Committee hears staff report on EV and solar permitting incentives; councilors ask for more data

City staff reviewed a pilot incentive program that reduced permit fees for electric-vehicle (EV) readiness and some solar-ready measures and asked whether the committee wants staff to recommend continuation to the city manager.

Permit Services Supervisor Lindsay Kavanaugh said the program began as a pilot after code discussions in 2018 and codification in 2021; a November 2023 resolution gave the city manager authority to set fees. Staff presented program counts and budget impact through the report period: one solar-ready new single-family home, 94 EV-ready new single-family homes, one EV-ready commercial project, one EV-capable commercial, and 37 EV retrofit permits for existing single-family homes. Staff said the budget impact to date was $37,717.50 and that additional activity has occurred since the report.

Council members questioned whether the incentive meaningfully changed behavior. Some noted that many early adopters would have installed EV charging capability regardless of a waived $30–$50 permit fee, while others said the small fee reduction and public information were useful in encouraging retrofits. Staff said the residential EV retrofit permits are typically issued over the counter with no additional plan review and that administrative burden has been modest. The city’s electrical-permit multiplier and fee calculations were explained in response to questions about costs for solar installations: permit fees are calculated on a multiplier of project cost (staff cited a 0.005 multiplier for certain permit calculations).

Committee members asked for additional year-to-year data and broader citywide context before deciding whether to continue, expand or modify the program. Staff noted the Environmental Advisory Council had reported 212 solar retrofits citywide as of September 2024 (not limited to program participation) and that EV registrations in Overland Park rose from about 75 in 2020 to over 1,000 by 2022. Several council members supported continuing the pilot while staff compiles more detailed year-to-year figures; one councilor said he did not consider the current uptake sufficient to mandate EV/solar readiness for all new construction.

Staff offered to return with updated year-by-year permit numbers, a breakdown of new-build versus retrofit costs, and information on how many new homes voluntarily included EV readiness. The committee did not take a formal vote; members generally asked staff and the city manager’s office to consider continuation while gathering additional data.