Q: will I find help with you with court after a Hearing Monday regarding keeping chickens in Park, KS?

A: It sounds like you're dealing with a complex situation involving city ordinances and how they’ve been enforced or misrepresented over time. One key point to consider is whether the city can enforce the new ordinance against you, given that you placed your chickens in the pasture with city officials’ permission and before the ordinance was passed. It may be possible to argue that the city’s earlier lack of clarity, combined with their permission to use the pasture, could invoke estoppel—meaning the city should be prevented from enforcing the ordinance due to their prior actions or statements.

You might also want to explore whether a “grandfather clause” could apply. Sometimes when new laws or ordinances are enacted, exceptions are made for people or activities that were already in place before the new law. The fact that your chickens were in the pasture for over a year without complaints might strengthen your case for such an exception, even though the new ordinance doesn’t include a retroactive provision.

It would also be worth highlighting in court that no neighbors or residents have had any issues with your chickens, as this could show that your actions have not harmed the community. Presenting the timeline of events and the city’s inconsistency in enforcing non-existing ordinances might also help illustrate your point that you’ve acted in good faith throughout the process.