DENVER – The wheels are in motion for another attempt to allow off-highway vehicles on county roads.
A similar effort failed in the Colorado Legislature earlier this year. But lawmakers during the interim approved introducing another measure to allow all-terrain vehicles on county roads.
Legislative Council last week approved the bill, which was proposed by the Off-Highway Vehicle Interim Committee, established after the Legislature failed to act on the measure last session.
The bill would require county clerks to administer a voluntary, one-time registration program for ATV use on county roads.
Rep. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio, said he would introduce the measure when the Legislature convenes again in January.
“We’ve come full circle in that we’re back to about exactly where we were a year ago,” Brown said.
One of the biggest sticking points in the debate was how much revenue would be generated from the program. The bill would have generated nearly $6 million in revenue from registration fees, increasing the amount required to be refunded to taxpayers. Lawmakers would have had to cut important areas of the state budget, so the proposal was tabled.
Brown said those revenue estimates have been consistently decreasing, leaving more room for lawmakers to implement the registration program.
Concerns were also raised from Colorado State Patrol over enforcement, while pediatric experts pointed to dangers posed to children using ATVs on roads.
The legislation would offer local control by allowing a local government to choose whether it wants such vehicles on its roads, and it also would require helmets for children and a valid driver’s license.
“It should have a little better chance of getting through,” Brown said. “A lot of things will depend on what the prognosis is for the economy and what’s going to be coming.”
