Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department chief Doug Shannon said that changes to the all terrain vehicles (ATV) and golf cart ordinances will be underway for the communities of Lisbon and Mount Vernon.
The changes are coming due to recent changes to the laws involving ATVs and UTVs adopted by Gov. Kim Reynolds, effective July 1.
The biggest change is that the cities can no longer charge citizens for permits for their ATVs or UTVs. Those registrations will now be handled by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Registrations for ATVs and UTVs were put on hiatus at both city’s until the ordinance is fixed.
Shannon said there will be a number of restrictions people using ATV and UTVs will need to follow as well.
For UTV and ATV riders traversing to different communities is easier, explained city administrator Brandon Siggins.
“For some of those who wanted to take their vehicle from a community like Mechanicsville to Sutliff, that required they had their ATV registered in several communities,” Siggins said. “With the law as it is written, we’ll lose some of that revenue and local controls, but it will allow those riders to have rides to and from different communities much easier.”
Shannon said drivers on secondary highways will need to be more mindful, as many of these vehicles can operate on secondary roadways. That could include locations like Sutliff Road in Lisbon.
Shannon said he will bring an updated ordinance, to allow golf carts to still be licensed on city streets to the coming council meetings.