Commission clears staff to pursue EECBG-funded county EV and install charger at Weber Center

Weber County commissioners gave staff direction at the June 30 work session to use federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funds to acquire an electric vehicle for county use and to install a county-only charging station at the Weber Center’s north parking area.

Why it matters: the decision uses federal grant dollars for county fleet electrification and places a non-public charger near county electrical service to reduce installation costs and avoid Davis-Bacon prevailing-wage requirements on the charging installation.

Stephanie (presenting staff) told the commission the county must spend EECBG funds the federal government provided and described two proposed uses: purchasing an electric vehicle for county operations and installing a charging station at the Weber Center. The commission asked staff what type of vehicle would be appropriate for property-management needs and whether the vehicle could instead be a motor-pool asset.

Discussion covered vehicle type, depreciation and procurement. One commissioner’s informal research cited Tesla and Rivian as models that tend to retain value; the Ford F-150 Lightning and VW ID.4 were mentioned as options but were described as experiencing higher depreciation in resale markets. Commissioners asked staff to solicit three bids from dealerships, consistent with procurement rules, and to consider ordering timelines for models that are not immediately available.

Staff said Ashlyn will manage the grant procurement and noted a budget trade-off: installing a county-only charger close to existing electrical infrastructure would reduce installation costs and free more grant funds for the vehicle purchase. A staff representative said doing the wiring in-house would avoid Davis-Bacon reporting requirements that apply to federally funded public-construction contracts.

Commissioners agreed the north parking area at the Weber Center would be a practical location for a county-only charging station near the county’s electrical gear. A staff member said the county would prefer a three-phase connection to allow faster charging if the budget allows.

The commission did not adopt a formal ordinance or make a binding purchase at the meeting; instead commissioners provided staff with direction to proceed with procurement, obtain required bids, and install the charging station in the north parking lot if the budget permits. Staff will return with procurement documents and installation estimates.