Mountlake Terrace awards EV charging contract, approves $270,242 for installation
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Summary
The council approved a contract with Lights Inc. to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure for city fleet and operations facilities and authorized a budget amendment to allocate $270,242, including a $90,000 state grant.
The Mountlake Terrace City Council on Oct. 2 authorized the city manager to sign a contract with Lights Inc. for underground electrical work to install electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and agreed to amend the capital budget to allocate $270,242 for the project.
Recreation and parks director Jeff Betts presented the project and bid results. The council voted to authorize the city manager to sign the contract with Lights Inc. and to amend the budget. Councilmember Woodard moved the motion; Councilmember Murray seconded. The motion passed by voice vote.
The city sought bids for installation of charging equipment at the Civic Campus and the operations facility. Bids received were: AEG at $262,295; Schneider and Son at $168,716; and Lights Inc., the lowest responsive bidder, at $109,362. Staff recommended awarding the underground electrical contract to Lights Inc. and using a combined funding package of a $90,000 Washington State Department of Commerce grant plus $180,242 from the city's Capital Improvement Program, for a total project allocation of $270,242.
Betts said the grant application focused on fleet charging rather than public chargers because the cost of bringing infrastructure to some sites was high; the project will primarily serve city fleet vehicles, though the scope also includes replacing an existing public charger with a dual-port unit at the Civic Campus. Betts said the city currently has three electric vehicles in service and three on order, and expects to phase additional light-duty fleet replacements over time to comply with state targets for light-duty fleet electrification.
Councilmembers asked about the number of chargers planned and lifecycle expectations. Betts said the project scope includes 12 fleet charging stations and capacity for future chargers. He said similar installations in the area had been in place for more than 10 years and that warranty and maintenance will be addressed in procurement documents.
Staff said the $90,000 Commerce grant is already accepted; the CIP funds will be added through a future formal budget amendment. Staff also confirmed project timelines aimed at completing construction within the grant period and that the contractor was prepared to mobilize quickly.
Contract and budget documents are part of the council packet.
