The city of Adairville had first reading on a pair of ordinances at last week’s regular council meeting - one involving the sale of fireworks in the city and the much-discussed poultry ordinance.

No votes are taken at a first reading. A second reading will likely be held at next month’s meeting and then the council will vote on whether or not to accept the new laws.

This was the second time the city had first reading on a poultry ordinance, which would allow residents to legally keep chickens inside the city limits. The ordinance, which has been proposed by council member Bill Steen was introduced at a previous meeting this year, but was put on hold so that city attorney James Milam could look it over and make any necessary changes.

Milam got the the ordinance back to the city prior to last week’s meeting and another first reading was held since some minor changes had been made.

Some of the provisions in the ordinance are:

• All poultry must be kept in backyards. It will not be allowed to keep coops in front of houses.
• Poultry will have to be kept in “predator-proof” enclosures, which must have “a portion of which must be covered and a portion of which must not be covered.”
• Poultry must be kept enclosed at all times and cannot be permitted to run free in the city.
• Those wishing to keep poultry must own the property it will be kept on. Renters will not be allowed to keep poultry.
• There will be a $10 permit fee.
• Crowing roosters will not be allowed.
• All feed must be kept in rodent and predator-proof containers.
• No slaughtering of poultry will be allowed.

There is also a limit to the number of birds that can be kept, based on lot size. A maximum of three chickens can be kept on a lot between 3,704 and 4,940 square feet. Six can be kept if the lost is 5,000 to 10,000 square feet. 12 can be kept from 10,001 to 16,200 square feet. 15 can be kept from 16,500 up to 32,448 square feet. And there is no limit on properties over 32,448 square feet.

It will be up to the council to decide whether or not the law is passed.

The council has been split when discussing the topic in the past, but they did not talk about it last week.

Mayor Jim Wilkerson did say that he had received several phone calls about the ordinance and none of them were in favor of it. Wilkerson only votes in the event of a tie, however.

The other ordinance will allow individuals to sell fireworks in the city limits if certain requirements are met.

Some of those include registering annually with the state fire marshal’s office and keeping the registration certificate in a conspicuous location at the site. They must also have a working fire extinguisher on site.

The ordinance bans the selling of fireworks to anyone under the age of 18.

The fireworks ordinance will also be voted on after second reading.