Title
Resolution to Accept Grant Funds from the Federal Highway Administration through Its Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging in Ann Arbor and Appropriate Funds to the Office of Sustainability and Innovations ($3,488,140.04) (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
Attached for review and consideration is a resolution to authorize acceptance and appropriation of grant funding in the amount of $2,790,512.03 from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) through their Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant program to support the expansion of electric vehicle (EV) charging throughout the City of Ann Arbor. As part of this award, the City will match $697,628.01 in funding, bringing the total amount to $3,488,140.04.
Through the 2023 CFI Discretionary Grant, the City of Ann Arbor will install 36 L2 charge ports and 12 Direct Current Fast Charge ports across the City for public use in an effort to support EV adoption across the community. This project supports focus areas identified in the CFI Discretionary Grant program, including urban/suburban area charging with secondary benefits around fleet vehicles that serve and operate in communities and multi-modal hubs. In addition to supporting these focus areas, EV adoption is necessary to achieve the City’s aggressive plan to usher in a just transition to community-wide carbon neutrality by 2030 (A²ZERO <http://www.a2zero.org>), including the provision of reliable, safe, and accessible public charging for everyone, regardless of income and location in the community. Though the City has made strides in public EV charging infrastructure, there are still significant gaps, specifically in low-income areas, park and ride lots (multi-modal), multi-unit dwellings (MUDs), and large retail spaces. This grant will enable the closing of these gaps while simultaneously engaging a more diverse array of stakeholders, including property owners, landlords, tenants, and low-income residents, in the movement to grow equitable vehicle electrification and community-wide climate action.
Preliminary sites for EV installation have been identified but grant funds will also be used to conduct deep and sustained public engagement to ensure the location of chargers reflects community needs. In addition, grant funds will be used to hire a new team member in the Office of Sustainability and Innovations that will take responsibility for meeting the requirements of this FHWA grant award and take the lead in all public engagement and outreach activities. This individual position will be funded for 3 years through this grant award. As such, this resolution seeks authorization from City Council to hire a new team member and increase the headcount in the Office of Sustainability and Innovations for the next 3 years to 20.5.
Budget/Fiscal Impact: The grant from the Federal Highway Administration will cover $2,790,512.03 of project expenses. An additional $697,628.01 in project expenses over the three-year grant period will come from in-kind staffing support as well as funding support for the procurement of EV chargers. This matching funding is available through the Office of Sustainability and Innovations’ budget along with in-kind staffing support from Parks and Recreation for EV chargers placed at Parks sites.
Staff
Prepared by: Missy Stults, Sustainability and Innovations Director
Reviewed by: Kim Buselmeier, Interim Chief Financial Officer
Valerie Jackson, Assistant City Attorney
Josh Landefeld, Parks and Recreation Services Manager
Approved by: Milton Dohoney Jr., City Administrator
Body
Whereas, The City’s A2ZERO Plan calls for a significant expansion of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging;
Whereas, The City’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations has created an electric vehicle charging strategy, inclusive of a map indicating areas of high priority for electric vehicle charger deployment;
Whereas, The City’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations’ pilot electric vehicle charger discount program has demonstrated high demand for publicly accessible electric vehicle chargers in multi-family and commercial sites throughout the City;
Whereas, The City’s Office of Sustainability and Innovations submitted a grant application to the Federal Highway Administration’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary grant program to support the installation of 36 L2 charge ports and 12 Direct Current Fast Charge ports across the City;
Whereas, The Federal Highway Administration selected the City’s grant application for award and has approved a total assistance amount of $2,790,512.03 in federal support, plus $697,628.01 in matching support from the City to accomplish the tasks in the City’s application; and
Whereas, This grant award would also support the hiring of a staff member to advance the grant terms and expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the City for a three-year period;
RESOLVED, That City Council accept a grant award of $2,790,512.03 from the Federal Highway Administration through their Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary grant program, and authorize the City’s in-kind funding of $697,628.01,
RESOLVED, That City Council; appropriate $3,488,140.00 to the Sustainability and Innovations FY25 Major Grants Program Fund expenditure budget with the source of revenue being $2,790,512.00 from the Federal Highway Administration through their Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary grant program and $697,628.00 in transfers from the Sustainability and Innovations Climate Action Millage Fund;
RESOLVED, That City Council approve a Grant Agreement with the Federal Highway Administration for these funds, following approval as to form by the City Attorney and as to substance by the City Administrator;
RESOLVED, That City Council authorize the hiring of a Sustainability Analyst in the Office of Sustainability and Innovations for the duration of the grant award, with funding for this position coming directly from the Federal Highway Administration’s portion of the federal award;
RESOLVED, That City Council authorize the Office of Sustainability and Innovations approved staffing headcount to be increased by 1.0 FTE to accommodate this change;
RESOLVED, That all amounts herein are without regard to fiscal year; and
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator is authorized to take all appropriate actions to implement this resolution.