STALLINGS — Golf carts are allowed on neighborhood roads in Stallings. Owners must carry insurance and all occupants must wear seat belts.

Town Council members discussed the ordinance for 45 minutes Monday. Councilman Al Graham and Councilwoman Thelma Privette opposed the final version.

The original proposal required golf cart owners to register their carts and submit to inspections. Many council members and residents said that was too strict, a few council members calling it burdensome for the Police Department.

Diana Whitney of Emerald Lake, a golf community, spoke against the ordinance, saying it will be too hard to enforce. Whitney’s daughter recently received a driver’s permit and Whitney said she fears for her safety in the neighborhood. It is common for children under 16 to drive golf carts in the subdivision, she said, often over capacity and sometimes recklessly.

Monique Werner, who spoke for the ordinance at the Oct. 26 meeting, said no one is advocating for drivers under 16 to man the carts, and an ordinance would cut down on the problem. “It’s a non-issue,” Werner said.

A revised draft of the ordinance introduced Monday called for occupants under 16 to wear seat belts. Council members decided to extend that regulation to all occupants for safety purposes.

Half of the Town Council deemed registration the best way to track carts that violate the ordinance; the other half was against it.

Councilwoman Renee Hartis said it would bog down the Police Department; Price said she is not in favor of so much government regulation. Councilman Wyatt Dunn also opposed. Council members Graham, Privette and Mark Franza were for it.

Mayor Lynda Paxton broke the tie, saying registration is unnecessary.

Cart owners are, however, required to have insurance. Current state liability requirements are $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage.

“That’s too much,” Dunn said, but it is consistent with state regulations.

Carts are allowed only on roads with a 25 mph or less speed limit, must stay on the right edge of the road and yield to vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Occupants cannot exceed the maximum capacity. All operators must carry a valid driver’s license.

Carts with no working headlights or a rear lamp can operate only at night.

The first citation for violating the ordinance is a warning. The second is a $100 fine, and the third is a $500 fine.

Also during Monday’s meeting, recently elected council member Paul Frost took time out from his birthday celebration to speak during a public hearing. Frost thanked Price, Graham and Franza — all leaving their positions next month — for their time on council and said he will spend the next few meetings learning from them.

Frost will replace Councilwoman Barbara Anne Price and said his role “isn’t easy to fill.” To Stallings residents, he said, “I’ll be listening to you.”