Council advances draft e-bike and personal mobility device ordinance, sets public hearing

The Storm Lake City Council spent the bulk of its Aug. 3 meeting in a work session on a draft ordinance regulating e-bikes, e-scooters and other personal mobility devices (PMDs), debating public-safety tradeoffs, helmet requirements and whether to wait for a statewide standard.

Chief Colton reviewed proposed language changes and a citizen letter request to revise the private-property operating clause to prohibit operating a PMD on private property "without expressed or implied permission of the property owner or lawful occupant." He also described a new parking provision that would bar leaving a PMD on city streets, sidewalks, trails or other public property with the battery or electric propulsion system removed. "The suggestion was to change the wording ... operating a PMD on private property without expressed permission from the property owner" and to clarify implied permission for customer‑facing areas, Colton said.

Councilmember Piercy urged caution, suggested the Northwest Iowa League of Cities pursue uniform rules at the state level and raised pedestrian-safety concerns after a near-miss on a trail. "My 1 concern, big 1 is pedestrians... I was out there by Frank Star... if I would have moved to the left, I would have nailed him," Piercy said, urging clear safety rules and education. Another councilmember argued the city should act with urgency so residents are not left without local rules in the meantime.

Several councilmembers and staff emphasized a two-pronged approach: adopt an ordinance while simultaneously pursuing community education. Chief Colton noted that Iowa law defines an e-bike as a bicycle, which has implications for trail access and enforcement, and said an ordinance would give officers authority to stop violations and, in some juvenile cases, seize devices for noncompliance. "An e bike is defined by the state of Iowa as a bicycle," Colton said. "With an ordinance... it gives us the ability to stop a violation if we see it, and b, it doesn't mean we're gonna write a ticket. The majority of our stops result in a warning."

Staff recommended setting a public hearing and first reading in early September; council directed staff to move the current draft forward to a Sept. 8 public hearing (Sept. 7 was unavailable due to a holiday). The council did not vote on final ordinance language at the Aug. 3 session; it instead directed staff to publish and schedule the public hearing and first reading.