ORV ordinance repealed in Almont Twp.

Road projects get approval for new fiscal year

 

ALMONT TWP. — The issue of the use of Off Road Vehicles within the township was once again on the agenda for the township board at their meeting August 11.

During the course of the meeting, according to the unofficial minutes taken that evening, the board passed a motion to repeal the township’s existing ORV ordinance and have the township’s attorney draft a new ordinance that clearly complies with the county’s current ORV rules.

The motion passed with a unanimous vote and instructed the clerk to notify the attorney to proceed with the process.

In 2014, Lapeer County Commissioners adopted an ordinance permitting ORVs to travel on identified county roads while giving townships the ability to pass stiffer restrictions.

The township later passed an ordinance restricting ORV travel on all township paved roads after former Almont Township Supervisor Paul Bowman felt all township roads should be closed to ORV travel.

Under county law, ORV drivers must be at least 16 with a valid driver’s license, follow all traffic rules, wear a helmet and stay under 25 mph. ORV riders are not allowed to drive on I-69, M-24, M-53 and M-90 within Lapeer County.

Once the new ordinance is adopted, the township will open ORV access to all paved roads in the township except for three high traffic roadways: General Squier Road, from the Almont village limits at M-53 (Van Dyke Road) to Bishop Road westward; Dryden Road from M-53 to the Dryden Township limits westward; and Almont Road from Kidder Road to Mackie Road eastward.

All three roadways have already been closed to ORV access under the county ordinance through recommendations from the Lapeer County Road Commission.

The township board approved six road projects for the 2025-26 fiscal year with an estimated cost of just under $245,000, along with a request for an additional $10,000 from the Lapeer County Road Commission for additional work on an as needed basis.

Projects include ditching and limestone application on Tubspring Road between M-53 and Shoemaker Road; replacement of cross tubes and asphalt restoration at the intersection of Kidder and Almont roads and on Kidder Road between Tubspring and Almont roads; ditching on Shoemaker Road north of Wheatland Drive; and limestone applications on Tubspring Road between Shoemaker Road and Sandhill Road and between Bishop and Sandhill roads.

Supervisor Gary Groesbeck explained the township has budgeted $375,000 for road project funds for the current fiscal year.

Later in the meeting, a motion was approved raising the township’s building department fees for plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits to $100 each — a $65 increase for each permit.

Almont Township’s building inspector Joe Israel says the increases are in line with state rates and will help cover administrative and operational costs for the department.