The Wayland City Council Monday evening voted down a proposed off-road vehicle (ORV) ordinance by a 4-2 count.
There may be a silver lining to supporters, as city officials are being encouraged to come up with a different local law that permits use of side-by-sides on city roadways.
Mayor Pro Tem Joe Kramer and Councilmen Rick Mathis, Steve Stepek and Abe Garcia, voted against adopting the proposed ordinance. Their problem was that the ordinance did not specify what kinds of ORVs are permitted and what kinds are not.
Stepek said, “The attorneys did not separate the different kinds of ATVs. I’d like to support different options.”
Kramer agreed and noted, “The city then will default to state laws,” but made a point of suggesting a different ordinance welcoming side-by-sides, but not quads and three-wheelers, for safety reasons.
Council members Tracy Bivens and Norm Taylor voted in favor of the ordinance and Mayor Jennifer Antel was absent.
Before the council had the second reading on the proposed ordinance, citizen Amy DeShaw told members, “We’ve given you a lot of information about how this ordinance is going to benefit Wayland” and she promised that any ORVs coming to town as a group would be informed before arriving.
David Low, former chairman of the City Planning Commission, told the council, “If you have any problem with it, we can take care of it.”
Former Mayor Burrell Stein once again showed up to lend his support.
In other business at Monday night’s meeting, the council:
- Welcomed Wayland High School student representative Jade Barghahn, a junior, who is starting her tenure for the second semester.
- Witnessed the swearing in of new Police Chief Scott Mattice.
- Approved the process for evaluation of City manager Josh Eggleston, which was developed by Taylor.
- Welcomed Stein’s application to be seated on the Compensation Commission, which has several openings and hasn’t met since 2014.
