Discussions over electrical vehicle charging by East Greenville Council reappeared Monday night. Future debate on the issue seems inevitable.  "This issue is not going away," Member Alison Palmer said.

            The members continued their quest to properly address the charging of vehicles on public streets. They discussed multiple enforcement options and potentially installing charging stations.

            The borough's planner educated the members on the style of charging stations and implementation strategies. Timothy Konetchy, a community planner with the Montgomery County Planning Commission, identified charging methods utilized in New York City, New Orleans and Seattle.  "It's a start," council President Angie Fegely said.

            Last month, council discussed the need to create a framework for the utilization of electric cars in the borough. After debating the value of allowing them to charge on public streets, the members seemed to reach a consensus to permit it in public parking lots.

            "We need to address this," Member Melissa Leinbach during the most recent meeting.

            Montgomery County has the highest percentage of EVs of any county in Pennsylvania, said Konetchy. He said that 3,660 vehicles account for 0.6 percent of the total vehicles.

            Concerns over cords stretched across sidewalks in residential areas sparked council's interest in the subject. Manager Jim Fry has identified one Jefferson Street resident who charges an electric vehicle that is parked on a public street. However, the manager expressed more concern about Colonial Village, where no residents have off-street parking.

            Earlier this week, the members contemplated options to deal with that issue.  They discussed the possibility of creating an ordinance that could require the use of an Americans with Disabilites Act compliant ramp.

            The borough's property maintenance code might be a venue to deal with this issue. Fry said the best way might be to deal with each one on an individual basis.

            According to the planner, Seattle allows Level 1 chargers to utilize a charging cord cover on sidewalks without a permit. The city's rules require the cords to be removed when they are not in use and that designated parking spaces can't be reserved.

            In January, council seemed amenable to installing monetized charging stations in public parking lots. Earlier this week, Konetchy provided options to implement on-street stations and a sampling of the types of available stations.

            The PowerPoint presentation included Level 1 and Level 2 stations which are utilized to power up 80 percent of all EVs at home. Konetchy compared the former to running a hair dryer and the latter to operating an electric stove with all four burners on.

            The planner also identified a DC Fast Charger which requires $15,000 worth of equipment and can provide 60 to 80 miles in 20 minutes. According to Konetchy, more than 200 Level 2 and more than 50 DCFC stations are available.

            PECO will be making grant money available to help fund the charging stations, according to the planner. He said the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has not decided if it will be making money allocated from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed Nov. 15, 2021, by President Biden, available to communities for this use.