Committee holds ordinance to launch city EV‑charging program after questions on fund, vendors

The Cleveland City Council utilities committee held Ordinance 1329‑2024 on Thursday, April 3, an emergency ordinance that would authorize the director of public works, on behalf of the Office of Sustainability, to employ consultants, enter contracts, activate city EV charging stations and charge fees.

Committee members debated how revenue would be handled, which vendors would operate stations and whether Cleveland Public Power should operate municipal chargers, rather than third‑party companies such as ChargePoint. The committee did not vote to approve the ordinance and the matter was held for further review.

The ordinance as amended would authorize the director of public works to enter into standard purchase and requirement contracts under the Cleveland charter and the city’s codified ordinances; permit cooperative purchasing with other agencies under charter section 108(b); and direct that fees be deposited in a special revenue account identified as fund number 10SF980. The amendment instructs the director of finance to certify purchases and indicates the department of public works as the home department for the account.

Anand Natarajan, acting…