Despite a recommendation from the city's Urban Design & Development Advisory Committee and last-ditch pleas from members of the community in support of changing the current city ordinance, the University Park City Council decided not to move forward with an amendment that would allow residents to own chickens as pets.

The Council had a divided 3-2 vote that ended up not being in favor of amending the current city ordinance that prohibits UP residents from owning backyard chickens as pets during its regular meeting on Tuesday at City Hall.

The issue about not being allowed to own chickens in the city got brought up last fall when resident Dominique Miller received a "complaint warning" from the UP animal control officer for keeping several hens at her residence. So, Miller went to the City Council meeting on Oct. 18 and asked for a change to the ordinance that prohibits residents from owning the animal, arguing that chickens are friendly, quiet and sanitary pets.

After hearing arguments in support of owning chickens as pets from members of the community and a poultry breeder that was invited to speak during the October meeting, the Council deferred its decision and asked the city's Urban Design & Development Advisory Committee to study the issue more in depth.

The Committee ended up giving the City Council a recommendation in support of changing the current ordinance, which states an offense is committed if a person "possesses, keeps, or harbors a chicken, rooster, chick, turkey, duck, duckling, pigeon, or any other fowl within the city." The recommendation from the Committee was to allow chickens to be owned as pets in the UP city limits under certain regulations, including residents can only have a maximum of four chickens and no other fowl is allowed. 

Before the Council's decision at Tuesday's meeting, three UP residents spoke in support of allowing backyard chickens to be owned as pets, including Chris Bracken who lives next door to Miller.

"There's no noise, there's no smell, there's no problem," Bracken said, in regard to Miller's chickens. "I would be the first to complain if there was."

When the residents were done making their final statements in support of owning chickens, the City Council voted to not change the current ordinance that prohibits the animal in the city.

Council members who voted against amending the ordinance listed a variety of reasons for their decision, including there are better ways the city can be spending tax dollars instead of implementing and enforcing the proposed amendment, and there is not enough evidence that proves allowing residents to own chickens will improve the quality of the city.

"I have looked at the ordinance closely and the background of that, and I come down on the side that I am not in favor of allowing chickens in University Park," said Mayor Richard Davis.

Click here to view the City Council meeting.