Electric vehicle proposal taken off the table in Wheeling
One week after the Wheeling village board gave the go-ahead to write an ordinance for neighborhood electric vehicles, the proposal was taken off the table.
Trustee Bob Heer, who wasn't present last week when the issue was discussed, said he was against the idea. The trustees took another vote Monday, which split the board down the middle and effectively shot down the idea.
"I was quite surprised that they discussed it after everybody else was gone home," said Bill Hein, former village president, who brought up the proposal. "I'm going to have to pursue it a little more."
Hein wanted the village to allow the electrical vehicles, which are similar to golf carts, on Wheeling-owned roads as an alternative to high gas prices.
On Oct. 14, the board agreed to let the attorney write an ordinance to do so.
However, Heer had always been against the idea and expressed that again.
"I salute an individual who wants to think outside the box," he said at the meeting. "But is the village of Wheeling ready for something like this?" He said his main concerns were that the police department had its own issues with the safety of the vehicles and that it would cost the village money to retrofit streets and bike paths to allow the carts to fit.
"I can't see moving forward and utilizing village staff to do research on a project that may never come to fruition," Heer said.
He said he also didn't see an overwhelming want for something like this in Wheeling.
"If the community truly wants this type of alternative transportation, then have them call their elected officials and let them know," he said.
Acting Village President Dean Argiris and Trustees Judy Abruscato and Ken Brady voted to allow the ordinance to be written, but Trustees Mike Horcher and Pat Horcher agreed with Heer.
Hein said he's going to continue to research the vehicles and try another tactic to get the ordinance passed.
"There were so many negatives on it from people that didn't really understand it from the beginning," he said.