Mon City says residential chickens got to go
MONONGAHELA – Chickens have no place in residential yards in Monongahela under the terms of an ordinance the city is using to evict the animals from two residential yards by the end of the month.
City code enforcement officer Les Pemberton issued letters instructing David and Michelle Parnell and Zachary and Amy Bozic to remove the chickens from their properties, which are not zoned to hold livestock, city records show.
Michelle Parnell on Monday posted a complaint about the letter on Facebook, drawing a firestorm of comments from users of the social media platform who want her to be able to keep her four Rhode Island Reds in her yard at 31 Decker St.
“I grew up on a farm in West Newton and think of them as pets,” Parnell said Tuesday.
The ordinance defines a farm as being at least 10 acres. Most of the houses in Monongahela are closely packed on small lots.
Parnell’s Facebook post also asked local residents to attend a city council meeting at 7 tonight to pressure council to into permitting backyard chickens in the municipality.
She said she believes there are people on council who are willing to consider redefining the ordinance to permit her to keep her six chickens.
There also are more than two houses in the city where chickens can be found in coops. Parnell’s chicken coop is surrounded by a metal fence.
Councilman Alan Veliky, who was recently appointed to head the city’s public safety department, said he is willing to redefine the ordinance if that is supported by Monongahela Mayor Bob Kepics.
“I don’t want chickens walking across the street,” Veliky said.
Kepics could not be reached for comment Tuesday. The Bozics, who reside at 1321 Fourth St., also could not be reached.
Peters Township found itself in the same situation in 2014 after a neighbor complained to the municipality about backyard chickens at a house. The township’s zoning hearing board in July of that year ruled the ordinance regulating livestock was vague and it permitted the chickens to remain at their home as pets.