Government-funded electric vehicle charging stations will not be coming to Boone County after all.
The legislative body struck down an agreement with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to design nine new charging stations during a fiscal court meeting Wednesday. The resolution unanimously voted 4-0 against the resolution.
According to county documents, the project would have cost Boone County approximately $400,000. Grant money from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, also known as OKI, would have covered the remaining costs.
Three chargers were slated to be installed in the Burlington Commons parking lot, three at the Boone County Administration Building parking lot, and three at the Richwood Interchange along I-75. These locations were selected because they are all owned by Boone County and where people spend several hours at a time.
If installed, Boone County would have been responsible for selling electricity from the chargers and maintaining the stations.
Moore, who previously supported the measure, explained why he changed his mind.
“The state has denied our request for the grant,” Moore said. “That was the grant that was going to supply the local match to the federal grant, and we did not get that.”
In prior meetings, Moore argued that installing the chargers could be an economic development tool, describing the project as a “pilot” for others.
A resolution proposing the funding of electric vehicle charging was first introduced during a meeting on Oct. 22. During the meeting, Commissioner Chet Hand vocalized his opposition to the resolution, arguing that Boone County should not be involved in financing and managing electric vehicle charging stations. Instead, he contended that the private sector should meet the need.
“If there’s really that kind of demand in the area, and that kind of desert, you’d think the private sector would jump in,” he said at the meeting.
The federal government previously identified Boone County as an “electric vehicle charging desert,” County Engineer Rob Franxman noted during the Oct. 22 meeting. As such, some county officials felt that installing public electric vehicle charging stations would be a way to curb that designation, in addition to providing another public service.
Hand’s primary objection, however, was the overall expansion of government. He additionally raised concerns about ongoing maintenance costs and replacement requirements.
He maintained his position during a fiscal court caucus meeting on Dec. 3, where the issue was further discussed. Commissioners Cathy Flaig and Hand said they heard from dozens of their constituents who were not in favor of the resolution.
“Basically, my point is that we shouldn’t be in the business of selling electricity to the public still stands,” he said. “I’ve got dozens of constituents who are concerned about this issue, they’ve voiced their concern to me about this issue, and we continue to drag this issue out.”
Moore did not want to act on the results of the Dec. 3 meeting because the county was still obtaining information related to the OKI grant. From his perspective, the action could jeopardize $1 to $1.5 million worth of future grant money from OKI.
Ultimately, the court voted 3-1 to table the resolution until Dec. 17. Moore promised to have all the necessary information regarding the grant by that date.
