By O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa
The sponsor of a bill to set statewide rules for which roads all-terrain vehicles may travel on says he’s changing his plan.
Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton, a Republican, says city officials would retain authority over where ATVs can travel within city limits, but he still plans to seek statewide rules for roads where county boards of supervisors have jurisdiction.
“Local control does not work when boards of supervisors ignore tens of thousands of signatures and refuse to even so much grant a meeting,” Kaufmann says. “When local control is not working, then it is our job to step in.”
Two-thirds of Iowa counties do have local ordinances that spell out which roads and local highways ATVs may use. Kaufmann says he’s considering other ideas, like requiring licenses for ATVs that operate on roads with other vehicles. Those proposals will be reviewed if and when the bill is debated by the full House.