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Supervisors tell staff to price county EV chargers at or above local market and report back with six months of usage data
Summary
The board directed staff to set initial electric-vehicle charging rates at or above nearby public chargers, collect six months of usage data, and return with a cost-recovery proposal; motion carried unanimously.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday directed county staff to set initial pricing for a countywide network of electric vehicle (EV) Level 2 chargers at or above local market rates, gather usage data for six months and return with a proposal aimed at cost recovery.
Jeff Datterman, Fleet and Facilities maintenance superintendent, told the board the county will install 24 new public chargers alongside one existing county-owned charger as part of a California Energy Commission grant. Staff proposed a three-component fee structure: a per-hour (energy) charge passed through at local utility rates plus a 10% processing fee, an "overstay" hourly penalty (example: $3 per hour after the first 30 minutes of completed charging), and a per-session connection (guest) fee (example: $0.99).
Staff said full cost recovery'including future replacement and maintenance'would require substantially higher per-session or per-hour charges and that a market-based starting price would likely yield more usage data to refine pricing. "If the board's direction would be to focus on a full cost recovery type of model, including future replacement costs, the impact could mean that the public would have greater per-mile costs to operate their electric vehicles in Mendocino County," Datterman told the board.
Supervisor Williams moved the staff direction: set an initial rate at or above comparable local chargers, collect six months of usage data, and return with a full-cost-recovery proposal; Supervisor Norvell seconded. The motion passed unanimously by roll call.
Why it matters: County-owned chargers can cost the county for operation and maintenance; the board wants to balance user affordability and public subsidies while gathering local usage patterns before setting a permanent, fee-for-service structure.
What's next: Staff will set market-aligned opening rates, start charging when chargers come online, monitor usage for six months and return to the board, likely during the county's spring fee hearing, with a full cost-recovery analysis and recommended final rates.
