Commission approves including airport lot in Dane County EV charging grant application

The Middleton Municipal Airport Commission voted June 5 to request inclusion of the airport parking lot in the city's application to Dane County’s Charge Up Dane County grant program. If selected, the program would provide two dual‑sided Level‑2 chargers (four charging ports) for public use.

Staff noted that the county program requires publicly available access to chargers; Brian (city staff) said the grant typically supplies the equipment but municipalities often assume ongoing maintenance and replacement costs. Commissioners discussed parking‑space loss, signage and enforcement (airport signs currently restrict aircraft‑related long‑term parking), and the slow charging rate of Level‑2 units. One commissioner asked that staff confirm whether the municipality would be allowed to charge an additional premium into the airport enterprise fund after an initial grant period, and staff said logistics would be clarified with the county during the application process.

The motion to include the airport lot in the city's application, with the caveat that installation and future maintenance costs would be borne by the city if awarded, was made, seconded and approved by voice vote. Staff said the application deadline required timely submission and that some logistical questions (signage, enforcement and long‑term revenue authority) would be resolved with Dane County in parallel.

Next steps: staff will submit the airport site as part of the citywide application and follow up with Dane County on site host requirements, public‑access conditions and maintenance/ownership details.