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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Last minute info! Go to the council meeting if you can. It does
make a difference if the council sees a roomful of people interested in this
issue!<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Corbel","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Sara Braden
[mailto:srbraden@gmail.com] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Saturday, May 15, 2010 1:05 PM<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Backyard Chickens<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:
auto;text-align:center'><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>Chicken Legalization
News!</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>This has been a busy week in preparation for the City
Council meeting on Tuesday.  I have been waiting to give everyone an
update until I had all the information I needed.  Here goes:</span><o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>Many people have contacted their City Council member
to support this issue.  Thank you to everyone who has done so.  It
may not seem like it would make a difference, but it really does!  <b>If
you have not yet contacted your City Council member, you can still do so.</b> 
Call 297-3884, look them up in the blue pages of the phone book, or send them
an email.  Thank you!</span><o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>The City Council will discuss this issue on May 18, at
8:30 am, at 200 N. Walker.  <b>If you can come to the meeting, please do
so.</b>  All backyard chicken supporters please meet about ten minutes
before the meeting to receive identifying badges.  Our goal is to
demonstrate to City Council that there are many citizens of OKC who care deeply
about the legalization of backyard chickens.</span><o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'> I think the meeting will go something like
this:  at some point in the meeting, Sam Bowman will bring up the subject
of backyard chickens, and the two studies will be discussed.  <b>This will
not be a vote</b>, but merely a discussion.  Please don’t get
discouraged; this is an early, necessary step in what may be a long, slow
process.  Our attitude at this meeting needs to be one of gratitude, not
anger.  The fact that this issue is even being discussed is a huge
success.</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'> At the end of the meeting I plan to speak to
City Council.  I am going to thank them for examining the issue, briefly
address a few concerns related to the legalization of backyard chickens, and
ask if City Council members have any other concerns.</span><span
style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'> This meeting is a big milestone (without your
support, this issue would have been dismissed by City Council), but once it is
over, there remains much to be done.  We need to figure out a way to
educate people about backyard chickens, since the City Council members will
vote to reflect the opinions of their constituents.  Most of the negative
comments on the City Council’s survey indicate a profound
misunderstanding of the nature of chickens and the ease with which they can be
kept responsibly. For instance, many people believe that chickens attract
insects, are intolerably smelly, or pollute the environment.  If you have
any ideas of how to go about educating such people, please let me know.</span><span
style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'> We also need to do some research into the code
enforcement situation in our peer cities (Austin, El Paso, Ft. Worth,
Nashville, St. Louis, Tulsa, and Wichita).  This would involve
interviewing code enforcement officers in those cities to find out how well
their chicken laws work, how difficult their laws are to enforce, and so
on.  If anyone would like to take on that task, let me know.</span><span
style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'> I hope soon to be working with the Planning
Department on crafting reasonable legislation that can be brought to a vote.</span><span
style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'> Thanks for your help.  I’m optimistic
that we are going about this in the best way possible.  We just need to be
patient and persistent.</span><span style='color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'> Sara Braden</span><o:p></o:p></p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>525-2693</span><o:p></o:p></p>

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