Regulation of golf carts and slow vehicles discussed

The question of regulating the use of golf carts and other slow-moving vehicles was raised at the September meeting of Zoar Council. Safety committee chair Tom Klingaman said he is working with Bolivar police officer Eric Minor to address the issue of golf carts.

Mayor Scott Gordon also asked about electric bicycles going through town. Minor said there are two types of e-bikes with maximum speeds of 20 mph and that bikes fall under two legal categories and both are legally allowed on the road.

A look into the Ohio Revised Code revealed there are three classes of e-bikes. In addition to being permitted on the roadway, the Class 1 and Class 2 bikes referred to by Minor are permitted to use bike paths and shared-use paths, unless a local governing authority says otherwise.

New fee structure passed

Council passed an emergency ordinance setting new permit fees. According to Gordon, the original ordinance was passed in 2011 and had not been updated since. While most fees remained the same, the new ordinance gives the zoning officer the authority to waive or reduce fees for small projects or those undertaken by nonprofit organizations.

Language also was added allowing the zoning officer to double the permit fee for work commencing before a permit is granted and allowing the assessment of additional fees if a permit or appeal requires the services of an outside consultant, attorney and/or court reporter.

Street weight limits discussed

Council discussed updating a 1984 ordinance setting village street weight limits. According to Gordon, the ordinance currently states vehicles larger than 10,000 pounds may use side streets as long as they take the most direct route to deliver what they have to deliver and return to Main Street or Second Street without going through other village streets.

Gordon said the mail truck is using Second Street for delivery instead of the most direct route, which he said would be to use First Street for delivery and return. However, when he raised the issue with the post office, he said he was told that for safety reasons they don’t like the trucks to back up.

Gordon and street commissioner David Irwin agreed to approach the post office about coming to a resolution on the matter.

Reports

Irwin asked if the Army Corps was finished working on the parking lot along the former West Street. Gordon said he was not sure, but he did notice some drainage issues in some spots. He also said there may be grant funds available to pave the lower half of the lot.

Klingaman reported having obtained a quote for a generator for the Town Hall and said councilman Mark Gaynor is looking into possible grant funding.

Gordon said the planning commission has encountered four instances of residents starting to build without having secured the proper permits. He said Hayes has issued the permits, and the commission is working on some ways to prevent the problem from occurring in the future.

In his mayor’s report, Gordon said the village has secured a utility aggregation, saying the rate for electricity is good and the gas rate, while a bit higher than desired, is still a good rate and locked in for the remainder of the year.

In other business

Council approved the following:

—$5,700 for Irwin to hire Tuscoat for crack filling work and to purchase a skid of asphalt crack filler to keep on hand. The product will be used by Irwin to fill street cracks as they occur in an effort to avoid larger problems.

—An increase of $71 in the cost of the recent purchase of flags and hardware.

—$100 for fiscal officer Martina Mann to attend training, plus reimbursement for mileage and food.

Zoar Village Council meets the second Tuesday each month at 6 p.m. in the Zoar Village Hall and Event Center. Meetings are open to the public.