Aspen City Council decided to move forward on Tuesday with the installation of seven new electric vehicle charging stations at three city-owned facilities.

The proposal presented to council as part of their consent agenda on May 12 included four proposed stations at Aspen Golf Club/Truscott, two at the Aspen Recreation Center and a single charging station at Red Brick Center for the Arts.

“The proposed locations at these facilities were selected due to their ability to provide additional charging options for residents and visitors, increased availability for City staff to charge City vehicles, and reinforcing the City’s commitment to environmental stewardship by setting a visible standard for sustainability at municipal facilities,” a staff report submitted to council reads.

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The request to increase the city’s EV charging capacity is based on meeting the minimum deployment target established in the Electric Vehicle Public Charging Infrastructure Master Plan, according to the staff report.

“This will expand the City’s existing EV charging network for use at high-traffic facilities for residents, visitors, employees, and City-owned electric vehicles,” the report reads. “This request aligns with Council and organizational priorities related to climate action, emissions reduction, and sustainable transportation and implements an existing, council-approved EV charging strategy.”

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The seven new stations would include 14 plugs, increasing the city’s total charging capacity from 24 to 38 plugs. Staff recommended to council the approval of a $188,853.98 contract with National Car Charging LLC, using “existing approved budget authority” for the installations to be completed by end of fall this year.

The total expenditures, according to the report, are estimated at $217,297.08, including both the contract for the EV charging station facilities installations plus 15% contingency proposed. The funding comes from the General Fund ($147,000) and Asset Management Plan Fund ($92,000) for total budgeted funding of $239,000.

The selected vendor, National Car Charging LLC, was chosen due to the fact that they presented the lowest cost bid among finalist vendors, showed strong project understanding, provided the best responses to questions for finalists and have extensive experience with EV charging installations in mountain communities — its previous projects include work with the Colorado Department of Transportation, Eagle, Boulder and Aspen, according to the report.

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Temporary impacts from installation would primarily include short-term parking disruptions, the report confirms.

“I don’t hear people asking for this,” Council Member Bill Guth said at the regular meeting. “It feels a lot like a subsidy for me and not really something that’s needed to improve our existing infrastructure or solve a problem. I’d rather personally use the money elsewhere.”

Mayor Rachael Richards pushed back, arguing that the demand is there and it will continue to grow.

“I would like to see us move forward with this,” Richards said. “Given the fuel criss that we’re beginning to see … we’ll probably see a renewed interested in electric vehicles going forward.”

Council Member John Doyle echoed Richards’ comments about the price of fuel.

“The cost of gas now, as Rachael just mentioned, is through the roof,” Doyle said. “With what we’ve seen here this winter … the move to electrification is imperative right now.”

Richards added that she’s also already seen electric vehicle drivers have to drive away from chargers that are in use and that with the airport closure in 2027, there’s going to be a greater dependence on all vehicles for travel.

Council Member Christine Benedetti noted that electric is the direction that the rest of the world is moving in as well.

“I think this is the future and it’s our obligation to be a part of this movement,” she said.

But for Guth, putting money toward the charging stations contradicts the mode-shifting initiatives that are also part of Aspen’s future goals, incentivizing people to utilize buses and bikes over single-occupancy vehicles. He also emphasized that installing more chargers was not a guarantee that people would buy more electric vehicles.

“I’ve never heard a single person share with me that they think we are short on electric vehicle charging infrastructure,” he reiterated. “I don’t see anywhere that this is needed, and I don’t understand why this is our role to subsidize. I think we’ve created sufficient infrastructure. I don’t hear a need for more of this.”

While Council Member Sam Rose expressed support for the installation, he did note that Guth brought up a good point about needing to better understand the demand for Aspen’s EV charging stations.

“I think it says something about what Aspen is and where Aspen is going to continue to support this program,” Richards argued.

Council approved the installation request in a 4-1 vote, with Guth voting against it.