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San Dimas approves hourly EV‑charging fees, idle penalty and 18‑month review
Summary
The City Council adopted hourly rates for its nine public level‑2 chargers — $3.50 per hour for residents, $4 for nonresidents — and a graduated idle penalty designed to increase turnover. Council also authorized use of Liberty Plugins and asked staff to evaluate outcomes in 18 months.
The San Dimas City Council on Aug. 11 adopted a staff proposal to start charging for public electric‑vehicle charging at the city’s nine level‑2 stations and to impose an idle penalty to discourage lingering vehicles.
Sherry Garwick, the city’s director of public works, told the council the program costs about $100,000 annually to operate and that replacing equipment to enable per‑kilowatt‑hour billing would require roughly $60,000 in capital. "Based on the cost models, staff is recommending an hourly rate of $3.50 for San Dimas residents and $4 for nonresidents per hour," she said. Staff also proposed a 15‑minute grace period followed by a $10 penalty for each 15‑minute interval of idle time.
The council heard arguments both for and against the fees. Anthony Carano, a downtown restaurant owner who also has raised concerns about local parking, said free charging is often abused and noted existing free chargers nearby. Several council members pressed staff on utilization and subsidy questions; Councilmember Vienna argued the city is likely to subsidize the service "in almost all scenarios" and that leasing or privatizing sites should be considered.
Garwick and staff responded with model scenarios showing the city would recover only a portion of costs under realistic utilization rates and that revenue depends heavily on how often chargers are used. The council discussed alternatives — replacing chargers to bill per kilowatt, contracting out management, or discontinuing service — but ultimately approved staff’s recommendation and authorized the Liberty Plugins management system to handle payments and monitoring. The motion passed 3–2 and included direction to return with an evaluation and potential alternatives in 18 months.
Councilmembers voting in favor cited the need to improve availability and discourage misuse; those opposed raised concerns about continued subsidy and the fairness of charging primarily for a service used by EV owners.
The decision will take effect once the city executes the management agreement and configures the station software; staff said the Liberty Plugins platform will enable resident verification by vehicle registration address and will collect charging status to enforce idle penalties.
