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The Marblehead Municipal Light Department (MMLD) board voted March 31 to approve a revised rate structure for the town's public electric vehicle charging stations, raising prices and introducing a peak-hour surcharge while adding an overnight fee exemption that was not part of the original proposal.
The changes replace a flat rate of 20 cents per kilowatt-hour with a two-tier system: 25 cents per kilowatt-hour during off-peak hours and 50 cents per kilowatt-hour between 4 and 9 p.m. Overstay fees of $5 per hour will begin after five hours rather than six, but no overstay fees will apply between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., a concession to accommodate drivers who charge overnight.
The overnight exemption and an expansion of the time-of-use pricing to all seven days of the week were the two main adjustments the department made after receiving public feedback at its March 3 meeting, where the proposal was first presented but tabled without a vote.
"We had some really strong participation from the public. They gave some really clear feedback, and here we are a month later, feedbacks incorporated perfectly," said commissioner Adam Smith.
Energy programs manager Michael Hall, who developed the proposal, told the board the revisions were aimed at aligning pricing with peak demand, encouraging charger turnover and maintaining fairness. The original proposal had limited peak-hour pricing to weekdays and did not include the overnight exemption. A member of the public at the March 3 meeting asked whether overstay fees could be suspended for overnight charging, and the revised policy now reflects that suggestion.
The board also approved a separate municipal rate of 10 cents per kilowatt-hour off-peak for town fleet vehicles, with the same 50-cent peak rate but no overstay fees.
Board chair Jean-Jacques Yarmoff proposed the motion to adopt the rates as presented. Commissioner Matt Harrington asked whether the board could revisit the policy if it does not accomplish its goals. Hall said it could be adjusted in as little as six months.
In other business, the board voted to make a voluntary payment of $368,888 to the town, calculated under a formula approved in December that ties the payment to electricity sales. The MMLD sold 102,469 megawatt-hours in the most recent period. Prior payments had been in the range of $330,000 to $360,000.
Commissioner Mike Hull cast the lone dissenting vote, reprising his unanswered question about whether the payment can be directed to a specific project rather than the general fund.
"Does anybody know why we cannot designate to a specific project, piece of equipment? Why did we have to give it to the general fund?" Hull said.
Yarmoff said he did not have an answer but would try to find one. The payment is voluntary and not a tax, he noted, because the MMLD is tax-exempt.
The board also voted to reduce the optional Go Green Now rider from 2.2 cents per kilowatt-hour to 1 cent per kilowatt-hour. The rider allows customers to pay a premium to offset the carbon portion of their electricity consumption. General manager Jonathan W. Blair said the reduction reflects the falling cost of renewable energy certificates and the growth of the MMLD's non-carbon portfolio to about 75 percent, up from roughly 60 percent to 65 percent when the rate was last set. About 50 customers are enrolled, a number Blair said has been dwindling as consumer priorities shift from decarbonization to affordability.
Blair also briefed the board on several items that did not receive votes. The department plans to send licensed, insured drone operators over the Old Town district in mid-April to conduct an aerial thermal-efficiency survey of about 800 structures at an altitude of approximately 150 feet, capturing thermal imagery to identify homes with poor insulation. Blair said there is no opt-out for the flyover, which he compared to Google Earth imaging, but residents can request that their data be removed from the resulting database. The MMLD is paying for the flights and has applied for a grant through the American Public Power Association to fund the analysis.
Blair said the department is preparing to resume collections and possible shutoffs for nonpayment as the state-mandated winter moratorium, which runs from November through April, expires. Several hundred accounts are aged more than 60 days, he said. An audit found the department had not enforced its shutoff policy consistently in recent years, and Blair said staff has formalized new procedures. Payment plans and third-party referrals remain available, and shutoffs are a last resort, he said.
The next MMLD board meeting is scheduled for April 28 at 4 p.m.
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