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Council approves $651,000 EV charger project for city fleet after debate over cost and grants
Summary
The Certino City Council approved a contract to install fleet-only electric vehicle chargers at the city service center, citing state EV mandates and $225,000 in external grant support; one council member voted no, citing fiscal concerns and alternatives, and council requested additional procurement clarity.
The Certino City Council on April 21 approved a contract to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure at the city's service center, voting 4–1 with Council Member Wong opposed.
The chargers are intended for city vehicles only and will not be open to the public, Public Works Director Chad Mosley said. Staff described mostly Level 2 chargers sized to replenish fleet vehicles overnight and noted the vendor/manufacturer is Outel; PG&E and Silicon Valley Clean Energy provided design assistance and significant construction support.
Council members and speakers pressed staff on the project's price and procurement. Staff said the lowest bid came in at about $651,000, below an earlier engineering estimate of roughly $880,000 but above the $560,000 the city had initially allocated. Mosley and the city manager said the city secured approximately $225,000 in grant funding and PG&E support that reduced the net city share to about $450,000.
The project was justified, staff said, by state fleet rules requiring 50% of annual fleet purchases to be electric now, rising toward 100% by 2030, and by the availability of grants and design support to reduce local costs. "If we don't comply there could be fines of up to $10,000 per day per vehicle," a staff member said while explaining the timing urgency.
Public commenters and Council Member Wong argued the project represented an unacceptable level of spending on the consent calendar and urged exploring alternatives such as using nearby institutional chargers or accelerating fleet disposition studies. Wong said the city should reconsider levels of fleet personal vehicles and examine whether some vehicles could be turned over to staff use or deferred.
The motion to move item six passed after a roll-call vote with Council Member Fuin, Council Member Rohan, Vice Mayor Chow and Mayor Moore voting yes; Council Member Wong voted no. Council asked staff to provide more detail about vendor selection and future possible RFP processes for public discussion.
The council also heard technical questions about backup power (generators) and charger type; staff confirmed contingency plans for outages and explained the choice of Level 2 equipment as appropriate for scheduled fleet charging.
