West of the I

/Photo by Tim Zänkert on Unsplash

The Salem Lakes Village Board appears ready to extend the ability of two fireworks retailers — and perhaps a third — to sell their product from tents through this season.

The board discussed the issue at a committee of the whole meeting Monday.

The board passed a fireworks sales ordinance allowing sales from tents through the 2018 season, but requiring a permanent structure meeting specific safety specifications including a sprinkler system after that.

However, both of the companies that have been operating in Salem Lakes from tents had difficulty moving to a permanent structure for this season. In one case in March 2018, the board denied issuing a conditional use permit to sell fireworks from a building on Antioch Road in the Cross Lake neighborhood after residents turned out to a village meeting to object to the permit.

Expressing support for extending tent sales for another year were Trustees Ron Gandt, Ted Kmiec, Bill Hopkins and Mike Culat along with village President Diann Tesar. Opposing the extension were Trustees Dennis Faber and Dan Campion.

The village requires a permit for individual fireworks sales, which is issued by the retailers on the village’s behalf. Last year, those permits generated about $10,000 for the village. That permit allows someone to possess and transport fireworks, not use them. Use of aerial fireworks such as bottle rockets, roman candles, mortars, firecrackers and others that leave the ground is illegal in Wisconsin unless a permit allowing their use has been issued by a proper authority.

Salem Lakes Fire/Rescue conducts inspections of any fireworks sales operation to make sure safety regulations are followed. Salem Lakes Fire/Rescue Chief Mike Slover said there have been no safety problems with the tent sales operations in the past, but he added that he questioned allowing any fireworks sales in the village.

“It’s illegal to light fireworks off in Wisconsin,” Slover said. “I don’t know why we would want to sell them.”

Two years ago his department responded to a fireworks related injury in which a patient suffered a severe hand injury requiring a medical transport helicopter to Milwaukee for treatment, Slover said.

No formal vote was held at Monday’s meeting since it was a committee of the whole.

It appears the Salem Lakes backyard chicken keeping ordinance is headed for an overhaul.

The Salem Lakes Village Board and over 20 interested community members discussed the need for revising the village’s current ordinance governing the keeping of chickens in a residential area.

The village’s current ordinance allows the keeping of six hens on a minimum of two acres  for a residential property. An exception to the lot size requirement exists for birds kept to be shown in a fair.

The discussion went back and forth between members of the audience saying the current ordinance is too restrictive and board members admitting they were not chicken keeping experts, but that they need to look out for the overall good.

“How do we make sure we’re protecting everyone that’s involved?” said Trustee Dan Campion. “That’s what’s on our shoulders. We are not going to satisfy everyone.”

An illustration of how complex the issue seems to be can be seen in a key provision of a draft of a new ordinance under development by village staff based on research of other nearby municipalities’ laws. One provision of this draft ordinance would allow the keeping of four hens on any sized residential property.

That seemed to be a key breakthrough given the current minimum two acre lot size for any chicken keeping. But after it was mentioned it was quickly challenged by Peter Poli, one of the leaders of the chicken keeping advocates, who said the small number of hens allowed is impractical. Poli said allowing just four hens does not allow much room for a viable flock if one or more birds should die. And introducing new birds is not an easy process, but instead requires a long period of introducing the new bird to the old ones gradually.

Debate over the current chicken ordinance arose most recently when a family with 1.7 acres sought an exception to the current ordinance so they could continue to keep chickens. A neighbor had complained about that property, which at one point had 32 chickens on the property.

Votes on the lot size in the past have been split, but a slim majority of the board had seemed solidly behind the two-acre limit. Signs of that weakening some were apparent Monday.

For example, Trustee Dennis Faber, who backed the two-acre limit in the past, on Monday called it “very, very restrictive.”

Trustee Mike Culat asked at one point if anyone in the audience objected to chickens being kept in the village. No one responded.

Acting village administrator Mike Murdock said he had ordinance enforcer John Carrier research the issue and develop a draft ordinance. That draft ordinance included the provision of allowing four hens on any size residential property. The draft ordinance also includes other standards referring to coops, enclosures and setbacks that would have to be met.

“We’re allowing everyone to have their chickens and do it the right way,” Carrier said of the draft ordinance. That draft ordinance provides for the revocation of keeping chickens for violations of the law.

While the village doesn’t necessarily go on active chicken violation patrol, they do need to have standards that can be addressed when there are complaints.

“We have to create an ordinance that is enforceable,” Murdock said.

Poli said he was organizing a meeting of residents interested in and knowledgeable of chicken keeping for next week to develop a detailed alternative to the village’s current ordinance. Village President Diann Tesar suggested the village take that work and the work done by staff and try to fashion a new ordinance.

Related posts

Salem Lakes Village Board sends fireworks and chicken keeping issues to committee

Salem Lakes to reopen chicken keeping discussion

Salem Lakes keeps two acre minimum for chicken keeping

Chickens likely to continue to be limited to larger lots in Salem Lakes

Salem Lakes to explore backyard chicken ordinance

Salem Lakes considering allowing chicken keeping