City staff provided a usage and revenue update July 20 on the city's public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and said they are continuing a vendor review to try to achieve cost-neutral operations.

Bridal told the committee that June usage totaled roughly 10,000 minutes (less about 703 minutes used by a city vehicle) and that June billings of about $384 did not fully cover the $539 in electricity costs, producing a deficit in the month. Staff said increasing the per-minute charge from $0.04 to $0.08 improves revenue but, at current utilization levels and vendor costs, would not fully cover annual software and maintenance expenses. "We have some time built into doing that evaluation," Bridal said, and staff said they expect to return with vendor recommendations by November.

Staff also reported two fast chargers (the higher-power units at the aquatic center and one other) are currently inoperable; four Level 2 chargers behind City Hall are operational and bill at $0.08 per minute. Revenue from charging currently flows to the street fund; staff said net annual revenue at current rates and usage would likely be short of the annual software subscription (estimated about $4,000), leaving an estimated $1,500–$2,000 shortfall to cover software alone. Staff are investigating vendors that could provide more favorable operating terms and noted the city fleet’s use of the chargers represents a small portion of total minutes.

No procurement or contract decision was made; the committee asked staff to continue research and return with a recommendation.