Chickens get backyard clearance in Monongahela
MONONGAHELA – Chickens will be clucking in Monongahela backyards without their owners facing violations under a city ordinance that was amended Wednesday.
Monongahela Council voted 3-1 to tweak the city’s zoning ordinance to allow up to six chickens in pens in residential areas as long as their owners pay a $550 fee to have a public hearing to ensure their neighbors are on board with the domestic fowl, city records show.
The amendments came under the final bill that was read at a council meeting, with Councilman Kenneth Kulak casting the sole no vote on the amendments.
“I hesitate to say that the whole community is in support of this,” Kulak said.
The city has been debating the issue for eight months after its code enforcement officer notified two property owners to remove their chickens because the ordinance only permitted poultry on farms. With more Americans seeking sustainable lifestyles, city officials sent the issue to the planning commission after learning that Pittsburgh permits backyard chickens within its borders.
In other business, council awarded a $4,000 grant to Tom Ruschak to help cover the cost of restoring the front a building he owns at 424 W. Main St. He said the grant will go toward the $12,000 cost of stripping the paint from the bricks of the building dating to 1905.
It’s the first grant Monongahela approved under its facade improvement program funded by Washington County’s share of the pot at The Meadows Casino in North Strabane Township. The Monongahela Main Street Program also is involved in the program.
Ruschak said he hoped other building owners in the city take note of the improvements to his building and they get involved in the facade improvement program.
“I think this is headed in the right direction,” Ruschak said.
Meanwhile, council approved the purchase of five tactical assault weapons, one each for the city’s fleet of police cruisers at a cost of $1,500 apiece.
Police Chief Brian Tempest said each officer will undergo training on how to use the weapons.
Tempest said the city is still in negotiations with nearby Union Township to reach a contract for city officers to begin patrolling that municipality in January.