Committee holds EV charging ordinance after lengthy questions about costs, contracts and oversight

The City of Cleveland Utilities Committee on Thursday considered Ordinance 13292024, a measure that would authorize the Department of Public Works, on behalf of the Office of Sustainability, to manage city-owned electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, enter into contracts for purchase and maintenance, and set user fees. After extended questioning about ownership, vendor roles, costs and operational responsibility, the committee voted to hold the ordinance for further interdepartmental discussion.

Assistant Director Matt Reganjek of the Finance Department and the director of sustainability described the current and planned charging network. Committee members were told the city would own five charging stations across four locations: Canal Basin (two stations, two ports each), Frederick Douglass Recreation Center (one station, two ports), and two NOACA-funded stations at Willard Garage and Westside Market expected to be installed in the first quarter. The director said three chargers are installed and two remain to be installed by NOACA.

The director told the committee the stations are “all powered by CPP” (Cleveland Public Power) and described a proposed user-fee range of about 20¢ to 40¢ per…