Committee recommends Dane County agreement for EV chargers at Terrace Avenue lot

The Middleton Public Works Committee on Aug. 10 recommended that the city enter an agreement with Dane County to install an electric‑vehicle charging station in the Terrace Avenue parking lot behind the library at 7438 Terrace Avenue, subject to city attorney review.

Ben, the committee's staff member, introduced the item as a county offer to add “0.333 public, EV charging site in Middleton” at the Terrace parking lot and noted the county had selected two other Middleton locations in an earlier round. Sustainability coordinator Kelly Hilliard said the Terrace lot was part of Middleton’s original four‑site application and was added when the county had extra funds. “We submitted 4 locations for this grant originally, and the Terrace parking lot was on that original grouping,” Hilliard said.

Hilliard described how pricing will be handled: “For the first five years, the county really holds our hand in this and will help us set the pricing. The city will be able to set the price for the charging. The city will cover the electricity costs,” she said, adding that the fee is meant to cover electricity, insurance and an excise tax. She also cautioned the committee about a legal limit: “The only requirement is that… the city cannot bring in a large, net profit from charging stations that they own,” citing state statute language in staff discussion.

Alder Myers moved the recommendation with a condition that the agreement be subject to city attorney review and approval. The committee voted and the motion passed.

Staff said additional details will be refined during attorney review, including ensuring the county’s three agreements are consistent and clarifying the excise tax per kilowatt‑hour; Hilliard offered to follow up with those numbers.