Dobbs Ferry trustees set public hearing on EV-charger fees after endorsing 35¢/kWh and 99¢ session charge

Dobbs Ferry trustees at a May 12 working session moved to set a public hearing on a local law to authorize EV charging station fees after staff recommended a 35¢ per kilowatt-hour rate and a 99¢ per-session fee. The hearing was scheduled for the trustees’ next business meeting on June 9, and staff said they will draft the local law and the accompanying resolution.

The recommendation came from Margaret (speaker 4), who told trustees, “my suggestion is go with the 35¢ a kilowatt hour, which is typical in this area,” and recommended starting with the 99¢ session fee because “you can always take it away. It’s a lot harder to add later.” Margaret said the 35¢ is intended to cover electricity costs while the 99¢ session fee and other income would offset maintenance and potential underuse.

Trustees and staff discussed uncertainty about who will use the chargers and how often. Chair (speaker 2) noted that downtown residents who lack home chargers could be frequent users, while Margaret said many users are likely to be visitors. Margaret also told the board that the county’s ChargePoint contract limits the vendor choice and confirmed the 99¢ session fee “flows straight through to the village.”

Trustees asked staff to confirm neighboring municipalities’ rates and to add the fees to the village fee schedule so that the board can revisit pricing after the chargers have been in operation. Chair (speaker 2) said staff will place a resolution calling the public hearing on the June 9 business meeting agenda and present the draft local law for adoption afterward.

Next steps: staff will finalize the draft local law and rates, distribute comparative rates from nearby municipalities, and present the proposal at the June 9 public hearing before any rate is adopted into the fee schedule.