It's what makes Iowa, "Iowa". You can be driving down a busy street in the middle of town, look to the side, and "boom" there's a corn field. Then there's people with chickens and goats in their yard in residential areas. I know this sounds critical, but "heck" I can't say anything, back in the day, my own father and his friend "hid" a cow (to fatten up for slaughter) from city officials in a field across the street from our house in a very heavy residential area. And we wonder why we're stereotyped and asked stupid questions.

As reported in the WCF Courier, at the Waterloo Planning, Programming and Zoning Commission meeting on Tuesday, Franklin Clapper said that he’s had 13 chickens and a goat for at least a year at his home at 3919 Texas St. and he didn't realize that was against city code. In the WCF Courier article, city planner John Dornoff said, "the city’s urban animal hobby farm regulations mandate a minimum fenced area of 40,000 square feet for a goat, and the property only has 23,750 square feet available".

Dornoff went on to say, "the city ordinance allows for a maximum of nine chickens." Clapper mentioned that two of his chickens died since he applied for the permit, so he's down to 11 chickens left. There's no word on what will happen to the goat or the other two chickens for that matter. Maybe he'll put them up for adoption, or maybe the chickens were last night's supper? Either way, the next Board of Adjustment meeting will be August 25, where they'll decide if Clapper can keep his hobby farm or not. It looks promising for Clapper, I'm sure he'll be applauding the outcome. Here's hoping things don't turn out "baaaa-dly" for him.

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