A bill that would allow Auxvasse residents to own chickens ran its course at the Board of Aldermen's regular meeting Tuesday.
The bill, which had been up for discussion since May, was voted against in a tie breaker vote from Mayor Kevin Phares. Aldermen Mike Bickel and Terry Walker had voted in favor of the ordinance, while Alderman Tom Henage and Alderwoman Stephanie Leverett were against the proposed changes.
"There was a lot of mixed feelings and mixed emotions over it," Phares said. "I cast my vote based on residents that had contacted me and how they felt about it."
Phares said that 15 residents had contacted him in total- four didn't care about the ordinance either way and 11 who didn't want chickens in Auxvasse. Phares took the 11 against as a vote by the majority of residents in Auxvasse.
Two residents were present at the meeting the night of the vote with approximately 100 signatures of other residents in favor of the ordinance, but Phares felt that it wasn't representative of how people really felt about chickens in the city.
"The signatures should have been turned in a long time ago," Phares said. "We voted based on what we believed and what we felt was right for the city."
Walker was in charge of drafting the ordinance, which would only allow six chickens per tract of land and must be housed in a hen house made of new materials with wood and panel or shake siding as some of the options for exterior walls, according to the final draft of the ordinance.
It would also be required to have roofing and be no less than 10 feet off a property line and no less than 25 feet from the nearest residence.
At the June 9 meeting several members of the public argued in favor of the ordinance and had formed a petition in order to change the city's current ordinance, which continues to be in effect, that makes it unlawful to keep chickens within city limits.