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Ridgecrest authorizes funds to buy battery-electric transit vans using LCTOP award
Summary
Council approved moving forward with an appropriation to purchase electric transit vans using accumulated Low Carbon Transit Operations Program funds; staff said the city plans to buy five vans and one will be fully covered by LCTOP funds.
The Ridgecrest City Council on Aug. 6 approved an amendment to the fiscal-year budget to allow purchase of battery-electric transit vans using previously awarded Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP) funds.
A transit department staff member told the council the city plans to buy five vans in the coming year. “One of those vans will be purchased 100% with LCTOP funds,” the staff member said. “The other 4 will be purchased, using a pendant CMAQ project.” When council members asked for unit cost, staff said the per-vehicle price is $127,178.
Staff asked the finance director to allocate the unbudgeted LCTOP funds into the city’s transit vehicle fund to complete the purchase. The council approved the appropriation by motion; the vote was recorded as 5 ayes, motion carries.
Questions from council focused on vehicle configuration and capacity. Staff confirmed the vans are 9-passenger vehicles: “8 and 1 wheelchair,” the presenter said, describing an 8-passenger configuration plus one wheelchair position.
The staff presentation did not provide vendor names, delivery timelines or the total appropriation figure included in the council report; the staff member said the city has accumulated multiple years of LCTOP funds for this purchase. Council members did not request further public comment and approved the motion.
The vote authorizes staff to proceed with allocating the funds and moving toward procurement for the electric vans; details such as procurement method, delivery schedule and long-term operating costs were not specified at the meeting.
