HUMBOLDT — If charm were the deciding factor, then there’s little doubt 8-year-old Tessa Lou Francis would have convinced Humboldt council members that she should be allowed to raise chickens at her home at 620 Sycamore.
With a bow in her hair and a demeanor as sweet as candy, Miss Francis, the daughter of Tim and Kelly Francis, pleaded her case.
“One benefit of chickens is that they provide healthy food, and with food being so expensive, this can save money,” Tessa Lou said. “When you go to Walmart, eggs cost $5 a dozen. But if you have chickens, you’re lucky, because you get them for free.”
Youths who sell eggs learn valuable business skills, she said. And as for a benefit to the whole city, chickens “eat mosquitoes, spiders and even mice, which can keep diseases.”
The main problem with raising poultry is that roosters are prone to raising a ruckus and an unkept coop is smelly, Miss Francis admitted.
“Would you like to know more?” she asked her elders.
Clearly captivated, council members began discussing the possibility of changing city codes to accommodate Miss Francis when City Attorney Fred Works brought them back to Earth.
Years ago, city residents were allowed to keep four animals “of any kind,” in city limits, Works said.
Sheep, horses, cows and even deer abounded, until city leaders said “enough,” and limited only household pets within Humboldt proper confines.
“As a city, we have always denied requests for raising chickens,” Works said, primarily because of complaints by neighbors. “There’s the odor, and there’s the noise.”
Mayor Nobby Davis echoed the noise complaint. “Roosters are worse than a screaming baby,” he said.
City council members wondered about the policies of neighboring communities. Iola does not permit poultry to be raised within its city limits. Pittsburg, however, does on properties greater than 1 acre. For properties smaller than 1 acre, the owners must be granted a conditional use permit, according to Sarah Runyon, the city’s public information manager. Roosters, however, are banned in all circumstances.
Overall, the council seemed amenable to Miss Francis’s request, saying it will send the matter to the ordinance committee and most likely the zoning committee, which meets Jan. 5.
PASTOR Jerry Neely requested council members assist the Ministerial Alliance’s Food Pantry with its plans to remodel a building by connecting it to city water and sewage and installing an ADA accessible restroom.
Last week, Allen County commissioners approved almost $37,000 in construction, electrical and HVAC work on the building, which sits adjacent to Humboldt’s new Senior Center at 908 Central St.
Initially, food pantry volunteers thought the restrooms at the senior center would be adequate for their purposes but have since decided otherwise since many of the volunteers are elderly.
