• David Tewes •
• Originally published January 6, 2009 at 11:06 p.m., updated January 6, 2009 at 11:06 p.m.

A neighborhood's beef about pork being raised in a backyard won't be causing a change in Victoria's regulations on hogs.

"I just say leave it alone unless we get more complaints," Mayor Pro Tem Lewis Neitsch said at Tuesday's city council meeting.

The question about whether Victoria's hog regulations needed changing arose when the city received at least four complaints about the animals being raised at 105 E. Hiller St.

Kirby Garrett's two oldest children are raising the hogs for their 4-H project at that location. The complaints prompted an investigation by the city and the threat of Garrett being hauled into court.

A report to the city council said the Garretts met most of the city's regulations. The exception was they had more than the five hogs allowed.

Garrett said on Monday he misinterpreted that part of the law and moved the hogs to property near Main Street and adjacent to his house to appease neighbors. Because that property is separated from his house by railroad tracks, the city didn't consider that tract his homestead.

That resulted in a violation of the requirement that hogs for agricultural education programs such as 4-H be kept at the owner's house. But John Kaminski, the city's director of Development Services, said the problems have been rectified.

"The owner is currently in compliance," he said. "If we continue to receive complaints, there is nothing more we can do."

The only way to address further complaints would be to change city regulations by making them more stringent.

"If the rule was violated and caused the complaint, that's the problem," Council Member Paul Polasek said. "I'm not interested in changing it."

• Sample restrictions for other animals in Victoria include:

  Hogs and male goats are the only animals strictly prohibited in Victoria, with exemptions for such things as 4-H.

  Cattle, horses and lambs generally have to be in an enclosure, pen or ...

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Sample restrictions for other animals in Victoria include:

Hogs and male goats are the only animals strictly prohibited in Victoria, with exemptions for such things as 4-H.

Cattle, horses and lambs generally have to be in an enclosure, pen or fence at least 100 feet from the nearest dwelling other than the owner's. There has to be at least one-half acre of grazing area for each two head of livestock. However, the 100-foot distance and acreage requirements do not apply to market lambs being raised for a stock show. They must be in a pen or enclosure at least 25 feet for up to two animals and 50 feet for up to four animals from any other dwelling.

Fowl being raised at the owner's home for a stock show do not have to meet the 100-foot requirement. But the pen does have to be at least 25 feet from any other dwelling and they are limited to 25 poultry.

Dogs and cats have no limit on the number permitted.

Potbellied pigs are not specifically addressed in the code.

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