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County Executive's Office

Dane County, Stoughton to Approve Electric Vehicles Pact

December 29, 2006
Joanne Haas, Office of the County Executive (608) 267-8823 or cell (608) 669-5606
County Executive

Stoughton is on its way to becoming the third Dane County municipality to authorize the use of electric vehicles on neighborhood streets under a pending agreement with the County. “It is no surprise more local leaders are considering the use of these electric vehicles. They are so efficient and ideal for people who have short distances to get to their jobs or complete errands,” Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said. The agreement authorizing the use of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles must be approved by Stoughton officials and the Dane County Board because there are county trunk highways within city limits. Under the intergovernmental agreement, the city of Stoughton will be responsible for ordinance enforcement. Stoughton Mayor Helen Johnson said, “This type of transportation is perfect for some of our residents. Speed limits are 25 mph or less in our city, and for those who don't drive into the surrounding areas and who will use electric vehicles will allow us to learn from their experiences.” The Stoughton-Dane County agreement calls for the city to pass an ordinance requiring the electric vehicles to be licensed. Any driver of the vehicles must hold a valid driver license from Wisconsin or another state. The electric vehicles only would be allowed on roads with maximum speeds of 35 miles per hour or less. State law enacted in April 2006 allows municipalities to permit use of the electric vehicles on roads under shared jurisdictions. Mount Horeb was Dane County’s first municipality to OK the electric vehicles in September. Sun Prairie followed in November. According to information posted on the U.S. Department of Energy Web site, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recognized the NEVs as a form of transportation on June 17, 1998. Thirty-seven states have passed legislation permitting the electric vehicles to be operated on roads with speed limits of not more than 35 miles per hour. # # #
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