Sunflower County has a trail ride ordinance in the chamber, but the board of supervisors will hold off until after a Sept. 18 public hearing to pull the trigger.
One thing’s for certain, however — expect some stiff regulation of the popular rural ATV-centered events that have drawn thousands to Sunflower County and also the ire of some county residents.
“We don’t want to stop anything; we just want to regulate it,” District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald said during Monday’s BOS meeting.
Sunflower County is still working on getting an ordinance put in place to help regulate the safety at trail rides around the area.
A citizen from the community where the events are regularly held, and apparently will be again tomorrow, appeared before the board to voice his concerns.
County citizen Ladell Jackson witnessed attendees of a previous event pull guns on each other, he said, right in front of his yard.
He created a petition and gathered 34 signatures from residents in the neighborhood stating that they did not want the trail ride to take place this Saturday.
“What can the board do in order to stop this event?” Jackson inquired.
Board Attorney Johnny McWilliams explained to him that until the ordinance is put into place, there is nothing that they can do to stop the event.
“If you’re asking if there’s a short-term way this board can say you can’t have this? No,” he said.
The board explained to Jackson that if any trouble takes place, they will need to contact the sheriff's office. The sheriff can also enforce state statutes, such as stopping people from blocking the roadway, and parking for the events.
The curator of the event, Kendrick Carpenter, was also in attendance at the meeting as well.
“I’m trying to give the community something to do,” he said.
Carpenter said that his crew has the parking situation under control, but the number one concern was how could they keep all of those who will attend safe.
He also said that he walked around the neighborhood near the area where the event will take place and went door-to-door to inform residents of the upcoming plans.
According to Carpenter, most people told him that it was okay for him to hold the event. One resident even asked him to just turn the speakers toward the opposite side of the field so the sound wouldn’t be heard as easily on his property.
Percel Moore, county code enforcer, appeared before the board Monday morning to discuss the status of an ordinance. This idea was created to help regulate the amount of traffic and safety surrounding these events.
McWilliams and Moore have been working together to get this ordinance set in stone and have dispersed it out to the other members of the board so that they can review it as well. McWilliams also suggested that they hold a public hearing before a decision is made to pass said ordinance or not.
No motion was made on this decision.
A special hearing will be held on Sept. 18 (see Page 9 for more info) so that those who are concerned can list those concerns about the matter at hand.
