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Council adopts package of ordinances on golf carts, fence standards and code supplement
Summary
Columbia City Common Council passed three ordinances May 27: reclassifying golf carts, updating fence zoning text with safety checks, and adopting a codification supplement as an emergency measure.
Columbia City Common Council on May 27 approved three ordinances covering golf-cart classification, fence regulations and an emergency supplement to the city code.
On a second reading the council approved Ordinance 2025-3, which amends Chapter 73 (Bicycles, unicycles, three-wheeled cycles and golf carts) of Title 7 of the Code of Ordinances to move golf carts from being defined only as a four-wheel motor vehicle to allowing three- or four-wheel motor vehicles. The ordinance was read by a staff member and passed on a motion by Danny with a second by Dan; the council recorded the vote as unanimous.
Council also approved Ordinance 2025-4, an amendment to the zoning ordinance (text amendment to chapter 2) that incorporates previously discussed changes to fence standards. Council discussion on the fence ordinance included a site-specific issue at Weinstein and Jefferson, where staff and property owners agreed to re-locate and stake out a proposed fence to check line-of-sight before installation. A staff member said the line-of-sight concern is a safety issue and that city staff (Gary) would inspect the proposed setback and angle before any fence is erected.
Finally, the council approved Ordinance 2025-5, enacting and adopting a supplement to the Code of Ordinances and declaring an emergency so the supplement could be adopted on first and final reading. A staff member explained the supplement codifies recently passed ordinances onto the city’s online code (American Legal Publishing) and that the emergency declaration allowed adoption on a single reading. The measure passed unanimously.
Why this matters: the golf-cart reclassification affects which vehicles can legally operate under the city’s golf-cart rules; the fence changes respond to repeated safety and line-of-sight concerns; and the code supplement ensures newly passed ordinances are published online promptly.
Details: council members repeatedly handled the ordinance readings and approvals with unanimous votes; the fence item included an on-the-ground check (staking out the proposed line) and a joint inspection by staff and the property owner before any installation. The code supplement was adopted as an emergency measure to avoid delaying codification to a later meeting.
