By SHELDON MOORE
Special to the PRESS
Buisness owners may see a rise in annual commercial fees.
On Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, the South Padre Island City Council met with business owners and residents to hear comments regarding the amendment of the city’s Chapter 18 Golf Cart Ordinance. This workshop was a continuance of the discussion that took place at the recent Oct. 19, 2022, regular city council meeting.
Mayor Patrick McNulty called the meeting to order promptly at 3 p.m. With no one offering initial comments, McNulty recognized Operations Manager Wendi Delgado, who outlined three possible scenarios for the hire of part-time or full-time Marshalls to specifically address enforcement of golf cart regulations. The costs are to be met by increasing the current Annual Registration Fees and a possible new Commercial License Fee for carts operated by rental businesses.
Next, the meeting moved directly to opinions regarding changes to the city’s current Chapter 18 regulations, governing cart operation on the Island. The first of these items was a possible increase in the Annual Registration Fee from $50 to $100 for all golf carts, commercial or private, in use within city limits. Several residents and business owners addressed the council on this item with little resistance to the proposal. An item closely related to the Annual Registration Fee was the annual inspection process. A proposal to move inspections, currently conducted by the SPI Police Department, to an outside vendor was addressed. Residents and business owners who addressed the council on this matter seemed equally split, with the pros and cons of both choices being considered.
The next proposed amendment up for opinions was a new Annual Commercial License for carts operated by rental business owners. The proposed cost of this license would be up to $250 annually. Business owners who addressed the council on this item were united in opposition to this in addition to the $50 per cart increase on the current Annual Registration Fee. They pointed out that the carts are idle much of the year and the additional cost would be detrimental to their businesses, especially at or near the top of the “up to” $250 range.
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