To Bee or not to Bee: Hancock City Council deliberates rules on bees and bee hives in city ordinance
To bee or not to bee was the question facing the Hancock City Council at their meeting on July 8. The council was asked to amend an ordinance regulating livestock in the community which also includes bees and bee hives.
City resident Irene Anderson asked the council to amend the ordinance as she stated that bees are not livestock. Anderson has several large gardens in the community and she sells the produce at the Farmer’s Market. She stated that the bees are extremely beneficial to her gardens as they pollinate the plants. The pollination encourages additional produce.
Anderson added that there are many cities in the state that allow bees as they can see the need for them for crops and gardens. She does not harvest the honey from hives and the bees go dormant in the winter. The hives themselves are fenced in but the bees can go as they need to go.
Mike Mogler and Dixie Bensley are neighbors of Anderson and were present to protest the bees. They stated that there are people who are allergic to bees and they knew of several on the block who carry Epi pens in case they are stung by a bee or other stinging insect. They said that people raising bees need a permit and must follow many other state regulations.
Mayor Bruce Malo stated that he is aware of the benefits of bees but also noted that by revising the ordinance for bees, there may be others asking to have things like chickens, pigs, horses and goats in town. He did not want to open up the city to these types of requests.
“I agree with Irene about the benefit of bees,” Malo stated, “but someday others may want other animals and this change may affect those decisions.”
At this time, the city will still regulate bees and the council gave Anderson 30 days to get rid of the hives on her property.
City Clerk Jodi Bedel reported that despite the weather, the July 4th celebration went well. Every scheduled event was held, some of them the next day. She wanted to thank the community for their participation and showing up to enjoy the event.
Bedel also stated that the Community Center/Fire Hall was open to the public for the Fourth of July events. The fire department held their annual pancake breakfast and served 560 people. Now the work will concentrate on some of the finishings and last minute items. When these are done there will be a walk through to compile a list of items that are seen to still need to be done.
Bedel asked if any of the council members had gone by at night as the new lighting makes the building look “very sharp” at night.
Fire Chief Justin Flaten reported that the department has been very busy with calls and the Fourth of July. They have had some calls and a weather spotter request. They also helped the Morris Fire Department with a shed fire and the Starbuck Fire Department with the Starbuck Locker Plant fire. The department has been working to get things in place in the new space. They have installed lockers and other equipment. Flaten thanked the men who have been moving the trucks every day during the construction. The trucks are still housed in the old portion until the cement is set enough to drive on.
Maintenance Director Jeff Flaten reported on the work he did before the Fourth to get the town looking good. He is still waiting on the skid loader and Bargen was in town to do some work.
Brady Koehl was sworn into office prior to the meeting to fill an empty seat on the council. The seat was vacated when Jeff Flaten accepted the Maintenance Director position.
Bedel reported that there will be a notice in the paper about the upcoming elections. Up for reelection will be the Mayor and three council seats. Two of the council seats are for four year terms and one seat is for a two year term. The filing period will run from July 30 – August 13. Candidates will need to indicate if they want to run for the four year term or two year term when filing. The three council members whose terms will be up are Bob Staples, Annette Kratz, and Brady Koehl.
