Basalt resident Jen Riffle’s eight chickens got clucky last night when they won a reprieve from getting kicked out of town, but it might be temporary if they cause a stir.
The Basalt Town Council decided in a split decision to let Riffle keep her hens even though she constructed a coop in the backyard of her home despite being told not to by the town code enforcement officer. Riffle lives on Sopris Drive, one of the main residential areas of “Old Town” Basalt.
The council decided 3-2 in a work session to let Riffle keep the hens for one year, then the board will review a fowl policy. If there are any complaints from Riffle’s neighbors or any cases of predators causing a problem in the neighborhood specifically because of the chickens, she will have to get rid of them.
“You get one or two strikes, then it’s bye-bye chickens,” Councilman Pete McBride said.
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