East Dundee doesn’t have a golf course, but it may become a golf cart community.
The East Dundee Village Board has directed staff to draft an ordinance that would allow golf carts to be driven on village streets. It could be ready for a vote in mid-June to go into effect July 1.
Newly elected Village President Dan Pearson proposed the idea.
“It’s just trying to get our neighbors out and be more of an active community,” Pearson said at the Monday night board meeting.
Illinois state law allows non-highway vehicles to use municipal roads if an ordinance is approved by the local government with the assurance that such vehicles won’t “jeopardize public safety and may be used safely,” according to village documents.
A non-highway vehicle can include all-terrain vehicles and off-highway motorcycles but in East Dundee would be limited to golf carts.
Such vehicles would be limited to village-owned streets only and are prohibited by state law on state roads or highways, including routes 72, 62 and 68, Village Administrator Erika Storlie said. Crossings can be created that would allow golf cart drivers to get across those roadways.
State law also mandates that golf carts used on municipal streets have headlights and taillights.
While the proposed ordinance would allow only golf carts for now, other vehicles could be added later, Pearson said.
“I think it would be limited at first, then see how it is,” he said.
Golf cart driving would be restricted to anyone 18 or older. Drivers would be required to have a valid driver’s license and insurance for the vehicle, and all golf carts must be registered with the village, Storlie said.
Some northwest suburbs have started adopted similar ordinances, regulating the use non-highway vehicles on public streets. Huntley has an ordinance that allows golf carts within Sun City, a 55+ retirement community off Route 47.
East Dundee trustees reviewed ordinances adopted in other communities but opted not to include some of the restrictions enacted elsewhere, such as setting speed limits or establishing times of year carts can be used.
Trustee Scott Kunze said he didn’t object to the ordinance but questioned if there was that much interest in it.
“I don’t see how necessary it is,” he said. “I don’t know how many golf carts we have in East Dundee. My guess is we don’t have many. … I guess I just feel like it doesn’t seem like a big need.”
Outdoor stage coming
In other board action, trustees approved a contract not to exceed $27,500 under which Wight & Co. will create designs for a permanent, multipurpose sound stage to be erected on downtown land purchased by the city earlier this year at 120 Railroad St. Wight designed South Elgin’s sound stage at Panton Mill Park.
Management analyst Caleb Haydock said the firm would seek public and business input before coming up with conceptual designs.
“We want to make sure whatever we build is multipurpose for a wide variety of uses,” Storlie said. “We want to make sure we maximize the potential because it has the capacity to bring a lot of events and proposals we are not thinking of right now.”
Having a permanent stage will save the money in the long run because right now the village must rent a stage for public events, officials said. It would also help expand East Dundee’s capacity to host events like Wine-Down Wednesday, Thirsty Thursday and the Depot’s Farmers Market.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
