Rooster law passes in village of Owego; Special meeting set for OPD LETECH Grant

By JoAnn R. Walter
Writer

OWEGO — At the Aug. 17 meeting of the Village of Owego Board, a Public Hearing was held regarding their proposed law to prohibit the keeping of roosters.

More than 30 Village residents and other individuals filled every open board room seat, and even more had joined in online. A majority of attendees showed support for the keeping of roosters and chickens in the village, and opposed the proposed new law. One resident
expressed that they were once supportive, however have since heard two noisy roosters and stated it is unfair to homeowners.

Fifty year village resident, John Spencer, posed to the board and audience to think about all of the other noises heard in the village on a regular basis, such as train whistles, the street sweeper, garbage trucks, and barking dogs, to name a few, and questioned why the noise of a rooster is so much different.
Village resident Doug Weeks cited that there have been no registered complaints about rooster noises, and said, “All we chicken keepers ask is that you (the board) be supportive of enforcing the current laws.”
Village resident Kayla French, a SUNY Morrisville graduate with an emphasis in farm management and food and agri-business and animal science, has children involved in raising and showing chickens.
French handed out photos to the board of 11-month-old chickens and asked them to identify which were roosters and which were hens. She said correct identification matters for the purpose of enforcement of the proposed new law, and is concerned that lawful hens, that also make their own noises, could be incorrectly classified as prohibited.

French noted, “In my FOIL research, no complaints had been produced in the last six months,” and believes that one complaint regularly referenced has been informal and unrecorded.
If the law were to be passed, French asked how residents would receive notice, and how complaints would be documented and investigated, among other concerns.

Later in the meeting, the Owego Village Board voted to pass the law with a 6-1 vote. The law will take effect 90 days after being officially filed. There are monetary penalties for offenses.
Another key topic discussed at the meeting was the Owego Police Department’s initiative to complete an application for a $125,000 New York LETECH Grant to purchase laptops for police vehicles, a drone, and cameras.

During public comment, several residents expressed concerns if new LPRs (license plate readers) would be pole-mounted like Flock cameras. One individual brought in a sign, “Big brother is here,” and passed out flyers from the Southern Tier Alliance Fighting Flock (STAFF) against mass surveillance.

Village residents questioned the need for this type of camera, voiced their personal civil liberties, and mentioned Verkada, a company that has made national news for previous privacy breaches. Concerns were also raised about safeguards of data overall, such as how long is data stored, and where it would be stored and who has access.

“We are here tonight to start the process to understand the application for the grant; it is a tech grant offered by New York State for law enforcement,” Mayor Mike Baratta said.

OPD Officer Matt Howard presented a slide show of their proposed application highlighting three categories; $40,000 for five car computers, $30,000 for a Skydio X10 drone, and $55,000 for Motorola fixed LPRs, a total of four cameras at two locations. Additional quotes were presented in printed materials to the board.

Howard said that the car computers are an unavoidable cost. Used in various authorized research, case work and reports, technical support for their current 2021 computers ends in October, and the processors are too old to support Windows 11. The grant would fund the initial replacement, with the Village responsible for upkeep costs.

Howard said that a thermal drone gets critical information quickly. From missing-person searches to night searches, flood assessment and rescue, and more, the drone could also be shared with Owego Fire or other agencies. Currently, OPD relies on other agencies for any drone use.
Howard said OPD currently uses a mobile LPR, and that fixed LPRs do not recognize faces or cannot identify drivers or passengers, and that it does not have the ability to track phones. Fixed LPRs, he said, offer consistent coverage independent of one patrol vehicle. It was noted that the grant prohibits use for civil immigration enforcement.

After a back-and-forth between Howard and the board, it was agreed that more information is needed before moving forward. A special meeting of the board is scheduled on Monday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. to further discuss the grant application which is due on Sept. 2. The Aug. 17, 2026 Village of Owego Board Meeting can be viewed on YouTube.