Syracuse officials weigh municipal EV chargers in garages, target state and utility grants

City of Syracuse Planning and Sustainability staff briefed the City Council’s Department of Public Works (DPW) committee on Oct. 26, 2025, about a proposal to install municipally owned electric vehicle (EV) chargers in several downtown parking garages and how state and utility grant programs could pay much of the cost.

The presentation summarized recent sustainability work, the city’s Climate Action Plan contract, funding programs available for charger procurement and installation, and next steps for procurement and site selection. City Sustainability Planner Karina Freeland said the city has secured a $100,000 Climate Smart Communities planning grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and matched it with $100,000 in staff time to contract CNS companies for a greenhouse gas inventory and climate action plan.

The briefing framed municipal EV chargers as an amenity for garage customers, a modest potential revenue source and a component of the city’s broader climate goals. “This is an amenity, simply put, for our garage customers,” said Owen Kearney of City Planning and Sustainability, adding that chargers could also provide “a potential revenue source, even if it is…