City inspectors in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, will receive electric vehicles (EVs) to use for work. The city is returning to in-house inspection work for housing and zoning, leading to a need for new vehicles for the employees.

Getting a Good Deal

The city council signed off on the purchase of six 2023 Chevy Bolt EVs for $180,000. The cost was lower than expected, allowing for an extra car to be added to earlier funding projections for five vehicles, Cleveland.com reported. The city is looking to have a total of eight EVs in its expanded City Planning Department.

The price for the new vehicles came in from a local dealership at below the price available through the Ohio Department of Administrative Services' Cooperative Purchasing Program price, according to the resolution. That allowed the city to purchase the vehicles without obtaining competitive bids. Each vehicle came in at $29,000, below the state's cooperative purchasing program price of closer to $35,000 per vehicle.

One councilmember asked whether the option for employees to use their own vehicles had been considered. The mayor said it had, but it was not the preferred option due to vehicle wear and tear, breakdowns, and insurance concerns.

The vehicles will be operated via a pool system to be used for other divisions of the City Planning Department as well, like community development and economic development. Existing cars in the fleet will also be part of the pool rotation.

The city logo will be added to the vehicles, so they can be easily identified by residents and property owners.

The acquisition lines up with the goals for a statewide initiative, called "Power a Clean Future Ohio," which the city joined in 2021.