The Aurora City Council on Tuesday approved placing nine electric vehicle chargers across three locations in the city in the next five years.
Officials also accepted a $50,000 grant to fund youth climate projects in the next year as part of a global program across 300 participating cities.
The chargers are part of a five-year contract with Blink Network, LLC, which was approved by the City Council Tuesday.
Under the approved contract, the dual-port chargers will be placed at Garfield Park, the Aurora Police Department and at a parking garage along East Downer Place, according to the Tuesday meeting agenda.
Just over 70% of the $292,000 total expense for the chargers will be covered by federal reimbursement grants, and city funds will pay the remaining $80,707. The reimbursement vouchers were awarded to the city in 2023 by the U.S. Department of Energy through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program.
The approval of the contract comes after nearly two years of city analysis on where to place the chargers and as the city has increased its efforts to promote electric vehicle infrastructure. Efforts to back electric vehicles date back to the city’s first sustainability plan in 2009, which was strengthened by a 2023 city commitment to operating a safe, clean and efficient fleet.
Officials said at the July 21 City Council Committee of the Whole meeting that the new chargers aim to support the city’s electric fleet. The city also wants to put the chargers in places that would benefit residents as well, and also sit along electrical infrastructure, which would support cost-effective installation, officials said.
City officials said in the resolution proposing the contract that installing electric vehicle chargers at the specific locations would offer improved charging opportunities for residents and visitors at a considerably reduced cost to the city.
The City Council on Tuesday also accepted a $50,000 grant from Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to be used for the Youth Climate Action Fund project, a global program that supports youth-led climate projects.
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Aurora was selected as one of 300 cities to participate in the program, through which the city will award microgrants to youth-led, city-focused climate projects through May 2027.
The city plans to launch the program between now and Aug. 24, according to a presentation at the City County Finance Committee meeting on July 16.
Those interested in participating in the program can apply between Aug. 24 and Oct. 5 and must be between 15 and 24 years old, according to the presentation.
The city plans to disperse funds for the program to selected projects no later than Nov. 13, officials said. Selected projects are scheduled to be completed by April 15, 2027. Results are set to be announced by April 22 and a final report due by May 14, according to the presentation.
If projects are completed on time, the city could qualify for another round of funding, officials said.
Sustainability, particularly green building, has remained a priority for Aurora Mayor John Laesch.
As a mayoral candidate, he told The Beacon-News that he would work to attract higher-paying jobs by “positioning Aurora for the green collar economy that’s coming,” at least in part by encouraging businesses that create innovative building materials to move to the city. Later, during his inauguration speech, Laesch said Aurora would be looking to partner with the local CEJA Workforce Hub to help train students for that coming “green collar economy.”