Plan Commission votes to amend Village chicken and duck ordinance

The Village of Cross Plains Plan Commission on March 2 held a public hearing and voted to amend section 21.11 of the village’s chickens and ducks ordinance, replacing a fixed limit on birds with standards that emphasize coop size and setbacks.

A resident, Erin Fassler, told the commission she supports the change because it lets households maintain a productive flock rather than culling all birds when a few die. “I just, like to, you know, state that I I think this is a a good idea,” Fassler said, adding that replacing individual birds helps keep flocks going.

Staff summarized prior outreach and the redlined packet materials. A staff member said resident Hallie Mulford requested the update in October 2025, had presented at prior meetings and gathered about 50 signatures backing the proposal; staff noted the packet included Hallie’s redlines and additional staff edits. Staff also said one of the options discussed was a coop enclosure metric — “up to a 100 square foot enclosure” — to replace an arbitrary bird cap.

After the hearing a commissioner moved to amend section 21.11 to reflect the proposed changes; the motion was seconded and the commission voted in favor. The transcript records the procedural call for ayes and the chair’s closing remark but does not provide a numerical roll‑call tally. The record does not specify subsequent procedural steps or the village board’s role for final adoption in this case.

Commission discussion, as reflected in staff notes, focused on drafting the ordinance to measure impacts by enclosure size and setbacks rather than a simple bird count, and on ensuring redline and staff edits were reconciled. The commission approved the motion to amend; the transcript does not list vote counts or specify whether the commission’s action constituted final adoption or a recommendation to the village board.

The commission moved on to the next agenda item after taking the vote.