County ORV ordinance up for vote Tuesday

The public can comment on a proposed ORV ordinance Tuesday morning, prior to the regular Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners meeting.
The public hearing will begin at 9 a.m., with the regular meeting to follow at 9:30 a.m. Comments from the public will be considered prior to adoption of a final ordinance during the regular session.

All county roads will be open to ORV traffic in the draft ordinance that will be proposed. The Cheboygan County Board of Commissioners decided to keep all county roads open to ORV travel in the initial draft of the new ordinance, which a state law passed last summer gave the county the authority to create. Changes can be made before a final ordinance is adopted.

A meeting took place Jan. 21 in Tuscarora Township to determine which roads each township wanted opened or closed to ORVs. All townships have requested that all county roads be open to ORV traffic; however, some people have expressed concern about opening the shoulder of the roads in the Pigeon River State Forest area to ORV traffic, given that the Pigeon River State Forest land is off-limits to ORVs.

The concern is that ORV operators will violate the law and leave the road to venture into the forest, which is a sensitive wilderness area. The Pigeon River Country State Forest extends into Cheboygan, Otsego, Presque Isle and Montmorency counties.

Questions about increased enforcement and the age of children allowed to operate ORVs have also been raised. All state highways are automatically closed to ORVs.

Only the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department or those deputized by it will be able to enforce the proposed ordinance. This only excludes state troopers or DNR officers, but they can enforce state laws.

Source: http://www.cheboygannews.com/news/x986602879/County-ORV-ordinance-up-for-vote-toda

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