City may legalize golf carts, ATVs prior to rodeo

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BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - The Fort Madison City Council will be taking a second vote on ordinance allowing golf carts, ATVs and UTVs on certain city streets a week earlier than expected.

The city has called for a special meeting Tuesday night for a second reading on the ordinance that would permit licensed drivers 18 and older to drive golf carts, ATVs, and UTVs on all city streets except Hwy. 2, Business 61, and 15th and 18th streets.

The measure passed with a 4-2 vote with a strange abstention from Councilman Chad Cangas who said he wanted more deliberation. The measure requires three readings to become part of the city's code, but the third reading can be waived with a majority vote of the council.

Councilman Chris Greenwald said he'd like to see the issue cleaned up before rodeo.

If the council approves a final third reading or waives the third reading, the ordinance would need to published in the Fort Madison Daily Democrat and once it's published would become part of the city's code.

The meeting will also include a resolution to set a public hearing on the reconstruction of 2nd to 6th Street on Avenue H.

The city set a public hearing for last Tuesday's meeting, but then indicated on the agenda they wouldn't hold the hearing, and then held the hearing, prior to a scheduled vote to reject a bid from Jones Contracting for $3.3 million for the work.

The vote never surfaced because the resolution died for lack of a motion.

Pen City Current questioned the validity of putting the hearing on the agenda, and then listing on a published agenda that the hearing wouldn't be held, and then holding the hearing.

Pat Jones of Jones' Contracting and Tim Cutsforth of HR Green, the engineering firm overseeing the project, both spoke on the project during the public hearing.

City Clerk Melinda Blind said after the meeting that the hearing was going to be rescheduled.

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