Electric Car Share Program Sunset

At a glance

Based on uploaded (human-made) captions; staff names are garbled, so staff are identified by role.

What: the electric car share program's operator announced it would wind down, ending service at noon on 2026-10-15; the city owns the leased electric cars and about 30 to 40 charging stations.
Where it stands: staff were moving city-owned cars to secure lots to keep options open; no decision on a successor program.
Next: staff to return with costs, what other operators cost, and a breakdown of the roughly $590,000 in the proposed 2027 budget and department allocations.

The city put in about $700,000, including $300,000 from Minneapolis; staff said the Minneapolis money already paid insurance, which more than doubled, through the end of October.
Causes cited: shifts in federal and philanthropic funding and the insurance increase.
Staff said legal and financial advice to the operator's board contributed to a sudden end.
Councilmember Coleman and Council President Noecker wanted remaining funds untangled from the departing operator and users never again left without notice.
Chair Johnson and Coleman asked for projections and cross-department allocations (Public Works, Police) before budget decisions.

About 14 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-14 - Budget Committee	14

2026-10-14 - Budget Committee - Climate coordinator described securing city-owned cars; extended questioning on funding, causes and next steps.