Sawyer County committee delays action on opening county roads to UTVs after tribal representative urges consultation

The Sawyer County Public Works Committee voted 3-2 to postpone any action on opening additional county roads to ATVs and UTVs, after public commenters described a sharp increase in recreational vehicle traffic and a tribal official urged the committee to delay and consult.

Tim Davis, maintenance coordinator for the Sawyer County Snowmobile Alliance, told the committee during public comment that UTV use has “just jumped enormous in the last year,” calling the Tuscobia Trail “probably our number 1 busiest trail” and saying “there's literally thousands of UTVs a week going on that trail.” He described more UTVs patronizing businesses and using county roads on weekends and said opening additional county roads could “lighten the load on our trails.”

Brian Bissonnette, executive director of the Lac Courte Oreilles Division of Land Management, asked the committee to delay any action and to consult the tribe before changing county road rules. Bissonnette referenced Governor Tony Evers’s Executive Order 18 (April 9, 2019) on government-to-government consultation and said, “isn't communication the 1 attribute that we have that can avoid a perception of paternalism?” He urged the committee to “get the appropriate people here, sit down and talk about the issues.”

Committee member “Mister Stanley” moved to postpone any actions on the ATV/UTV routes until the TZV meeting; a second was recorded but the transcript does not identify the second by name. The committee voted 3 in favor and 2 opposed; the chair announced the motion carries 3 to 2. A committee member said maps for route proposals were expected to be completed by the end of the month and that the item will be placed on a future agenda.

The discussion covered two distinct strands: (1) residents and local stakeholders describing rapid growth in UTV use on trails and county roads and the potential effects on businesses and traffic patterns, and (2) a tribal representative emphasizing tribal sovereignty and the need for government-to-government consultation before local government actions that affect reservation roads. The committee’s postponement is procedural: it delays policy action pending further meetings and coordination rather than adopting a new rule.

The committee’s motion and the public comments mark the latest step in an ongoing discussion: committee members referenced repeated requests from local alliances and town officials to place the issue on agendas, and one member said the matter had been “ongoing for almost a year and a half.” The committee plans to revisit the item at a later meeting after maps are completed and additional outreach occurs.

Votes recorded in the meeting transcript were a 3-2 vote to postpone opening roads for ATVs/UTVs; individual recorded yes/no votes by name were not provided in the transcript, so the article reports the official tally as announced by the committee.

The committee meeting also included other agenda items not decided by this motion; the postponement applies only to further county action on ATV/UTV routes until the committee next considers the item.