MONROE - During its first meeting in April, the Monroe Common Council will be asked to approve the permit fee allowing city residents to keep chickens in their backyards, which may cause contention among the group already split on the ordinance. On Feb. 17, the council barely passed, on a 4-3 vote, an ordinance allowing chickens within city limits. The ordinance specifies that property owners may apply for an annual permit to keep up to six chickens in their backyards.