Hello,

I am creating this petition to address what I believe is an unfair situation involving the City of Edwardsville's Code of Ordinances. My family and I live in Edwardsville, Kansas, and I am 15, going on 16 years old. We currently own three hens—Butter, Nugget, and Penguin—that we consider to be part of our family. They also help us save on the cost of eggs. However, we are facing issues with the city’s enforcement of the ordinances, and I want to explain why I think this is unfair.

We have had these hens for over a year. The idea to get chickens started when I was in 7th grade during a lesson on the life cycle of chickens. I became attached to the idea and kept asking my parents for hens. After a lot of convincing and spending a considerable amount of money, we finally got Butter, Nugget, and Penguin. They are quiet and well-behaved. You wouldn’t know they are there unless you’re listening closely or have a window open, and there’s no unpleasant smell.

In Edwardsville, under the ‘Medium Density Residential District (R-2)’ regulations, owning chickens is not allowed. While we were aware of this rule when we got our hens, it’s important to note that other residents in our area, who are also under the same zoning laws, have chickens and haven’t faced any issues. Similarly, the code also prohibits growing crops, but many neighbors, including one with a very obvious greenhouse, continue to grow plants without facing any problems. This inconsistency seems unfair and has led us to feel that we’re being treated differently.

The situation has caused a lot of distress for me and my family. Our hens are not causing any trouble in the neighborhood, and their presence has been completely unobtrusive. We are heartbroken at the thought of having to give them up because of what seems like an uneven enforcement of the regulations.

This petition is an appeal to reconsider the enforcement of these ordinances and to potentially revise them to reflect a fairer approach. Our chickens are important to us, and their presence doesn’t negatively impact anyone in our neighborhood.

Thank you for considering this petition.

Brody Morgan
BrodyMorgan0810@gmail.com