The West Liberty council met Monday night and decided to table ordinance 2025-06 after hearing from village residents. The ordinance, called the “chicken ordinance” by some, was to have received its second of three required readings. Village residents Greg and Joanna Hostetler addressed the council after speaking with over 100 village residents about the proposed ordinance.
The Hostetlers, Greg, a former mayor, and Joanna, a former council member, presented the council with 135 signatures from village residents that indicated they were opposed to allowing chickens in the village. Greg Hostetler spoke about what he and his wife learned:
When it came time for the second reading, the council decided to table the ordinance pending more information gathering. The idea was discussed to put the issue on the ballot for the voters to decide. Mayor Brad Hudson talks about the next steps:
In other council action, Village Street Department Supervisor Bill Detrick informed the council that several paving and repair projects are being completed, including the East Newell Street and Columbus Street projects. He also said that Ravin Street is expected to be paved by July.
Detrick also told the council that the adjacent alley by the former school property was damaged due to construction traffic. He received an estimate of $16,250.00 to repair the damage, and feels that the cost should be split with Advanced Demolition, the company that demolished the building.
Detrick also informed the council that after five months of the recycling program, of the roughly 730 residents eligible for the recycling program, his department is seeing an average of 217 residents per week taking advantage of the curbside program. Detrick told the council that it takes between 4.5 and 5.5 hours to complete the recycling route for the driver, which means that other work is not being done.
In his report, Mayor Hudson expressed his thanks to the voters who recently passed the levy renewal. The levy, which provides $21,000 per year to the village, was set to expire had voters not supported it.
He also thanked everyone who participated in the Spring Clean-up that was held on May 10th. He expressed concerns that the council might want to discuss putting limits on what items can be brought, as there was an abundance of construction material brought in.
In other items, the village Splash Pad at Lion’s Park is set to open on May 24th at 10:00 AM. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the Splash Pad, and it will be the final year that the celebration will be held.
The next meeting of the West Liberty Council will be held Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 7:00 PM in council chambers.
