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PTC eyes hiking golf cart fees with re-registration

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Peachtree City residents would have to re-register their golf carts every five years under a proposal that will be considered by the City Council at its regular meeting Thursday night.

If approved, the registration fee would rise 50 percent from $10 to $15.

The current system relies on residents telling the city if they move elsewhere, if their decal is lost or if their cart is sold or donated, according to City Administrative Services Director Jane Miller.

The lack of such updated information makes it more difficult to investigate reported thefts and enforce golf cart regulations, Miller indicated in a memo.

The current database of more than 12,000 carts is maintained by the Peachtree City Police Department.

But city officials estimate the actual number of golf carts in the city “falls between 8,000 and 9,000,” Miller said in a recent memo to council.

The staff recommendation may get complicated somewhat due to a state law that requires a decal to stay with each golf cart for the life of the cart, Miller noted.

Currently, the city charges residents a one-time fee of $10 for a decal and a $5 fee for transferring ownership of the cart. Out-of-city residents currently pay $60 a year for cart registration.

The staff proposal would create a nine-month period every five years to minimize the impact on employees who will administer the program, Miller noted. The project is projected to cost $95,700 and bring in an estimated $120,000 in revenue.

Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford is expected to lead a separate discussion about the possible creation of a public safety committee. Rutherford declined to go into any detail about her proposal when contacted Monday night.

Council will also consider a staff proposal to spend $14,000 to create wireless Internet access points at the Peachtree City Tennis Center, the Kedron Recreation Complex and the Baseball Soccer Complex on Ga. Highway 74 South.

One access point at each facility would be accessible to the public, which will allow athletic leagues and tournaments to perform real-time record keeping, according to a memo from City System Administrator Matt Robinson.

Another separate access point at each location will be dedicated for city staff use only, which will benefit the police, fire and code enforcement departments use of mobile computers in the field, Robinson noted.

The facilities for this pilot project were chosen because they are close to existing high speed Internet access and traffic volumes for citizen participation, tournaments and athletic events.

Currently, the city offers a public wireless Internet system at the library and another system is offered at Falcon Field Airport.

Creating the access points for city use will cost $4,905 and funding the access points for public use will cost another $8,397. Such funds are not already set aside in the city’s budget or Public Improvement Plan.

Council will also consider awarding a bid to replace a culvert on Dividend Drive that led to failure of the road shoulder. The low bid received is for $80,850 from Ronny D. Jones Enterprises of Newnan.