South St. Paul is allowing residents to expand their flocks of backyard chickens from four to eight.
The City Council on Tuesday added an amendment to a city ordinance giving residents the chance to add more hens to their coops.
Residents with properties that are a half-acre or less can keep four chickens, while residents with larger properties can keep eight. The amendment also prohibits brightly colored or electric fencing. The city can issue a maximum of 20 licenses.
Since creating the ordinance in 2015, the city has issued seven licenses. To apply for a chicken license, property owners must receive consent from 75 percent of their next door neighbors and pay a $75 fee.
South St. Paul chicken owners do not to reapply for a new license, said Peter Hellegers, city planner. They can simply amend their original license.
BEATRICE DUPUY
EAGAN
City Council could OK miniature pigs
Eagan residents may soon be able to keep miniature pigs in their backyards, as long as the pigs are spayed or neutered and there's a fenced area for them to live in.
After a request from a resident, the City Council has asked staff to prepare an ordinance that would allow the creatures on single-family residential properties that have obtained a permit. The existing rules for pig-keeping require at least 5 acres zoned for agricultural use.
A public hearing will be scheduled after the ordinance is prepared — a process that could take two or three months, said communications director Tom Garrison.
Miniature pigs have been in vogue in recent years, but have also been abandoned or euthanized at high rates when they've grown larger than their owners expected. Though there are more than a dozen breeds classified as miniature pigs, in some cases breeders have passed off piglets, underfed or inbred pigs as miniature pigs.
The American Mini Pig Association classifies the animals by height and age, rather than by popular labels such as "micro" or "teacup." According to the association, the pigs can grow up to 20 inches tall.
EMMA NELSON
DAKOTA COUNTY
Soil district plans for shake-up
The Dakota County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is changing how long its board members can hold office and which areas they represent, in response to a new state law requiring redistricting for metro-area soil and water conservation districts.
