Officials Divided Over Electric Car Charging Units

Last week city commissioners turned down a proposal, indirectly funded by the federal government, to install three electric car-charging stations. Instead commissioners asked for a scaled down version with one charging station.

A charging station is a gas station of sorts for alternative cars that run on electricity or hybrid vehicles that partially run on electricity.

Representatives of the Tampa Bay regional planning council came to the commission meeting on Sept. 8 with a proposal to install three charging stations within city limits. Tampa Bay is one of 20 regions recognized nationally as sites suited for alternative transportation.

The Department of Energy is offering up to 100 units for the Tampa Bay area. Oldsmar, thus far, is the first area community to take advantage of this proposal, known as "Get Ready Tampa Bay."

Various factors including demographics, geography and physical attributes qualify Dunedin for up to 10 charging units, but officials with Tampa Bay regional planning council believe three units are sufficient for the city.

Tampa Bay regional planning council sited three locations for a charging station: the , the and an undetermined location downtown.

The Tampa Bay regional planning council expects the Tampa Bay area to have anywhere from 100 to 200 charging units within a year.

Vice mayor Ron Barnette noted how this proposal would be good for the city, but fellow commissioner David Carson was less than enthusiastic.

"I am excited about the prospect, but we are subsidizing weak technology," Carson said. "We are putting the cart before the horse, putting charging stations out before we know how many people will use this just because we get free money from the government.

"Give away electricity? I would never support that. If they [electric car owners] can afford these they can afford [to pay for the electricity at the charging station]."

Mayor Dave Eggers sided with Carson.

"This is not free money," Eggers said of the proposal. "We will have to pay it back. We have to say at some point 'no' to stimulus. If this is such a good idea, let's buy [a charging station] ourselves and not use federal money. If people can use this, they can pay $1 for a fill-up, so to speak."

Carson added, "I am willing to try one and market the heck out of it and say, 'Come see our city, we are a green city'."

Barnette vehemently disagreed with Carson and Eggers and with commissioner Julie Ward Bujalski absent, the council split 2-2 on the proposal with Carson and Eggers dissenting, which meant the issue came to a half.

Both Carson and Eggers asked for a scaled back version with just one charging station. Members of the Tampa Bay regional planning council stated they would have to go back to speak with officials as there are no plans available to offer cities just one charging station.