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Shorewood board adopts ordinance regulating e-scooters and authorizes a pilot framework for commercial operations
Summary
After debate about timing during Oakland Avenue construction, the Village Board adopted ordinance 3083 to regulate electric-scooter operations and voted to allow a pilot commercial program framework; the board recorded roll-call votes and directed staff to negotiate any operator agreements that would return to the board for approval.
The Village Board voted to adopt ordinance 3083, establishing local rules for electric-scooter operations and enabling the village to consider agreements for short-term commercial scooter rentals, and it approved a companion resolution that establishes a pilot-program framework for commercial operators.
Trustees debated whether to defer consideration because construction on Oakland Avenue could skew usage data and parking/parking-corral placement. Some trustees favored deferral to gather clearer data and avoid starting a pilot while the main corridor is under construction; others said adopting an ordinance now simply allows staff to engage operators and that any operator agreement would return to the board for approval.
Village staff and the village attorney clarified the distinction between the ordinance (which creates local operational rules and restrictions, including the ability to limit sidewalk use and set parking rules) and the separate resolution/agreement process that would allow an operator to begin commercial operations only after a formal agreement and board approval. The attorney also confirmed the ordinance would go into effect once signed and published.
A motion to defer the ordinance until April 2027 failed in roll call. The board then moved to approve ordinance 3083; the ordinance was adopted by vote and recorded in the meeting transcript as passing by a 6–0 count. The board also discussed and voted on resolution 2026-02 to establish a pilot framework allowing staff to solicit commercial operators; staff emphasized that any operator agreement would return to the board for review and approval before operations could begin.
Trustees and staff noted operational concerns: enforcement of sidewalk prohibitions and DPW responsibilities for abandoned scooters or removal and maintenance. Several trustees asked staff to limit the pilot’s commencement timing to allow staff capacity and to control start dates if an operator expressed interest. The board’s votes set the ordinance in place and authorized staff to pursue potential operators under terms that would require subsequent board approval of any operator agreement.
The board directed staff to consult with existing operators active in Milwaukee and neighboring cities and to return any proposed operator agreement to the village board for final approval.
