The Roosters Are Back!

The rooster has become a hot dish in town.

Longtime rooster owners and by their crowing showed up at a   last month heatedly arguing over whether the town should adopt a local law that targets the bird's vocal behavior.

Next week, the conversation continues at a special joint meeting with the blight assistance committees, the Blight Appeals Committee and the Town Council. The purpose is to decide whether to give the rooster its own ordinance or to concede there are already enough  poultry regulations on the book.

"Whether or not it's going to go anywhere, I don't know," said Town Council President James Dougherty. "My job isn't to formulate opinion. My job is to ensure all parties can present their point of view."

"It could be that nothing does happen. We've got enough on the books," said Paul Hongo, deputy director of town affairs.  "We have to look at it objectively and ask if we really need [one].  What more can an ordinance do?"

Town Attorney Patricia Cofrancesco had written a draft ordinance before the Nov. 9 public hearing but the Town Council tabled it, instead handing over the issue to the blight ordinance committees.

Though questioning the need for an ordinance, neither Dougherty nor Hongo is saying the issue is dead meat. East Haven has zoning regulations for chickens and "similar poultry." But there is the noise factor, which the zoning regs don't address and is not specifically noted in the existing noise ordinance.

"It is not the intent of the town to ban roosters but rather annoying roosters, with the crowing," said Dougherty. "What you need to do is [see] how many complaints have come in and have [also] come in since it went public."

At the Nov. 9 public meeting, Chris Trosuk of Hellstrom Road spoke not just of noise but of the roosters next door that are kept in a garage (a violation of the chicken regs), drawing rats from the Farm River.

"That raised many eyebrows," said Dougherty.

Then there are the families who have raised the birds -- in some cases for generations -- and don't want to be told they have to shut down their operations.

One of the "few phone calls" Dougherty said he got after the public hearing was from a rooster owner who "was concerned about what was going on."

"I don't think [anyone] is telling farmers they can't have a rooster," said Hongo. If one moves next door to a farm, "buyer be warned." Similar to someone who moves next to the Tweed-New Haven Airport and complains of noise. "You can't expect planes to stop flying," he said.

But for folks with roosters living on 50- to 100-foot lots, "maybe there needs to be  something. Maybe roosters should be prohibited," Hongo said.

Complaints trickling into Town Hall

Dougherty said he heard the first complaint at a Blight  Assistance Committee meeting last spring and brought it to James Albis, community development coordinator for the town. Blight grievances often go to Albis' department.

Albis said he's gotten two rooster complaints, one on Hellstrom Road, the other on Willow Road. In both cases, he said the enclosures were too close to the road or neighbor's property line, violating zoning regs. He said he directed  the violations to the Planning & Zoning Department.

That would be to Town Planner Dave Anderson. He said he's gotten just one such complaint in his two years on the job, also on Hellstrom Road. He said he inspected the property and found the bird enclosure was just 2 feet away from the neighbor's property line.

According to the chicken and "similar poultry" zoning rules, the distance must be at least 20 feet, a maximum of 20 birds are allowed on a property and they must be enclosed.

Though the regulations don't specifically spell out rooster, Anderson said that's immaterial to him. "I don't personally care if it's a chicken or a rooster," he said. "It has nothing to do with the noise. [There are many] more complaints about trash than roosters."

Rooster violators get a written notice giving them 15-30 days to make the necessary changes and then Anderson re-inspects. If still not in compliance, the violator can be fined up to $100 a day, but that's never happened, he said.

The rooster meeting will be held on Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Senior Center at 91 Taylor Ave.