The San Juan Bautista City Council meeting Tuesday was once
again the forum for a clucking dispute that’s been going on in the
city for years
– what’s going on with the chickens.
Public comment was peppered with residents voicing their views,
both positive and negative, about the wandering chickens and
roosters.
The San Juan Bautista City Council meeting Tuesday was once again the forum for a clucking dispute that’s been going on in the city for years – what’s going on with the chickens.
Public comment was peppered with residents voicing their views, both positive and negative, about the wandering chickens and roosters.
Working to thin the numbers of wild fowl, whose crowing in the middle of the night disturbs residents, as well as creating a general nuisance around town, was the main focus of resident Jim Pereyra, who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Pereyra has also made a formal complaint with the Council about the roaming poultry, said City Manager Larry Cain.
Arguing that the chickens are a major tourist attraction for the town and add to its quaintness was long term San Juan resident and City Council staple Becky McGovern.
The Council noted the public comments and will continue to address them in further meetings.
The Council also heard public comment on and unanimously approved to extend a moratorium which disallows large-scale retail giant Subway to build a restaurant in the city.
The council approved the moratorium 10 months ago to give the city staff enough time to address the zoning code issues involved, said City Attorney Patrick Whitnell.
This extension will run from Dec. 18 of this year until Dec. 18, 2004.
“No further extension will be allowed after that date,” Whitnell said.
“I ask the Council to extend the deadline to December,” McGovern said, “and in the meantime work on enacting a proper ordinance to protect us.”
Council members requested that the city planning commission be contacted to assist in further decisions concerning the ordinance to outline a number of steps the city must take in enacting their final decision.
