Bees in La Crosse? Maybe. Horses, pigs and cows? No.

Legal issues have caused council to withdraw livestock proposal.

Livestock in La Crosse may have to wait. The bees won’t have to but those big animals, like cows, pigs and horses, will.

A proposal that would have allowed those animals mentioned above, along other traditional farm animals, on certain larger properties in La Crosse has been withdrawn by the city council member who had sponsored it.

North side council rep. Jai Johnson says numerous legal issues have led to her withdrawing the legislation over numerous issues brought to her attention by the city’s legal department. 

The new rules would have allowed livestock, as well as increase the number of chickens that could be kept in town from five to 20.

Johnson says she will continue to pursue an ordinance that would allow beekeeping.  

But time is of the essence on that one, she says. If new hives aren’t started soon, beekeepers could lose the whole season.