Would occur every five years under staff proposal

Peachtree City residents may soon be required to register their golf carts every five years.

The matter will be considered by the Peachtree City Council at its regular meeting Thursday night at 7 p.m. Council tabled the matter in September after discussion about how much the city should charge for the decals.

As of yesterday, the cost of the decals was still in question, said city Public Information Officer Betsy Tyler. The program will cost an estimated $120,000 to print the decals and mail out bills, officials said.

City staff estimated that between 9,000 and 12,000 carts are being used in the city, and the last time council discussed the matter, the proposed fee being considered was $12 per cart. Then-councilman Steve Rapson suggested allowing those who have properly registered their carts to register them for free.

If approved, the city would use different-colored decals to allow police to determine if a golf cart’s decal is current or not. This will allow officers to get a better handle of who owns which cart, particularly to aid with police investigations, according to Police Chief James Murray.

Currently, the city requires golf cart owners to register once, and new owners are required to re-register the cart once they take ownership even if it has a decal on it already. When officers investigate reckless cart driving, stolen carts and other incidents, they often run into outdated information, Murray has said.

If approved, the registration process would be staggered over several months.

Another golf-cart related proposal drew much ire from the citizenry in September. Council eventually postponed an ordinance that would have limited the height, length and engine power of golf carts; the proposal was made for safety precautions because bigger, specially modified carts are becoming more prevalent on the path system, officials said.

Golf carts share the path system with walkers, joggers, skaters, bikers and others.

A Tyrone woman was killed in September when she fell off a golf cart while the driver was turning; she struck her head on the ground, police said. It was the city’s first-ever death reported on the path system.