Glencoe’s village officials are examining how to participate in an electric vehicle readiness program after being named one of 15 communities across the state to participate.
Last fall, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus selected Glencoe to be part of an Electronic Vehicle Readiness program given the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, according to the federal government.
After the village was named in the initial cohort, staff began deliberating how exactly it will work toward the designation of an “EV Ready Community,” according to village documents. There have been a series of meetings with the other communities in the cohort to share ideas.
The Mayors Caucus outlines greater than 10 areas of concentration for the communities including zoning and planning, permitting and inspection and safety and training as part of the program with three levels of certification ranging from bronze to gold.
Management Analyst Jeff Mawdsley told village trustees at a June 15 meeting the bronze level is achievable as it just a matter of documenting current village practices plus providing enhanced information to residents on electric vehicles.
Mawdsley said the silver level designation is more complex as it may require establishing new regulations or modifying existing village code regarding advertising of charging stations and allowing additional charging stations in the village’s right of way.
That drew some hesitancy from Village President Howard Roin, who said he believes many residents are interested in electric village usage, but there may be limits.
“We should do everything we can,” Roin said. “But people will burn this place down if we start having stuff in the right of way without having control over it. Maybe we will get there, but we can’t do that without great thought. That would not work in Glencoe.”
Another aspect of the silver designation is pursuing opportunities to incorporate electric vehicles into the municipal fleet.
However, Roin said that is not possible right now as there isn’t enough availability.
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“I’m sure all of us are in favor of getting an electric fleet but we are not getting it,” Roin said. “So we shouldn’t make any commitments that we can’t meet.”
Mawdsley said after the meeting, the staff would evaluate whether pursuing electric vehicles for municipal usage is feasible sometime in the future.
Mawdsley added pursuing the gold level designation is not realistic because that involves finding incentives for residents to purchase electric vehicles and install chargers in their home.
The trustees supported a move toward the bronze category, acknowledging there are cost considerations in play.
“Everybody says they want to be green until they realize they have to pay for it,” Trustee Joe Halwax said.
Mawdsley said at a future meeting staff will report back to the board on progress and recommendations for the EV Readiness Program. He noted if the village earns a type of designation formally supporting electric vehicle usage, grant dollars may become available in the future.
Village staff believes there were nearly 400 electric vehicles registered in the village in May.
“Glencoe is not an insignificant player in the electric vehicle environment,” Village Manager Phil Kiraly said at a June 15 meeting. “If you drive through any of our neighborhoods (we have) a higher percentage of electric vehicles than many neighbors, not all.”
The village currently has one public electric vehicle charging station in the Village Court parking lot.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.