LAPEL — LAPEL — Changes to regulations for the use of off-road vehicles on Lapel streets are in the works.
Lapel Police Chief Kelly Naselroad presented proposed adjustments to the rules that govern golf carts and other alternative modes of transportation during the Lapel Town Council monthly meeting, conducted at the Eagles building and virtually on Thursday, April 12.
Naselroad said the modifications better define off-road vehicles, speed limits, and license and age requirements.
The proposed changes would pertain to vehicles with four or more tires that have side-by-side seating, Naselroad said. They would not apply to snowmobiles, quads and three-wheelers, which are not allowed to be operated on town streets.
He said a second proposed change is to include a speed limit of 30 mph, or the posted speed limit, whichever is lower.
Other changes include a license requirement for operators and an age minimum for passengers. Operators would need a valid driver’s license, and children would need to be at least 3 years old to ride in vehicles.

Councilman Jason Kleinbub had a concern related to the age limit.
For the passenger age limit restriction, Kleinbub asked if there could be an exception if the child were buckled in with a car seat, or something along the lines that would keep them secure.
Naselroad said there are no anchor points on golf carts where it could have a car seat.
“Every accident we’ve had with a golf cart, every passenger in it has had injuries to their hands,” Naselroad said. “It’s human nature, when it starts to tip, whether you’re holding anything or not, your hands go out. What we don’t want to do is have an infant or juvenile sitting on a lap of parent and they start to have an accident and the parent reaches out, instinctively, and now the child is loose.”
The council voted 4-1 in favor of the changes, with Kleinbub being the lone vote against.
This was the first reading of the amended ordinance; a final vote is expected to take place at the town’s May 20 meeting.
A copy of the ordinance is available to the public at town hall and the town’s Facebook page.
Plan agreement
A monthly payment amount to Constellation New Energy, which was agreed on at a special council meeting April 1, has increased slightly.
The payment is to cover extraordinary gas price costs in town for the month of February, caused by a polar vortex that spawned winter storms in Texas and across the country.
The agreement was initially set for a monthly payment to the company of $16,745. The corrected payment, after all bills had been calculated, is now $16,775.
Town council president Chad Blake has said the goal is to pay off the extra gas costs in less than two years, with financing that has a 4% interest rate and no penalty for early payment.