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Century Develops Plan To Regulate Barnyard Animals
November 5, 2013
The Century Town Council has developed a plan to deal with barnyard animals in the town limits.
During a Monday night workshop, the council formulated rules to be included a new ordinance that bans hogs and limits other animals.
Under the ordinance, barnyard animals — horse, mule, donkey, goat, sheep or cattle — will be allowed only in areas currently zoned as agricultural or rural residential. Minimum acreage of one acre per donkey or horse or one-half acre per goat will be required. The animals must not be within 200 feet of the primary dwelling on the property or 200 feet of any property line.
The setback requires would make it impossible to have barnyard animals on a single acre or smaller size lot, council members acknowledged.
“I’m really having to dig deep to allow this at all,” council member Jacke Johnston said. “I don’t think in the Town of Century you should have have barnyard animals at all.”
Once the ordinance is written, it will be presented to the council twice and a public hearing held. After the law is in place, existing barnyard animals will be grandfathered in and allowed to remain in the town. Once an animal dies in an area that does not meet the minimum acreage and setback requirements, it cannot be replaced.
Residents wishing to have their animals grandfathered in, once the ordinance becomes law, will be required to register their barnyard animals with the town hall.
If a property has six goats grandfathered in under the new ordinance, for example, they can’t exceed that number of animals in the future.
When asked what would happen if the goats should become pregnant, Council President Ann Brooks stressed the original number of grandfathered animals could not be exceeded on property not meeting the acreage and setback requirements.
“You will have to get rid of them,” Brooks said of any goats born after the ordinance becomes law. “You can barbecue them.”
Pictured top: Century council members Ann Brooks (right) and Sandra McMurray Jackson (middle) listen to council member Jacke Johnston Monday night. Pictured inset: Johnston explains her views on barnyard animals. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
18 Responses to “Century Develops Plan To Regulate Barnyard Animals”
Century is still struggling to make it into the 20th century while the rest of the world is rolling along in the 21st.
I do not have a problem with livestock within the city limits as long as the property is large enough to allow a healthy environment for the animals and does not pose a community health risk.
P.S. Century, life in the air age, it’s not all the brochures say.
Well I happen to live in Century and the whole town is not rural (and yes I said TOWN). I live right of Century Blvd in a neighborhood with houses in close proximity to each other and NO I don’t want horses, cow, goats, mules, chickens or any other farm animals living around me. Century does have a lot of rural areas and if people want to have farms and raise animals go buy some of the rural land and have your animals and farm your hearts out.
Really you say that century isn’t rural but a town. I say that they are just a utility department. A town provides police and fire protection. All century provides is utilities. Clean up the town is awesome. Get rid of the drugs. Get schools back in century. It is a country town yes it us a rural town. I’m only saying that there is more important issues than farm animals.
AS an Animal Lover – I am appalled @ Ms Brooks statement, LET HER Bar BQ her Pets.
Oh my goodness! I have heard people whine for years about how the north end of the county is cheated and is not treated like the rest of the county…..and here you have the council try and to clean up the place a bit and you go crying about that! Kudos to the council for trying to get some uniformity regarding animals. And to 24/7 – look up the definition of rural and town….Century is a TOWN, and should operate as such. No one wants to bring their business opportunities to an area like that , and I can’t blame them. You people act like you want the wild west up there….wake up! I think all you nay-sayers just want to keep things like they are so you will always have something to be crying about. I hope the council will keep up the work and make Century a desirable town for businesses and residents as well.
The “Barbeque” comment seems a little “Barnyard” if you ask me.
“Ya’ll cook them thar animals and get ‘em outta sight. This here be a swankey neighborhood.”
Pot calling the kettle black?
Power to the people! Down with oppressive governments! Show up at the council meetings and make your opinions known! Throw the bums out!
The whole town is rural. A lot of people depend on farm animals to supplement their food supply. I can’t believe that all the problems that face the town, they are worried about farm animals. What about jobs, getting drugs off the street, feeding the hungry, etc. What about lowering utility bills. Attracting businesses to the industrial park. Just saying.
The only problem I see with this is , I’ve seen Horse on land full of rusty wire , Trash and Alot of that that could hurt a Horse or Mule., alot of the places I see are on pond st and Behind cashes car lot. The conditions how the Horses and land was not liveable for animals, Like I said if you can;t Take care of them the right way you don’t need them.I will be riding around keeping an eye on you so feed you animals and clean your land
I have no problem with animals, but I do have a problem with animal owners that do not take of them, and let them roam free. Goats get out of their pens and eats all the neighbors plants and wreck their gardens, then what? Will they be required to replace lost plants and gardens. That should be addressed also. This is a rural area and a lot of us do not have fenced in yards. Also something should be done with the dogs and cats that roam the neighbor’s property, and the owners think you are in the wrong for asking them to keep them on their property. Some things you just live with to be a good neighbor, but property destruction by other people animals are going to cause problems.
This is the most ridiculous proposed ordinance I have seen in a long time. What the heck is wrong with the City Council? Century will be the laughing stock of the State when folks file to the courthouse to register goats, chickens, etc.
Maybe the council will require license tags for all animals larger than 49 pounds.
That way more taxes could be raised.
Toss in the “registration” fees where the animals are photographed, inspected and required to have proof of residence and a US Birth Certificate and you could have a more acceptable critter than we have politicians.
Eat your animals….Well, in case the lady does not know, farmers have been doing that for thousands of years. Not all your barbecue comes from the grocery or the restaurant.
This whole matter sounds to me like the whining and moaning that goes on from people who live near airports, fire stations or bombing ranges and complain about the noise.
Surely there is more behind this than just Aunt Sukey in Snuffy Smith’s side yard.
Does this have to do with a Grant or a Redevelopment issue or a City Loan or something like that?
I agree with (Rooster Cogburn) there should be a protest! No one should tell you what you can and can not do on your own property! Our rights and freedom are being taken away left and right, and it’s time we stop and make a stand! It’s your property, you should have the right to do what you want!
Lets have a recall vote for Ann Brooks. Her statement is just like Bill Clinton’s statement about restricting guns saying “let them go bowling” instead of sport shooting. If she wasn’t elected then protest like heck. People raise the animals as a business. All this started not because of complaints but because of what somebody may have been planning to do with newly acquired acreage in Century. Everybody go out and get more animals so your numbers can be grandfathered in. Make sure they all look alike so you can add two or three more in the registration.
This is ridiculous. This is Century we’re talking about. How more Rural of a city can you find. This whole community was built on the rural way of life and to some extent still thrives because of it when it comes to people’s private way of life. Some people depend on raising a few animals and selling them each year. As long as the animals and the “Barnyard” are kept up….I say leave them alone. I could understand if it were downtown Pensacola, but Century? Is the town council running out of things to do? How about working solely on bringing jobs to the area for awhile and then get back to trying to tell people how to live.
imagine the absurd reality of having to “register” your animals with city hall. I suppose next they will require livestock owners to brand the animals with the city seal. Maybe the best place for that seal is on the business end of that donkey.
People should show up in droves for the public hearing and protest! Are we not sick and tired of politicians regulating our very day to day existence? Just goes to show governments, even local, never shrink, they just add page after page of senseless regulations. People need to wake and rise up at the polls and throw the bums out of office!
” you can barbecue them” wow that’s nice to say coming from a council member . Kill’em and grill’em
I just don’t understand the need for the restrictions. Dogs’ and cats’ feces adds no good thing to the soil, you cannot eat them, etc. yet they, the dogs, make noise and stink. The cats kill off nests full of baby birds and the feces they leave in someone’s nice garden is disgusting.