Mundelein board approves purchase of electric‑vehicle chargers, selects lower‑cost option using grant and TIF funds

The Village of Mundelein on Sept. 8 authorized the director of public works and engineering to accept a proposal and issue a purchase order for electric vehicle charging stations, selecting a lower‑cost alternative after trustees expressed concerns about the higher price of the premium option.

Trustee/Director of Public Works (Trustee Lambert) presented the procurement and said there are two price options. He told the board that roughly $320,000 of grant funding is available for the project and that the proposed charging‑station locations fall inside a TIF (tax increment financing) district, meaning TIF dollars could be used for part of the cost. The motion presented to the board reflected the lower‑cost alternate bid.

The board approved a resolution to waive formal bidding and accept scheduled pricing from Powerlink Electric LLC and to issue purchase order number 26‑00562 in the amount cited in the contract for the selected option. Trustees voting in favor included Lambert, Schwenk, Lugosti, Rico, Perez and Kritzke; the motion passed.

Several trustees said they preferred the less costly option because they could not justify paying roughly $200,000 more at this time for the higher‑capacity stations. Trustees also noted that both options would be partially funded by the grant and that the life of the TIF district makes the TIF a feasible funding source.

Lambert said staff will move forward with contract execution and installation per the selected option and will manage grant reimbursement and TIF accounting as required.

The board’s choice will determine charger capabilities and charging speeds; staff said the higher option would have provided faster charging but carried a materially higher upfront cost.