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Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low near 45F. Winds light and variable.
GOLF CARTS A-GO – William Grusecki, a new Tawas City resident, speaks during the public comment period of the Sept. 6 council meeting. He thanked officials for their consideration of allowing golf carts on the city’s streets and, later that evening, council members did adopt a resolution which permits this activity.
GOLF CARTS A-GO – William Grusecki, a new Tawas City resident, speaks during the public comment period of the Sept. 6 council meeting. He thanked officials for their consideration of allowing golf carts on the city’s streets and, later that evening, council members did adopt a resolution which permits this activity.
TAWAS CITY – Sept. 6 marked the third meeting in which the Tawas City Council discussed the possibility of allowing golf carts on the city’s streets and, in a 7-0 vote, they adopted a resolution permitting this activity.
Officials made several unanimous decisions regarding other items that evening, as well, including the new zoning ordinance.
As for the golf carts, the council has gone over this at length. The pros and cons they have considered throughout the process were summarized in this publication after their July 18 meeting, and again following the talks during their Aug. 8 meeting.
As reported, it was on Aug. 8 when the council postponed making a decision on this, until they convened on Sept. 6.
In that time, Tawas City Manager Annge Horning forwarded information to the other officials, at the request of Councilman Ed Nagy. It entailed videos from communities in Florida, Kentucky and Texas that Nagy had looked into, to learn more about the golf cart regulations in those areas.
Tawas City Police Department (TCPD) Chief Matthew Klosowski-Lorenz then went on to speak with representatives from each of the communities.
The chief – who teamed with Horning to create the resolution being considered by the council – attended the latest meeting and shared that the municipalities Nagy researched, which are considered golf cart communities, are vastly different from Tawas City.
For example, the most similar area has a population of more than 100,000 individuals. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Tawas City’s population was 1,827.
Klosowski-Lorenz told the council that his position remains the same as when this topic was first brought up. He is in favor of trying the golf cart resolution in Tawas City, and addressing any issues when/if they come.
He has maintained that he doesn’t foresee any major problems, though, and has cited several factors supporting his stance. For one, he doesn’t believe that adopting the resolution means there will suddenly be an influx in golf cart usage, and this sentiment has been shared by other council members.
Klosowski-Lorenz has also noted that the machines only go so fast, it’s more of a leisurely activity than anything and he hasn’t encountered any significant issues while working in other parts of the county where golf carts are utilized. Additionally, owners will have to register their carts with the city, which also requires them to sign an acknowledgement that they have read and will adhere to the state laws associated with the use of golf carts.
Upon comparing Tawas City’s proposed resolution with the regulations in the Kentucky, Florida and Texas communities, he explained the similarities and differences to the council. Overall, he said that none of the communities expressed any real problems with the golf carts. They all had positive things to say, and didn’t share any issues within their respective police departments, either.
Although he doesn’t expect a large number, Klosowski-Lorenz said that if the resolution is adopted, those who do use the golf carts – including the residents who have said it would be ideal for going to work or running errands – will be very happy.
Both he and Horning have also pointed out that if this limited and regulated use becomes a safety hazard or is deemed to be a nuisance, the approval can be rescinded any time. Further, the resolution incorporates language from the section of the Michigan Vehicle Code authorizing cities with less than 30,000 people to allow golf carts on their streets.
The following are also among the items included in Tawas City’ resolution:
In reference to the last bullet, a minor adjustment in wording is the only change that will be made.
Councilwoman Jackie Masich pointed out that while golf cart usage is banned on US-23 altogether, there are portions of this road with a 30 mph speed limit. Since US-23 isn’t noted specifically in the resolution, it could be confusing to those who know there are areas that are 30 mph, and may assume that they can therefore use golf carts on this stretch of the road.
Horning said that this does lead to interpretation, so they can clarify in the resolution that golf carts are excluded from both US-23 and M-55, except when the driver is crossing the roadways.
With that correction, Mayor Ken Cook moved to offer the resolution authorizing golf carts on the city streets, to which Councilman Dave Lesinski asked if they could also include a statement about revisiting the matter in a year.
If they don’t want to lock themselves into a firm date, Horning gave a reminder that the city reserves the right to rescind this approval at any time. Similar to the skate park, she said, they may find out a couple months from now that it’s not going to work. So they could revisit the golf cart topic two months from now, a year from now, or not at all if they find that it isn’t even necessary to do so.
Klosowski-Lorenz added that he can also include golf cart incidents, such as any comments or concerns, in the TCPD activity reports that he provides to the council on a quarterly basis.
Mayor Pro Tem Brian McMurray asked if Lesinski wants this on a meeting agenda a year from now, just to revisit it and have some input, which he confirmed.
Cook noted that this doesn’t change his motion, which was supported by Masich, and that Lesinski was simply asking for the topic to be on the agenda next September so that the council can review the resolution in a year.
“And I’d like to make an amendment to that motion,” Nagy then said. He referenced Section 21 of the Michigan Vehicle Code excerpt which, as reported, lists the additional safety requirements that a municipality may implement for golf cart usage, but that the city is not mandated to enact.
In particular, Nagy mentioned Section 21c, which reads, “At least 1 stop lamp and 1 lamp or mechanical signal device that comply with sections 697 and 697b.”
The amendment failed, however, due to lack of support. But he still voted in favor of Cook’s motion to authorize the resolution, which passed unanimously.
Earlier in the meeting, Nagy also said that he would like for there to be a seat belt requirement.
