FRONTENAC, Kan. — Wednesday night’s city council meeting focused on two recent issues — e-bikes and water pipes.

With summer underway, council members are concerned about the safety of the city’s younger citizens riding around on electric scooters and electric bikes. Council members reported seeing kids riding down the center line of streets, running stop signs, crossing traffic, and other activities that may end badly.

During the previous session, the council asked city staff to draft a resolution for the council to consider. City Attorney Matthew Bonner researched similar ordinances in other cities and drafted a proposal that satisfied City Manager John Zafuta and Police Chief Cody Milligan and submitted it to the council for review.

Council members had no issue with the new ordinance, which includes the use of helmets for minors under 18. Milligan pointed out that everyone has to obey Kansas traffic laws, regardless of their means of transportation.

Council member Tom Sighel recommended a change regarding operation in the dark. Instead of just reflectors, he suggested actual lights as the scooters are extremely hard to see. Council member LaDonna Pyle suggested a curfew after dark, saying the kids should be at home anyway.

No vote was taken. City staff will review council suggestions and return with a resolution at the next meeting.

Zafuta also updated the council on the recent water main breaks. He said the specific reason for the breaks remains unknown, but would hazard a guess that it is related to all of the new water lines being installed. As new lines were tested and water rerouted, too much pressure was added to the existing lines causing catastrophic failures.

Zafuta and the entirety of the council thanked all city workers for their dedication and hard work in repairing the lines as quickly as possible and for answering citizen phone calls to address the issue, some of whom weren’t exactly friendly toward the staff.

The council also approved the street closures for Mining Days and Festa along with the required permits to sell alcohol.

To view the entire meeting, click here.