Two Burt Street residents concerned about an adjacent property beginning to look like a barnyard with pigs and rabbits asked village trustees at their April 18 meeting to have the wannabe farmer get rid of them. Over the course of the last few weeks, they said, the owner of a vacant lot next to their village homes has set up pens for pigs and rabbits. They’re concerned about the health risks of having such animals in their residential neighborhood. What would the do to their property values?
One of the residents said she’s lived there for 38 years and has always enjoyed sitting out on her porch. With the smell of the pigs, she’s no longer able to do that.
“This is no place to keep farm animals,” she said.
Mayor William Murphy said keeping such animals was “100 percent illegal.” He asked village code supervisor Eyal Saad, who was at the meeting, to have them (the animals) gone by the next day.
Saad said that he has cited the animal owner. Such animals are illegal in the village unless the owner gets permission from the village board.
“I want these gone immediately,” Murphy said.
“It’s not that they are illegal,” Saad added. “It’s just that the owner needs the board’s permission.”
Which was something trustees said would not be forthcoming from them.
People should be able to keep animals on their own property. Raising your own food is a fundamental right.
I’ll never understand people who think they have the right to tell other people what they can and cannot do on their own property. If you don’t like your neighbors, call a real estate agent.
Derek, I agree to a point, but if smells or noise bothers neighbors of normal sensitivity, then they have a valid complaint that should be investigated. Raising your own food is a fundamental right, but smells, noise and, health concerns as a result should not affect neighbors. If they bought a home next to a farm, I’d say too bad, but this is a residential area in the village.
Stop eating meat. What is so different between a highly intelligent and sensitive pig and your dog or cat? NONE! Get with the program. It’s no long cool or healthy to eat meat. In countries around the ring of fire it’s common to see dogs skinned and boiled alive. Beyond barbaric. To them, a dog is nothing more than another animal for food…they steal family pets and do horrible things to them. Have come empathy/compassion and start learning about alternative to ending the lives of other beings.
Apologies for the typos.