JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP - The Town Board of Jefferson agreed to an advisory referendum over whether an ATV trail should be created along town roads after arguments with Green County ATV Club members discussing whether it should be a vote that would enact local law.
Club President Dusty Kubly was present at the Jefferson Township Community Center and questioned the Jefferson Town Chair Harvey Mandel over the advisory characteristics of the referendum. Kubly favored making it a binding referendum instead.
"It was always an advisory referendum," Mandel said. "I told you before, when we started that meeting last time, that we wanted an advisory referendum. That's the only thing we had talked about in the past."
The referendum was drafted with the guidance of Town Attorney Dan Bartholf. A simple question to be included on the April 3 ballot, it asks "Are you, as a resident of the Town of Jefferson, in favor of allowing a four-wheel ATV trail on your town roads?" and provides voters the option of checking a box next to yes or no.
Kubly is part of a number of ATV/UTV enthusiasts who have been looking to extend a trail connecting Monroe to Brodhead. Currently, the Cheese Country Trail runs from Mineral Point through Lafayette County and Darlington before cutting over to the city of Monroe. The proposed trail would cut south to Clarno, following Town Center Road east in Jefferson before jutting north to join Ten Eyck Road in the Town of Decatur, flowing into Brodhead.
While initially, Spring Grove and Decatur were hesitant, both have agreed to allow the trail. Decatur initially refused to vote on the issue, prompting Kubly to run for a seat on the town board, which he won.
Jefferson has refused the proposal to utilize Town Center Road as a trail more than once in the last decade, most recently in December 2015. At the time, Mandel said local residents who expressed dislike of the idea had a right to say no because they own the land along the roadway.
Brodhead Mayor Doug Pinnow has been supportive of the trail, citing tourism as an advantage to the area and working actively with the ATV club to establish it. A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Extension in 2011 highlighted Cheese Country Trail usage and specified that roughly 95 percent were riders of ATVs and UTVs. Evaluators found almost 30 percent of trail-users were multiple-day users who lodged in local accommodations or camped in the area, and spent more than twice the average amount of all users of the Cheese Country Trail. All users were found to spend an average of $180 per visit along the trail on either food, fuel or convenience store items.
Town Supervisor Lyle Samson agreed to the advisory referendum, noting that he worries about the people who use the roads each day.
"My concern has not been as much the ATVs as it is the people who use these roads in our town every day," Samson said. "The concern I have is for those people. We're putting them at more risk when we put the ATVs on the road."
Mandel said the ideal setup would be to have ATV riders utilize off-road trails, separate from drivers. He specifically noted the age of some operators as a concern. Wisconsin ATV Certification can be acquired at the age of 12. Mandel added that all four attorneys who work for the Wisconsin Towns Association recommend against implementing this type of trail.
Kubly expressed doubts over the likelihood of an advisory referendum creating change.
"When you go to advisory, you know as well as I do that it's going to come back to the board," Kubly said. "This will come back to the board, and in example, you see a 51 percent yes, 49 no, you'll say 'well, it's not swaying enough to want it.' If you see 60-40, 'well, I want to see 70-30.'"
Kubly has been critical of Mandel in the past, stating he feels that the town chair has a personal opposition to the inclusion of an ATV trail.
Mandel said the township will advise Green County Clerk Mike Doyle on a "reasonable" percentage requirement to consider the referendum favorable by voters. He noted it would be a majority but did not disclose the exact figures.
Jefferson would be the final township approval needed by trail organizers, but the group will still need to take other steps to establish the ATV trail.
Club President Dusty Kubly was present at the Jefferson Township Community Center and questioned the Jefferson Town Chair Harvey Mandel over the advisory characteristics of the referendum. Kubly favored making it a binding referendum instead.
"It was always an advisory referendum," Mandel said. "I told you before, when we started that meeting last time, that we wanted an advisory referendum. That's the only thing we had talked about in the past."
The referendum was drafted with the guidance of Town Attorney Dan Bartholf. A simple question to be included on the April 3 ballot, it asks "Are you, as a resident of the Town of Jefferson, in favor of allowing a four-wheel ATV trail on your town roads?" and provides voters the option of checking a box next to yes or no.
Kubly is part of a number of ATV/UTV enthusiasts who have been looking to extend a trail connecting Monroe to Brodhead. Currently, the Cheese Country Trail runs from Mineral Point through Lafayette County and Darlington before cutting over to the city of Monroe. The proposed trail would cut south to Clarno, following Town Center Road east in Jefferson before jutting north to join Ten Eyck Road in the Town of Decatur, flowing into Brodhead.
While initially, Spring Grove and Decatur were hesitant, both have agreed to allow the trail. Decatur initially refused to vote on the issue, prompting Kubly to run for a seat on the town board, which he won.
Jefferson has refused the proposal to utilize Town Center Road as a trail more than once in the last decade, most recently in December 2015. At the time, Mandel said local residents who expressed dislike of the idea had a right to say no because they own the land along the roadway.
Brodhead Mayor Doug Pinnow has been supportive of the trail, citing tourism as an advantage to the area and working actively with the ATV club to establish it. A study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Extension in 2011 highlighted Cheese Country Trail usage and specified that roughly 95 percent were riders of ATVs and UTVs. Evaluators found almost 30 percent of trail-users were multiple-day users who lodged in local accommodations or camped in the area, and spent more than twice the average amount of all users of the Cheese Country Trail. All users were found to spend an average of $180 per visit along the trail on either food, fuel or convenience store items.
Town Supervisor Lyle Samson agreed to the advisory referendum, noting that he worries about the people who use the roads each day.
"My concern has not been as much the ATVs as it is the people who use these roads in our town every day," Samson said. "The concern I have is for those people. We're putting them at more risk when we put the ATVs on the road."
Mandel said the ideal setup would be to have ATV riders utilize off-road trails, separate from drivers. He specifically noted the age of some operators as a concern. Wisconsin ATV Certification can be acquired at the age of 12. Mandel added that all four attorneys who work for the Wisconsin Towns Association recommend against implementing this type of trail.
Kubly expressed doubts over the likelihood of an advisory referendum creating change.
"When you go to advisory, you know as well as I do that it's going to come back to the board," Kubly said. "This will come back to the board, and in example, you see a 51 percent yes, 49 no, you'll say 'well, it's not swaying enough to want it.' If you see 60-40, 'well, I want to see 70-30.'"
Kubly has been critical of Mandel in the past, stating he feels that the town chair has a personal opposition to the inclusion of an ATV trail.
Mandel said the township will advise Green County Clerk Mike Doyle on a "reasonable" percentage requirement to consider the referendum favorable by voters. He noted it would be a majority but did not disclose the exact figures.
Jefferson would be the final township approval needed by trail organizers, but the group will still need to take other steps to establish the ATV trail.