CENTRAL MAINE • March 23, 2026
Leo St. Peter says the city’s rules for keeping chickens are too restrictive and voters should be able to decide whether to loosen them. He’s trying to collect enough petition signatures from residents to put the matter to a referendum. “I’m bringing 20 dozen eggs with me every time I go out,” he said. “Everybody who signs the petition will get a free egg.” St. Peter, 57, acknowledged he was speaking tongue-in-cheek about giving away eggs while collecting signatures (he knows doing so could be illegal), but he is trying to make a point. The City Council took an initial vote Tuesday to maintain the city’s required lot size for keeping six chickens at 8,000 square feet, which is about a fifth of an acre. St. Peter had asked it to be reduced to 5,000 square feet, or a little more than a tenth of an acre. Councilors must take a second vote to finalize the matter.