost and don’t fly.
For more information, visit newcarlisleohio.gov/city-council. To watch past city council meetings, visit www.youtube.com/@cityofnewcarlisle.
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