Life Transplanet

About a week and a half ago we heard news that Colorado Governor Bill Ritter was going to make a big announcement about budget cuts in order to balance the budget that is $320 million in the hole. What was worrisome was that he was eying Amendment 35 monies to help fill it (among many other programs). Colorado Amendment 35 is the tobacco excise tax that was voted and approved in 2004 to go to health programs and specifically to combat the burden of tobacco in our community. It is also how my program at the health department is funded to do comprehensive, population based work to address the tobacco tolls in our local community.

Well, he made the announcement that they would be looking to cut $7 million from the STEPP -State Tobacco Education and Prevention Partnership- portion of A35. That means that his budget cuts could cost me my job!  This is after they already took $8 million earlier this year.  If they were to take an across the board cut that would mean about a 57% cut to all grantees. This is not the worst of it though. They underestimated the amount in grant reversions that would return to the state and so they are now looking at approximately $10 million in cuts. Then, lo and behold, maybe the estimates for the 09-10 year are low too, so let’s plan on $13 million. Sure, why not. That’s only an 80% cut.

What I don’t understand is why they allowed for the loophole which lets them use tobacco tax funds in a “declared fiscal crisis” to go to the general fund. The people who wrote Amendment 23 for K-12 education were smart and didn’t allow for that kind of pilfering.

The tobacco companies must be laughing their heads off. This seems like deja vu to the Master Settlement fiasco where they did a similar tactic and securitized funds that were meant to offset the health care costs from tobacco use and used them in general fund projects like building roads.

Anyway, our  fate will be decided on October 1st with stop-work orders probably being issued. There is no way with an 80% cut that FTE can be spared as it -mostly- was with the 8 million dollar cut. It seems crazy that in order to “balance the budget” you would create so much unemployment in its wake that will have to be paid out from some other pot (Federal and State Unemployment). What’s the saying? Rob Peter to pay Paul? I think that’s about what it comes down to. Take from a program that is funding itself -and voter approved- to pay for programs that don’t (and aren’t).

Britton and I have been talking about what this could mean for our Puerto Rico plans. It could either mean going there much sooner or much later depending on how we work it. We have to look at challenges like this as opportunities. If we don’t we could go crazy trying to figure out the insane “logic” behind decisions like this.

Good news! Britton and I went to a Greeley Town Hall meeting last night and talked about our backyard hens situation. We seemed to have quite a favorable response and were told by the planning department that they would like to form a citizens’ committee to change the code and would like us to be on it. They did not seem to respond to our concerns about the fact that we still think we are being cited under the wrong code (development instead of animal), but anyhow, they also said we could keep our girls in the meantime.  

So, I think this is a win-win situation (a win-win hen resolution, if you will) for everyone. We get to keep Henrietta, Omelette (Salt’s new name), Greenfoot and Football and we get to help others who may want to keep a few hens in their backyards as well. We also passed out our fact sheets  and our value statement (they are also listed under pages on this site) to help educate about backyard hens.

Today we took our niece and nephew out to lunch at JBs Drive-In and then went out go-cart racing to Kart Attack with them JBs has been a Greeley tradition for many, many years and is one of the few remaining true drive-ins. Because it was so hot today, we decided to go inside for our food which included their famous corn dogs but also root beer floats and other treats.  JBs is interesting because they are ONLY open in the summer and close for the winter season.

JB’s Drive In

Calling for our food to be delivered to our table

Then we went out go-cart racing. The place was called Kart Attack which we thought was funny. We took two sessions around the track. It was pretty fun and it reminded me of when I was a kid and my dad and I would play “hookie” and play at the go-cart tracks.

The go-cart track

Playing around

Getting ready to GO!

Britton and I rode our bikes to the Greeley Ramseier Farm Park Ribbon Cutting this morning. This is a new park in our area on “C” Street in Greeley that is only about one block away (yes, we could have walked but Britton wanted to bike). The reason it is called a “Farm Park” is because the Ramseier Family, who are family friends, used to farm this whole area including our subdivision where our house is located. We often take walks or bike rides at night around this park, even before it was officially dedicated with the ribbon cutting.

