I have sent this email to my city councilman:
I am a constituent of yours in the --- District. I note that you voted for the ordinance to allow chickens to be kept within the city limits. I am writing to ask you to reconsider your stance on this issue, for these reasons:
The ordinance will end up costing the city, and therefore the taxpayers money.
The McCamey center has not shown the leadership and acumen to recommend adding yet another mission to its list.
There is no purpose served by allowing chickens to be kept. There is neither a shortage or a high price on the two commodities: chickens or eggs. Any Chattanoogan can buy a dozen fresh eggs for 99 cents.
There is no problem that this ordinance solves.
There is no future need or trend that allowing chickens to be raise will foster.
Chickens, if not properly housed and tended, breed disease and attract wild animals such as coyotes, who also bring diseases to into the city.
There is no provision to regulate the need to properly house and tend these chickens.
There is a strong body of opinion that, if passed, the ordinance may cause inter-neighborhood strive and discord.
Please inject a note of sanity into this issue by changing your vote to "no," and trying to influence your fellow commissioners to do likewise.
Everett Kidder
Chattanooga