I am a taxpayer in the Town of Easton. I am also the owner of two gasoline powered vehicles for which I currently pay almost $4.00 per gallon for regular grade fuel. The price per gallon of gas includes a 47 cent per gallon state gas tax and an 18 cent per gallon federal gas tax. Both taxes are collected to help fund the building and maintenance of roads that are used by everyone who drives vehicles, including drivers of electric vehicles. These electric vehicle drivers do NOT pay gas taxes.
I am very concerned to learn that at a recent Town Council meeting, it was announced that the town will be paying the electric bill for free electric vehicle charging stations. At that same meeting, Council member David Montgomery asked which line item in the current budget is to be used to pay for these electric bills. The response from the town manager was it is not a budgeted item.
After a suggestion was made to close the charging stations, no further action was taken after the mayor said she needed two months to see if there was a solution to convert the charging stations from free to user paid. As a result, taxpayers of Easton will be paying approximately $1,800 to Easton Utilities over two months for charging stations to be available for free to EV owners until the mayor finds a “solution” and Council acts on it.
This kind of government giveaway using taxpayer dollars for “free” programs and services is what I have come to expect from our government in Washington DC. We should not expect or tolerate it in Easton. We should never use tax dollars to subsidize those in a position to purchase electric vehicles. If they have the money to purchase and maintain them, they can and they should pay for the costs of operating them.
There are much larger questions that need to be answered to ensure the best decisions are made going forward on this matter by our elected officials at Easton Town Hall. Those questions include:
Why were the projected monthly power costs for the EV charging stations not included in the town’s budget, a budget that is subject to review and approval by the Town Council?
Why does our mayor need two months to determine if there is a way to convert the EV charging stations from free to user paid?
Why was this determination not researched by our previous mayor and/or town staff before the current EV charging stations were installed?
What will be the costs of converting the current EV charging stations to be user-fee based?
Can a conversion be done by retrofitting the current EV charging stations or must the current stations be removed and replaced?
If so, what will the projected costs to remove the old stations, purchase the new ones and install them?
Is there Council approved money for a conversion or replacement in the budget (proposed and Council approved)?
Why can’t the current EV charging stations be shut down immediately until these operational questions are answered?
Is it fair for Easton taxpayers to provide free EV charging stations for all EV owners regardless of whether they are Easton residents, Talbot County residents outside of Easton, Eastern Shore residents outside of Easton or visitors/tourists from the western shore and other points west and north of Easton who pass regularly through our community? Granted some of these visitors and tourists spend money in Easton, but the revenue they generate for the town government is not as much as one might assume. For example, none of the state sales tax collected by businesses in Easton is remitted back to the Town of Easton.
Why is the town offering a free EV charging station when there are other EV charging stations available in the area, including a supercharger at the Royal Farms on Ocean Gateway at Dutchman’s Lane?
Easton taxpayers deserve answers to all these questions before any further discussions, deliberations and decisions are made by the Town Council on this matter.
Anything less is a slap in the face to all Easton residents who drive gasoline powered vehicles; many of whom may be experiencing challenges in paying their rent, mortgage, property taxes, grocery bills, utility bills, health insurance bills, credit card bills, and bills for other basic living expenses.
It is especially disrespectful to those in Easton living on fixed incomes or modest incomes who are enduring an inordinate burden from high inflation rates on all their living expenses.
Now is the time to pull the plug on a poorly conceived, poorly evaluated, poorly executed, unfair, and unnecessary program.
David Reel is a public affairs/public relations consultant who serves as a trusted advisor on strategy, advocacy, and media matters who resides in Easton.
Chris Gordon says
Mr. Reel, have you heard of a major threat to this planet that currently goes by the name of Climate Change? That threat is already here and getting worse much faster than previously imagined. Being a Republican you choose to ignore the biggest threat to the planet and focus on gas taxes. Fortunately the Republican so-called Party will become extinct long before the human race.
Joseph A. Fick, Jr. says
What a Crock of s***!
That has nothing to do with fairness or transparency.
Sian Salsbury says
The assumption that EV owners have lots of money because they bought and maintain one is ridiculous. Actually maintenance costs for an EV are less than those that run on fossil fuel. A person that owns cars with combustion engines that get poor gas mileage must be super rich too since they can afford to pay almost $4.00 a gallon frequently to travel far. Fossil fuels are a finite resource, a reason they get more and more expensive. Does the use of fossil fuel vehicles cost more in community clean up from exhaust and other factors? I don’t disagree that free charging stations are not ideal however taking the time to figure out solutions is the only way to make a decision. Eight weeks or about 2 months doesn’t seem like an unreasonable time frame for doing so. Patience my friend and be tolerant of changing technology. Sometimes saving a few dollars yourself is not best for the common good.
Clark Bjorke says
Maybe it’s time for you to buy an electric car, instead of bitching about a “free giveaway.” The town of Easton, like other state and federal agencies want to encourage the purchase and use of vehicles that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and I applaud them for it.
Bill Anderson says
I am a believer of Mr. Reel’s position. Easton should not be giving away free electric vehicle re-charging electricity to anybody driving an electric vehicle, just as no petroleum fuel purveyor gives away gasoline or diesel fuel. Should the town give free potable water to people who drink or use it to bathe with? If so, to which demographic — the elderly, unemployed, tall, short?
What will be the naysayers’ positions if the town has to resort to brownouts or other energy saving measures when electricity demand exceeds supply? What happens when the fossil fuel electric generation facilities go off-line and solar panels and wind-powered generation are inadequate to meet the demand of large swaths of the power grid? People harboring thoughts of avoiding climate change, who do not accept that such change is not caused by mankind aere going to be in for a huge awakening when they are ultimately forced to demand a return to fossil fueld automobiles and power generation facilities to avoid caveman-like living conditions. No cars, no computers, no television, etc.
ann miller says
Well said Mr. Anderson.
I would hate to see what were to happen to our electric grid if even 1/4 (or less) of the driving public switched to electric.
And honestly…it’s less about who is driving electric vs gas vehicles and rather more about Easton seemingly giving away a resource purchased with public funds to a part of the population that is not in need of the free resource.