Cerro Gordo supervisors approve amending ATV ordinance

MASON CITY — The Cerro Gordo County Board of Supervisors today approved changes in the county’s rules regarding the operation of all-terrain vehicles and off-road utility vehicles in the unincorporated areas of the county.

Residents in smaller communities had asked for the revisions, especially with using ATVs and golf carts in the county’s campgrounds.

County Conservation Director Josh Brandt says citizens in smaller communities have embraced those modes of transportation in their communities and wanted to have county-level rules that were similar.  “This was more or less a collaboration to change some of the verbiage in that ordinance to reflect the changes that we proposed allowing ATV use on county roadways where vehicle traffic is already allowed. There’s a couple of different sections in there where we changed the verbiage to reflect that.”

Brandt says the adjustments were small ones.  “Some minor adjustments to speed limits again to help promote safety in our park areas, and the one adjustment to the age restriction related to operating an ATV on the roadway. We changed that so it would match the state rules.”

The supervisors held a public hearing about the change at their meeting today, passed the first reading of the ordinance, and then unanimously approved waiving the second and third readings so the changes would take effect.