Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Talking Points for Communicating with Gwinnett County

It is important that our voice is unified and intelligent to be effective with our County Commissioners when we speak with them. Please limit yourself to the following talking points. Pick a couple and start emailing! Our Commissioners need to hear from us. They work.for.you. Your taxes pay them...to do what? Limit your freedoms? Impose ridiculous ordinances that allow for large pot bellied pigs but not small hens?

We are choosing email as our method of contact because we have their word in writing and can hold them to it. When you email, do not be nervous. Government officials are people, just like you and me. They have families and car problems and roofs that leak. They probably even have nasty neighbors. Be respectful but firm. 

Email NOW. Get your neighbors to email. Get your friends to email. Call if you have to. And don't forget to end every conversation by asking them when you can expect to hear back from them on the matter. 

Some of the wording below may sound businesslike. That's because politics is business. 
  • This prohibition against me raising chickens in my own yard is unreasonable and unsupportable. It's absurd to require that I have three acres to keep even one chicken on my own property, yet I can keep a pot bellied pig on as little as half an acre. This is unjustifiable and this ordinance needs to be clarified for the reasonable allowance of poultry immediately.
  • People are *already* keeping chickens in Gwinnett County. They are being abused by neighbors who use the presence of the chickens against code as opportunity to manipulate them. (Example: property owner asks neighbor to please keep their dog leashed and off of their property. Neighbor responds by threatening to call code enforcement on property owner for their chickens as a means to "get away with" being careless.) 
  • On that note: The Fourteenth Amendment makes it the job of government officials to protect the rights of the minority from the fickle majority. We should not be held to some arbitrary higher standard because we chose to have chickens instead of yappy dogs or an open pipe Harley. The County Commissioners should serve to make sure that your right to liberty and fair and reasonable use of your own property is not infringed on by whiney neighbors who arbitrarily maliciously don't respect your liberty.
  • Many cities and counties around the country allow for the responsible keeping of backyard hens. These cities and counties do not have chicken problems and are not over run with chickens. Gwinnett County has an overly oppressive chicken ordinance and does have a chicken problem in two neighborhoods. This indicates that an all out forbiddance of chickens is not working. If chickens were reasonably allowed on private property, neighbors could have taken the chickens of these families when they moved, without fear, or other chicken owners nearby could have taken them in. Creating an anti-chicken ordinance is not good for Gwinnett County.

Email addresses of Gwinnett County Commissioners


For your inspiration, below are the emails I sent to each commissioner (Except Tommy Hunter because I had previously been in contact with him and just picked up where I left off.)

Hi Lynette,

I am a new property owner to Gwinnett County and am surprised to hear that the zoning is so outdated as to lump chickens in with cows and bulls, but allows for pot bellied pigs. I'm sure with your experience in working out zoning issues with the Gwinnett County Planning Commission you may have some advice as to how we can clarify this absurd ordinance to allow for the responsible keeping of a few backyard hens. 

I appreciate your time and response and any advice as to how we can quickly get Gwinnett County up to speed on what is becoming a very popular backyard lifestyle that property owners ought to have the right to.

Thanks again!

*****************************************
Hi John,I am a new property owner to Gwinnett County and am surprised to hear that the zoning is so outdated as to lump chickens in with cows and bulls, but allows for pot bellied pigs. I'm sure with your experience in growing up on a farm you are aware of the vast differences in keeping scores of chickens and roosters and the clean, quiet, and simple practice of keeping a few backyard hens. Not to mention the filth associated with pigs, being as they are allowed on only half an acre.

I appreciate your time and response and any advice as to how we can quickly get Gwinnett County up to speed on what is becoming a very popular backyard lifestyle that property owners ought to have the right to.

Thanks again!
********************************************

Good Morning Charlotte!

I am incredibly interested to hear your stance on clarifying the outdated zoning ordinance that allows for pot bellied pigs on only half an acre of land, but prohibits property owners from responsibly keeping a few back yard hens.

I am aware of your feral chicken problem in your district, so I know already that prohibiting chickens is not working for this county. I also know that allowing pot bellied pigs has not caused the county to be over run with pigs.

I can guess where you stand on the issue of having a neighborhood over run with chickens because of an irresponsible person who obviously has no concern, but I'd like to know where you stand on clarifying the zoning ordinance to allow for the responsible keeping of backyard hens. 

I'm looking forward to your response as well as hearing when we can get this issue officially on the docket for Gwinnett County.

Thank you for your time!
**********************************************
Hi Jace,

I am a new property owner to Gwinnett County and wanting to find out where you stand on clarifying the outdated zoning ordinance which prohibits property owners from keeping backyard hens.

Thank you for your time!
*************************************************


Now, if you'd like to comment below and let us know who you contacted and what their response was, that would be very helpful for all of us!
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)