Board wants ATV ordinance

Marathon trustees still undecided on Main Street travel policy

The Marathon City Village Board last week Wednesday voted to draft an ordinance that would allow ATV/ UTVs on public streets.

Trustees directed administrator Andy Kurtz to use Marathon County’s ordinance as a model for a village policy. Trustees left undecided the question of whether to allow ATV/ UTVs on STH 107 or whether to ban the vehicles on this busy state highway and, perhaps, on other streets.

Board members reached this consensus after a lengthy discussion with Marathon County Sheriff’s Department highway safety coordinator Lt. Ted Knoeck, a village resident, and recreation enforcement officer Deputy Michael Van Offeren.

Knoeck said his department initially strongly opposed introducing ATV/ UTVs on public streets, worried that there would be a large number of accidents. Those fears have not been realized, he admitted, and the department no longer is opposed to the vehicles on public streets.

“Initially, we were afraid of the unknown,” Knoeck said. “But things are going pretty good, better than expected. I, for one, have changed my tune.”

Knoeck said the village can expect additional complaints to the police department should it allow ATV/UTVs on public streets.

“You’d be foolish to think you won’t get more complaints because you will,” he said.

The number one complaint, he said, will be exhaust. The second biggest complaint will be ATV users “tearing up” gravel roads, Knoeck added.

The lieutenant said it was difficult to assess ATV/UTV safety because crash reports are not filed by state agencies on the same forms. Some crash data is tracked by the Department of Transportation, other data is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources. The two agencies, said Knoeck, are “territorial” and do not share data.

Knoeck said the village would not be able to allow ATV/UTVs on STH 107 on either end of the village where the speed limit is above 45 miles per hour. The board could allow the vehicles in the slower traffic areas in the village’s downtown, but he advised against this. “Main Street is a very dangerous road with trucks running up and down the hill,” he said.

Board members said that the only ATV/UTV entry and exit to the village would be from the town of Cassel. The town of Marathon has not, as yet, officially adopted an ordinance permitting ATV/UTV use on public roads.

Knoeck told trustees they would be required to erect signs if they wanted to police ATV/UTV users and have charges stick in court. Cost for needed signage might run as high as $600 to $1,000, it was said.

In other village board business:

n Village administrator Andy Kurtz announced the Marathon Police Department will step up enforcement of speeding laws.

“Vehicle speed is becoming ridiculous,” he said. “This is a significant issue. We’ve had some near misses with bikes, pedestrians and cars.”

Kurtz said the police department will spend extra time running radar on streets to catch speeders and write tickets.

He said the police would not “catch everyone” but write enough tickets to change the behaviors of motorists in the village.

In related action, the board approved installing Sixth Street stop signs at the intersections with Hemlock, Walnut, Hickory, Chestnut and Washington. The stop signs are intended to slow motorists going up and down on Marathon’s hill.

Administrator Kurtz said motorists now “cannonball” down Marathon’s hill and fail to slow at unmarked intersections. He said there have been near misses with young children and a school bus.

Trustee Mark Ahrens voted no on the motion.

n Board members voted to borrow $300,000 to pay for ongoing streetwork in the village. The 10-year loan, administrator Kurtz said, would likely be consolidated into a municipal bond several years from now.

Kurtz said Third Street work continues with paving crews expected. He said a microsurfacing project on Pine Street was completed.

n Administrator Kurtz said leaders from the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, Wisconsin Towns Association and Wisconsin Counties Association supported legislation to relax levy limits and give local governments an option to raise money through a sales tax.

Kurtz said the current method for funding Wisconsin local government was “not sustainable” and leads to “bad habits” among local governments. He said the system needs to be changed.

n Board members requested administrator Kurtz to get additional information about a Marathon County proposal to transfer a section of CTH B to the village. In the deal, the county would repave the road and install some curb and gutter, but the village would be responsible for future road maintenance.

Kurtz said CTH B will be repaved in 2023 regardless of whether Marathon City accepts the section of county highway.

Trustee Mark Ahrens questioned why the village should take over the road when it has trouble maintaining its current inventory of roads.

Trustee Keith Paul, however, supported taking over jurisdiction of the road. “I’m in favor of taking it over and we don’t need to take a lot of time on this,” he said.

Board members asked Kurtz to find out about the CTH B pavement thickness, how much road aid the village will get on the stretch of road and what it would cost to maintain the road going forward.

n Board members agreed to purchase a Dodge Durango police squad in 2023 from Brickner Motors, Little Chicago, for $39,380, which matches the state bid price. The village will spend $9,870 to install squad equipment at Belco, Poynette.

In discussion, village president David Belanger asked if Marathon City would consider buying an electric squad car.

Trustee Kevin Sorenson said an electric squad was “Jetson stuff,” but Belanger insisted that various police package squad cars were for sale. He noted the Tesla he will purchase is capable of traveling 155 miles per hour.

Trustee Connie Ruplinger said that while purchase of an electric squad might be a good idea, she did not support the village being the first in the area to get one. She suggested waiting 10 years.

n Board members agreed to sell for salvage a building north of STH 29 previously owned by the Kramer family for $3,750. The board will require the lot where the building sits be cleared (except for the slab) by Nov. 15.