Council approves exceeding $100,000 threshold for City Hall EV chargers using state grant

The Lynnwood City Council on Oct. 13 authorized exceeding the city’s $100,000 single-vendor contracting threshold to complete installation of electric vehicle charging stations at City Hall, using state grant funding and a local match.

Councilmember Escamilla moved the action to exceed the $100,000 threshold and the motion was seconded and approved by the council.

Staff said the city had secured a $60,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology and identified $40,000 in local match, for a combined $100,000 in project funding; staff reported current project expenditures of approximately $51,000 that count toward the local match. Staff estimated the total final cost will be about $111,000, which is why council action was required to exceed the $100,000 threshold with a single vendor.

Staff clarified the council action being requested was limited to authorizing the city to exceed the $100,000 procurement threshold for a single vendor; specifics about maintenance and long-term operations were not fully detailed at the meeting. The council approved the action and asked that questions be routed to staff before the Monday cutoff when possible so subject-matter experts can be available.

The motion passed by voice vote.