Golf carts may soon make an appearance on De Soto city streets after a City Council vote Thursday.
The council approved the use of golf carts, work-site utility vehicles (or UTVs) and micro-utility trucks during Thursday night’s meeting.
Residents must comply with city requirements that include registering the vehicle and obtaining an annual permit.
Golf carts will only be allowed on streets with a speed limit of 30 mph or less, while work-site utility vehicles and micro-utility trucks will be permitted on streets with a speed limit 45 mph or under, City Attorney Patrick Reavey said.
The ordinance is in effect, but Assistant City Administrator Brandon Mills is working on the final details, such as a registration sticker or tag to show compliance. The goal is to have permits available Oct. 1, making the use of specialty vehicles legal.
Anyone applying for a permit must have a valid driver’s license, proof of liability insurance for that vehicle and pay a $35 fee. The permit is valid from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.
If a driver is found noncompliant, a traffic infraction will be issued by officers.
Many cities across Kansas have approved the use of specialty vehicles; in Johnson County, only Edgerton so far, council member Kevin Honomichl said. Adding De Soto would provide an opportunity for differentiation in Johnson County, Honomichl said.
“You tend to see them, or at least I’ve tended to see them, in smaller communities. We’re talking about, you know, a small town character,” he said. “They really become a social thing as well.”
Councilman Rob Daniels raised concern about the 45 mph speed limit for the other vehicles, especially on 83rd Street where residents have stated traffic is not safe. Due to the increase in truck traffic, including heavy truck traffic, the need for a traffic safety study has previously been discussed at City Council but has yet to be conducted, Daniels said.
Despite concern, Honomichl said the city’s speed limit requirement of 45 mph falls below the state’s regulation of allowing the use of specialty vehicles on roads with speed limits of up to 65 mph. Golf carts, work-site utility vehicles and micro-utility trucks are capable of reaching 45 mph, Honomichl said.
In other business, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Garvin discussed bids for parking lot and trail improvements for Miller Park Trails and City Hall.
For Miller Park Trails, improvements include 6-inch asphalt milling and patching repairs, removal and replacement for a small section in the trail that has been holding water for some time, lineal crack removal and repair. Once repairs have been completed, the trail will be crack sealed and seal coated, Garvin said.
“We haven’t done anything down there. We did a crack seal and coat in 2014,” Garvin said.
There are cracks four to five inches wide that Garvin and the street department have attempted to maintain through the years, but it’s reached the need for replacement, Garvin said.
The City Hall parking lot, which includes parking space for the community center and aquatic center, will have similar improvements that include 2-inch and 6-inch asphalt milling and patch repairs, crack seal and seal coat, as well as pavement markings.
Work on the projects will begin after Labor Day due to the De Soto Days Car Show, which takes place in the parking lot, Garvin said. Completion is expected no later than Oct. 20.
The council approved the low bids received from Advanced Asphalt. The cost for the Miller Park Trails project comes to about $27,700 while the City Hall parking lot project is about $33,000. Both projects will be paid for by the aquatic center and parks maintenance funds, according to the city.
In other business, City Administrator Mike Brungardt discussed a proposal to increase the 8-inch water main size to a 12-inch line to accommodate the city’s future growth. The line runs along the north and west side of Lexington Avenue between Sunflower Road and 95th Street.
KDOT will cover the cost of relocating an 8-inch water main, but the city is responsible for covering the difference for a 12-inch water main.
“When we’re looking at the advisability or the need to upgrade this, it’s difficult to, at this time, really determine future needs on capacities and hydraulic performance of the system,” Brungardt said. “But it is foreseeable that we’re going to need a much better hydraulic connection between the elevated storage facility (with Panasonic), our water treatment facility south of there and the rest of the distribution system in town as demands increase.”
Currently, there is only one 12-inch water main that runs along Sunflower Road from 103rd Street up to the water tower at 95th Street.
The cost for the project, which includes the 12-inch waterline and 12-inch crossing, is about $263,000.
“Exactly when these funds will be due is still not exactly known,” Brungardt said.
The project would be included in the road construction agreement between KDOT and the city. The discussion during Thursday night’s meeting sought the approval from City Council to include it in the 2024-25 capital improvement program.
“I think there’s opportunities to adjust the capital improvements budget to account for this. And the opportunity is here now. I think it’s wise to take that opportunity,” Brungardt said.
Additionally, the revenue neutral rate hearing and 2024 budget hearing will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 7 at City Hall.
The total mill levy for De Soto next year is 19.8, which consists of 12.3 mills in general fund, 2.2 mills in the debt service and 5.3 for library, Brungardt said.
The revenue neutral rate is 18.527, meaning the city will exceed the previous year’s rate and must hold a public meeting. During this meeting, taxpayers will be informed of the city’s plans on how funds will be used for 2024.
De Soto property owners received a Johnson County estimated tax notice this month, which is a breakdown of property tax costs. This includes the mill levy and revenue neutral rate.
The city created online resources for the public to help better understand the mill levy and revenue neutral rate at this site.
Katherine Diaz will provide coverage of De Soto news for The Eudora Times. You can reach her at [email protected].
