WILSON — For the second time in two months, Wilson City Council member David Criswell has failed to obtain a wavier for his Nigerian dwarf goats.

A motion failed for lack of a second Monday to grant a temporary wavier to Kansas Foods LLC, which is owned by Criswell.

His plan was to keep seven female goats (does) behind a fence at 720 26th St. If successful, the motion, made by council member Chuck Crawford, would have kept the wavier in place until the council completes a list of criteria for such waivers and be reviewed for renewal at the end of the year.

At the beginning of the discussion, Mayor Mike Peschka said on July 23, Criswell submitted a request for an animal wavier for nine goats. Then on July 30, Criswell specified the goats would be at 720 26th St. and requested he be allowed to keep up to 15 adult goats, and no more than 45 goats total adults and kids.

Council president Cindy Heinze said she didn’t have a problem with what Criswell wants to do; she just asks that it not be on Main Street.

“I’ve just had too many people come up and say they do not want this on Main Street,” she said.

Council member Dan Taylor said the location of the goats was misrepresented from the very beginning. He noted that Theresa Staudinger, city attorney, said during the last council meeting that if the wavier was granted, it could potentially open the door to other requests.

“Dan, I don’t hear the same thing you do,” Crawford said.

“I don’t believe that at all,” Criswell said.

“Nobody in town has come here and spoke positively about the goats,” Taylor said.

“That’s not true,” Crawford said.

“One person, Allison Ford, came here,” Taylor said. “And I believe that when she left here, that what she was told before she came here was misrepresented to her. And I believe she had a differen opinion when she left thi room that night about those goats.”

Criswell said he believed Taylor was wrong on what he said about Ford.

“I tell you what Dan, I’ve been held to a dif ferent standard,” Criswell said. “I have held myself to the standard and have provided accurate information.”

Criswell said he has tried to dispel a lot of inaccurate information about the goats and has addressed every concern raised by the public.

“Nothing is perfect,” he said. “I’m just a small business person who is trying to start a small business in Wilson, Kan., and I’ve tried to do so in an honest, straight forward manner. I will agree with you totally that it wasn’t perfect from the very beginning, but I’m trying to make it better.”

Taylor said if Criswell wants to raise goats, he should do so out of town.

Criswell said everything the council has raised about the goats has been negative.

“Wouldn’t we like to have some more businesses in town that aren’t just started by millionaires,” he asked. “I’m not a millionaire. I’d like to start a business in town. I don’t have unlimited money to do everything just beautiful the first time it’s done. It’s going to take a little bit of time. No one else is willing to do it, and I am.”

“If we open it (the animal ordinance) up, we open the door to everybody,” Taylor said.

“That’s what my biggest concern is,’ Peschka said. “We have zero criteria that says we’re going to grant waivers for this and this. What is the criteria for offering a wavie on animals?”

“Could we get together and get some criteria for this problem and to take care of the next one,” Crawford asked. Peschka said he believed what Staudinger said about if a wavier was granted, the council is potentially opening the door.

“So the City of Wilson should look out for itself above all else,” Criswell asked. “And everything has to be clean and easy for us and the heck with business people who want to start a business in our small, dying town. It should all be about what is the easiest and convenient for the City of Wilson. That’s what Dan is saying.”

“Yeah, your goats need to be out of town,” Taylor said. “That’s what I’ve always said.”

Criswell said the animal ordinance the city has now is far from perfect and the council doesn’t need to live with it forever.

Peschka said the council will work on developing a set of criteria for offering a wavier and then revisit the matter.