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Council votes to reactivate downtown EV chargers with two‑hour limit and overnight restriction
Summary
Following public and council discussion, Augusta’s council voted to remove covers and reactivate two downtown EV chargers, imposing a two‑hour charging limit between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. and a no‑parking restriction after 9 p.m.; staff will return with enforcement options.
The Augusta City Council on Jan. 21 voted to reactivate two electric vehicle chargers downtown and imposed use limits to address public concerns about long‑term parking and fairness.
After extended discussion about signage, hours and enforcement, the council approved reactivating the chargers with a two‑hour charging limit during the hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and a restriction that parking at those stalls is not permitted after 9 p.m. Staff said they will install decals or small signs on the chargers describing the hours and the two‑hour limit before turning the units on.
Councilmembers requested staff report back at the next meeting on enforcement options and what penalties or administrative tools exist for violations of time limits or after‑hours parking. Councilmembers noted the chargers perform slowly compared with fast chargers but said being listed on EV maps can draw visitors; others argued the units had been mismanaged and should remain off if not enforced.
The motion to reactivate the chargers passed; council members asked staff to bring options for signage and enforcement to a future meeting and said they would remove chargers again if the signage and local enforcement proved ineffective.
