The city of La Salle is going to consider amending its newly implemented process for certifying non-highway motor vehicles, including golf carts, utility task vehicles and side-by-sides.
The subject was broached at the Monday, April 13 meeting of the La Salle City Council, and a decision was made to have a discussion of official changes on April 27, with possible changes set to take effect after the May 11 meeting if everything goes according to plan.
“I think we said all along that this was going to be a work in progress,” Mayor Jeff Grove said. “We always want to make things as easy as possible for our folks.”
The council noted that after the certification requirement was implemented, they were alerted to a misunderstanding in part of the process.
“The day after the council passed this, we had people lining up at local businesses here in town waiting to get inspected, just to find out that they could not be inspected because we don’t have the proper certifications in those businesses,” Fourth Ward Alderman Jordan Crane said. “So we’re trying to look around and take some suggestions of what we can do differently to make this possible.”
The certifications missing from local businesses are Automotive Service Excellence or ASE.
“The reason that this ordinance was selected in the first place was to have objective criteria to provide credibility for the inspection, and to make certain you would have a qualified inspector, rather than a hack,” city attorney James McPhedran said. “It was also done on the premise that it was thought it would work quickly because the input that had been received by the city prior to passage of the ordinance was that several of the local mechanics were qualified under ASE, and that this should move easily.”
McPhedran pointed out that several local mechanics were at one point ASE-certified, but had since let their certification lapse.
The possible amendment to the city’s requirements for registering a non-highway motor vehicle could reflect what First Ward Alderman James Demes, who himself is ASE-certified, said the certification process actually consists of.
“My personal opinion is that you don’t need an ASE-certified mechanic to do the inspection, because all it is is making sure that it’s got all the safety equipment,” he said. “You just need somebody capable.”
Deputy City Clerk Brent Bader clarified that ASE certification is not specific to non-highway motor vehicles.
The council discussed possibly making the ASE certification one of many objective criteria available for businesses to use as credible ways to certify residents’ vehicles, with proof of garage keeper’s insurance as a possible criterion.
In the meantime, First Ward Alderman Bob Thompson advised residents on how to certify their vehicles within the current regulations.
“My suggestion is you can make a phone call to any certified mechanic; they don’t need a shop to inspect those 4 by 4’s,” First Ward Alderman Bob Thompson said. “I’m sure you’ll find somebody, for a fee, that will come to your house and get it certified.”