City Moves Toward Allowing Golf Carts On Streets Amid Police Concerns
February 22, 2017 at 7:51 p.m.
By David [email protected]
By a vote of 5 to 1, council approved on first reading an ordinance allowing the use of golf courts on the streets and alleys of the city with some restrictions. The second vote is set for March 6.
Voting against it was Councilwoman Diane Quance. Councilman Jeff Grose was absent.
Councilmen Mike Klondaris and Ron Shoemaker have been lobbying for an ordinance for months. It was first presented to the Traffic Commission, but that board forwarded it to council without a recommendation in Novembers.
Klondaris told the council he and Shoemaker feel they “crafted what I think is probably the best golf cart ordinance in the state because we’ve drawn from everyone else’s mistakes and what they were attempting to do.”
He said current state law prohibits golf carts on any streets or highways unless there is a local ordinance allowing it. He read a list of surrounding communities that permit golf carts on their roads, including Elkhart County, Plymouth and Rochester, among others.
He said Warsaw’s ordinance would require a golf cart to have headlamps, tail lamps, turn signals and brake lights to be used on city streets. The carts must display either a slow-moving vehicle emblem or an amber flashing lamp. The operator has to have a driver’s license and have insurance and a valid golf cart permit from the city. Applications and a $20 two-year fee must be presented to the Warsaw Police Department for approval.
Besides being prohibited on bike paths, sidewalks, state or federal highways, golf carts would be forbidden on many of the city’s busiest streets. Those include West Winona Avenue (Ind. 25), North Detroit Street (Ind. 15), South Buffalo Street (Ind. 15), Lake City Highway (U.S. 30), East Center Street, South Fisher (Ind. 15S), North Parker Street, Argonne Road, Anchorage Road and Husky Trail.
A person who violates the ordinance will be fined $25 on first offense, $50 for a second offense and each violation in the calendar year will incur a $100 fine.
“One thing we looked at is golf carts are here already. In the summer they’re quite frequent and they’ve been on the streets for years, being driven by children and people who are uninsured. As this project evolved, that’s where I started taking aim at is a safety issue,” Shoemaker said.
He reiterated that “golf carts are here” and they just wanted to make it safer with the ordinance.
“They’re not going to go away,” Klondaris said. “We’re going to make it safer for everyone.”
Thallemer pointed out a letter from WPD Captain and Traffic Commission Administrator Kip Shuter against the ordinance. At the end, he wrote, “It is my recommendation and also the recommendation of the majority of the Warsaw Traffic Safety commission that you do not approve this ordinance.”
Police Capt. Joel Beam then spoke out against the ordinance, saying if the 500-pound golf cart were involved in an accident against an 80,000-pound semi, the golf cart will always lose. He said he spoke to several people not in favor of the ordinance and they questioned why anyone would want to put golf carts on the city streets. Golf carts are designed for golf courses, he said, and city traffic is bad enough.
“Legalizing golf carts because they’re already here kind of scares me. It’s kind of like saying just because people are speeding we need to allow speeding, or because they’re running stop signs we need to let them run stop signs. I just don’t like that idealogy,” Beam said.
After discussion was opened up to the public, Vere Shenefield said Sun City, Ariz., is one of the most dangerous places he’s ever been because “golf carts were like fleas. They’re all over everything. And it was extremely dangerous.”
He added that traffic through the city is bad enough and allowing golf carts will make it worse. If people need transportation, he recommended they hire a cab or taxi.
“To put a whole bunch of golf carts on the road will be a dangerous, terrible thing. You’re making a big mistake if you pass it,” Shenefield said, and blood would be on the council’s hands if they passed the ordinance.
Resident Mike Loher said he didn’t see people buying a bunch of golf carts if the ordinance passed and didn’t see it being a big deal.
Thallemer said the ordinance was only for golf carts, and didn’t include ATVs, Polaris or such.
Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen put her “citizen” hat on and also spoke against the ordinance because of safety concerns. She also said the ordinance needs more streets prohibited added to it, including CR 300N, Sheldon Street and Union Street.
After the vote, Thallemer suggested council take a good close look at the districts they represent before the March 6 second vote.
In other business, council:
• Approved a resolution designating 401 and 425 Argonne Road as an economic development target area. By designating that property as such, the city permits Freedom Oil to file a tax abatement on real property improvements.
Freedom Oil plans to buy Our Father’s House at 401 Argonne Road, demolish it and Freedom Oil’s current convenience store, and build a larger convenience store and gas station like it has in Leesburg. John Conley Jr. also will move his barbershop to that location.
The council then approved a five-year tax abatement for the improvements.
On first reading, it also approved vacating the north/south alley between the two properties. A second reading is required for the vacation ordinance, which will be at the March 6 council meeting.
Freedom Oil Managing Member Greg Cobb said demolition probably will begin in April.
• Approved an ordinance on first reading establishing the proper use of the city’s social media sites. The second reading will be March 6.
