By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
ASHWAUBENON – People wanting to keep pigeons would be limited to 12 birds with a permit under an ordinance amendment backed Tuesday, Sept. 1, by the Public Works and Protection Committee.
The committee also backed limiting the number of permits to keep pigeons in Ashwaubenon to four.
Village Attorney Tony Wachewicz said the proposed cap of 12 was drafted upon discovering Ashwaubenon had no limits on the amount of pigeons that could be on a property when the public safety department recently received a complaint.
“After discussions between public safety, the clerk’s office and community development, and looking at a number of what other communities use, 12 seemed to be kind of a common number,” he said. “So, as a result of that, this proposed revision would establish a cap of 12 pigeons per property allowed with a permit.”
Wachewicz said officers responding to the complaint discovered about 25 pigeons on a property, though there were no sanitary issues.
The village code currently states pigeons must be kept in an approved pen or coop “so as to be easily cleaned and kept in good repair.”
Because the committee also limited the number of permits to keep chickens in the village to four, Trustee Gary Paul backed limiting the number of pigeon permits to four.
“I think we should follow… something along that nature,” he said.
The village code on obtaining a permit for pigeons includes paying an annual fee with the permit expiring Dec. 31 of each year.
Chicken permits
The committee also backed village code changes related to permits for keeping chickens in the village.
The amendment would change the required written approval from all owner-occupied property owners within 100 feet of a permit applicant’s property lines to those within 100 feet of the chicken coop.
Wachewicz said the proposed revision is in response to an issue on Otto Court, where someone wants chickens with the coop located more than 100 feet away from another person’s property.
“There’s an individual who is across the street who has an issue with it,” he said.
Village President Mary Kardoskee said the person who wants to keep chickens on Otto Court would have the coop located almost 200 feet away from the property line of the person who objects.
Kardoskee said the amended language also clarifies only four chickens are allowed per permit and one permit per property.
The amendment would allow only four permits to be issued throughout the village.
The proposed changes related to keeping chickens and pigeons were forwarded to the village board for final approval at its Sept. 22 meeting.