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Molalla council debates PGE-funded pole chargers after downtown business raises parking, safety concerns
Summary
Councilors heard a PGE proposal to install pole-mounted EV chargers (PGE funds installation/maintenance) and received public comment from downtown business owner Connie Sharp, who urged locating chargers off-street to avoid removing customer parking; council asked staff to return with location options before any approval.
Engineering Section Manager Sam Miller told the Molalla City Council that Portland General Electric offered to fully fund and maintain a limited program of pole-mounted EV chargers within the city’s right-of-way, but that the program’s funding would not continue beyond the end of the year. Miller emphasized that site selection and city collaboration are part of the process and that chargers are not automatically installed without municipal approval.
Downtown business owner Connie Sharp testified that a proposed charger location at 109 S. Molalla Avenue would remove parking used by nine businesses and limit customer access. "I think there could be a lot better location," Sharp said, adding that chargers placed in business parking lots or the city’s public lot would better serve customers and reduce the risk of enforcement or safety issues.
Councilors asked technical questions about the equipment. Miller said chargers are mounted on poles and that users must download an app to lower the charging cord, which does not remain dangling from the pole in normal operation. Staff confirmed some program rules require installations to be within the public right-of-way, which limits options for placing units on private-property parking lots.
Council members split on the program’s merits: some said they would take free installations if the sites and operations were acceptable; others worried about removing on-street parking in the downtown core and potential long-term maintenance or vandalism. Several councilors suggested prioritizing commercial parking lots or public parking areas rather than on-street spaces.
Given limited PGE funding and identified location constraints, staff recommended returning with a narrow set of site proposals rather than conducting a broad staff-driven search immediately. Council agreed to place the item on a future regular meeting agenda to review specific location options; no installation was approved on April 23.
