2019-09 Ordinance Amending City Code Chapter 47 - Control of Animals, Fowl and Dogs

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CITY COUNCIL MEMORANDUM NO. 2019-01 March 11,2019 TO: Honorable Mayor Moore Wolfe and City Council FROM: Wendy Morthland, City Manager Raymond Lai, Director of Economic and Community Development Amy Waks,Assistant Corporation Counsel SUBJECT: Amendment to Chapter 47—CONTROL OF ANIMALS, FOWL AND DOGS RECOMMENDATION: The Decatur Public Schools Foundation has received a gift by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to open the Dwayne O. Andreas Ag Academy for Eisenhower and MacArthur High School students to establish agricultural education with an emphasis on career development in the agriculture industry through classroom and laboratory instruction and supervised agricultural experience programs. The Academy will incorporate a living science farm and collabarate with agribusiness companies across Illinois. Currently, Chapter 47 prohibits the keeping of cattle, sheep, swine or goats within the City. As the focus of the Ag Academy is hands on instruction,it is their desire to be allowed to keep lowline cattle, sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas. They have invested in containment facilities which meet the same requirements as the City requires for horses. It is the recommendation of staff that the ordinance be amended to allow educational institutions accredited by Illinois State Board of Education the ability to keep lowline cattle, sheep, goats, llamas and alpacas on property which is wholly utilized for educational purposes. The proposed amendments specifically define "education institutions" and allow for those institutions to keep smaller farm animals on their property. The proposal further establishes requirements for the size of the lots where such animals will be kept as well as the shelter requirements, similar to the current requirements for horses. As the size of lowline cattle,sheep,goats,llamas and alpacas are smaller than full-sized horses, the containment area and shelter does not need to be as large. POTENTIAL OBJECTIONS: There are no known or expected objections. INPUT FROM OTHER SOURCES: Decatur Public Schools Foundation and Department of Economic and Community Development. STAFF REFERENCE: Amy Waks, Assistant Corporation Counsel, at 424-2807. BUDGET/TIME IMPLICATIONS: None.