The Easly City Council on a unanimous vote approved Ordinance 20 25 16 to amend section 90.35 of the Easly City Code, allowing limited educational and programmatic use of hens by certain nonprofit educational and therapeutic organizations.

Supporters of the Dream Center told the council the hens are integral to a planned Whole Health Kitchen and outdoor teaching garden at Opportunity Village. "Tonight, I'm asking you to pass the ordinance allowing chickens in a small coop on our property for the purposes of using this as part of our outdoor teaching curriculum," said Chris Wilson, the Dream Center representative, describing the hens as part of a therapeutic, nutritional and job‑skills curriculum.

Speakers tied the request to program outcomes. Sarah Wilson, project manager for Pickens County leadership class work supporting the program, said the coop and garden will be "hands‑on" educational assets prepared and delivered at no cost to the city. Jim Wilson, who identified himself as a program backer, said the ordinance was written as a pilot for properties of five acres or more so the use remains clearly educational.

Council members asked practical questions about containment, animal health and enforcement. Chris Wilson and other Dream Center speakers said the birds would be kept in a fenced coop, there would be no roosters, and the nonprofit would monitor the area daily. "This is completely fenced in…we would handle anything we needed to do," Wilson said.

The police chief noted the city would treat complaints about hens as it does other animal complaints and that enforcement would be complaint‑driven. Council members raised concerns about local predators and pests; staff and speakers said fencing and interior pens would reduce those risks. One speaker noted the Dream Center was not seeking more than a dozen birds for the program.

The ordinance as adopted limits the exemption to vetted nonprofit educational or therapeutic programs and prohibits roosters or nuisance conditions; enforcement is through the police department. The council chair called the vote unanimous.

Council documents and the first reading indicate the amendment specifically targets section 90.35 (farm animals) to add a narrow, supervised exception for certain nonprofits; implementation details and complaint procedures will be handled under the city's existing enforcement framework.