WISCONSIN RAPIDS − A revised version of an ATV/UTV ordinance allowing the off-road motor vehicles access to most of Wisconsin Rapids streets was approved by the city’s Public Works Committee Thursday, about two months after voters rejected a similar measure in a Nov. 5 direct legislation referendum.
The motion to approve included an additional requirement that operators hold a valid driver’s license and the ordinance language will receive another review by the city attorney and staff.
The ordinance language fits on two pages compared to the more than six-page ordinance referenced on voters’ ballots in November. The two ordinances are largely similar in their references to state laws that govern operation of ATVs and UTVs across the state and traffic safety.
“While I understand that a recent referendum vote did not pass, the undeniable economic benefits that this ordinance could bring to our community remains a key factor in my position,” Ryan Austin, District 1 alderperson and committee member, said in the meeting in support of the ordinance. District 1 was the only district that voted in favor of the direct legislation ATV/UTV ordinance in November.
“Wisconsin Rapids is strategically positioned near one of the largest and most extensive ATV/UTV trail networks in the state and by embracing an ordinance that allows these vehicles to legally operate on city streets we open the door to tremendous economic opportunity,” Austin said.
The ordinance will be revised and reviewed in the upcoming days and the Common Council will likely consider it at its next regular meeting on Jan. 21, City Attorney Sue Schill told a Daily Tribune reporter.
How each Wisconsin Rapids district voted on the ATV/UTV referendum
Voters in Wisconsin Rapids cast 3,924 “yes” votes and 4,895 “no” votes on their Nov. 5 ballots to reject a direct legislation referendum that would have created an ordinance allowing ATV/UTVs on most of Wisconsin Rapids’ streets. Here’s how voters in each of the city’s districts cast their ballots.
DISTRICT 1
DISTRICT 2
DISTRICT 3
DISTRICT 4
DISTRICT 5
DISTRICT 6
DISTRICT 7
DISTRICT 8
Local election news: These candidates filed paperwork to appear on the 2025 spring ballot in Wisconsin Rapids
Local business news: What we know about a new restaurant’s plans for the former Polito’s Pizza in Wisconsin Rapids
Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: Wisconsin Rapids ATV/UTV ordinance to be reconsidered by Common Council