Kleinhenz
The Bartholomew County Commissioners on Monday will give initial consideration to an ordinance that would allow certain utility terrain vehicles to operate on county roads, as well as permit golf carts on streets within residential county subdivisions.
The commissioners will consider the first reading of an ordinance that amends Title VII, the category within county code that deals with traffic to allow certain UTVs on county roads, something the commissioners said has been oft-requested in recent years.
Ordinances must be approved twice to be finalized. The commissioners will meet at 10 a.m. Monday in their chambers on the first floor of the Bartholomew County Governmental Office Building at 440 Third St.
Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, R-District 1, said that he and his two colleagues in June had met with Bartholomew County Sheriff Chris Lane to talk through the potential changes, which would allow UTVs of specific size with specific safety components to use county roads. The changes would also allow golf carts to be used inside of a subdivision, but not on county roads.
The ordinance would only apply to county roads and subdivision streets in unincorporated areas of the county, not state highways in the county or city streets in Columbus, they said.
A utility terrain vehicle, or UTV, is typically equipped with two side-by-side seats and enclosed in a roll cage. Depending on use and configuration, UTVs are also sometimes known as recreational off-highway vehicles.
Currently, UTVs and golf carts are prohibited on public roads in Bartholomew County, according to law enforcement officials. Under Indiana law, those types of vehicles are not permitted on county and city roads unless a local community passes an ordinance that explicitly allows it.
Bartholomew County is one of eight Indiana counties that currently does not allow off-road vehicles on county roads, according to a map by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources that was current as of March 27.
Kleinhenz said the measure would likely allow for “larger UTVs with (a) certain wheel base, brake lights, insurance and a licensed driver.”
County officials said they aim to balance requests from constituents in favor of an ordinance with concerns about public safety, as well as the added responsibilities for law enforcement.
