Select Board declines to approve ChargePoint lease for downtown EV station after split votes

The Skowhegan Select Board discussed and then declined to approve a ChargePoint lease for a dual-port electric vehicle charging station in the downtown municipal parking lot during its Sept. 9 meeting.

The board considered two upfront payment options: a one-year lease for $3,000 and a five-year lease for $12,600. The one-year option failed on a tie vote recorded in the meeting as "Motion fails 3 3 to 2." The five-year option also failed when the board voted and the motion did not carry.

Board members and staff discussed the station's intent, usage and finances. Amber, chair of the downtown TIF advisory committee, said the unit was procured to make the town more friendly to electric vehicles and that the TIF program allows investments in public infrastructure to support downtown experience. She noted the lease includes a maintenance program that covered recent vandalism.

Officials reviewed five years of usage data supplied by staff: 673 total sessions over five years, roughly 9,000 kilowatt-hours used in that span and incremental annual sessions rising each year (47 in 2021; 101 in 2022; 169 in 2023; 235 in 2024; and 121 so far in 2025). Staff estimated about $250 a year in electricity costs. Revenue over five years grossed about $2,200, producing a net loss around $10,000 over five years under the current pricing and lease costs.

Some board members questioned whether the modest local usage justified using downtown TIF funds, noting the station has not broken even and usage patterns (two-port simultaneous charging halves charging speed) reduce turnover. An opposing view raised that public infrastructure already supports private fueling businesses and that investment in EV infrastructure is part of broader service provision.

Because the two lease options were voted down, staff said the vendor would remove the equipment if the board did not approve a lease.