Dear editor:
A meeting is scheduled for the Lyon Township Planning Commission on July 21 at 7:00 pm in the Township Hall on W. Higgins Lake Drive. The subject is whether chickens will be allowed in small R-1 zoned properties. This new ordinance would alter Livestock Ordinance No. 35 to open new neighborhoods for poultry on properties smaller than two acres. They have been disallowed for 32 years.
The meeting will take the shape of a public forum where all interested citizens are welcome to express their support or concerns about the implications for R-1 properties. Proponents, like the township Supervisor, believe that prohibiting chickens infringes on personal freedoms, while others view this proposal as bringing a new set of problems to a township which seems to be becoming locally known for its inability to enforce ordinances in general.
If you have any noise, health, contamination, predator or compliance concerns about opening the township to backyard chicken keeping, you should show up and speak your mind. If you believe that your rights to raise chicken eggs or meat might be infringed by denying your ‘right’ to liberalize backyard chicken keeping, come and make your case. The Lyon Township board is heavily leaning in favor of this proposal.
One of the township trustees has been keeping chickens in violation of the livestock ordinance for ten years and seems to be the driving force behind this change. He has not spoken publicly about justifying this proposal, but privately says that he prefers healthier organic food, including chickens and vegetables, and needs chickens.
He recently moved his chickens to his Houghton Lake farm property to keep them out of the fray, where predators came and killed his flock. He will vote in favor of bringing in chickens to Lyon Township when it comes to the deciding vote on the matter. He was just appointed by the Supervisor to the township Planning Commission, which will make its recommendations on July 21 after hearing from the public in this forum.
This individual dismisses the idea of abstaining on influencing and voting on this plan and does not see this vote as a conflict of interest or bad optics for township credibility.
Show up and speak or live with the decision!
Phillip Robinson
Higgins Lake
