MAPLETON — In the wake of a neighborhood battle over a controversial request to build a snake farm in a residential area, Mapleton's City Council decided Tuesday to place a six-month moratorium on applications for conditional-use permits for agricultural, exotic and wild animals.

The City Council unanimously rejected a proposal to delete the definition of wild and exotic animals included in the city's ordinance, agreeing that applying a moratorium will allow more time to design a new ordinance.

Several council members expressed concern that deleting the definition of exotic animals would leave the law open for interpretation.

"Without a definition of what defines an exotic animal, who is to say a blue-bellied lizard isn't exotic?" asked Mapleton Mayor Jim Brady. "What's going to keep someone with a Komodo dragon from coming in here saying: 'I don't need a conditional-use permit because this animal is not exotic'?"

The idea to rework the agricultural, exotic and wild animals ordinance was partially inspired by California native Dan Sutherland's request to move his online ball python-breeding business to the neighborhood, said Cory Branch, Mapleton city deputy planning director.

"When the Sutherlands applied for their permit, there was confusion on all sides — city staff, applicants and surrounding neighbors," Branch said. "Once we started the process, we could tell our ordinances needed some updates."

Sutherland, who eventually moved his 1,500 snakes to Spanish Fork because of opposition from the community, recently asked city officials to reconsider his application for a conditional-use permit.

The request is scheduled to be addressed May 10.

The moratorium approved in Tuesday's council meeting will not apply to Sutherland's request for a conditional-use permit because the application has already been submitted, Branch said. Sutherland originally applied for permission to bring in the snakes in August 2006.

Nonetheless, David Nemelka, who lives about a half mile east of the proposed snake farm, came to the city council meeting to make sure no changes were made to the ordinance that would open the door for Sutherland's snakes.

"The majority of citizens do not wish to live next to a snake farm," he said. "People have a natural phobia of snakes."

Nemelka, who declared himself the spokesperson for Mapleton residents with anti-snake sentiments, was particularly concerned with a section of the law that declares it illegal to harbor rodents. As long as it is a misdemeanor to house and raise rodents, he said he is confident the snake farm, which includes a building devoted to raising rats as food for the reptiles, is out.

The moratorium on conditional-use permit applications will not begin until June 1, so residents who currently need permits can still apply.

Of course, Brady said, all provisions will apply to snakes, too.

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