City Commission Rejects Ordinance to Allow ATVs On City Streets

Issue to Be Revisited October 11th

IRONWOOD, MI - Tuesday, September 28, 2010 - During the public comment portion of last night's City Commission meeting, several citizens spoke up regarding the proposed Ordinance that would allow ATVs to legally travel on City streets in order to access existing trails. Although most of the people in attendance favored the ordinance, the general concensus was that the portion of the document requiring street ATV travelers to acquire a special permit through the City was a bad idea.

After considerable debate and discussion regarding the merits and shortcomings of a permit system, the Commission voted 3 to 2 to reject the proposed ordinance as it was presented. Mayor Bob Burchell and Commissioner Gemma Lamb voted to approve the Ordinance as written. Commissioners Corcoran, Lucius and Semo voted not to approve. All three of the Commissioners who voted not to approve the Ordinance did so because they were opposed to initiating a permit system.

The Commission unanimously decided to re-introduce a revised Ordinance that didn't feature a permit requirement and that included language similar to the ATV Ordinance the City of Wakefield has enacted. They voted to schedule a Public Hearing for Monday, October 11, 2010 to hear comment on the revised Ordinance.