A current Newton City Council member has brought back a previously defeated ordinance that would allow residents to have chickens and ducks in the city, with certain restrictions. 

At-Large Council Member Jeff Holschuh was one of the Newton Planning and Zoning Committee commissioners who recommended the proposed ordinance be adopted by the city council late last year. 

“We contacted other cities to see how it worked, even much larger cities than Newton, who seemed to have no problem with it. I feel like we did our citizens a disservice by not listening to another recommending body. By shutting that down, the council in general eliminated the opportunity to have public input, because at four planning and zoning meetings, I didn’t have anybody say anything bad about it.”

The proposed ordinance allowing chickens and ducks in Newton with specific restrictions was voted down on its first reading at the November 3rd city council meeting. Only second ward representative Melissa Dalton and At-Large Council Member Joel Mills voted in favor of it. Any member of Newton’s City Council can have an item placed on a council meeting agenda, with the Mayor’s permission. Council Member Holschuh calls the proposed ordinance “well formulated.”