Madison, WI — State Representative Alex Dallman has introduced a bill, LRB 5266/1, which would allow a county to enact an ordinance requiring registration of, and imposing an annual flat registration fee not to exceed $100 on animal-drawn vehicles that are operated on a highway and customarily kept in the county. This legislation would require a county to pay 50% of any such fee to the town in which the vehicle is customarily kept.
In many rural communities across the State of Wisconsin, the roads are shared by regular traffic, agricultural implements, commercial trucks and animal-drawn vehicles. Due to this circumstance, many communities are having a dilemma in managing the animal-drawn traffic, especially when an accident occurs or when there is damage to the road.
“All users of the roadway should be paying their fair share,” said Representative Dallman. “Animal-drawn vehicles that use our roadways should be registered just like many other vehicles. I want to be sure that our local roads remain funded and operate in a safe and effective manner.”
By registering animal-drawn vehicles, law enforcement agencies will be more efficient in identifying the owners of these vehicles if there were to be an accident. This bill is currently awaiting a committee assignment and a public hearing.
