Should Raytown allow miniature goats? Residents asked for input on city amendment
Horses, chickens and potbellied pigs are among the animals that homeowners are permitted to keep within Raytown city limits — and one more animal might soon be added to that list.
Residents are being asked for their opinion on whether miniature goats should be allowed too.
Currently, the city’s ordinance doesn’t allow the goats. Last month, however, the city’s Board of Alderman in a 6-3 vote approved a motion directing city staff to prepare changes to the city’s municipal code allowing homeowners raise miniature goats.
The city is now seeking comments on a draft outline of amendments which will be presented to the city’s Planning & Zoning Commission meeting at 7 p.m. July 7 at Raytown City Hall, 10000 E. 59th St.
Public comments can be submitted the following ways:
- By sending an email to Chris Gilbert, chrisg@raytown.mo.us and including “miniature goats” in the subject line;
- By mailing the Raytown Planning & Zoning Commission, Attn: Chris Gilbert, 10000 E. 59th St., Raytown, MO 64133, or
- Submitting written comments in person to the administration office at Raytown’s City Hall during regular hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
People can also comment during the planning commission’s public meeting.
Greg Walters, who represents Ward 1 on Raytown’s Board of Aldermen, said he proposed the change last month after Nathan and Rachel Bergen addressed city leaders in April.
For Walters, who grew up in Raytown, he felt this was something the city should embrace. After all, the city has a lot of older homes that were built on large tracts of land. Raytown attracts people who want more of a rural lifestyle in the city.
“I really don’t understand why we aren’t already doing this,” said Walters, who added that other cities in the metro allow people to keep the animals and it would be a way to attract people to the city.
For the past two years, the Bergens have been looking into how to raise miniature goats. Their talks became increasingly more serious over the past year as they researched what it may take and how to do it.
“My wife and I love the idea of homesteading and we have some chickens and have planted some fruit trees in the garden and we enjoy the animals a lot,” Nathan Bergen said in a phone interview Friday. “We just want to have goats for the enjoyment as pets and also, hopefully, for milk to make cheese.”
The couple was somewhat surprised that the goats weren’t already allowed, though they knew that laws varied from city to city.
“When we first moved into the neighborhood, we were attracted to it because of the large property space,” Bergen said. “It’s right on the edge of town where there is more kind of agricultural land.”
They had been looking for an area that backed up to woods and had a lot of space for a garden and trees as well as animals like chickens. Having goats at some point was something they had on their minds.
“It was part of the big picture idea of growing our own food and having a place with more space to have some animals,” he said.
They have since become more interested in raising goats, which spurred them to try to make it possible.
He said the changes to the ordinance are comprehensive. While there are a few revisions he would recommend, overall he’s thankful that the city would work to carefully craft the amendments.
Under the proposed amendments, homeowners would have to have enough space for the goats to roam. The proposed ordinance allows two goats per acre, up to a maximum of four goats. The goats cannot exceed 29 inches in height measured at the shoulder of the animal and all goats over seven months old must be neutered. There are other requirements, including those that address fencing and permitted breeds.
“There’s been a lot of people taking time to listen to us and worth with us on this,” Bergen said. “I’ve been really thankful for that. It has not hit a dead end or just the wall of nobody willing to listen or talk about it. So that’s been great.”
Based on the comments it receives, the planning commission will make a recommendation to the board of aldermen on whether to allow miniature goats. The measure could go before the board for a vote as early as mid-July or early August, Walters said.
This story was originally published June 24, 2022 at 3:46 PM.
