South Frontenac Facing EV Charging Financial Shortfall
Last Year, North Frontenac Council faced Last Year, North Frontenac Council faced an operating loss when they set up an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station, after applying for and receiving a grant to subsidise the equipment. The problem was that the fixed monthly costs from Hydro One to supply fast charging power are structured in such a way to require more use, in order to break even, than the demand at the relatively remote North Frontenac Township office, where the chargers are set up.
South Frontenac has installed EV chargers as well, and held a public meeting at their council meeting last week before passing a bylaw to establish a rate of $0.65 per kilowatt hour, for EVs using the service. According to a staff report, the market rates for the service are between $0.45 and $0.75, with $0.65 being what they hope is a high enough rate to maximise revenue without pricing the service out of the market.
However, based on research, the report says, “At this time, due to the anticipated utility delivery costs to operate the EV charging stations, the annual operating costs for the EV charging station are not anticipated to be fully recovered through charging revenues.”
Staff propose to run the service for one year, and will monitor the costs and report back on how much the shortfall turns out to be. The cost to cover any shortfall will be borne by the township’s climate action change reserve.
The EV chargers have been installed at the township office in Sydenham. Council had been looking at two other locations, but stuck to the one, to start.
Council reluctantly went along with the Staff proposal.
“We are committed to environmental sustainability, which is why we applied for this, and this is a cost that comes with that, for now,” said Mayor Vandewal.
If the uptake for the service is greater than anticipated, or increases over time, the stations could become financially sustainable over time, depending on the speed of transition from gas powered to electrically powered vehicles.
Official Plan Amendments
Council held a Public Meeting to hear reports from Senior Planner Christine Woods about two Official Plan amendments. The first was to extend delegated authority to Staff, to cover more routine planning matters where the precedent set by the township previously is such that Staff can confidently approve minor adjustments for applicants, without requiring the matter to come to Council, saving time and cost for the applicant.
The second was to amend a provision in the recently approved Official Plan that requires a hydrogeological study with every well that is drilled, in order for a new lot to be approved. Based on water resource mapping of the township, hydrogeological studies will be required where there is historic data about fluctuations in water availability throughout the year, and not required where there is data that indicate the water supply is stable and consistent, season after season, year after year.
One submission from the public said that it is not always possible to know where water problems may occur, citing a case where a well driller’s report, based on a pump test on installation, showed a supply of 8.9 gallons per minute, well above the 3.5 required for a single-family dwelling.
Weeks later, the person said, the well ran dry and there was nowhere the family could go to be compensated for the costs they incurred as a result, as the well driller had done everything legally required of them.
Council received the comment from the public, and from members of council as well. The proposal will come back to Council at a later date.
4-unit rental property in Hartington
Council received a planning report for a proposed four, one bedroom, townhouse development, on a lot in Hartington. The location is on Road 38, near the Princess Margaret Building and a pet grooming business. Staff provided a detailed report on the mix of commercial, institutional and residential uses in that location, which is within an area earmarked for housing. They said that that the applicant had submitted a hydrogeological study, indicating there is sufficient water for the four units.
Staff will return at a later date with a full report and a recommendation for Council to consider.
Shield Shores
Council approved the Shield Shores Plan of Land Use Condominium, which will result in the creation of 18 building lots on or near Dog Lake, east of Battersea. The plan was 7 years in the making. It will now proceed to Frontenac County for final approval.
