ONTARIO – Ontario City Council’s golf cart legislation will be back in front of council at its next meeting.

Led by second ward councilwoman Michelle Webb, the city’s safety committee met Wednesday evening to review previously proposed legislation regarding the use of golf carts, snowmobiles, off-highway motorcycles and all-purpose vehicles and chose to amend it to include several concerns previously voiced by council members.

If passed, the revised legislation would allow Ontario residents age 16 and older with a valid driver’s license to drive select off-highway vehicles on Ontario roads with speed limits up to 35 miles per hour and never on roads with more than two-lanes total.

The safety committee added the age and license requirement, the restriction of roads more than two lanes and phrasing that will only allow Ontario residents to have their golf carts inspected through the legislation. Additionally, a slow-moving vehicle emblem must be displayed at the rear of the vehicle.

“That will keep people off Lex-Springmill and Park Avenue, which we had talked about, and Fourth Street, so the major streets,” Webb said about the lane regulation.

What’s become known as the “golf cart legislation” was introduced in May, but “died” at council’s June 20 meeting after conflict about what regulations needed added into the ordinance. Some council members wanted to add an age requirement and limit what roads the carts could be driven on, but others feared over-legislating.

When it was read for a third time, council members didn’t motion to move forward with a vote. All were present.

Council President James Hellinger asked council multiple times if they wanted to make a motion or table the legislation, but when he repeatedly heard nothing in response, he called it.

“Okay, no motion? The ordinance dies,” Hellinger said.

Concerned about the lack of legislation, Webb brought it to council’s attention again July 18.

“By not having an ordinance – number one – it means you can’t drive a golf cart on the road or anything that’s in the ordinance, and I feel like we’re putting our officers in the middle of this thing, this debate … I don’t think that’s where we want to go with this,” she said.

If passed, the legislation would have allowed under-speed vehicles to be driven on roads with speed limits up to 35 miles per hour. Ohio Revised Code addresses this, but golf carts cannot legally be driven on the road until local governments establish a permit process.

Since Ontario didn’t have a permit process or any legislation on this topic, resident Craig Hunt was concerned. He wanted to make certain that it was legal to drive a golf cart on the road and asked council about it several times.

“I’d like to see us have an ordinance that if you see a golf cart out there that he is inspected for safety,” Hunt said in a previous interview with the Richland Source.

The proposed legislation would make the physical requirements for the under-speed vehicles mimic characteristics of a car. Vehicles would be required to have a windshield, rearview mirror, “appropriate” tires, a “properly working” steering mechanism, adequate brakes and a braking system. Also, they would need to be equipped with properly working brake lights, headlights, tail lights and turn signals.

Furthermore, the vehicle would need to pass an inspection by the Ontario Police Department to determine if it met the above requirements before it could be driven on the road. The vehicle’s operator would need to present the inspection form to law enforcement at any time.

Then, the under-speed vehicles could have been driven on the road. Violations of the ordinance would result in a minor misdemeanor on the first offense.

Council will be presented with this legislation at its meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 15 in Ontario’s municipal building. It does not need to be immediately voted on at that time. It may be read up to three times.