File photo

Engineers installed a new electric battery in Mayor R.T. Rybak’s plug-in hybrid car last July.

By Cristof Traudes

Partnership preps city for electric-car future

The City Council has entered Minneapolis into a partnership with Ford Motor Co. and several organizations and municipalities to make the city more electric-car friendly.

Ford is preparing to apply for millions in federal stimulus money to jump-start the electrification of personal transportation. The company already has partnerships with Xcel Energy, the University of Minnesota and St. Paul.

Minneapolis would get as many as 124 park-and-plug-in spots for residents to charge electric cars. Out of those spots, 100 would be located in parking ramps, three would be at marquee locations — for example, the Minneapolis Convention Center — and 21 would be so-called “smart” charging stations. The smart stations, which would be developed by Xcel Energy, would allow parkers to swipe in and decide what kind of energy they want their cars to be charged with.  They also would help Xcel manage its energy load.

Daniel Huff, environmental services supervisor, said the need for that many plug-in spots does not yet exist. But he said that if the infrastructure weren’t there when more electric car models are rolled out in the coming years, fewer people would invest in them.

“We’re using this stimulus funding to get over that chicken-and-egg quandary,” Huff said.

In total, the city is committing to a $360,000 investment. Huff said that would come out of the city’s vehicle fleet fund because, as part of the agreement with Ford, Minneapolis would receive about $1.2 million worth of electric cars, or 18, for its own use.

Steve Kotke, director of the Public Works Department, called it a budget-neutral agreement. The city already is planning several car replacements in its fleet over the next two to three years.

“At the end of the day, we have 18 vehicles and all this charging infrastructure,” Huff said.

Council members called the agreement an exciting one to enter into.

“This is an important project and a good opportunity,” said Council Member Betsy Hodges (13th Ward).

In other alternative transportation news, the council also accepted a donation of 26 bicycles from Bikes Belong, the organization that helped bring a bike-sharing program to the Twin Cities during last year’s Republican National Convention.

The city plans to use 12 of the bikes for its Bike Walk Ambassador program. As many as six of the bicycles could be given away as prizes on Bike Walk to Work Day, which is May 14.

The remainder likely will end up as a city-employee bicycle fleet.

Return of primary requested, just in case
The City Council unanimously approved a measure that puts the city on track to make a September primary election possible, just in case Minneapolis needs one.

Currently, there’s expected to be no primary. That’s because this year’s municipal election is set to use ranked-choice, or instant-runoff, voting.

RCV lets voters rank their top three candidates in each race. In single-seat elections, any candidate wins by getting 50 percent of the votes plus one right off the bat; if no one reaches that threshold, second- and third-choice votes could get weighed. The process eliminates the need for
a primary.

While voters approved RCV for use in this year’s election back in 2006, a lawsuit has thrown a potential wrench in the city’s plans. The Minnesota Voters Alliance, a citizens’ group, is questioning RCV’s constitutionality, arguing the system doesn’t equate to one person, one vote.

The case has traveled to the state Supreme Court, where arguments will be heard May 13. A ruling is expected in early June, according to city documents.

It’s important for the city to get as quick an answer as possible — if the court ruled against RCV, the city would need to bring back a primary, something that’s easier said than done. Currently there is no language in the city’s charter directing how to hold a primary that Minneapolis voters are used to; that was eliminated along with the 2006 approval of RCV.

That’s why the City Council is requesting to re-amend the charter. In other words, were the Supreme Court to deliver an unfavorable ruling, Minneapolis would be prepared.

On June 9, the city’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee also will weigh whether it should be able to reinstate a primary for another reason: if RCV turns out to be just plain too difficult.

Minneapolis is set to make history by being the first municipality in the world to hand-count a ranked-choice multiple-seat election, elections Director Cynthia Reichert has said. That process was tested May 6-7 by elections staff. An official report has yet to be given on the experience, but Council Member Paul Ostrow (4th Ward) has some concerns.

“What I’ve heard is that hand-counting of the at-large seats is extraordinarily challenging,” he said.

But other council members already have said they don’t feel comfortable making that a reason to altogether abandon the new system. Council Member Cam Gordon (2nd Ward) said he would only support a primary if RCV were found to be unconstitutional.

By Cristof Traudes