WINDSOR
The issue of raising chickens within Windsor’s town limits was once again at the forefront of a town council meeting, held Tuesday this week. Though there was no public hearing or formal vote scheduled, the council discussed the possibility of expanding last month’s poultry-permitting ordinance.

Currently, the ordinance only permits residents in Windsor’s A1 Agricultural District to raise chickens or other poultry on their property, with the restriction that pens or cages will be at least 100 feet from any residential district and at least 50 feet from any other agricultural district. The proposed expansion would permit poultry on smaller, residential lots outside the agricultural district.

“I have not had anybody on my street tell me they want chickens,” said councilman N. Macon Edwards III. “Once [the law] gets there, somebody’s going to start complaining.”

Edwards added that there had already been one complaint about the chickens and that he would vote against any proposed expansion of the poultry ordinance.

Councilwoman Patty Flemming said that the people she had talked to had been ambivalent toward their neighbors having chickens or not, and suggested a probation period to try allowing chickens in smaller, residential areas, should the council approve expansion.

Following the debate on the chickens, the council voted unanimously to approve the Windsor Police Department’s purchase of a new propane-powered generator from Southern States to replace its current diesel backup. The new generator will include the lease of a 500-gallon propane tank and is rated as capable of powering the Windsor Police’s entire command center for approximately 4 1/2 days should the department lose power.

Next, the council made changes to the Windsor Town Code sections 110, 119 and 123.

• Section 110 was amended so that the Windsor police chief could be appointed by the town manager rather than the council.

• Section 119 was amended to allow the town manager to designate another person to give notice on the availability of sewers.

• Section 123 was amended to allow residents to keep a second, non-municipal trash can that they would take themselves to the dump, and to change the time of municipal trash pickup to 6 a.m. following reports that trucks were sometimes showing up much earlier than the previous stipulated time of 7:30 a.m.

Windsor Town Manager Michael Stallings reported that construction of sidewalks on Church Street has stalled due to an issue with the Virginia Department of Transportation. However, plans for the new public works building have resumed following site approval from Isle of Wight County.

Building plans are being developed and will need to be evaluated for storm water. The Town’s contractor estimates construction will take approximately six months.

The council concluded by designating October as “Community Planning Month” within the town limits in accordance with the time already being designated as National Planning Month and Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s recent proclamation of Community Planning Month throughout Virginia.