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PTC considers 5-year, $12 cart registration

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizen.com

At its meeting Thursday night, the Peachtree City Council will consider requiring all golf cart owners to register every five years for a $12 fee beginning next year.

The proposed ordinance on the issue will also make it unlawful to operate any golf cart or low-speed motor vehicle on the path that has been “altered from the manufacturers specifications for speed, height, width or noise emission.” More such carts are being noticed on the paths, and they can endanger the safety of pedestrians and cyclists who share the paths, according to a memo to council from City Clerk Jane Miller.

Currently, carts must be registered one time only for a fee of $10. The new system is proposed to help investigate complaints on the cart path such as reckless driving and stolen carts, officials have said.

The city’s current database linking golf cart decal numbers to the cart owners has outdated information in many circumstances, making it tougher for police to investigate problems relating to specific carts, according to Police Chief James Murray.

When the issue was discussed at a previous council meeting, several council members said they would prefer registration occur every three years to keep the golf cart database more current.

City staff initially suggested a fee of $15 for each cart in the new program, but several citizens complained to council and the figure was knocked down to $12 so the city won’t likely gain a profit off the venture.

The City Council previously voted that all revenues above the cost of implementing the program should be used to improve the cart paths.

The ordinance proposed by city staff includes a $20 penalty for those who wait more than 10 business days after their purchase to register a cart.

When a cart is sold from a city resident to another city resident, the transfer must take place within 10 days and will cost $5, according to the ordinance staff is presenting to council.

Currently only out-of-city path users must register every year for a $60 fee, compensating for the fact that they don’t pay property tax towards cart path improvements, officials said.

Council is also expected to consider a resolution to shrink the terms of members on its Airport Authority and Water and Sewer Authority from five years to three. The change will require a change to the local legislation by Fayette County’s state legislators.