Objections stall charging-station grants

The Grove City Council has delayed a vote on legislation that would create a grant program to help residents pay to install electric-vehicle charging stations.

Monday night’s delay came after lively discussion between council members and Mayor Ike Stage that largely centered on philosophical differences about the role of government.

The ordinance, which is to be reconsidered on Dec. 17, would establish a grant program with $25,000 from the city’s general fund.

Residents who install electric-vehicle charging stations at their homes would be eligible for a $500 grant. For installations at multifamily residences such as condominium and apartment complexes, grants would be available up to $1,000, an amount that was $4,000 before it was amended Monday.

The legislation is intended to give residents an incentive to buy electric cars, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions to ease the effects of climate change, according to its sponsor, Councilman Ted Berry.

Three council members — Christine Houk, Jeffrey Davis and Steve Robinette — expressed skepticism about whether a city government should provide grants for charging installations at residents’ homes.

Houk and Davis said taxpayer money should not be used in that way because they think its impact would be too individualized. “It doesn’t sit right with me,” Houk said.

Robinette said he’d view more favorably a proposal that offered grants for charging stations at public locations such as parking lots. Berry’s initial legislation did that, but it was revised to include multifamily residences instead of commercial locations because other commercial incentives exist, such as a rebate program from AEP Ohio.

Councilman Roby Schottke said the program would give taxpayer money directly back to the taxpayers who install charging stations.

A recent report from the federal government painted a dire picture of the effects of climate change, warning that severe environmental and economic effects would be felt by the end of the century if more isn’t done to curb carbon emissions. Transportation is the largest source of carbon emissions in the U.S.

If the proposal passes, Grove City would become the first city in the country to use its general funds to create a grant program for electric-vehicle charging stations, according to industry experts. Most incentives come from federal or statewide initiatives or directly from electric utility companies, The Dispatch has reported.