Fort Mitchell is targeting e-bikes and electric motorcycles capable of hitting 28 to 60 mph on city sidewalks, with a new ordinance scheduled for its first reading at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Fort Mitchell City Building on Dixie Highway.

Mayor Greg Pohlgeers announced the measure at the Kenton County Mayors Group meeting earlier that day at the Elsmere Community Center, according to the NKY Tribune. The proposed ordinance, ORD-2026-12, would ban Class 3 e-bikes and e-motos from sidewalks. Class 3 e-bikes reach at least 28 mph; e-motos can hit 60 mph, which Pohlgeers described as essentially electric motorcycles.

Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes, which top out at 20 mph, would still be allowed on sidewalks.

"I think it is better to take a scalpel approach rather than a sledge hammer approach," Pohlgeers said. "Right now, we are just banning them from the sidewalks."

The issue isn't new. At Fort Mitchell's June 1 council meeting, Pohlgeers said pedestrian safety must take priority over e-bike rider convenience. The city passed a scooter ordinance roughly two years ago and amended its motor-assisted vehicle code in January 2024 to add headlight and bell requirements.

Villa Hills Mayor Heather Jansen described seeing four kids on e-bikes taking up a sidewalk, forcing a runner into a yard. She asked Pohlgeers to share the ordinance text with all mayors in the group. Crestview Hills Mayor Paul Meier recounted his own son being hit by a car while riding a bike across a crosswalk. Under Kentucky law, bicycles must be walked across crosswalks, meaning the rider is legally at fault even when the signal permits crossing.

Pohlgeers also cited two recent Fort Mitchell incidents: a child on a bike who rear-ended a Tesla, and a child struck in a crosswalk at an expressway entrance on Aug. 15. The child's condition was not known.

Link NKY reported that Alexandria, Fort Thomas, Florence and Union are also considering similar regulations. Pohlgeers said he plans to lobby the state legislature in Frankfort next year.

Storm relief: MRE meals available, SNAP benefits stalled

The mayors group also heard an update on recovery from the Aug. 11 storm that knocked out power to roughly 30,000 residents across Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties.

A Duke Energy representative told the group that the storm created 4,400 distinct outages in Kenton County. By Aug. 15 that number had dropped to 255. As we reported Aug. 14, outages across NKY had already fallen significantly by that point.

Kenton County Emergency Management Director Steve Hensley said he arranged for a truckload of MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) meals for residents whose refrigerator and freezer food spoiled during the extended outage. Meals were still available as of Aug. 17; residents can call the county to request them.

Hensley also said his office contacted Frankfort to request early reloading of SNAP benefits for residents who lost food. That request has not been granted. The governor has not declared a disaster, which is the threshold required to advance SNAP benefits, Hensley said.

Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann declared a county emergency on Aug. 14 and Covington Mayor Ron Washington declared a city emergency. Neither local declaration is sufficient to trigger the SNAP reload.

The next Kenton County Mayors Group meeting is scheduled for September in Taylor Mill.