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Seven Hills council members announce review of e-bike and short-term rental rules
Summary
During committee meetings, council members said they will research updates to the city's e-bike rules and short-term rental ordinance and consider referring changes to a rules committee ahead of the next council meeting.
The Seven Hills City Council signaled on the evening of the committee meetings that it will research changes to two local ordinances: electronic (e-)bikes and short-term rentals such as Airbnb.
Council discussion began during the police and fire committee meeting, which opened at 6:01 p.m. Council members said the administration and council want clearer rules for higher-powered e-bikes and tighter regulations for short-term rentals. "We're researching changes to 2 ordinances. 1 would be to firm up our e bike, electronic bikes," a council member said, and added the intention to bring those drafts to committee so council members and the public can review them before a future vote.
The push on e-bikes was framed as a safety concern. Councilman Elliott said the city is trying to keep pace with newer, faster e-bikes: "We try to keep up with it at work, and they just keep making these new bikes that go, like, 60 miles an hour or 50 miles an hour." An administration official (name not specified in the record) described the impetus as safety-oriented, noting both nuisance and safety elements and reporting that staff observe younger riders, including children "as young as 12" and teens, mixing with vehicular traffic.
Council members raised a site-specific safety concern at the 7 Hills Walkway, where one member recalled past near-misses and asked staff to revisit a traffic-calming or warning device previously pursued with grant funding. That council member said a prior attempt to secure a grant to install an automated flasher on the walkway "didn't work out" and suggested re-examining the proposal to reduce the risk of collisions.
On short-term rentals, council members said they have begun research to "revisit and tighten up" existing legislation but provided no text of proposed changes and did not set a timetable for any ordinance introduction. The council member who opened the discussion said the intent is to present draft language to the rules committee and place it on a future agenda to allow time for public comment and additional council research.
No formal motions or votes on ordinance language occurred during the committee meeting. Council members repeatedly described the items as under study and said drafts would be circulated and likely routed to the rules committee before a formal vote at a subsequent council meeting.
Council members who spoke during the discussion include Councilman Elliott and several council colleagues and staff; the record names other participants but does not record final ordinance text or a vote on either subject.
