Which came first — the chicken or the egg?

Well, before either of those, according to the Washington City Council, there needs to be an ordinance revision and code amendment for either to exist within the city limits.

Part of the city council meeting Tuesday included a proposal from a Washington resident who lives on Colt Drive, who wants residents within city limits to be able to raise between four and six chickens for “egg-laying purposes only.” 

The coop would be no closer than 25 feet from the neighbor’s closest dwelling; no roosters would be allowed.

The resident said it would be a similar ordinance to the one East Peoria officials have been discussing for more than a year.

“Right now, you can only have chickens in an (agriculture) district,” said Washington Planning and Development Director Jon Oliphant. “It specifically says for any of our residential districts that no poultry is allowed ... essentially the raising of any farm animals is not allowed, short of ... what we’d consider farm crops.”

City Administrator Bob Morris said for anything such as this to happen, it would take an ordinance revision and a code amendment.

While there was not much discussion from the city council on the issue, a few aldermen did comment.

“It’s not a like or dislike of chickens or eggs, but it’s having chickens or livestock in the city limits to have potential to draw predators like coyotes — and that would be a concern to residential areas,” said Alderman Bob Brucks. “Even if they’re in a hen house, the smell carries.”

Mayor Gary Manier said the ordinance as it is written now is “right spot on today,” but he said he would have the Planning Commission discuss the issue as a non-voting item at the Feb. 1 meeting.

“I think it’s something that at least warrants some looking into,” said Alderman Ken Newman.

Donelle Whiting and Jodi Adams from Created Just By Me do-it-yourself art studio on the Square also addressed the council wanting to have the liquor ordinance amended to include what they consider a “BYOB establishment.”

“We have people who come in for a date night or ladies night and would like to bring snacks and something to drink. We don’t provide it, we don’t serve it, we don’t touch it ... they bring it in, sip a little wine, paint their pottery and have a good time,” Whiting said. 

“The problem is that we were blissfully ignorant that we weren’t allowed to do this until this was pointed out to us by another business on the Square. We’d like to be able to tell people that it’s OK to bring something with them to drink.”

Whiting said she was afraid by not allowing patrons to bring in their own alcohol, they were losing business to a similar studio in Peoria Heights that currently does allow it.

“We don’t want ... people from our side of the rive to go across the river,” she said. “We want to build up the Square and bring people in. If we have to tell them no, they’re just going to go somewhere else.”

Manier and Alderman Jim Gee both said they thought the idea was a good one.

“I think the concept is great and maybe we can look at Peoria Heights and see how they allow it,” he said. “I know there are ways to write ordinances such as that. I don’t see a real hang-up here ... to see how we can get it to fit.”

“I think it would enhance our Square and help bring people in,” Gee said. “I think we need to look into it and maybe it needs to go through the Public Safety Committee.”

In other items, the council:

• Approved the resolution to execute two cash rent farm leases with Northtown Farms Inc., formerly Glen-Aire Farms Inc., for the Blumenshine and Tarvin farms for the 2012 growing season.

The agreements provided lease payments to the city in the amount of $31,000 and $10,491.80 for Blumenshine and Tarvin farms respectively.

Richard Russo was appointed Washington’s new city attorney Dec. 19 by the City Council, taking the post held at different times by a father and son a combined 65 years.

Russo replaces Kenneth L. Black, who resigned Oct. 31 after holding the job since 1977. Black’s father, Kenneth W. Black, was city attorney from 1938 to 1977, except for a stretch from 1952 to 1960, when Mel Moehle held the job.

Even though construction along Illinois Route 8 and Summit Drive in Sunnyland just wrapped up for the extension of Summit Drive, the next phase of construction on a stretch of road from Summit to Legion Road will soon begin.

At the Washington City Council meeting Dec. 5, the council voted to adopt the city’s estimated financial obligation to the Illinois Department of Transportation for $337,525 and appropriate said funds to meet its associated financial obligations for the project.

The Washington City Council moved quickly with a short agenda at its Nov. 21 meeting at Five Points.

After little discussion, the council approved a 2011 property tax levy increase of 3.87 percent.

For an upcoming winter, the “Farmers’ Almanac” is forecasting as “clime and punishment,” the City of Washington has begun its preparation for a winter that some forecasters are predicting could be worse than last year.

Residents of Washington may soon have a choice from whom they receive their electrical energy.

At a special city council meeting Oct. 10, the council unanimously approved entering into an agreement with Good Energy L.P. for consulting services regarding the municipal electric aggregation.

The Eastern Bypass Study meeting Thursday night brought out several hundred citizens from all over central Illinois as it was the only meeting the Illinois Department of Transportation had scheduled to show communities which six corridors were suggested to keep and which eight to drop.

