St. Johns neighbors could soon see more golf carts on city streets after the planning commission voted to move a draft ordinance forward for city commission review.
- The St. Johns planning commission voted to advance a golf cart ordinance after receiving a petition with over 200 signatures.
- If approved, the ordinance would allow golf carts on city streets with safety requirements.
- The city commission is expected to review the draft ordinance at their July meeting.
WATCH: St. Johns residents push for golf cart ordinance
The proposal has gained significant community support, with more than 200 neighbors signing a petition to bring the issue back to city leaders.
"I have elderly parents. Trying to get them in and out of the car is more difficult than trying to get them off and on the golf cart," said Connie Skorna, one of many residents supporting the ordinance.
This isn't the first time St. Johns has considered allowing golf carts on city streets.
"About a year ago we had looked at this. But the issue fell off the radar just due to lack of support at that time. But there's certainly a renewed interest in considering this," St. Johns Mayor Scott Dzurka said.
During Wednesday's meeting, planning commission members voted to move the draft ordinance forward for the city commission's review, pending their recommended changes.
"I'm very pleased that they took that initiative and they heard what we were saying," Skorna said.
Safety remains a primary concern for the proposed ordinance. Clinton Area Ambulance Services Assistant Director Eugene Howe has advised city leaders on implementing the ordinance safely.
"Headlights, taillights, turn signals. All the things that make vehicles safer, we wanna make sure those are in the golf carts too just to reduce that chance of injury," Howe said.
Mayor Dzurka says the city commission will likely review the drafted ordinance in the upcoming July meeting, expressing a desire to move forward while prioritizing safety.
"We wanna make sure that there's something that we allow without causing destruction or concern for harm," Dzurka said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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