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Council hears safety, liability concerns and ultimately rejects final approval for Boardwalk EV chargers
Summary
Council discussion focused on a DEQ grant to install two DC fast chargers at the Boardwalk Parking Garage, vendor warranty and liability questions. Council authorized introduction but later the measure failed on final action.
The Bossier City Council debated a proposal to install two electric-vehicle (EV) DC fast chargers at the Boardwalk Parking Garage after the city received a grant from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to fund fast chargers.
City staff said the grant required placement on city-owned property within the EV corridor near Interstates 20 and 49 and that the Boardwalk garage met voltage and security requirements. "We received a grant from DEQ to install these charging stations," a city staff member told the council, explaining the Boardwalk site was chosen because of infrastructure capacity and proximity to interstates.
Several council members raised concerns about potential liability and public-safety risk if an electric vehicle caught fire while charging in an enclosed garage. A council member said, "If one of those cars catches on fire in that parking garage and we burned down a parking garage and all the cars in it, I don't think we carry enough insurance." The transcript records questions about warranty length (a three-year warranty on equipment was mentioned) and alternative locations such as the RV park at Tinsley, which lacked the voltage and would have required roughly $200,000 of additional infrastructure work.
Financial details in the discussion: the DEQ grant was for $75,000; the city's request was for $80,000 to cover potential extra costs. Staff said the city would front the money and be reimbursed by DEQ. Despite the grant and staff recommendation, the motion to proceed failed at final action; the transcript records "Motion fails" when the item returned for a later vote.
Why it matters: Installing DC fast chargers would expand regional EV infrastructure but raised questions about rooftop/garage fire response, long-term maintenance responsibility after warranty periods, and whether the Boardwalk garage was the best site given possible alternatives and insurance exposure. The council asked staff to consider alternate locations and noted infrastructure cost constraints tied to grant rules.
