At a Thursday public hearing, livestock-loving protesters won a reprieve from a proposed ordinance that would outlaw farm animals from Coxsackie, according to the Daily Mail:
The hue and cry prompted village officials to promise to take a second look at the issue so the proposed law could be reworked. A second public hearing to discuss the revised law is likely, Mayor Mark Evans said.
The law would have banned farm animals like chickens, ducks, geese and goats, as well as reptiles. Dogs, cats and pigs were not included in the ban. Residents who already have farm animals on their property would be grandfathered in for a five year period, after which time they would have to come into compliance. Residents wanting to keep their animals would have to apply to the village if they wanted an exemption to the law.
Opponents of the proposed law turned out in force, saying farm animals like chickens have a long tradition in the village, and banning them would detract from the community’s rural character.
