CR-CLUC breaks through; Corbett says he's got votes for backyard chickens

CEDAR RAPIDS - Yellow T-shirted advocates for backyard chickens have been pecking away at the City Council for six months, asking for a chance at a trial to raise chickens in 50 backyards in the city.

Last night, Cedar Rapids Citizens for the Legalization of Urban Chickens – CR-CLUC – asked again, and this time the organization hit pay dirt.

At a break in last night's council meeting, Mayor Ron Corbett reported that he now has a majority of council members who now support a one-year trial for backyard chickens.

Corbett said council members Justin Shields and Chuck Swore leaned over to him during the CR-CLUC presentation last night and said they backed a chicken trial.

Corbett said he and council members Monica Vernon and Pat Shey also support the trial, and council member Kris Gulick may.

“A one-year trial,” Shields emphasized during the council break.

Swore said it was time to move on the idea and see how it works.

Corbett said the council likely would take up the matter at next week's council meeting.

Earlier in the day Tuesday, Rebecca Mumaw, co-founder of CR-CLUC, figured she had four of the nine council votes, and only hoped last night to find out why the council hadn't at least taken the matter up for discussion.

“There's been no public outcry against it, and if there is a growing number of people that want it, then why not give it a try,” she said.

Nonetheless, she and a contingent of other CR-CLUC members left the council meeting after the opening public comment period without a clue that Swore and Shields had changed their sentiment about the chicken experiment.

“That's absolutely fantastic,” Mumaw said last night after learning of Corbett's announcement. “I'm thrilled to death.”

She imagined the city would set up an application process that would select households in a trial on a first-come basis.