Sawyer County committee renews ATV/UTV routes for one year amid public-safety concerns

The Sawyer County Public Works Committee on an administratively noticed meeting approved a one-year renewal of the county's ATV/UTV routes after public comment from local trail advocates and area residents.

Kathy LaRue, identifying herself as a representative of the Sawyer County Snowmobile and ATV Alliance, told the committee the county's decision to open routes last year "provided a lot of connectivity for people" and allowed businesses and residents greater access. "We're using a lot less resources from the sheriff's department once the roads opened," she said, and asked the committee to "please consider renewing for another year."

Edgewater property owner Linda Zillmer urged caution. She said that after recent elections and changes on some town boards, signs started appearing on county and town roads in the Birchwood/Edgewater area where Rusk, Barron, Washburn and Sawyer counties meet, and that reckless driving—some riders doing "40 miles an hour and then 55 and then down to 35" on County Highway F—has been a continuing problem. Zillmer said some town officials felt the county had overridden local control and asked the committee to consider ways to track and close specific routes when warranted.

Committee members discussed two administrative changes. One member asked whether the annual renewal could be automated; staff said that would require an ordinance change and updates to county code and that the office was short-staffed but could pursue a change next year. Staff also suggested simplifying the ordinance text, which currently lists numerous individual routes, by instead stating a default rule (for example, "all county roads open except the following") and separately specifying any reservation- or town-specific closures.

A motion was made to renew the list of county roads currently designated as open to ATV/UTV use for another year. The motion passed; the motion text on the record was to keep "all the county roads that are currently on this list open for another year." The mover and seconder were recorded as Randy Newman and (second) Mister Bennett; the meeting record shows the motion carried (vote recorded verbally as "Aye"), but a detailed roll-call tally was not provided in the transcript.

Committee members and staff noted the ordinance lists many routes (staff said the list is "like 82" entries and contains duplicates) and recommended returning next year to consider cleaning up the ordinance language and to evaluate a process for an in-perpetuity renewal if the committee wishes to pursue it.

The committee heard the public comments during the meeting's public-comment period prior to consideration of the renewal motion. No formal enforcement or route-closing orders were adopted at the meeting; the action taken was renewal of the existing listed routes for one year.