Knox City Council members considered a golf-cart exemption request when they met Tuesday night.
The city’s golf-cart ordinance requires operators to hold a valid driver’s license. However, there is a provision that states individuals can appeal to the city council for an exception to the rule. A mother and her adult son came before council members this week to explain why they felt an exemption should be made.
The woman explained that she’s been looking for a means of transportation for her son to use to get from their home, which is about a mile outside of the city limits, into town. She said after considering a few different options, she felt that a golf-cart was the most reasonable.
She mentioned that her son was enrolled in special-needs classes in school and while he hasn’t had problems with the physical part of the driving exam, he has not been able to pass the written portion despite several attempts.
She told members that he has experience with operating a golf-cart at his job and noted that his boss said he was willing to vouch for his capabilities.
She explained, “He’s worked for 8-years with Wappel Farms and he rides their Razor [golf-cart] around to pull weeds and move rocks and those types of things.”
Members voted to grant the exemption within city limits. Mayor Dennis Estok said that when they purchase a golf cart, it will need to be registered with the city and inspected before it will be roadworthy.
He also noted that since they indicated they live about a mile outside of the city limits, they may want to look into the County’s ordinance and submit an exemption request to officials at that level to allow him to travel in the County’s jurisdiction as well.
On a related note, Mayor Estok mentioned that officials may soon review the city’s existing ordinance to look into whether additional steps need to be added to the permitting process and to potentially add language that would address safety concerns related to capacity and the presence of small children and babies on golf-carts.
