STALLINGS — Stallings residents packed half of Town Hall Monday in support of a golf cart ordinance that would allow the carts on neighborhood roads.

Town Council members said the revised ordinance in question is more favorable than the original, although there are still some kinks to work out. Councilman Wyatt Dunn headed work on the revisions with the help of other residents who own golf carts.

The original proposal called for residents to register their carts and submit to inspections, making the ordinance what Mayor Lynda Paxton called “overly complicated.” Other council members said enforcement would be a burden on the Police Department. The proposal was voted down Sept. 28.

Shannamara resident Adam Pearlman said golf cart registration is “overkill”; the main concern is keeping children under 16 years of age from driving them.

Other residents echoed the concern, saying they are not in favor of drivers under 16.

Councilwoman Renee Hartis suggested that children under 16 wear helmets when riding in golf carts to prevent head injuries if they fall off.

Emerald Lake resident Mike Burke said his cart has seat belts and suggested requiring that instead of helmets.

Councilwoman Barbara Anne Price was not in favor of helmets, either, saying the town should not put so many regulations on residents. Price did agree with requiring drivers to have valid driver’s licenses and comply with license restrictions.

Residents use their carts for various reasons, from driving to the pool to visiting neighbors, although they have recently put a hold on driving them until the Town Council decides whether to pass an ordinance. Town staff said an ordinance is necessary to make it legal.

Burke plays golf once a week and uses a golf cart to take his golf clubs back home or drive his children to the playground. Burke, along with a couple of other residents, said his golf cart was legal at his prior residence and still wants to use it.

Monique Werner, another Emerald Lake resident, uses a golf cart to drive her children to and from the bus stop. Tracy Hord said hers came in handy during last year’s gas crisis, and one man uses his to take his children trick-or-treating.

Neighbor Teresa McCarthy added that the cars in her neighborhood respect the cart drivers and drive safely around them.

At the same time, Town Manager Brian Matthews said, “We have a responsibility to protect everyone,” and golf cart owners make up a small percentage of the total population. Matthews suggested that residents still register their carts and carry proof of insurance on them.

Based on a show of hands, most residents present already have insurance on their carts.

Because carts do not have identification numbers on them, Burke said, they can be difficult to register. Dunn opposed registration, either, but Police Chief Larke Plyler said registration would make it easier to keep track of legal carts and their drivers. It wouldn’t be that much work for the Police Department, he added, suggesting that officers can work with residents to issue registration stickers at their homes.

Dunn also suggested that carts with no lights not be driven at night. Carts owned by the golf courses do not have lights because the courses are open only during the day.

“To say no to this ordinance, to me, seems backwards,” Werner said, adding that golf carts are intended for recreational use and should not be regulated as stringently as motor vehicles. “It doesn’t make sense not to pass this.”

Werner and her fellow residents engaged in friendly discussion with council members throughout the meeting.

If approved, the ordinance would allow golf carts on roads that have a 25 mph or less speed limit.

The town will have a public hearing next month — tentatively Nov. 9 — for further discussion. A public hearing must be held and a written ordinance drafted before council members can vote to approve or deny an ordinance.