Richmond council changes law to allow ATV's on public roads

By Jami Elzinga

October 27, 2008 | RICHMOND -- Laws concerning OHV's and ATV's, and Proposition 1 were hot topics of discussion at the recent Richmond City Council meeting.

The ordinance regulating OHV and ATV's being on public roads was slightly altered for clarification. This has been a topic of much discussion in surrounding cities and towns in Cache Valley. The main issue is the residents don't feel that OHV's and ATV's belong on the road. Also, because of safety concerns and enforcement issues. The ordinance first stated that they must have a valid State of Utah license which has been altered and changed to read a valid state license. Several other sections that included the phrase "state of Utah" were changed to read "state."

The decision to pass the ordinance was unanimous. ATV's and OHV's must have brake lights, head and tail lights, valid registration and license, a noise control device, and if you are under 18 years old you must wear a helmet. This is comparable to state requirements for operating a regular vehicle.

Several members of the community and a representative from the Cache County Sheriff's office were present and made comments over the heated issue of having them on the roads.

"ATV stands for all-terrain vehicles, right? So now you're saying that the road that I am driving on is terrain," said a resident of Richmond. "We have enough terrain out there, they should stay there."

Also, safety has been a big concern as well, along with the enforcement of the new regulation. Deputy Jake Carley of Cache County Sheriff's Office said that on the back roads of Richmond it is not too much of a problem as long as they have their safety certificates and wear appropriate gear as well. When it comes down to enforcing it, Carley said, "Parents are big. We can only do so much."

Several of the residents of Richmond felt that there was no benefit from having them on the road. Larry McCormick felt that this was for the convenience of a few, and there is no real benefit by allowing them on the road.

Dan Miller, another Richmond resident, said that there was still a problem. "If the ordinance can fix it, than I am all for it, but I have some doubts." Those doubts pertain to the enforcing of the ordinance and the lack of law enforcement because of budgetary reasons.

A flyer will be included in next month's newsletter informing all the residence of Richmond of the changes to the ordinance.

Proposition 1 is another controversial topic in Cache Valley. Chris Sands, who is a representative from Cache County Agriculture Advisory Board and also on the Planning Commission for the county. came and presented the proposition. It is basically a measure to protect air and water quality, wildlife areas, farm and scenic areas, as well as the valley's way of life. The main goal is to "protect diversity in our own economic quality of life here," he said.

A $10 million bond is the proposed amount for this bill, and has been broken up into costs for farmers and businesses.

A citizens advisory committee would be in charge of making sure the funds get allocated to the right place.

Citizens must decide if they want to raise taxes for themselves for Proposition 1. The increase would be seen in their property taxes. The extra money from those taxes would go to generate enough funds that could be matched by existing state and federal funds to protect these areas. Other methods have been explored with the legislature, but raising property taxes is the best way to do it.

One argument against Proposition 1 is that some of the citizens in Richmond struggle with the idea of having to pay for land they are unable to use. Jeff Young, a member of the council said that it's unfortunate timing for this because of the bad economy. Another member said it's going to be a tough sell. When the Board polled the residents of Cache Valley this year to see who would be willing to tax themselves and support the proposition the results were that 70 percent voted yes. This poll was based on those who have voted in previous elections.

Other items on the agenda included:

-- The city council also went over quarterly reports and council member reports. As reported by Judge Skidmore, the city tried 167 cases this past quarter, which was a landmark for the city. The city got a new fire truck that they have used to fight five fires now, and it is working very well. The president for the EMT's has resigned, and John Cox was brought in by Nick, a member of the EMT volunteer staff to help out. John is a certified EMT and paramedic. The position for president is still waiting to be filled.

-- A business license was granted to Andy Miles. He has started a vending machine business with machines in places such as the Deseret Industries and Stevens Henegar College. His business is called Triple Vending, and the council gave a unanimous approval.

-- A sidewalk on 400 West south of Main Street was incompliant with the city code. It was determined that the owner of said sidewalk has been given 24 months to bring it up to code.

-- In the monthly financial review, the city is coming up on its yearly audit in November. The city will be ready for it, according to the city recorder. The money was received for the sidewalk that was put in at the Cub River Sports complex as well as some other funding.

-- The amount of bad checks is increasing. The state of the economy is the most likely cause, and it has been by the same people as well. The city was able to pay their insurance for the year, and collected on eight sewer and water fees that were past due.

-- The position for a Waste Water Technician at the new plant still hasn't been filled. The council will start doing interviews next week. They have receiver about nine resumes, and would like to have the new technician on staff by Jan. 1.

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