Committee to apply for Dane County Level 2 EV charger grant for village parking lot near Esher apartments

Carly reported that Dane County'is offering a "Charge Up Dane County" grant that would provide four Level 2 electric vehicle chargers per host site and would cover equipment and installation costs.

Carly said the county program expects host sites to accept a five-year pricing schedule set by the county intended to cover electricity costs and be "affordable" for users. "They would pay entirely for the installation and the equipment itself," Carly said of the county program. The village would be responsible for electricity costs during operation; the county'pilot would set fees for roughly five years.

Carly proposed applying for one host site at a village-owned parking lot used by the Esher apartments (near Vessel/PJs). Committee discussion covered site visibility (closer to Hwy 14 vs. closer to the creek), avoiding using business-designated parking stalls, and whether the new village hall/police station lot could be a candidate. Staff confirmed the program requires an existing site and that the county prefers contiguous installation of the four chargers at a single host site.

Committee members asked operational questions: how users pay (card or app) and whether the county or vendor sets payment mechanisms; Carly said counties will administer fees and the county may have a backend vendor or program manager. Carly agreed to circulate the RFP and application materials to committee members and to apply on behalf of the village.

Members also discussed outreach: advertising current charging availability in the village and including any new Level 2 chargers on public charging maps to draw visitors to village businesses.

Ending: Carly will prepare and submit the grant application and circulate the RFP and vendor guidelines to the committee for review.