STUART — Stuart residents will soon have the opportunity to weigh in on a proposed ordinance that would allow backyard chickens at certain homes, with city officials planning a survey to gather public input.
Misti Guertin, a city spokesperson, said the survey will be distributed through several channels to reach residents across the city.
“Promotion-wise, it will be going out in our November utility bills and info bits. Utility bills are billed or sent in four cycles. The first one would be Nov. 7, and then each week thereafter, we go out to another set of households,” she said. “We would go ahead and have it on the website, and we also would go ahead and promote it on social media, a news release, and then our city kiosk, which is the rotating slideshow that you see.”
The questionnaire will include five questions, asking residents about their support for neighbors keeping chickens and whether they would consider raising hens themselves.
City officials initially considered requiring a utility billing account number to complete the survey. However, that approach raised concerns about excluding residents in apartments and condominiums who may share an account.
Commissioner Merritt Matheson said the city needs a process that allows individuals to participate without limiting responses from people who live in multiunit buildings.
“I'm okay with one per household. I'm not okay with one per entire apartment building or condo building,” he said. “We're trying to get input from a diverse group of residents because this can affect all of us.”
Officials also discussed how to encourage enough residents to participate for the results to be useful. City Manager Mike Mortell proposed using publicly available email addresses to expand the survey's reach and help establish a participation benchmark.
“I could promise you I could find out by tomorrow how many registered voters there are in Stuart,” he said. “Then we could determine and go from there to start marketing and promoting it and keeping the survey open until we get at least whatever percent you guys believe is a sufficient sample.”
Commissioners supported expanding the survey's distribution to include those email addresses. They also agreed to remove the utility account number requirement and use a resident's Stuart address to help limit participation to one response per household.
Matheson outlined the revised approach, including the participation target.
“...With the requirement of having to enter Stuart address and notification that only one vote per city address,” Matheson said.
The city set a goal of reaching 28% participation, with commissioners able to reconsider that target in March.
“...With a goal of at least 28%, but we can reevaluate it March 1,” Matheson said.
Residents will have until March 1 to complete the survey.
The proposed ordinance would allow up to four hens on eligible homesteaded single-family properties. Roosters would be prohibited, and chickens would have to remain confined to a coop or pen on the property.
The proposal also outlines requirements for permits, inspections, enclosure screening, setbacks from property lines and neighboring homes, and measures to prevent pests and odors. Duplexes and other property types outside the eligible single-family homestead category would not qualify.
The survey will help the city determine whether to adopt the ordinance and what safeguards should be included.