Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety Mobility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge action on WinterGlow succession and electric‑vehicle/scooter safety; council schedules workshop
Summary
Residents told council WinterGlow cannot continue and offered to transfer displays; another resident urged rules for golf carts, e‑bikes and scooters and asked for a citizen‑staff subcommittee. Council agreed to schedule a workshop on e‑bikes and scooters.
Liberty Lake — Two citizen comments at the July 1 meeting asked the council to address a local holiday event’s future and growing safety concerns on trails and streets.
Corinne Hunt, speaking as a WinterGlow board member, told council the volunteer nonprofit that produces the annual free WinterGlow light displays has notified city staff earlier in 2025 that it could not continue producing the event because its volunteer base has dwindled, costs have increased and the core group has aged out. “This was not an inability of planning by WinterGlow,” Hunt said, and she offered to help transition displays and to meet with city staff to explain needs and costs; she said volunteers and the event’s longtime organizer had offered to assist but the city turned down a specific purchase offer at an earlier date. Hunt asked the city to consider options so the community could continue the lights program.
Resident Mark Sauer (who identified himself as a Liberty Lake resident) raised safety concerns about golf carts, e‑bikes and electric scooters on city streets and trails. Sauer described being passed at high speed by two kids on electric scooters while he was driving a golf cart at roughly 14 mph and asked the council to consider regulations, public education and formation of a small subcommittee with police and citizens to research options. “The only thing I’m looking at is safety again,” he said.
Council members took the comments under advisement and staff noted an item for future workshop discussion. At the meeting’s end councilors and staff discussed scheduling a dedicated workshop and police presentation on electric bicycles and motorized scooters; a notation on the consent calendar and the meeting agenda list referred to a possible workshop on the topic. Several council members also said they had personally observed high speeds on trails and urged staff to bring options for regulation, public outreach and enforcement.
On WinterGlow, staff said the city had been offered displays and volunteer help by individuals who have worked on the show and that staff would follow up with the event’s board to clarify next steps and whether any transition or purchase of displays could be arranged. No formal council action was taken during the meeting on WinterGlow or on mobility regulations; councilors asked staff to return with options for a workshop and possible regulatory approaches.
