The Addison County town of Orwell is once again grappling with an issue that has divided a number of Vermont towns: how ATVs should be regulated on public roads.
A group of Orwell residents has gathered enough support to force another townwide vote, which will be held on April 18.
The petition follows voters’ decision, on Town Meeting Day in 2025, to open up all town roads to ATVs.
After last year’s vote, the select board put an ordinance together to regulate ATV use on the town roads, but some residents say it is too permissive.
“I think it was handled poorly by the select board,” said Orwell resident Gary Murdock. “They opened up every road to ATV use, and they also have the hours of operation going until 10-o’clock at night. Not everybody wants that.”
Murdock opposes ATVs on public roads, but he said a majority of voters at town meeting last year approved the move, and he has accepted that outcome.
Still, he wants a more restrictive ordinance, and so he will be voting to overturn the ordinance at the special town meeting later this month.
“I believe if they came up with a more responsible ordinance people wouldn’t be trying to stop it.”Gary Murdock, Orwell resident
Murdock thinks the town should create a permit system that raises revenue to enforce the ordinance, and he wants tighter controls on where and when riders can use the roads.
“I think the select board can do a better job that gives something to everybody,” Murdock said. “I believe if they came up with a more responsible ordinance people wouldn’t be trying to stop it.”
Similar discussions and votes have taken place across Vermont with some towns, like Highgate, approving the use of ATVs, while others, such as Fletcher and Danby, have rejected their use.
The debate in Orwell about whether ATVs should be allowed on public town roads has been going on for almost five years.
Back in 2021, after the nearby town of Benson opened up its roads to ATVs, Orwell residents asked their select board to consider doing the same.
The select board at the time elected not to pursue an ordinance.
Then, in 2024, ATV proponents handed in a petition asking for a town vote, and the town voted 182-169 to pursue crafting a new ordinance to allow ATVs on the roads.
“Unfortunately you’re never going to make everyone happy.”Cian Quinn, Orwell resident
Cian Quinn also lives in Orwell, and he says the ordinance does a good job of establishing realistic regulations for those who choose to ride on the roads.
“I think the town’s been very generous with how they wrote it to try to accommodate a lot of people’s views,” he said. “Unfortunately you’re never going to make everyone happy.”
The vote later this month may not be the end of the debate in Orwell.
If the current ordinance is rejected, the select board could draw up a new ordinance. If the ordinance is upheld, it would go into effect on the day after the meeting.
The April 18 meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the Orwell firehouse, and voting will take place in person, from the floor.
