Title
Authorizing the City to enter into an agreement for HOURCAR to operate a Shared Electric Vehicle Fleet (“Evie”).
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul (“City”) is leading the EV Spot Network/Evie Carshare (the “project”) project, in partnership with the City of Minneapolis, Xcel Energy and HOURCAR; and
WHEREAS, the project will deliver 70 electric vehicle (EV) charging hubs across Saint Paul and Minneapolis, with each hub providing both public EV charging and EV charging dedicated to use by an electric vehicle carshare service that will be operated by HOURCAR; and
WHEREAS, the City is leasing the electric vehicles for the carshare program and is partnering with HOURCAR to operate the Evie carshare service, beginning in 2021; and
WHEREAS, the project will provide EV carshare as an additional transportation option in the Twin Cities to complement transit, biking, and walking; and
WHEREAS, the project will provide EV carshare service to ten lower-wealth, majority BIPOC neighborhoods across the two cities where carshare is not currently an option; and
WHEREAS, the project will produce no local emissions, supporting improved air quality in our neighborhoods and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation; and
WHEREAS, carshare has been shown to reduce the need for car ownership while increasing transportation options, consistent with the Transportation Chapter of the City’s Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has been awarded a federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) grant of $4 million for the project through the Metropolitan Council’s Transportation Advisory Board regional solicitation in the 2021-2024 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul - via the American Lung Association as the lead applicant - is a subrecipient of $3,650,237 in Department of Energy funding to support deployment of the project; and
WHEREAS the City has budgeted $750,000 from the Parking Fund for the required local match to the federal CMAQ funds to complete the project; and
WHEREAS, the City committed to completion of the project under Council Resolution 20-1370; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s participation in--and contribution of--“make-ready” electrical infrastructure for this project (Docket No. E002/M-18-643); and
WHEREAS, in this agreement the City will provide credits to HOURCAR for parking meter revenue recovery owed to the City for use by the Evie carshare service if HOURCAR expends resources and meets targets for carshare usage by very low-income and BIPOC residents;
WHEREAS, to the extent that equity credits do not cover all of revenue recovery, HOURCAR’s incurred costs of snow removal may also offset parking meter revenue recovery; and
WHEREAS, in this agreement, the City has agreed to waive parking or dwell time at Evie spaces; and
WHEREAS, the parties have also agreed to set service charge rates through this agreement, which rates HOURCAR is authorized to adjust under certain conditions; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the City Council hereby approves the agreement and authorizes and directs the proper city officials to enter into the Agreement for HOURCAR To Operate Shared Electric Vehicle Fleet.