Golf cart discussion tee off

Stickers that show that golf carts and other off-road vehicles have been registered are one step closer to having complete reciprocity between the City of Berne and the Town of Geneva. The current Ordinances note that a resident can purchase the sticker and complete the inspection with one of the two municipalities, but then when the driver would take their vehicle to the other area, it would have to undergo an additional inspection that was the exact same as the one that was already completed. The new proposal will make it so that any registration sticker that is purchased in Berne or Geneva will be able to be utilized between both areas without any more hoops to jump through.

The ordinance was passed through the Geneva Town Council, and was introduced to the Berne City Council at their meeting on Monday night. There appeared to be positive support for making the changes, though Councilman Ron Dull acknowledged that he would like to take some time before approving the changes to let residents of the City express any opinions they might have.

One of the most interesting aspects of the new ordinance was despite the reciprocity that will become available, the prices for registration stickers vary between Berne and Geneva. In Geneva the current price for a registration sticker is $10, while in Berne the ordinance lists the cost at $25 dollars. When the subject was before the Geneva Town Council, there was curiosity about if that meant that the people of Berne would be flocking to Geneva because the sticker price was much lower, however Attorney Dave Baumgartner, who represents both areas, explained that this is not the case.

“The question is can people from one area shop in the other,” explained Baumgartner. “Both

ordinances say, and this new one says residents of the City of Berne shall procure their registration in the City of Berne, and shall not procure a registration for any other city or town in order to operate a golf cart within the City of Berne. That was already in place.”

This applies to Geneva as well, as their residents should only purchase a sticker in Geneva. He continued to explain that the only real advantage lies with those a Amishville or who reside in rural southern Adams County. The changes to the ordinances will be voted upon at the next Berne City Council meeting which will occur on Monday, February 13th at 6:30 p.m.