Committee votes to enroll Kelly Fire Lane as Oneida County forest road to collect gas tax and allow seasonal closures

The Oneida County Forestry, Land & Recreation Committee voted unanimously June 2 to approve a resolution enrolling Kelly Fire Lane as a county forest road, a change staff said will allow the county to collect gas tax funds and to close the road seasonally during spring break-up. The resolution will be forwarded to the Oneida County Board for consideration.

Forestry staff member Nemec outlined options available after the Town of Little Rice formally abandoned the road, including leaving the road unmanaged, restricting public access, or enrolling it in the county forest road inventory. Nemec told the committee enrolling the road would provide a funding mechanism (gas tax) for maintenance and give the county explicit authority to block access during vulnerable seasons.

Chair Robert Almekinder said he had received calls asking about access and expressed concern that attempts to restrict entry could create community conflict. In response, the department recommended enrollment as a middle path that preserves maintenance funding while enabling seasonal closures to protect the road during spring break-up.

Committee member Sorgel moved to approve the proposed resolution; Schultz seconded. The motion carried on a unanimous voice/roll-call vote and the resolution will be forwarded to the County Board for its action.

The committee did not specify a resolution number in the record. Next procedural steps: the County Board will receive the resolution for consideration at its next available meeting; the committee indicated staff will return with implementation details and any associated access-license or signage plans if the board approves the enrollment.