Lehigh council briefed on residents’ plan to raise alpacas

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN LAURA CAMPBELL
The Lehigh City Council opened it’s June 13 meeting with a brief lesson on alpacas, in preparation to discuss measures to be taken regarding the presence of the animals within city limits.

Harry and Carol Dies, owners of four alpacas at their property on the southern edge of town, were present at the meeting to defend themselves against a city ordinance prohibiting more than two livestock animals per acre of land within city limits.

At Mayor Monty Root’s invitation, Jodie Stickney of Smoky Valley Alpacas in Lindsborg gave a 30-minute presentation informing the council on the nature of the alpaca before they opened discussion of the ordinance.

A distant cousin and smaller version of the llama, the alpaca was first imported from the Andes Mountains of South America 25 years ago to breed for their soft fleece, Stickney said.

The disease-resistant alpaca emits no odor and sheds no hair, she said. Its two-nailed foot is covered with a soft, spongy pad on the bottom, making it an environmentally friendly animal that is easy on grass and terrain.

“They are impeccably clean animals,” she said. “That’s just the reality of the alpaca.”

And rather than the bellow, bleat or bark of other livestock and domestic animals, the alpaca makes only a quiet humming noise, Stickney said.

In response to Root asking if the alpaca is a companion animal, Stickney said that while the alpaca is as charming and friendly as any pet-not to mention cleaner and quieter-it is better for the animal to be raised in pairs or groups that can feed together on pasture rather than alone as other pets are.

But other city ordinances still have categorized them as pets rather than livestock, she said.

“There’s a sub-division (in Beverly Hills) that actually passed an ordinance that the only animals you can have there are a dog, a cat, a leopard and an alpaca,” she said. “This is the attractiveness of the animal.

“Alpacas are as close to a perfect animal as you can find on earth,” she said.

Stickney emphasized that while alpacas are bred for an agricultural end-product, they are not like other livestock whose presence should be limited in city limits because of their smell and noise.

After much discussion amongst themselves and with guests, the council members agreed that they personally had no problem with alpacas and would like to find a way to allow the Dies’ to keep them within city limits.

But they also agreed they would have to amend the ordinance limiting livestock in city limits, either by making an exception for alpacas in the definition of livestock or by establishing a regulatory permit system, which Root recommended as a way to “move with the times.”

The councilors expressed concern that altering the definition of livestock for the sake of alpacas would “open a can of worms.”

“We’ve fought this battle with other animals before,” said councilor Mike Geiman.

But they agreed that alpacas were a special case because so few individuals can afford to purchase the expensive animals, especially in groups of two or more for the purposes of breeding.

Root instructed city clerk Rose Funk to bring examples of other cities’ ordinances on this matter to the next council meeting, which would have time set aside for an open forum on the alpacas and amendment of the ordinance.

Root told Dies and the other guests that it seemed likely a solution could be found to allow the alpacas to stay in town.

“At this point, alpacas are cool in Lehigh,” he said.

In other business, the council:

— heard guest Sharon George request work on the drainage ditches by her house to reduce the standing water and subsequent mosquitoes in the area.

Councilor Fred Sheridan said they likely would have to adjust the culverts down to get rid of the excess water.

— passed a motion to accept a bid of $600 from Dutton Tree Service of Peabody to cut and haul the diseased tree next to the city building. Sheridan also will get a bid from Dutton for stump-grinding.

— heard Root say that he has been having a “supreme challenge” coordinating a meeting with the city’s lawyer and nuisance ordinance officer Martin Rhodes to proceed with court action against the property owner at 210 S. Vernon in violation of the city nuisance ordinance. Root apologized to the council that action had not yet been taken and said he would be sure to make progress before next month’s meeting.

— heard councilor Eldon Kaiser say he would contact Ritchie Paving Inc. of Wichita for suggestions on the level of maintenance needed for Main Street, whether a chip-and-seal or a full overlay. He said he would then get a bid from them for the work recommended.

Kaiser had presented a bid for $42,957 from Omni Group for a 2-inch cap and aprons for the city building and post office. Root said such a large-capital outlay was not in the city budget for this year, but that some treatment was needed to at least maintain the condition of the street. Kaiser said the street could “get by” on a seal for at least another year, but that it was starting feather and crack in places.

Councilor Mike Geiman reminded the council that with the price of oil, the numbers for any treatment would not be getting any lower over the next few years, so it would be smarter to take action sooner rather than later. The council also discussed the option of spending that money on repairing culverts and ditches instead of overlaying the street.

— heard Geiman say that for the next meeting he would contact representatives from Midwest Assistance Program of Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which would offer free guidance as the city designs new water and sewer systems.

Root said the council may need to call a special meeting to discuss both this and the alpaca issue.

— heard Root say that he met with representatives from Kansas Department of Commerce and the South Central Kansas Development District about obtaining grants for improving the city’s water and sewer systems and incentive programs for bringing new businesses to town. He said he plans to bring some of these representatives to future council meetings to discuss the city’s options.

“I’m trying to bring outside sources to the council,” Root said.

— heard Sheridan say he would install the new siren controller this weekend. He added that it would be more cost-effective to have the siren moved over to a new pole by the city building instead of leaving the siren where it is and having only the new controller installed in the city building.

— authorized Louie Coyle of the fire department to purchase a new light bar for $526 from Weis Fire and Safety Equipment for the fire truck, and to accept for free from the Hillsboro fire department another light bar worth about $250.

Coyle also will research the cost of a new alternator for the truck. The sirens are too much of drain on the current alternator, cutting down the lights whenever the siren is turned on, said Sheridan.

The new equipment is to be purchased in preparation for an upcoming International Standard for Organization inspection.

— approved closing a block of Main Street on Saturday, July 2, for a Fourth of July fireworks celebration.

— authorized Funk to purchase a multi-function machine that would print, fax, scan and copy rather than just a new copy machine for the city office.

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