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County board tackles mini-truck ordinance Tuesday
Public hearing set at 10 a.m.
Published Monday, December 28, 2009
The Mower County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on a potential mini-truck ordinance at 10 a.m. Tuesday during the county board meeting.
A county ordinance is necessary for residents to license and legally drive the vehicles on area roads after the state recently delegated licensing decisions on mini-trucks to local jurisdiction.
State laws now limit mini-truck driving to county and township roads. The vehicles are not allowed on state or federal highways.
The trucks won't have traditional license plates. It's likely the licensing could be similar to a sticker for hunting or fishing, according to Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi.
"We thought, well, we should bring this before the board to see if they would be willing to pass this to make these individuals who have purchased these trucks legal," Amazi said.
Steve Hovda, owner of Steven Hovda Insurance in Grand Meadow, bought a mini-truck from a dealer in Montana. His mini-truck has been parked in his garage for months because he's not been able to license the vehicle.
Hovda's 2000 Suzuki Carry was imported from Japan and has a steering wheel on the right side of the vehicle.
Most mini-trucks, also known as Kei trucks, are white and get about 45 miles to the gallon. Hovda said he's driven his comfortably at 55 mph.
Some farmers use the mini-trucks to move between plots of land or for use with errands and small jobs.
Al Oehlke, a retired farmer from Grand Meadow, owns a mini-truck that he uses to drive around the area. He described it as a vehicle he puts a lot of miles on without going too far from home.
"I just use it driving around from place to place," Oehlke said.
Oehlke licensed his mini-truck before the state changed the law, and his has a license plate. He said he's passed police officers driving his mini-truck and has never had any problems.
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