Currently it is ILLEGAL to have chickens on most of the lots in Saratoga Springs. Unless we do complain and actually get an ordinance in place, as it stands, everyone will get their chickens taken away. This all started about a year ago because the city told someone they needed to get rid of their chickens, becuase it was a violoation of current ordinances.

I don’t want the City to take care of all my problems, I want them to back off. I want them to actually change the ordinance so that I have more freedom to do what I want with the land I own.

———————————————
Dear Mike,

Strange as it may seem, what needs to be done about the chicken ordinance was not a major issue in much of the city during the last election, Knowing Jim Miller, Mike McComber, and Cecil. Tuley, I can’t imagine any of them “avoiding” any issue, let alone the chicken issue, for fear of not getting elected.

Contrary to your insinuation that the city council doesn’t want to make hard decisions, hard decisions are what we do weekly. However, we are constantly dealing with priorities…what needs do we need to deal with first. No one is “unwilling” to make a decision on chickens. However, I can understand that the chicken issue may be one of your top priorities and therefore want it to be the top priority of the city’s as well. Just like freeway ramps are a top priority for the people in Harvest Hills, the Tequayo development thought having the city create a new “Planned Community” ordinance, annexation issues between Eagle Mountain and Lehi need to be resolved immediately, Bluffdale – Saratoga Springs police contracts need to be approved so organization and capital equipment can be acquired, decisions on what to do regarding a second fire station need to be made in order to keep the fire insurance ratings low, negotiations with Utah county and Eagle Mountain have to be made in order to have the Pony Express Road constructed, which sub=division is going to get the next park, where are the Public Works facilities going to be placed, what budgetary decisions have to be made in order to keep Saratoga Springs in the black, along with an occasional water floods, blizzards, and water crisis, a number of “closed session” issues regarding the acquisition of property and/or the desire of others to acquire property within Saratoga Springs, etc., etc., etc.

However, even after a chicken ordinance is passed, as with the dog and yard ordinances, there will still be people who will not comply; so the problems you point out might not be eliminated. Nevertheless, the city council makes every attempt to resolve problems that are brought forth, and I will notify our often over whelmed staff that they need to readdress the chicken issue.

Bud Poduska