Chickens aren’t welcome in the city limits of Wamego at this time. At Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, City Manager Merl Page reviewed the ordinance establishing provisions governing the keeping of chickens within the city limits. The ordinance would allow ownership of chickens, up to 4, at a single family residence. No roosters would be allowed. The food must be kept in rodent-free containers. Ownership of chickens would be subject to annual review, and the chickens and their eggs could only be consumed by the owners.
Since a permit is required to keep chickens in the City, and would be renewable annually, there was no requirement for site plan. Page said the ordinance did not include reference to the dimensions of the space needed for the chickens or a site inspection prior to issuing the permit.
Commissioner Tom Beem made the motion to approve the ordinance, but discussion by both Commissioner Bill Ditto, who is concerned about the overall public health risk, and Mayor Cliff Baughman’s concern about the attraction of rodents, the motion went nowhere. There were 2 in favor and 2 opposed, with Commissioner Bob Morse abstaining. Commissioner Morse made a motion to revisit the issue in two weeks, which passed by a vote of 4 to 1, with Beem opposed.
The Wamego City Commission approved an ordinance amending the City Code governing arborists. At Tuesday’s meeting, City Manager Merl Page said the City of Wamego requires all arborists to be licensed, but noticed the level of liability insurance required was less than other contractors. The ordinance would require arborists to carry $1,000,000 in general liability coverage, which is the same requirement of other contractors. Page said he felt it was important to bring the issue before the Commission to set up a level of consistency and to protect the public. A motion was made and passed by a vote of 5 to 0.
In his City Manager report,
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Page said the Power Plant has been running on diesel fuel, but will begin running on gas. He said this prepares the Plant for the final acceptance stage and by the end of November the project should be considered complete.
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He was pleased to announce the City’s health insurance rates saw an increase of less than 2 percent, after budgeting for an 18 percent increase.
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He announced the Little Train in the Park saw 10,732 riders for the season from April to thru October, and it took 318 volunteer hours to keep it running.
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He recapped the October sales tax numbers for the City, up 1 point 9 percent and the County up 1 point 5 percent compared to the same 10 month period a year ago.
