Grandfathered Livestock? Cash Cow Alpacas? Where? Oregon, of course

I enjoyed this Oregonian story, not just because there are law library users amongst the parties, or because it takes place in this very interesting and creative place named Hillsboro, Oregon, but most of all because it is very funny. Don’t we all love the book or the movie where the little guy manages to win, despite the odds, through sheer stubbornness and persistence, not to mention smarts?

In this instance, it seems there were quite a few winners, and quite a few laughs – and even a peacock, about which I too know a little.

“Livestock in the city? Hillsboro crafts a creative compromise,” by Casey Parks, The Oregonian
November 16, 2009

‘Jim Lubischer’s livestock wish list, in meticulous Latin, could rival Noah’s.

He wants homing pigeons and falcons, llamas and alpacas. He wants every type of leporid (rabbit). And that’s on top of the 19 chickens and “two and a half” horses (one is a miniature) he keeps on his six-acre property in unincorporated Washington County.

The list is the result of a creative compromise between the city of Hillsboro and owners of “island” properties — patches of unincorporated land inside city limits….
…
The issue arose last year after city officials decided that bringing island properties into the city would streamline services and save money. But the property owners resisted….
…
The city wants to keep its agricultural heritage, city spokeswoman Barbara Simon said, so the council offered to let owners grandfather in their animals. Current city code doesn’t allow livestock.

But owners weren’t satisfied….
…
So city leaders decided that owners who agree to be annexed and who list their animals on an application can grandfather in current — and future — livestock….
…
He acknowledged that he may never want some of the animals on his list. “But I can’t predict the future. Maybe alpacas will be the next cash cows.”

As for those who don’t agree to the deal, they’ll be forcibly annexed in three years — and the new livestock rules won’t apply. The council plans to discuss updating the livestock rules for existing property owners early next year, however.

So far, city officials are nervous only about two requests to grandfather in peacocks, said city urban planner Ruth Klein, who noted that the newly annexed landowners will have to abide by city nuisance laws. The females — peahens — can sound like a woman being strangled, Klein said.

Even Lubischer didn’t list a peacock. “Oh, no,” he said. “They are just terrible.”’ (link to full article)