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City plans bids for three downtown EV charging stations with Ameren grant
Summary
Staff described plans to use a $50,000 Ameren grant to install three level-2 EV chargers at downtown locations (Citizens Plaza, the city center bus transfer station, and the Campbell/Calhoun lot). Staff recommended buying chargers separately and soliciting bids for installation; council discussed siting trade-offs and enforcement of EV-only spaces and tentatively scheduled final action next Monday.
City staff presented a plan to solicit bids and install three level-2 electric vehicle charging stations in the downtown area, funded by a $50,000 grant from Ameren (no local match required).
Scott (staff) described three proposed locations: a spot on the south side of the square in front of the Citizens Plaza, one at the city center (the bus transfer station) and one in the Campbell/Calhoun parking lot behind Jososmos. He said conduit and some infrastructure already exist at these sites from prior work, which makes installation more feasible within the grant amount. Scott recommended purchasing ChargePoint chargers (or equivalent) separately rather than through the construction contract to avoid markups and then putting installation out to bid.
Council members asked about annual costs, enforcement of EV-only parking, whether to charge users, and whether to cluster chargers or spread them across downtown. Scott said the chargers are level-2 (suitable for about an hour'long top-up) and recommended not charging users initially because the electrical cost is minimal and the administrative burden could outweigh revenue. He said the stations will require an app for use, which will produce usage data.
Council discussed trade-offs of siting on the square (prime real estate) versus other downtown lots; staff said they can adjust locations if bids exceed the grant and will consider the square spot as a lower-use location to minimize conflict with surrounding businesses. The matter was set for final action on the council agenda next Monday.