But as Klosowski-Lorenz has advised in past meetings, as well, he said that equipment requirements also mean safety inspections will have to be done in order to issue a permit. Having more extensive rules creates more liability for the city if something were to happen, and he would rather the TCPD not be responsible for performing golf cart inspections.
He said that some things may be easy to address, but even requiring a seat belt isn’t as simple as it may seem. Does it have to be installed by an ASE-certified seat belt technician; is a rope across someone’s chest going to be sufficient, he noted as examples.
Horning said she had the same question. Since this would have to comply with Section 710a, does it mean the shoulder safety belt that catches when someone hits the brakes, she asked for instance, or does it mean something else.
“Right. And how much of an inspection are we going to do,” Klosowski-Lorenz agreed, adding that he’s concerned with having safety requirements that are too stringent.
“You’re concerned about it, but I’m confident your staff can handle that,” Nagy said.
McMurray said that if this use is allowed, he doesn’t get the sense that the city would become a “golf cart community,” and he would be surprised if they see a dozen more golf carts than there are now.
Lesinski agreed, saying that he doesn’t want to make this complicated by throwing in inspections or other requirements if it’s not even warranted.
Councilman Mike Russo also said that he would prefer starting with less. Since the resolution can be revisited at any point, the council can always overlay things on top of this, if needed. But he doesn’t feel that they should approach it by starting right out from the gate with setting up a list of potential liabilities.
“I think we’re starting to make it pretty fuzzy,” Lesinski echoed. He admitted that he wasn’t thrilled about the golf cart idea, as he doesn’t see a need for it. But as long as they’re going to follow what is outlined in the resolution, and avoid making things too complicated, he’ll go along with it.
He added that if they start implementing safety equipment requirements and then there’s an accident, there will be questions as to whether the TCPD did the inspection properly and so on. “We don’t need that, and you’re throwing the liability at the city there.”
Cook said that Horning and the chief also put quite a bit of time into drafting the resolution, which wasn’t done haphazardly.
Nagy said that he doesn’t want to wait for an accident to occur first, and his only concerns are for having seat belts and stoplights.
Residents have previously approached officials and the TCPD to ask about whether they can use their golf carts, and the council began discussing this after receiving a letter from William Grusecki.
As reported, he wrote that he and his wife recently purchased a home in Tawas City and would welcome the ability to use their golf cart to run errands and visit other retired residents within the city limits.
When Grusecki spoke during the public comment period of the Sept. 6 meeting, he thanked the mayor and council members for listening, and for considering allowing this use in the city.
He said that the machine he and his wife own is electric, so it’s a good transition to the future for them. He added that golf carts have been a big part of their lives and that their children grew up riding them, as well.
Grusecki also shared his experiences in the communities he and his wife visit during the winter, that allow golf carts, and he said that this activity is very popular.
In other business, Klosowski-Lorenz described the two Law Enforcement Technology Grants he applied for, through the Department of Homeland Security, each of which are reimbursement grants. One was for the purchase of three new in-car, 800 megahertz (MHz) mobile radios for the TCPD, which has since been approved in the amount of $7,000; and the other was for the purchase of three new in-car computer systems, which has also been approved, in the amount of $21,000.
He explained that in order to get the department off the ground when it was first formed, the initial equipment that was purchased for the patrol cars was reconditioned/refurbished. So one of his goals has been to apply for grants to get new equipment, once the TCPD was established.
The officers have gotten by with what they have currently, but Klosowski-Lorenz noted several issues with the equipment and said that replacements are needed.
While anything over the approved amounts – for either the radios or the computers – would be the responsibility of Tawas City, he explained that this will not be the case, as these are 100% grants.
Horning added that neither of these are in the budget, so amendments will have to be made. But it will just be money in and money out, with no additional costs or out-of-pocket expenses for the city.
Two quotes were received for the 800 MHz radios – one from Anderson Radio in the amount of $12,603.87, and one from AMK Services in the amount of $6,361.
Horning stated that the quote from AMK Services would be fully covered by the $7,000 grant.
Masich’s motion to approve the grant for the radios, and to award the bid to AMK Services, passed 7-0.
Two quotes were also submitted for the in-car cameras, each of which would be covered by the other, $21,000 grant – one from CDW-G in the amount of $19,517.34, and one from Patrol PC in the amount of $17,079.74.
Russo moved to make the award to Patrol PC, which also received unanimous support.
In separate action, officials held a second reading of Ordinance 326, which is the city’s new zoning ordinance. They also voted to adopt the document, which will take effect this Saturday, Sept. 24.
Some of the changes were highlighted in the Aug. 31 edition of this publication and, as reported, the updated version will completely replace the existing zoning ordinance.
The council introduced Ordinance 326 at their Aug. 15 meeting, following the Tawas City Planning Commission’s public hearing on the proposed ordinance, and the commission then recommending that the council approve the document.
Ordinance 326, as well as the map showing the new zoning districts, can be viewed in its entirety at tawascity.org, or by stopping into Tawas City Hall, at 550 W. Lake St. (US-23).
In other business, Horning said that two bids were received after a request for proposals (RFP) was issued to replace the roof on the department of public works (DPW) garage. “This project is budgeted in the current fiscal year at $75,000 and is one of the only ‘extras’ in the budget.”
One bid came from Woodruff Contracting, Inc., in the amount of $94,360, plus $7,297 to install new gutter and downspouts. The bid from King Erectors, Inc., in the amount of $69,000, includes the new gutter and downspouts.
DPW Director Gus Oliver has recommended awarding the bid to King Erectors, whose quote covered everything requested in the RFP, and Lesinski’s motion to that effect passed 7-0.
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