There are a lot of opinions out there about whether or not this will help Washington or become yet another lengthy construction project that will hinder more than help.

In addition to the hiring of former city administrator Bob Morris in the same position in the interim, here are some other notes from the Sept. 6 city council meeting.

You can read the story about Morris' return by clicking here.

In other items, the council:

• Recognized Detective Jeff Stevens and Detective Lyle Baele of the Washington Police Department for their work with the Cyber Crimes Task Force in 2007.

After spending the last month without an official city administrator following the sudden resignation of the recently hired Richard Downey effective Aug. 15, the City of Washington has found a replacement — for the time being.

The former Washington City Administrator Bob Morris — who was city administrator for nine years in Washington and retired from his post June 22 — will step into the position part time for about 20 hours a week until March 12, 2012, and continue on a month-to-month basis. Both parties have the option to terminate the contract with at least 30 days notice.

According to the press packets for the City of Washington City Council meeting for Sept. 6, the city is prepared to enter into an agreement with recently retired City Administrator Bob Morris in the interim.

Washington has been operating without a city administrator after Richard Downey unexpectedly resigned from the position effective Aug. 15.

The employment contract with Morris will be effective Sept. 12 and continue through March 12, 2012 and on a month-to-month basis thereafter, unless terminated by either party with 30 days notice.

Morris will be paid an hourly rate of $50 per hour and receive group medical coverage until April 30, 2012, and one month of city-paid group medical insurance benefits beyond that date for every 70 hours of work.

More information including quotes from Morris and Mayor Gary Manier will be available following the city council meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the library meeting room at Five Points.

Despite the hundreds of cities she has visited since speaking at Five Points Washington in April 2010, Sarah Palin didn’t forget about Washington Mayor Gary Manier and his open invitation to come back to his neck of the woods anytime she wanted to.

After visiting the Iowa State Fair as part of her One Nation tour Aug. 12, Palin stopped at President Ronald Reagan’s boyhood home in Dixon the next day before arriving at Eureka College later that Saturday afternoon.

After the sudden resignation of the newly hired Washington City Administrator Richard Downey on Aug. 15, residents are left with plenty of unanswered questions regarding his departure.

In documents received via a Freedom of Information Act request, the Washington Times-Reporter has learned the city has until Sept. 1 to pay Downey, in one lump-sum, the amount of seven months severance pay of $58,333.

Citing "pressing personal and family matters," newly hired Washington City Administrator Richard Downey has turned in his resignation. The City Council unanimously approved the resignation at its Aug. 15 meeting.

Downey, who took over following the retirement of Bob Morris, spent no more than 45 days on the job.

He recently moved his wife and two children, ages 3 and 6, to Washington well ahead of the December deadline.

Mike Fiedler and his neighbor, Jim Higgings, showed up to question the high-speed traffic that has come through their neighborhood. Ralph Hasten attended to just get information on the construction.

Regardless of their reasons for attending, dozens of East Peoria and Washington residents attended the informational meeting about the Centennial Drive improvements July 21 at Grange Hall in Washington.

Even though they weren't on the agenda for the city council meeting, construction project updates garnered most of the attention during the short-lived meeting Monday night in the library meeting room at Five Points.

City Engineer Ken Newman gave updates on Dallas and Summit Road projects. 

State Treasurer Dan Rutherford is working to reunite residents of the state with unclaimed property and money which many did not know to which they were entitled.

Rutherford stopped by Five Points Washington July 13 to promote Cash Dash, a program that finds unclaimed assets from sources including forgotten bank accounts, safe deposit boxes, stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and un-cashed checks and wages.

It was a packed house at the Washington City Council meeting Monday night as many local officials came to pay their respects to the retiring City Administrator Bob Morris before the council moved onto the approval of a sewage tax increase, an amendment on a signs and billboard ordinance and the entering into an agreement with Sunnyland Plaza LLC.

Sherril West from the Washington Area Community Center, Dr. James Dunnan from Washington Community High School, Doug Damery and Jim Bremner from the Washington Park District and Pam Tomka from the Washington District Library all spoke of their working relationships with Morris and how much he will be missed when he retires Thursday.

Commercial development in Washington, similar to its population, is possibly on the rise.

According to City Administrator Bob Morris, the city is “increasingly getting inquiries about commercial site options.”

The Washington City Council made quick work of some house cleaning issues before moving onto updates of current city projects like those at the police station and Dallas Road.

The council voted Monday night to retain the number of city wards at four and keep the number of aldermen at eight. 

The Washington City Council covered a lot of ground in its short meeting Monday night at Five Points.

The city unanimously approved the partial closure of the Washington Square for the “Taste of Washington” event to be held from 6-9 p.m. July 19.