Westminster police launch two-week e-bike and scooter enforcement push downtown, with a focus on education

Westminster police have launched a two-week enforcement initiative targeting e-bikes, scooters, and bicycles in the downtown area, Police Chief Christian Price told the mayor and Common Council on Monday.

Price said the effort began the previous week in response to a steady stream of complaints from residents and business owners. Officers are stopping riders and focusing on education rather than citations, he said, explaining the rules of the road to people who often do not know them.

"A lot of them just don't know the rules of the road, especially the e-bikes and the electric scooters, and they just assume that they can utilize the sidewalk," Price said. "Once we tell them, they've been very compliant, and they've actually been thankful."

The department produced a pamphlet outlining the relevant traffic articles that officers can hand to riders for reference. Price said riders are being told they cannot ride on sidewalks, must travel with the flow of traffic, and must obey the rules of the road. He said the response has been positive, with no pushback, and that downtown business owners have appreciated the added presence. Price said he expects a report at the end of the week detailing the number of stops made.

Price's report followed an announcement earlier in the meeting by Council President Tony Chiavacci, who chairs the public safety committee, that the department has added a new K9 team. PFC Brandon O'Neal and his partner, Odin, completed an eight-week training program and are now certified by the North American Police Working Dog Association as a patrol and narcotics detection team.

O'Neal and Odin began their duties the previous week. Odin is a year-and-a-half-old Belgian Malinois-German Shepherd mix that came to the department from Hungary.

Much of the meeting was devoted to praise for a busy weekend of events downtown, which included the city's second annual A Toast to Italy on Main Street and the Pride Festival at Westminster City Park.

Council President Tony Chiavacci reported to the council that Bernie Vogel, owner of JeannieBird Baking Company, told him that A Toast to Italy, which took place Saturday night along Main Street, brought the bakery a strong day of business. "That is exactly the kind of impact these events can have on our downtown and our local businesses," Chiavacci said. Vogel told Westminster Wire, "It was a fantastic evening. The city outdid themselves in preparation and organization, and from feedback we received, everyone really enjoyed themselves."

Councilman Kevin Dayhoff described a busy downtown to Westminster Wire. "That afternoon, the 8th annual Westminster Pride Festival had over 100 vendors at the Westminster City Playground Park," said Dayhoff. "A group of us went to JeannieBird Baking Company, and folks had cleaned out his bakery display cases," said Dayhoff, who went on to describe busy locations around town. "Tiombe Paige at Cultivated had a great sales day, as did Tony and Ashley Gerald at Collision Course. Staglio Pizza and Liberatore's had a long line. Serenity and Soul at the old firehouse had a great day."

Mayor Mona Becker thanked the Pride festival's organizers and singled out the Westminster Police Department, whose officers greeted festivalgoers at the recreation center entrance and offered to take photos under a balloon arch. Becker said the department supported the Pride Festival from a public safety standpoint, even though it is not an official city event.

New Public Works Director Lesley Riddle, who has been with the city for about three weeks, delivered her first report and told the council that the downtown clock tower is not working. She said the streets crew received a report on the issue and would examine it the following morning, with a fix expected within 24 to 48 hours.

The council awarded a contract for the 2027 fiscal year annual road striping to Driven Pavement Maintenance and Services LLC, doing business as EverLine Coatings and Services Baltimore Northeast, in the amount of $69,329.

The work covers refreshing double yellow lines, solid white lines, and broken white lines on city streets. The city issued its request for bids on April 27 and received a single bid by the May 28 deadline.

The council president asked why only one bid came in. Riddle, new to the job, deferred to longer-tenured city staff, who said striping companies are often unaccustomed to submitting bid paperwork and noted that prices have risen sharply in recent years; a job that once cost under $20,000 now exceeds the threshold that requires a formal bid.

Staff also explained that the contract covers only the line work tied to last year's paving, not the paving planned for the coming year. "This doesn't cover the paving that we'll do in this upcoming fiscal year. We'll have to come back, bid it again, put it in the budget again," a public works staff member said, describing it as using the 2027 fiscal year's money to finish the 2026 fiscal year's paving. On recently paved stretches such as Green Street, the contract will replace the temporary dots and dashes now marking the road with permanent yellow-and-white lines.

In the housing department's report, officials said the city submitted its five-year plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on time. The department also reported that the city's annual rental licensing renewals are running slightly ahead of past years. Landlords must license their rental units with the city and renew each year. The renewal period is now underway; a housing official said more than 600 units had been paid for as of that morning, with several new registrants.

The planning and zoning commission is scheduled to review revised architectural elevations on July 16 for a proposed medical office building and daycare at 404 Malcolm Drive.

Becker opened the meeting by proclaiming July as Park and Recreation Month, reading a proclamation that framed parks and recreation as central to residents' quality of life and health — citing the prevention of chronic illness and support for mental and emotional well-being — and as a contributor to economic development. Accepting it, Recreation and Parks Director Abby Gruber thanked the council for its continued support in allowing the department to enhance the quality of life in the city.

The department's next milestone puts that mission on display: a ribbon-cutting on July 28 at the Durbin House, the historic home at Wakefield Valley Park that the city has restored as a park visitor center, part of a broader park overhaul that also includes new multi-use trails.

The mayor and Common Council typically meet on the second and fourth Monday of each month at City Hall; meetings are open to the public and streamed live on the city’s YouTube page.