The Truesdale Board of Aldermen will consider changes to its chicken ordinance following a public hearing on Feb. 26. There was a wide breadth of public comment at the hearing from support for residential chicken ownership, those that felt they should be prohibited and some who just offered suggestions. 

The hearing came about when Truesdale resident Phillip Weinrich raised the issue after he was cited for his backyard chickens last month since he was not in compliance with the ordinance. 

As written, Truesdale currently allows chickens, but only under very specific circumstances. 

With a $25 permit, residents can have up to six hens, no roosters, and they must be sheltered in an acceptable coop and cannot be within 35 feet of a neighboring coop. 

Most in attendance at the hearing felt those regulations were fair, and discussion centered around the setback requirements for chicken coops. 

The current setback requirements state a chicken coop must be at least 25 feet from any property line and at least 100 feet from any neighboring residence. 

In Weinrich’s case, and in the case of most lots in Truesdale, this means it is impossible to keep chickens in compliance with the ordinance. 

Weinrich did concede he did not consult any of Truesdale’s laws before purchasing the chickens for his kids and would have handled the situation differently if he knew about the ordinance sooner. 

“I got the chickens for my kids,” said Weinrich. “It’s nothing to do with the eggs, that is just a bonus. It’s for teaching my kids’ responsibilities.”

He pointed to similar ordinances in nearby communities that also regulate chickens, but are nowhere near as stringent as the laws in Truesdale. 

Wright City requires chicken coops to be kept at least 50 feet from any neighboring residence, and Wentzville requires they be kept 10 feet from any property line and 25 feet from a neighboring residence. 

Wentzville’s ordinance also has a fence requirement to hide the coops from the view of neighbors. Truesdale’s ordinance does not currently have a fence requirement. 

While aldermen were receptive to Weinrich's points, they had their own reservations about making any changes to the ordinance. 

Alderman Mike Thomas was concerned that reducing the setback requirements could lead to a higher risk of runoff from chicken waste. 

“Say that chicken waste would leech under the yard to your neighbor’s yard,” said Thomas. “That’s my concern more than anything, is the disease that could come about.”

He also pointed out that if they loosened restrictions, not all chicken owners would be as responsible as Weinrich. 

Alderman Kari Hartley was hesitant to change the city’s laws on a whim, and expressed some frustration that these concerns were not addressed when the city originally passed the ordinance in 2023. 

“We looked through other city ordinances regarding that, we had several meetings,” said Hartley. “Zero people showed up from the community to voice their concern one way or the other, so we passed an ordinance.”

One attendee at the meeting, Robert Green, provided a vision for what regulations on chickens he would like to see in Truesdale. Green, who is a former Truesdale alderman, first expressed his support for backyard chickens, but also outlined what regulations he felt would be reasonable. 

“First of all, I think there should be a fence requirement, no matter what,” said Green. “If you can’t afford a fence then you shouldn’t have chickens.”

He also said there should be an escalating fee structure for those out of compliance with the ordinance, similar to requirements for lawn maintenance. 

Thomas said he felt a reduction in setback requirements to 50 feet from neighboring residences would be reasonable, but that the board would have to discuss the matter further. 

Mayor Jerry Cannon said they would convene for a work session and discuss the public input they received that night before returning to citizens with a proposal. 

“We most definitely need to take this information and have a work session,” said Cannon. “So we can actually come up with something that’s fair to everyone, and then have everyone come back for that.”