SeaTac approves budget increase and contract to install EV chargers at City Hall and maintenance facility

Everybody good? Alright. Good evening, council. I'm Brian Reardon, the facility manager. This is Brian Chappell, the maintenance and operations, manager, Brian Reardon said as staff opened the presentation.

The council authorized the city manager to execute a construction contract with Thompson Electrical Services LLC to furnish and install electric‑vehicle charging stations at SeaTac City Hall and the city maintenance facility and approved a budget amendment for additional funds.

Staff said the city adopted a Fleet Electrification Master Plan (October 2022) and is replacing gasoline trucks with electric models (Ford Lightning trucks and other EVs). The maintenance facility currently has a single Level‑2 charger (one port); staff described a plan to expand capacity so the city can charge an anticipated 24 fleet vehicles when the conversion is complete. City Hall currently has two Level‑2 chargers (four ports) used by the public; staff said they plan to retain two public ports while using other ports for fleet charging.

A decision card in the adopted 2025–26 biennial budget allocated $193,952 for the project; the lowest responsive bid exceeded that amount, and staff asked the council to add $45,934, bringing the project total to $239,886. Staff also said Seattle City Light has approved a rebate of up to $50,000 for the maintenance‑facility work; staff are pursuing additional incentives for City Hall but had not finalized those as of the meeting.

City staff explained the primary cost drivers: required electrical panel work, trenching to extend power across the maintenance‑facility parking area and market‑driven construction pricing. Staff said the installed Level‑2 chargers are standard hardware with a projected housing lifespan of about 15 years and that the chargers report energy use, enabling the city to track per‑plug kilowatt usage. Staff said fleet charging would not be billed to fleet vehicles; the city will track kilowatt use for accounting.

Council asked about charger performance, whether shared ports reduce charging rates, future Level‑3 charger plans and how the city will monitor use. Staff said overnight dwell times make Level‑2 shared charging adequate for daily operations, that the project includes expansion capacity and that Level‑3 fast charging would likely be considered if the maintenance‑facility remodel proceeds and more power can be added.

Council moved and seconded the ordinance to execute the contract and amend the biennial budget; the motion passed by voice vote with no recorded opposition.