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Staff presents golf‑cart permitting to mirror UTV rules; council agrees to match UTV fee
Summary
City staff proposed a draft golf‑cart ordinance that mirrors UTV permitting — equipment standards, nighttime lighting, operation limits and a proposed $80 permit for three years. Council asked staff to align UTV/golf‑cart rules and noted seat‑belt enforcement limits.
City staff presented draft ordinance language to permit golf carts on city streets, describing the proposal as closely modeled on the current UTV permitting process. Dave Anderson told the council that state law requires certain equipment for nighttime operation (headlights, taillights, brake lights) and that the draft includes both statutory equipment and a few local equipment checks such as a slow‑moving vehicle emblem and rearview mirror.
Anderson also said staff included an equipment requirement that would allow the city to require carts to be equipped with seat belts while noting the city could not mandate use: "I think as far as we can go as requiring that it be installed on the vehicle, I don't think we can require that it be worn." Council members debated parity with UTV requirements and agreed that fees should mirror UTV permits; the council indicated no objections to an $80 fee covering three years. Staff will return with ordinance language and the fee schedule for formal consideration.
Council discussed operational restrictions, including prohibitions on county and state highways except when crossing and passenger/load limits tied to the cart's design. Anderson noted some cities require seat‑belt equipment while most do not, and urged the council to make a policy call on whether to keep the equipment provision for discussion rather than mandate usage.
