Unity residents were told to wait Thursday when they tried to give the township supervisors their two cents on a local debate about backyard chicken regulations.

On the advice of Solicitor Gary Falatovich, the supervisors declined to take comments about chickens at their regular monthly meeting. They deferred discussion on the topic until they can find a venue large enough to accommodate the many who flocked to the 4:30 p.m. session.

Because of covid-19 social distancing guidelines, the audience in the supervisors’ meeting room was held to 12 people. But dozens more were waiting outside the township office building, intending to take part in public comments about township restrictions on raising chickens.

“We all had a lot to say,” said Mary Raneri, a Unity resident who attended with her husband, Phil — both among those left waiting outside.

She said she would have preferred it if the supervisors had moved at least a portion of the meeting outside in order to hear what residents had to say.

“It’s up to them to have provisions in place for their citizens,” she said.

Falatovich did go outside to address the crowd, and then told supervisors it wouldn’t be fair to have citizens take turns coming in to the building to air their concerns because they would “not be able to hear what everybody was saying.”

“We want to be fair to everybody,” supervisors Chairman John Mylant said.

“I want to be sure that everybody gets their due process,” said Supervisor Mike O’Barto.

At the focal point of the township debate about chickens is the family of Kristin and Jeff Kuhns, who recently received a notice that the 20 chickens they keep in three backyard coops in the Lawson Heights neighborhood violate Unity’s zoning ordinance. They live on less than an acre, but the ordinance requires at least 2 acres for raising chickens, which are considered livestock.

The family has filed an appeal with the township’s zoning hearing board, which is scheduled to hear their case Tuesday, Aug. 25. Their other options were to get rid of their birds or face a daily fine of $300.

The Kuhnses began a Change.org petition advocating for a change in township regulations, to allow chickens to be considered pets and to be raised in a residential backyard as a hobby. As of Thursday evening, it had gathered more than 1,000 supporters.

A rival petition on the online platform opposes chickens in Unity’s residential areas and had about 40 signatures on Thursday.

“The supervisors are aware of this issue and that there are people with comments on both sides,” Falatovich said. He expressed hope that an informational meeting about chicken concerns would be scheduled before the end of the month.

But he noted, even if supervisors decide to make a related change to the ordinance, it won’t be a quick resolution of the debate. Any such revision must be reviewed by Westmoreland County and township planners and be the subject of a public hearing before the supervisors could adopt it.

Jeff Kuhns said he’s encouraged that the supervisors are taking the issue seriously and planning a special meeting. But he objected that he’d not been given a specific spot for his presentation on the meeting agenda, which he said he’d requested.

Kristin Kuhns pointed out that some of those denied their say “left early from work. It’s not really fair to tell them to come back.”

Mary Raneri, among those who enjoy surplus eggs from the Kuhns’ chickens, said her husband left his business early to attend Thursday’s meeting. She said they intend to return and speak in support of the Kuhns’ cause at the special meeting. She argued that the supervisors should hold their regular meetings in the evening, so that more people can attend.

Kristin Kuhns asked that the township hold off on enforcement of chicken violations until the supervisors have come to a decision on the issue.

Falatovich said he won’t advise the supervisors to take that position because the township might encounter an egregious case that required prompt action.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to ask the supervisors to tie their hands in a blanket fashion,” he said.

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