Council moves to create local rules for golf carts and small motorized vehicles

Council members told colleagues they want an ordinance in place immediately to regulate golf carts and other small motorized vehicles in the city after reporting several unsafe incidents and near-misses. Members said children are riding unregistered golf carts off school buses, riders ignore stop signs and at least one unlicensed-vehicle crash raised insurance concerns.

Why it matters: The state sets baseline rules for some low-speed vehicles and similar equipment, but council members said the city lacks a local registration/permission process, an enforcement sticker or another mechanism to identify and hold operators accountable. Local rules could supplement state regulations and give police and code enforcement a clear process for registration and enforcement.

Proposed elements: Police and the chief have been asked to draft an ordinance or registration checklist tailored to Struthers, possibly including a city sticker or temporary registration, equipment and safety requirements, and age or supervision rules. Council discussed using a checklist officers can distribute and requiring operators to obtain the city’s validation.

Enforcement: Councilmembers expect enforcement to be handled by police and code enforcement; one member said officers should be prepared to stop and ask operators to produce registration and, if necessary, remove unregistered vehicles from the road. The chief plans to present ordinance language and an enforcement checklist to council.

Next steps: The chief will draft proposed language and a checklist for council review and the administration recommended moving quickly to reduce safety risks, particularly around schools and bus routes.