The Cass County Board of Supervisors continued today (Tuesday) with discussion about a possible ATV/UTV Ordinance. Their focus today was whether or not a fee should be assessed to register the machines, how much of a fee might be set, and what the money would be used for. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources requires new All Terrain and Utility Terrain Vehicle owners to register their machines with the County Recorder’s Office in the County where they are purchased, and the registration must be renewed annually. Both cost $17.75.

Cass County Recorder Mary Ward spoke with the Supervisors about whether they wanted an additional registration fee to be added specifically for the County. She says currently, Cass County only receives $1.25 out of the $17.75 for each registration that is processed and sticker that is handed out. Ward said some counties don’t have a special/additional fee, they just make sure the ATV/UTV owner/operator has a current registration sticker. Of those counties that do charge an additional fee to process the registration, it’s usually as much as $25.

Those fees are usually for producing another sticker and the time it takes to process them. Ward said they haven’t sold as many ATV/UTV stickers for the DNR as they used to. Part of that reason may be that people are paying online for their stickers. She said if the Board elected to impose another fee, it wouldn’t need to be anything more than $10. Cass County Auditor Dale Sundermen said the reason for a separate fee and registration would be so the Cass County Sheriff’s Office has ATV/UTV information on-hand for a variety of reasons, including making sure the machine is current on its license and registration, and that the operator is legally entitled to use it. That includes being insured.

No action was taken on an Ordinance during today’s (Tuesday’s) meeting. In other business, the Cass County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of a piece of equipment that mounts to a dump truck, and uses a hydraulic conveyor to place gravel on the county road shoulders where needed, to firm up the shoulders. It would make it safer for combines and other implements to move further off the side of the road, without risking a rollover accident. The device costs $18,500. Engineer Charles Bechtold said the device lays down the new material, and would replace an auger-driven machine that isn’t very accurate, and is problematic. The costs will come from the Secondary Roads budget.