The Fayette

County Tax Commissioner's Office has stopped issuing motor vehicle tags

for the electric vehicles that were recently approved for use on Peachtree

City's cart path system.

That's because

the state Department of Motor Vehicle Safety has not yet decided if the

Global Electric Motorcars qualify to be registered with a tag, according

to Fayette County Tax Commissioner George Wingo. All Georgia tag offices

were notified to stop issuing the tags for the GEMs on December 20, he

said.

"At this

point, it's not clear whether the state will allow them to be registered,"

Wingo said. "And I don't know when we're going to know. My gut feeling

is that they'll ask the state attorney general if they should be registered."

One of the

state's requirements is that the vehicle must be able to be used on a

state highway, and that's where the snag has developed, Wingo said.

The GEMs, which

reach a top speed of 25 mph, can only be used on roads with speed limits

up to 35 mph, according to federal guidelines.

When the Peachtree

City Council approved the GEM electric motorcars for use on the city's

cart paths last month, it was with the understanding that each vehicle

would be issued a motor vehicle tag, just like a regular automobile.

That's one

of the many reasons Police Chief James Murray supported allowing the vehicles

on the cart paths. Car tags would make it easier for citizens to report

offenders, and the GEM drivers would be required to meet all Georgia motor

vehicle laws, he said.

Wingo estimated

that between 25 and 30 of the GEMs have been purchased by local residents

in the past month. Prior to the order to stop issuing the tags for GEMs,

the local office had issued tags to several GEM owners, he said.

If state officials

decide the GEMs don't qualify for Georgia vehicle tags, it could jeopardize

the $5,000 tax credit many GEM owners have been counting on to offset

the cost of the vehicle.

The City Council

was slated to discuss the latest developments on this issue at its meeting

last night after The Citizen's deadline.

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