The first thing the Austin City Council did Monday during a discussion on raising chickens in the city?

Vote the issue down.

Before much discussion took place, Council members voted 4-3 to drop discussion on a potential chicken ordinance, with Dave Hagen, Steve King, Jeff Austin and Judy Enright against the issue and Michael Jordal, Janet Anderson and Jeremy Carolan for the issue.

The vote came after council members agreed to revisit the issue earlier this month, almost a year after a long conversation about a potential chicken ordinance.

Though Mayor Tom Stiehm said he was willing to have a serious discussion on the issue, he also called for the quick vote because the council had reviewed the ordinance last year.

“Until somebody indicates they’ve changed their position, that’s what we’re going to do each time,” he said.

The vote didn’t sit well with Jordal, Carolan, Anderson and two residents who sought to speak in favor of the ordinance.

“I don’t like cats, does that mean no one should have them?” Crystal Knutson asked the council.

Knutson and Sherry Schied, another advocate for the ordinance, hoped to convince council members the issue wouldn’t cause as many problems as some feared.

Yet several council members said they voted against the issue after hearing from Austin citizens who don’t want chickens inside city limits.

“I’ve never had so many calls on any other issue,” Enright, who brought up the issue two weeks ago, said.

Most council members agreed the ordinance issue lies with educating people about raising chickens in the city. Austin’s proposed ordinance, based on numerous similar ordinances throughout Minnesota, would pose heavy restrictions on potential chicken owners. Poultry enthusiasts would have to get permission from their neighbors before applying for a license, could only own five or less hens, and would have to draw up a site plan on their property, which would have to be more than 6,000 square feet, among other stipulations.

Despite that, Stiehm and other council members say people just didn’t want a chicken ordinance after learning a bit about it.

“They were very adamant,” Stiehm said of the phone calls he received on the issue. “They were really angry about chickens.”

Stiehm advised Knutson and Schied to continue speaking out on the issue and to educate more people on chicken ordinances in general. Stiehm was vehemently opposed to a chicken ordinance last year, but changed his mind after he heard from other cities.

“They just haven’t had the issues you’d expect,” he said.

Austin isn’t the only city to have a drawn-out debate on a chicken ordinance, though many Minnesota cities have already passed similar policies. Many council members expect to discuss the ordinance in the near future, and Stiehm expects the ordinance to eventually pass in Austin.

“You’ll get it sooner or later,” Stiehm told Knutson and Schied after the vote.

On the table: Austin’s proposed chicken ordinance

The city of Austin discussed a potential ordinance to raise chickens last year before they tabled the issue. City staff compiled a list of rules for a potential ordinance based on similar policies around the state, which they presented once more to the council on Monday.

• Citizens would need to apply for a one-year license for $150 for the first year and $50 per year for each year thereafter

• No more than five hens allowed

• Chickens allowed for egg-production only

• No roosters allowed

• Property must be located in a R-1 single family district with a 6,000 square foot minimum lot size

• Chickens must be housed in a chicken coop built consistent with building and zoning codes

• Any chicken coop or run must be set back at least 50 feet from any residential structure on adjacent lots and 10 feet from all property lines

• Grain and feed must be stored in rodent and raccoon proof containers inside of a structure

• A site plan must be submitted and approved by city zoning staff

• Written consent of one hundred percent of the adjacent property owners is required

• Leg banding of chickens is required

• Dead chickens must be disposed of in accordance with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health rules

• No slaughtering chickens in city limits