Monroe votes to allow golf carts

By Wayne Schwartz
Berne Tri-Weekly News
The Monroe Town Council voted at their regular monthly meeting to adopt an ordinance regarding the use of golf carts on the town’s streets.
Some of the requirements for operating a golf cart in Monroe, according to the new ordinance include: golf cart drivers must have driver’s licenses, carts must have a slow-moving vehicle emblem or a flashing red or amber light in the rear, all passengers must be securely seated in factory-installed seats, and the golf carts are not legal on state highways such as S.R. 124, except to cross.
The ordinance also calls for owners to have the state minimum amount of insurance on the golf carts. Regular car insurance, and homeowner’s insurance will not cover golf carts. The only vehicles allowed by this ordinance are actual golf carts, not ATV’s or utility vehicles.
Last night’s meeting was also a preliminary reading of the proposed budget for 2010.
Council President Al Lehman stated that this is earlier than usual, but the meeting with the Department of Local Government Finance to approve the town’s proposed levies is earlier than normal this year.
According to the budget, there will be 2.65 percent compensation increase for town employees in 2010, however, only .67 percent of this increase will come out of the budget. The rest will be funded my through money from utilities.
There is a 1.6 percent reduction in utility costs for the town, a 5.7 percent decrease in gasoline costs, and revised insurance coverage on equipment reduces that cost 10 percent.
Lehman reminded the town adequate funds must be maintained to resolve the surface drainage problems experienced by the town.
Overall, the town’s budget will be down 1.135 percent from 2009.
Also present at the meeting last night were citizens who expressed concerns about the town’s compost site which is located on 000 Rd., beside Eckhart Woodworking.
Susie Loshe, who resides in the house directly beside the site, stated that there are numerous problems with the site, especially when the branches are being ground up. She stated that the dust from the grinding is very fine and gets into the house via air conditioner vents, etc., and that it adversely affects her eyes and lungs. Loshe noted that she is suffering from lung and eye problems anyway, and her condition is worsened by the dust.
Another complaint was the smell, and the fact the site attracts rodents and small animals, such as groundhogs.
Loshe requested that another site be found for the compost site, and suggested some of the land recently purchased by the town for the new drainage pond be used to establish a new site.
The council assured her that options would be looked at, and as to the suggestion of using some of the newly acquired land, Lehman stated, “For the first time, we have the option,” of using that property for this purpose.
The town superintendent stated that in the meantime, he would try to haul the compost oftener, to help alleviate the rodent problem.
Lehman also noted that due to her condition, the town would try to give Loshe advance warning before grinding branches at the site, to give her the chance to be somewhere else over that time.