I am having a huge trouble with my town, hope someone could help....

We have 9.6 acres in the city limits of a small (pop 867)town. Our property is zoned Agricultural. We put our horses in our front yard behind a hot wire to eat grass. Why pay for hay when we have to mow our big front yard.

Well one of the city council members is harassing me. He has went to our neighbors trying to get them to sign complaints about our horses in the front yard. We are breaking no ordiances that I know of.......

What can I do? One of the neighbors who he tried to get to file a complaint went to the Mayor to find out why the cops came out. The mayor told him that we have been warned and if we put the horses in the front yard we would be ticketed. I went around to all the neighbors and not one has a problem with it.

Who can I contact? How can I stop this harassment?

Ask for a copy of the City ordinance. You have a right to see what ordinance you are breaking. Find out what your state laws say about Agriculture zoned land. I know Texas has a law in their agriculture codes that protects family farms from ordinances that are passed if the farm was established 1 year prior to the ordinance. Maybe your state has the same. You can call the department of Agriculture in your state and they might help you or point you to some help. You also are suppose to have a legal library at your county seat/courthouse. You might go and read some of your agriculture laws there. Your state constitution might also have something about agriculture in it so make sure you check it out. Your state senators can also tell you what authority your city govenment has over you. For example if you have a junk car ordinance, the city will not tell you that you are exempt from the ordinance if you cover the car with a tarp or hide it behind shrubs, where as the state will tell you.

Sounds to me like you got a bully and a back up buddy mayor. It sounds like they are making up the laws as they go. Get a paper trail going and make sure you write down everything your neighbors told you about them soliciting complaints against you. If they are good neighbors, ask them to write it down.

Good luck.

I would rather walk in the dark with God, than go alone in the light.

How has your horse/council members problem come out for you? I have been watching with interest and not seen any more about it.

Toni


http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

We have been gone every weekend since and have not put them back out in the front yard.........But bet your last dollar I will. I am so pissed that I cannot get any help from anyone. I have contacted the Missorui Equine Council, Missouri Farm Bureau and USDA. Not one has given me any advice that was more than "you should go talk to them" Heck I am wasting ym time thinking that farmer associations would help.

I will put them back out in the yard next weekend if I don't go camping and trail riding. This is the real thing we do it maybe 3-4 times a YEAR.........it is not like this is a every weekend deal.

Well we will see soon. I have a friend that is a judge. If they ticket me I am going to take the court route instead of paying. Then if I lose, not sure how I can, I will appeal it. I can tie this up in court for a while! The appeal judge is a friend of mine, they don't know that.....

Good for you!!!!! I'm glad you are sticking to your guns. 9+ acres, zoned agricultural, if I remember right in your first post. I don't see how you can lose if there is no ordinance saying that you can't have livestock in your yard.

Toni


http://www.petakillsanimals.com/

If they screw with me to much I will put barb wire around my front yard leaving a small path to the front door.........

I just realized the MAYOR has a pasture in his front yard that he cuts hay off of. Well he is not mowing his "front yard" and that is a violation of an ordinace. I bet he is going to say he mows the yard part and the rest is pasture. Well if I fence off my front yard and leave a path to mow then what can he say????

LOLOLOL, Give 'em Hell Girl!!!!

Anyway, what difference could it possibly make from a legal stand point, if horses are allowed anyway, if they are in the front yard, or the pasture/backyard???? I mean, after all, if you don't mind stepping around road apples on your way into the house, why should it be anybody else's business???

The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear
arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in
government."

My thought too. Does the apples smell any less if they are in the pasture, 2 feet away? I understand the fact they could get out, but they could from a barb wire fence too. If you have seen mine, the horses could step over in spots if they wanted to. My horses are not going to leave, heck they have it better than I do.....

I am sure a judge would laugh them out of court.........I am sure we will find out because that is where this is going.

You wanna really scare this fathead? Go......dare i say it?..........to Planning and Building. Everything is public record, and if you are nice, and say please and thank you, they will bend over backwards to help you. Not to mention that if you go to COUNTY P&B, they usually have friction with the city anyway, and will be delighted to get their digs in. Perfectly legal, too, this is all a matter of public record. Get the specs on the complainer, the text of what protects you, and confront the wretch. Next stop.......local paper.

If it was me the very 1st thing I would do is get a copy of your city ordininces as well as any meetings pertaining to the so called complaints about you or your property. Which if you request them in writing (certified mail) they have 48 hours to provide you with a copy of them at a reasonable cost (24 cents per page in MO). Then I would request in writing to speak at you next city council meeting and let them know your not violating any of their laws and you intend to bring a law suit against them for harrasment & discrimination. I also have fought our city over not just our Dog Kennel but our horses too. Don't take any crap #1. And let them know you will Call the Attorney general of your state if they even think about not providing you copies of the ordinences. "The Sunshine Law" is a federal law. I also would not wait too long and give them time to change the ordinences without you knowing what the originals were. I happen to grandfather in in our town so they can't mess with me but it wasn't because they didn't try. My ideal is FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT its your property and you have the right to do whatever your ordinences allow! Not what some snobby neighbors or city council members think you should be able to do.

Blessings,Julie
http://www.additudeskennel.com/
"When and Where Jesus is Put First Everything Else Will Follow!"

Do you have an ombudsman....
not to mention a local t.v. station?

"Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough, and morality enough, to cut off the chain of hate." MLK

>Do you have an ombudsman....
>not to mention a local t.v. station?


What is an ombudsman???

Yes local tv will be my first stop

any updates?