Parents could be ticketed for their kids’ misbehavior —
Stressing cart path safety and accountability for parents of underage — and illegal — golf cart operators, Assistant Police Chief Matt Meyers asked the Peachtree City Council for ordinance changes that give police clear power to prosecute scofflaws.
The council unanimously said yes at the Aug. 6 meeting.
City Manager Jon Rorie said with 11,000 registered golf carts and 5,000 bicycles on the city’s 100-plus miles of paved paths, something had to be done.
Meyers said the new rules that legalize the operation of electric “play vehicles” like scooters, skateboards and unicycles spotlight the need to police violations to maintain safety for the thousands of rule-following folks who use the paths daily.
Among the new requirements: bike helmets for all ages for users of the motorized play vehicles. Each such vehicle can’t have more than two wheels and is limited to one person at a time riding on them.
And as reported earlier, under the new rules, parents can get ticketed for their child’s misbehavior. Parents are going to be held legally liable for their kids under 17 when the young ones break the rules or violate the city regulations related to golf carts and other motorized vehicles. That means a parent could be cited by police and forced to show up and answer to the city court judge for the misdeeds of their minor children on the city streets and cart paths.
At the same time, the city made parking illegal along a 1,245-foot stretch of one side of Battery Way, which leads to the well-used Lake Peachtree Boat Docks. Rorie said double-sided parking blocked access to fire trucks and emergency vehicles. “It’s way past due,” Rorie commented.
The council gave permission for a developer to apply for annexing nearly 39 acres along Redwine Road on the city’s south border. The permission doesn’t imply the council ultimately will approve the plan for R-12 residential zoning that would allow a little over 3 dwelling units per acre, the city manager pointed out, although he indicated the parcels likely fitted into the city’s plan to annex proactively to protect its borders.
The big ticket item of the night — which drew no comment from the public either for or against — was unanimous approval of the city’s new 2021 budget. The spending plan calls for $38.561 million in taxes and other revenue to run the city and pay its bills beginning Oct. 1. The city expects to move slightly over $1 million from its reserve fund into the spending column to keep the budget balanced.
