HICKMAN — Peter Rabbit grazes on the green grass of Harley and Lois Scott’s acreage, oblivious to his popularity.

Or his controversy.

“We’ve had numerous people tell us: ‘We watch for Peter Rabbit when we come by,’” Harley Scott said.

The 30-year-old sorrel is special to Harley, who has had horses since he was a kid. His wife is fond of him, too.

And so are dozens of kids who get off their school bus and leave Peter Rabbit the apples and carrots they saved from their lunches.

But not everyone wants Peter Rabbit around.

Local officials have been trying for more than a year to force the Scotts to move their horse out of Hickman.

“There’s an ordinance that says you can’t have livestock in town. That’s it,” said Dave Dykmann, a city council member for five years.

The council plans to enforce the ordinance, Dykmann and Mayor Jim Hrouda say: The city attorney will soon send a letter to the Scotts, giving them 30 days to remove the horse or face a fine.

“It doesn’t mean getting rid of or killing of the horse,” Hrouda said. “It means removing the horse from the property.”

Dykmann said two area residents — including a veterinarian — have offered to take the horse.

“This is way out of proportion. It’s stupid. It’s incredible,” said Dykmann, referring to the controversy surrounding Peter Rabbit.

Peter Rabbit is the only horse left in Hickman, which has a population of about 1,400.

The Scotts say they were not aware of the ordinance when the city annexed their land in December 2006.

Six months later, they got a letter from the city telling them they were in violation and that they needed to get rid of their horse.

The council took up the matter about a year ago. Thanks to publicity, a council hearing was packed — mostly with fans of Peter Rabbit.

The council tabled the issue until May 2008 but took no action then.

Now the council will take up the matter again at its 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday.

The Scotts say they just want Peter Rabbit to live out the rest of his days at their place, across the street from Subway.

“He doesn’t interfere with no one except us and we don’t consider that interference,” Harley Scott said. “No one is complaining about his existence. This is where he was born and raised.”

Their son, Jack, said his parents knew nothing about the ordinance when they agreed to have their land annexed.

“There was nothing said. It wasn’t even an issue. It came up six months later,” Jack Scott said.

“The city said they’ve had numerous complaints … The fact is the horse was in the city. We didn’t bring the horse in.”

But Mayor Hrouda contends Jack Scott was aware of the ordinance because he is a former longtime council member. And he accused the Scotts of playing for public sympathy.

“If you are annexed, then no animals of large size are allowed,” Hrouda said. “It’s point blank. It’s not a zoning issue. It’s a compliance issue.”

Jack Scott believes Peter Rabbit should have been grandfathered in and allowed to stay. He and his wife, Cheryl, have been helping the Scotts deal with the controversy.

“We’re doing this for Dad. It’s his horse,” Jack Scott said.

If the council forces the Scotts to get rid of Peter Rabbit, the couple say they only have two choices — move him outside city limits or euthanize him.

The average life span of a horse is 25 to 30 years. But there’s no telling how much longer Peter Rabbit will live.

 “He looks better than he ever looked,” Lois Scott said.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 402-473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.