The Wayland City Council is examining two potential local ordinances, one that would permit chickens in the city limits, another that would establish cost recovery for emergency services.
City Manager Tim McLean explained that chickens are only allowed as a special land use in areas zoned Residential Agricultural (RA).
He added that a growing number of people has indicated support for having chickens in the City of Wayland.
“There seems to be some interest among them about allowing chickens in the city limits,” McLean said.
The cost recovery ordinance is related to recouping costs for emergency services provided by police, fire and ambulance agencies.
“I have been working for several months on this draft with a committee of Mayor (Tim) Bala, Council Member(Rick) Mathis, Fire Chief (Joe) Miller, and (Planning Commissioner) Sam Dykstra.
A public hearing for the ordinance is set for 7 p.m. Aug. 21.
Council this week also was notified that some additional work needs to be done on 133rd Avenue.
“The sub-base below the north half of 133rd is not too good,” McLean commented. “It is a mixture of silt, clay, and sand. To do this project correctly and get as much ‘life’ as possible from this project, some areas of existing asphalt and bad soil will be removed. The contractor will place a sand sub-base, aggregate base, and three inches of HMA in those areas. A six-inch underdrain will also be added to divert groundwater from beneath the roadbed.”
The city manager said the added work will increase the cost of the project by $19,100, but despite the increased scope of work and cost, the project is still under what was budgeted.
