Town board holds special meeting
By Angie Landsverk
After months of research, the Caledonia Town Board voted to not open its roads to ATVs and UTVs at this time.
The vote took place Dec. 12, during a special meeting at Readfield Elementary School.
Town Chairperson Paula Pagel asked for a roll call vote, and it was unanimous.
All board members were present.
The board’s consensus is there are four issues needing to be addressed by the state that negatively impact the town, Pagel told the Waupaca County Post.
Those issues are liability insurance coverage, licensing, enforceability and cost.
Supervisor Bill Abba presented information about those concerns during the meeting.
He was tasked with researching the topic and reporting back to the board.
In October 2018, the board was asked to open town, county and state roads in its jurisdiction to ATVs and UTVs.
Caledonia does not have ATV/UTV off-road trails, and the vehicles are not allowed to use snowmobile trails any time of the year.
The town believes there would be a minimal economic impact if it designated town roads as routes.
It noted there are no hotels, gas stations, retail businesses or repair shops the drivers would go to.
There are also no recreational trails, parks or lakes in Caledonia.
The enforcement and prosecution expenses to manage ATV and UTV use on the town’s local road would have to be covered by Caledonia’s tax levy.
Concerns
The town outlined the issues it sees with state statutes related to ATV/UTV use.
One is the fact the state does not require minimum property damage and personal injury liability insurance when people use the vehicles on public roads.
Other motorized vehicles using public roads must carry minimum liability coverage.
The board believes the statute should be amended, requiring that same liability coverage for ATVs and UTVs.
The board also believes the statute related to who is allowed to operate ATVs and UTVs should be amended to require a valid driver’s license for all who use ATVs and UTVS on public roads and routes.
That would not apply to trails and private land.
Under current state statutes, 16-year-olds may operate UTVs and 12-year-olds may operate ATVs.
A driver’s license is not required, and those who no longer have a valid license may still use public roads by operating an ATV or UTV.
Enforcement
Under state statutes, municipalities may pass ordinances designating particular public roads as ATV/UTV routes.
Some are requiring liability insurance and 35 mph speed limits.
However, municipal ordinances may not be stricter than the state statutes they are based on, the town said.
Guidance from Caledonia’s attorney, Waupaca County’s district attorney and the Wisconsin Towns Association indicates those types of ordinances may not be enforced and prosecuted.
The statute does not set a speed limit.
In Caledonia, the speed limit is 35 mph in residential areas and 45 mph and 55 mph on other roads.
The town does not have its own police department to enforce an ordinance and would have to rely on the sheriff’s office.
Some county officials expressed concerns with the town about knowing and enforcing all the various ordinances in its jurisdiction.
Caledonia’s board believes there needs to be a statewide, uniform traffic code for the rules of operation and enforcement of ATV/UTV use on public roads.
The town’s final concern is related to the costs associated with signage, enforcement and prosecution.
The board says it is not yet possible to determine what Caledonia’s actual cost would be.
It is committed to the safety of its residents and visitors and concerned about how allowing ATV/UTV use on public roads would affect its budget.
Caledonia’s board says it cannot support ATV and UTV use on local roads until the four issues are addressed.