ST. GEORGE — Following concerns expressed by a Hildale resident at a recent Hildale City Council meeting, authorities released a statement to “correct any confusion” that may have been caused by social media post regarding the usage of off-road vehicles.
The issue was brought before the Hildale City Council on Sept. 7 during the public comments section of their regular meeting when Terrell Johnson of Hildale made a plea to the council and asked them to do something about stricter enforcement of laws regarding all-terrain/off-highway vehicles, pertaining to age and driving on city streets.
“This place has been around for decades,” he said. “We’re running ATVs on the streets. Children have learned how to drive with ATVs. They’re good for work purposes. This place is not too dang big for ATVs. St. George isn’t too big for ATVs.”
Johnson’s comments were in response to a social media post issued by the Short Creek Court Monitor on Sept. 6, which begins:
The legal and safe use of driving an OHV/ATV on the streets and roads of your community continues to be a real concern for public safety. There have been serious accidents and near misses from those operating these vehicles illegally. It is a goal of your Marshals office staff to educate the community members and mitigate this issue and help make the community safer.
The post then adds that change is necessary due to growth.
“With community growth comes change, and operating these vehicles on the street can no longer be done as it has been in the past,” the post states.
At the Sept. 7 meeting, Johnson said parents should be the ones to decide whether their children are fit to operate ATVs. He then added that he’d been told recently by the “chief” that new enforcement would not affect residents from riding ATVs on the streets.
Due to it being public comments, the issue was not commented on, discussed or debated by the council.
The social media post also cites state codes for both Arizona and Utah concerning the use of ATVs and emphasized the required use of proper safety gear. For Utah, the code cited was 41-6a-1509 and 11-66-101. For Arizona, it cited codes 28-964.A and 28-1179.B.
According to current law, there are no age restrictions in Arizona, but any person 18 years of age or younger must wear a DOT safety-rated motorcycle helmet. In Utah, a person 16 years of age or older with a driver’s license or an OHV education certification may drive an ATV alone. Children ages 8-15 must possess an OHV education certificate in order to operate an OHV on any public land, roads or trails.
St. George News reached out to Marshal Robb Radley concerning the public comments by Johnson and the social media post.
“The situation with the ATVs is being misconstrued,” Radley said. “The post was about wearing safety gear and driving in a safe manner.”
The next day, the Short Creek Court Monitor posted a clarification to the original post on Sept. 8. The new post was shared on local government social media accounts, which can be read below.
St. George News also reached out to Mayor Donia Jessop on the issue but has not heard back.
Constitution Week
In other news during the meeting on Sept. 7, Jessop read a declaration from “the office of the mayor, a proclamation of Consitution Week,” and declared Sept. 17-23 Constitution Week. The declaration can be read in full at this link.
The council also recognized Rowdy Reeve of Southwest Behavior Health “for making prevention work a work of the heart.”
Reeve is a prevention specialist with Southwest Behavior Health, helping youth in mental health, addiction awareness, suicide prevention, and more. He has helped provide more resources and education within the Short Creek community.
Every council member was in attendance except Councilman Terrill Musser, who participated via videoconferencing.
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