Donald Trump may be intent on unplugging the EV industry unless it helps a certain special someone, but the City of Healdsburg is doubling down on its commitment to EV—Electric Vehicles—even as long-time Utilities Director Terry Crowley leaves the city for greener pastures in Palo Alto.
Crowley, who started work with the city in 2010, was acknowledged by a proclamation from the City Council on Monday night that recognized his “leadership, professionalism, technical expertise, and management acumen” in leading the department, with its “compliance obligations for electricity, water, and wastewater.”
As well as overseeing “the water, wastewater, and electric utilities through fires, floods, City-wide evacuations, and pandemics while maintaining the highest level of service available,” Crowley kept an eye on the future to help Healsburg adapt “proactively” to trends and opportunities in utility management, as former mayor Ariel Kelley phrased it.
Evidence of his legacy is found in the parking lot behind the Senior Center, at 133 Matheson St., where several parking slots along East Street are being converted to EV-only parking for charging at the city’s own network of public charging stations.
Another installation of EV chargers is being constructed in the long parking lot between Center Street and Healdsburg Avenue, next to the Paul Mahder Gallery.
“Because most downtown parking is owned by the City, the City is in a unique position to transition existing parking to EV charging stations to provide more opportunities and locations for EV charging,” said Terra Sampson, the city’s utility conservation analyst who has worked under Crowley for three years.
A total of 10 new charging stations are being installed, four on East Street and six in the lot between Healdsburg Avenue and Center Street. Their addition will bring city-owned charging stations to 24: There are currently 12 charging stations in the City Hall parking lot at 401 Grove St. and two more at 150 Branch Lane, in the Mill District.
“Most of the work will be complete by the end of this week or early next,” said Crowley. “The one missing piece is the electric service panels… While the City pre-ordered these panels last November, we have still not received them. Once the panels are received, the contractor will install them, pull wire, and energize the charging units. Soon after, we expect the chargers to be full weekdays and weekends.”
The City Hall EV chargers were first installed in 2013, and the number increased in 2018. “The 10 new charging ports at public parking lots will help meet the need for additional charging locations for employees working downtown, Healdsburg visitors and local residents who need a place to charge overnight,” Crowley said.
The stations use the ChargePoint app to sell electric charging to drivers. It’s free to download, will “recognize” available empty charging stations, and allows a driver to plug in with the cable and begin charging. The app tracks usage and deducts the charge from the owner’s account, which can either be preloaded or charged directly to a credit card.
In locations like Healdsburg, the app’s rate changes according to local rate schedules. In Healdsburg, since September 2024, the city has implemented a new tiered-rate structure of 70 cents per hour from 7am to 5pm, then $1.70 per hour from 5pm to 8pm, when there’s peak demand on the grid. The rate drops down overnight to 40 cents per hour from 8pm to 7am. All charging events include a 50-cent fee.
CARE income-qualified customers can receive a 50% discount on the hourly user fees at the public EV charging stations, if pre-registered through the ChargePoint app (search for code EVCARE).
Two state programs, California’s Cap-and-Trade program and the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standards program, fund the public EV charger program.
“The public EV charger program does not rely on funds collected from Healdsburg electric customers, nor does it rely on funds from federal programs,” Sampson said. “We have previously applied for federal grants for new EV charger installations; however, the federal grants are highly competitive and Healdsburg was not selected.”
EV charger information and user fees are available here: healdsburg.gov/867/Electric-Vehicles
