City Council holds off on golf carts

The New Hampton City Council decided Monday night against holding the third reading for the proposed golf cart ordinance because of concerns heard from the public as well as the council on safety regulations.New Hampton resident Tony Trower asked about adding turning signals and brake lights to the golf carts for safety and he also suggested the ordinance needed a “minimum age” for riders on carts.He noted that there wasn’t one so young children and babies could be put on the golf cart that has no seat belt requirements.“I’m not against the ordinance but think we need to take a closer look at it,” said Trower.City Council members agreed to make some changes to the proposed ordinance and also agreed to “starting over” with the process.That means the council will have to pass three readings of the ordinance for it to go into effect.Councilman Joe Denner told the council he has had nothing but negative comments about the golf cart ordinance and would have been swayed to saying no to the ordinance as written.“We have to listen to people that have hired us,” said Denner.Fellow Councilman Cory McDonald has had some people who have reached out to him who are for the ordinance.He now thinks he has heard from an even number of people on both sides of the issue.“If we have to make changes, so be it,” said McDonald. “Let's do this right.”Nick Noehl, the owner of Leisure Time Golf Carts, said he appreciates the process of starting over and agrees with the council revisiting the ordinance and taking care of safety concerns.Also at the meeting New Hampton resident Ed Durnan asked the council to allow him to remove the existing sidewalk on his 711 East Spring Street property.The sidewalk currently ends with no sidewalk attached to it.The board agreed to the request, all except Councilmember Jill Eike, who said she would consistently vote in favor of sidewalks.