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Palmyra council declines municipal EV charging installation after grant and cost concerns
Summary
After staff outlined construction costs and multiple grants, Palmyra council decided not to move forward with installing municipal EV chargers, citing concerns about an IRS grant, maintenance and payment system obligations.
Borough staff presented a proposed municipal electric vehicle charging installation with a construction cost of $211,104.46 and a grant package that included $55,000 from the Board of Public Utilities, $32,500 from PSEG and $63,331.34 described in the record as an IRS grant. Borough Administrator Mr. Gural told the council the borough would be responsible for maintenance and software support and that a payment system had not been established.
"We own and are responsible for the maintenance and software support of those charging stations, we do not have a payment system in place to manage the payments and the loss of four parking spaces in areas where we already have limited parking," Mr. Gural said during the discussion. He also noted concerns specifically about the $63,331.00 item identified as an IRS grant.
After discussion among council members, the engineer and staff, the council decided not to move forward with the project. Public commenter Ms. Veitenheimer of Rowland Street supported the decision and said the Cove Center chargers are not used much, arguing that a municipal installation would not meet local demand.
The item was discussed as part of the professional updates; no formal roll-call motion with a recorded tally was entered in the minutes beyond the council consensus not to proceed.
The council may revisit electrification or charging infrastructure in the future if funding structure or operational plans change.