Ramseier Farm Park Ribbon Cutting

While we were there we talked with a couple of the Greeley City Council members about our backyard hens.  We thought it was quite fitting that we were able to talk with them at the “Farm Park” of all places. After our good coalition meeting on Thursday night and having decided on our goal and some of our strategies, I was fired up to approach our local civic leaders. At the ribbon cutting, the city council members seemed open to discussing the issue, and one council member was very friendly to us and I will definitely be voting for him for mayor: Ed Phillipsen. He has always been thoughtful, friendly, helpful and willing to listen. He is not the typical politician and seems to truly care about the marginalized populations of our community. Unfortunately he will be running against the local country club favorite.

We also found out at the ribbon cutting that the backyard hen issue might be discussed very soon at an upcoming city council work session.  I’ll let you know when I know more.

Tonight is our meeting with the Greeley Urban Hen Coalition. We will decide our formal name at the meeting. But we also had some more press regarding having chickens in Greeley! Our new friend, Jessica Harris, who was also interviewed in the article that Britton and I were in, was the featured editorial guest columnist in the newspaper yesterday.  Here is a link to the editorial, as well as a reprint. I thought she did a great job and loved the comparison to the amount of room people live in on a daily basis to the amount supposedly “required” for chickens.

¡Viva La Gallina! Long Live the Hen!

Here is the article as printed in the newspaper. For an unabridged version, check out the urban hen website.

Greeley Policy on Hens is Fowl by Jessica Harris

I recently inquired at the city of Greeley concerning the possibility of keeping laying hens (no roosters) on my property, as I’m interested in learning more about self-sustained and natural living. I’ve a good-sized back yard with plenty of space for a large coop and completely enclosed pen. I also thought it was a good idea, considering the tough economic times, to learn how to be more self-sufficient. While I’ve no interest in butchering a chicken, the thought of fresh, chemical- and hormone-free eggs, combined with an interesting pet, intrigued me.

The practice of backyard chicken rearing has become popular in many urban towns in the past few years. Cities such as Fort Collins, Loveland and Boulder have recently passed ordinances allowing hens to be kept in residentS’ back yards.

Being excited about the prospect of my own “urban hens,” I immediately did what any reasonable person would do — I researched. I literally obsessed over every piece of information I could find on keeping chickens within the city. I also carefully read the Greeley Municipal Ordinances referring to livestock (or specifically the ordinance on fowl). I saw no reason, or law, that would prevent me from properly and legally keeping two or three well-cared for pet hens in my backyard with the appropriate pen and coop.

Apparently, I was wrong. My family found this out while doing the right thing and calling the office of city planning, just to make sure. We were told was that while yes, it’s acceptable to own chickens per the animal ordinance of city codes, under chapter 18.58.030 of the Municipal Codes, this allowance becomes reliant upon figures that would allow literally no one (without a yard that could rival your local mansion) to own laying hens within city limits. The figure that I was given by the office of City Planning is 4,326 square feet of unused land per chicken. Just for reference, this is approximately 385 times the suggested square footage necessary to keep a single chicken as per just about any poultry site, hatchery, association, or expert out there deems necessary. It’s also about 1,000 square feet bigger than I fit a family of four humans, three dogs and a cat in and call home.

I understand that the land usage bit had most likely been tacked on in an effort to keep people from creating bizarre barnyard hovels in their duplex parking lots. But that doesn’t keep me from being angered and disappointed that this “stipulation” also prohibits those of us who are responsible pet owners, who understand the benefits of raising backyard hens for pets, healthy eggs, mineral rich, natural fertilizer and insect control, from doing so.

In all the years that I’ve lived in this town, I’ve heard repeatedly about Greeley’s “hometown attitude,” “pioneer spirit” and “rich agricultural roots.” Yet, as a resident of Greeley, it would seem I’m not really allowed to be a part of any of that. Nor am I allowed to make any attempt at self-sustained, natural living unless, of course, I can afford that extra lot or buy a farm.

I’m starting to think that we don’t live in such an agri-centric town after all. We can have our cow-painted mailboxes, or slippers or other assorted household items, and we can go to the Greeley Stampede and play cowboy for a day, but unless you have a yard the size of Nottingham Field, don’t expect to take an active role in that agricultural heritage we are supposed to be so proud of and not mind when the air is “not so fresh.”

Jessica Harris is a Greeley resident, a mother of two, an avid animal lover and a writer.