The Jefferson Law Enforcement Committee met Tuesday morning at City Hall Council Chambers.

The majority of the meeting was spent on a discussion to reconsider allowing all-terrain vehicles on city streets. Currently the ordinance does not allow for ATVs, but it does allow for golf carts and utility terrain vehicles. A new state law went into effect this past July 1st where ATVs were permitted to be driven on county and city roads.

Two Jefferson residents voiced their opinion in favor of amending the ordinance to allow ATVs within city limits. Tim Pound said if the state legislature passed a new law then maybe the city could also allow ATVs as well. He also thought it wouldn’t be as big of a problem as people think it could be. Another resident, Brian Markins, didn’t believe that UTVs and and golf carts were designed to be on the road, but yet the city allows those types of vehicles. 

Police Chief Mark Clouse said the committee discussed the topic last month and they unanimously agreed to not make any changes to the ordinance. Clouse argued that it was a public safety matter and had concerns about uncontrolled intersections and the impact speed would play with another vehicle. He also pointed out that there’ve been five ATV-related wrecks in Greene County that the sheriff’s office has responded to since the new law took effect in July. 

Council member Dave Sloan, who was there as a concerned citizen, said he has had at least ten people approach him about allowing ATVs and pushed for the City Council to take a vote on whether or not to allow them before an amendment was proposed to the current ordinance. Council member Pat Zmolek, who does serve on the committee, wanted to pursue the matter as a committee.

Following the discussion, Clouse said the committee would do further review of the topic before the committee would discuss it again at a future meeting.