• Heard the city’s general fund received $13,809.65 from Comcast for its fourth-quarter franchise fee.
By a vote of 5 to 1, council approved on first reading an ordinance allowing the use of golf courts on the streets and alleys of the city with some restrictions. The second vote is set for March 6.
Voting against it was Councilwoman Diane Quance. Councilman Jeff Grose was absent.
Councilmen Mike Klondaris and Ron Shoemaker have been lobbying for an ordinance for months. It was first presented to the Traffic Commission, but that board forwarded it to council without a recommendation in Novembers.
Klondaris told the council he and Shoemaker feel they “crafted what I think is probably the best golf cart ordinance in the state because we’ve drawn from everyone else’s mistakes and what they were attempting to do.”
He said current state law prohibits golf carts on any streets or highways unless there is a local ordinance allowing it. He read a list of surrounding communities that permit golf carts on their roads, including Elkhart County, Plymouth and Rochester, among others.
He said Warsaw’s ordinance would require a golf cart to have headlamps, tail lamps, turn signals and brake lights to be used on city streets. The carts must display either a slow-moving vehicle emblem or an amber flashing lamp. The operator has to have a driver’s license and have insurance and a valid golf cart permit from the city. Applications and a $20 two-year fee must be presented to the Warsaw Police Department for approval.
Besides being prohibited on bike paths, sidewalks, state or federal highways, golf carts would be forbidden on many of the city’s busiest streets. Those include West Winona Avenue (Ind. 25), North Detroit Street (Ind. 15), South Buffalo Street (Ind. 15), Lake City Highway (U.S. 30), East Center Street, South Fisher (Ind. 15S), North Parker Street, Argonne Road, Anchorage Road and Husky Trail.
A person who violates the ordinance will be fined $25 on first offense, $50 for a second offense and each violation in the calendar year will incur a $100 fine.
“One thing we looked at is golf carts are here already. In the summer they’re quite frequent and they’ve been on the streets for years, being driven by children and people who are uninsured. As this project evolved, that’s where I started taking aim at is a safety issue,” Shoemaker said.
He reiterated that “golf carts are here” and they just wanted to make it safer with the ordinance.
“They’re not going to go away,” Klondaris said. “We’re going to make it safer for everyone.”
Thallemer pointed out a letter from WPD Captain and Traffic Commission Administrator Kip Shuter against the ordinance. At the end, he wrote, “It is my recommendation and also the recommendation of the majority of the Warsaw Traffic Safety commission that you do not approve this ordinance.”
Police Capt. Joel Beam then spoke out against the ordinance, saying if the 500-pound golf cart were involved in an accident against an 80,000-pound semi, the golf cart will always lose. He said he spoke to several people not in favor of the ordinance and they questioned why anyone would want to put golf carts on the city streets. Golf carts are designed for golf courses, he said, and city traffic is bad enough.
“Legalizing golf carts because they’re already here kind of scares me. It’s kind of like saying just because people are speeding we need to allow speeding, or because they’re running stop signs we need to let them run stop signs. I just don’t like that idealogy,” Beam said.
After discussion was opened up to the public, Vere Shenefield said Sun City, Ariz., is one of the most dangerous places he’s ever been because “golf carts were like fleas. They’re all over everything. And it was extremely dangerous.”
He added that traffic through the city is bad enough and allowing golf carts will make it worse. If people need transportation, he recommended they hire a cab or taxi.
“To put a whole bunch of golf carts on the road will be a dangerous, terrible thing. You’re making a big mistake if you pass it,” Shenefield said, and blood would be on the council’s hands if they passed the ordinance.
Resident Mike Loher said he didn’t see people buying a bunch of golf carts if the ordinance passed and didn’t see it being a big deal.
Thallemer said the ordinance was only for golf carts, and didn’t include ATVs, Polaris or such.
Clerk-Treasurer Lynne Christiansen put her “citizen” hat on and also spoke against the ordinance because of safety concerns. She also said the ordinance needs more streets prohibited added to it, including CR 300N, Sheldon Street and Union Street.
After the vote, Thallemer suggested council take a good close look at the districts they represent before the March 6 second vote.
In other business, council:
• Approved a resolution designating 401 and 425 Argonne Road as an economic development target area. By designating that property as such, the city permits Freedom Oil to file a tax abatement on real property improvements.
Freedom Oil plans to buy Our Father’s House at 401 Argonne Road, demolish it and Freedom Oil’s current convenience store, and build a larger convenience store and gas station like it has in Leesburg. John Conley Jr. also will move his barbershop to that location.
The council then approved a five-year tax abatement for the improvements.
On first reading, it also approved vacating the north/south alley between the two properties. A second reading is required for the vacation ordinance, which will be at the March 6 council meeting.
Freedom Oil Managing Member Greg Cobb said demolition probably will begin in April.
• Approved an ordinance on first reading establishing the proper use of the city’s social media sites. The second reading will be March 6.
• Heard the city’s general fund received $13,809.65 from Comcast for its fourth-quarter franchise fee.
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