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Paradise Valley approves seven fleet vehicles but tables electric vehicle pending infrastructure study
Summary
Council authorized purchases for seven replacement vehicles and deferred approval of one proposed electric vehicle, citing a lack of charging infrastructure and questions about operational feasibility; staff will return with cost, timeline and hybrid alternatives.
The Paradise Valley Council voted on June 11 to approve the purchase of seven municipal vehicles under a piggyback contract but excluded a proposed electric vehicle from the package pending further study.
Public Works presented a recommended amendment to a cooperative procurement (piggyback) with PFVT/Peoria Ford to obtain eight vehicles budgeted for fiscal year 2027, including one electric vehicle the department identified for community development field staff. "One of the things...is that we currently don't have the infrastructure in place to sustain these types of vehicles," the presenter said, noting existing Level 1 chargers at the public works site and the need for Level 2/3 capacity and electrical service upgrades.
Councilmembers raised operational and policy questions. Councilmember Leitman and others asked whether hybrid or non–plug-in hybrid options could meet sustainability goals without new charging infrastructure; Vice Mayor LaBelle and other members said buying a single electric vehicle as a pilot could be appropriate if charging is feasible. Councilmember Moore moved to approve seven vehicles now and exclude the electric vehicle until the town can provide cost and timeline information for required charging infrastructure; that motion passed with two council votes in opposition.
Town staff told the council that the League of Arizona Cities and Towns’ quote capped registrants (for the youth conference) at six and earlier staff estimates for youth-conference costs but indicated that vehicle procurement and charging infrastructure costs remain under analysis. The town manager said staff would return with costs and a timeline for installing Level 2/Level 3 charging and would continue discussions with department leads (especially police) about operational fit for electrification.
Next steps: staff will produce a feasibility memo including cost estimates and timeline for adding EV charging capacity, alternatives such as non–plug‑in hybrids, and operational analyses for police and community development vehicle use.
