Huntingburg Council introduces e-bike, scooter rules; vote set for November

Huntingburg — New rules for e-bikes, scooters, skateboards and other small ride-on devices are headed for a vote next month after the Huntingburg Common Council introduced the measure Tuesday.

Ordinance 2026-36 would replace Chapter 73 of the city code, which covers bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades. City Attorney Phil Schneider said the current chapter is out of date. For example, it requires riders to license and plate their bicycles. The city hasn’t done that in years, he said, and police don’t want to.

The new ordinance groups everything under one label: “micromobility devices.” That covers bicycles, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-motos (electric dirt bikes, trikes and motorcycles), electric skateboards, rollerblades, hoverboards and Segways. It does not cover medical mobility devices or gas-powered vehicles like mopeds and motorcycles.

Schneider told the council he borrowed the micromobility term from another municipality. “It’s hard to come up with a name that encapsulates all of them,” he told the council.

Under the proposal, riders on city streets would have the same rights and duties as motor vehicle drivers. They would have to obey traffic signals and signs, ride as far right as practical, and ride no more than two side by side.

Class 3 e-bikes, which can reach 28 mph, would be banned from sidewalks and multi-use trails. The same would apply to e-motos and e-scooters, unless the Board of Public Works designates a specific route.

Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, which top out at 20 mph, could stay on most sidewalks. Schneider said state law does not let cities treat those bikes differently from regular bicycles. No device of any kind could be ridden on sidewalks downtown around Fourth Street. That zone runs from Third Street to Fifth Street and from Geiger Street to Van Buren Street.

In city parks, riders would mostly have to stay on roads. The Park Board recommended exceptions allowing bikes, Class 1 and 2 e-bikes, skateboards, hoverboards, and Segways to use sidewalks.

The ordinance also bars devices from any area closed to cars during a public event.

The ordinance lists 10 operating rules. They include yielding to pedestrians at all times, giving pedestrians at least three feet of clearance, sounding an audible warning before passing on a sidewalk, and carrying no more riders than the device is built for. Devices could not be parked where they block building entrances or disability access. They could not be locked to utility poles, streetlights, street signs or fire hydrants.

It also allows police discretion to identify reckless operation and take action to stop it.

Police could impound a device they find to be a safety hazard, and the owner or, in the case of minors, their parent or guardian would pay impound and storage fees.

Fines would be $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second and $100 for a third or later offense. A judge could raise fines for repeat offenders. Parents who knowingly let a child break the rules could also be fined.

Councilwoman Pam Bolte said she researched e-bikes heavily after her children’s friends got them. “They left my child in the dust,” she explained.

She said she understands it is important for kids to keep up with their peers. But she was concerned about safety after seeing her children’s friends being hurt and watching high school students ride with multiple kids on one bike.

Because of this, she chose a specific style of bike with pedal assist and a lower speed. Bolte said the lower speed could be dangerous on streets, so she supports keeping slower e-bikes on sidewalks. She said a child pedaling at 15 to 20 mph is safer there than in traffic.

Jeff Bounds mentioned that Hunters Crossing residents have complained about cars parked across sidewalks. He said that forces e-bike riders to swerve into the street and back. “If we’re going to let the kids on sidewalks on bikes that go 20 miles an hour, that sidewalk needs to be clear,” he said.

Schneider said the city already bans parking across sidewalks. Enforcement depends on residents reporting it, he said.

Mayor Neil Elkins said education will matter as much as the rules, adding that the police department or parks department could hold safety classes. “But ultimately it’s going to come down to what parents allow them to do and how they train them,” he said.

Elkins also pointed out that most of the city’s sidewalks may be too narrow to accommodate the e-bikes and pedestrians. “You’re going to need eight to 10 foot sidewalks. We have three and a half foot sidewalks,” he said.

To help address this, the mayor explained that the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has picked Huntingburg as one of three communities to apply for federal funding to identify and widen sidewalks. The city has been walking streets with INDOT to map where wider sidewalks are needed, such as routes to schools and from a north-side apartment complex to the grocery store.

He said a plan could be ready by the end of next year, with construction about three years out. The state would handle the right-of-way and construction, Elkins said, and the city would pay to widen the paths through the federal funding.

The council voted to introduce the ordinance but did not adopt it. Bounds asked to give residents time to weigh in, pointing to the Nov. 10 meeting, and Schneider suggested posting the ordinance on the city website. Changes can still be made before adoption.

“This is not something that we’re just taking lightly,” Bolte said.

Other business

• Economic development: Colten Pipenger, executive director of Dubois Strong, briefed the council on recruitment, housing and child care, all important aspects of attracting new business to the area. A big part of bringing a new business to the area is site readiness, he explained. Using recent large projects the state has sent to communities (excluding data center projects), he said they have averaged about $600 million in capital investment and 180 jobs with wages around $30 to $34 an hour. They have required about 126 acres and up to 44 megawatts of electric demand. By comparison, he said Huntingburg’s system peaks around 20 megawatts. Dubois Strong is also working with a consultant on housing infill. He said older, smaller Huntingburg lots generate about 1.3 times the tax value per acre of newer neighborhoods. Findings will go to the Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, with a public comment period. More at duboisstrong.com/inccodes.
• Firefighters: The council added Lily McMichael and Narissa Zink to the volunteer fire roster. Elkins said seven people applied.
• Walnut Street: The council set a Nov. 10 public hearing on a petition to vacate an unbuilt stretch of North Walnut Street between East Fifth and East Sixth streets. All neighboring owners signed the petition. Schneider disclosed a conflict: his law partner, Tim O’Brien, represents some petitioners.
• DORA: The council approved Resolution 2026-37, adding Pink Duck Creamery to the city’s designated outdoor refreshment area.
• 2027 budget: After a public hearing with no comment, the council introduced the 2027 budget. Clerk-treasurer Tom Dippel told the council it totals $13,995,000, with an estimated tax rate of about $1.02 per $100 of assessed value, 98 cents last year. He said the city’s assessed value rose about half a percent while the levy rose 6%. Adoption is set for Oct. 27.