WED AM News: Milwaukee official hopeful new charging station funds will drive more EV adoption; State officials roll out new allocation plan for affordable housing tax credits

August 28, 2024

— The head of Milwaukee’s Environmental Collaboration Office is hopeful new federal funding for electric vehicle charging infrastructure will give residents more confidence to buy EVs in the years to come.

Milwaukee is getting just under $15 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration to install EV charging stations at 53 sites across the city, the agency announced this week.

In an interview yesterday, ECO Director Erick Shambarger said the city is “behind when it comes to electric vehicle charging” but the new dollars coming in will help build out a network of publicly accessible chargers. Under the city’s plans for the project, each site would have at least four charging ports, adding hundreds of additional options for EV owners.

The greater Milwaukee region, including Waukesha and West Allis, currently has 495 charging stations, according to online EV resource PlugShare.

Shambarger emphasized the environmental benefits of these vehicles, noting they’re better than traditional gas vehicles for local air quality and the climate overall.

“We’re really excited about that, and we hope that it’ll really move Milwaukee forward,” he said, adding electrifying transportation is among the 10 key elements of the Milwaukee Climate and Equity Plan. “It’s just exciting to see the major pieces of that plan becoming real with this federal funding that’s now available.”

The funding amounts were announced this week — including $13.2 million for Dane County, the only other Wisconsin recipient. Shambarger notes city officials haven’t received the official award letter yet, and the timeline for implementation remains somewhat unclear.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of administration that has to happen, plus we are intending to probably have a process to refine the locations and a process to hire a private company to help install, build, manage and operate the stations,” he told WisBusiness.com. “I don’t imagine people will start seeing stations being built with this funding until probably 2026. I hope it’s sooner.”

Along with selecting a partner company for the installation process, he noted the city will need to hammer out agreements with all of the locations where the chargers will be located.

Shambarger said ECO had envisioned a public-private partnership with a firm that’s large enough to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the EV charging stations, with subcontractors brought in for the actual installations. He expects some of the stations will be located on public sites, such as public libraries or other places where residents gather.

“I’m sure there’s enough money here to, you know, be spread out into the community,” he said.

He also noted the project includes a workforce plan, so any partner will need to work with the city to ensure training programs are in place for the workers who are involved. And at least 40% of the charging sites will be built in disadvantaged areas, he said, noting the project’s “strong equity component.”

Still, he noted there’s more work to be done on selecting the exact locations for the charging sites, adding “it was admittedly a little bit of a rushed process” to choose the sites identified in the initial application. The city last year wasn’t chosen for funding in the first round of applications, he said, but was later invited to reapply using that same application.

“I think we’re going to need to revisit the locations too, and probably have a little bit more of a public input process and plus a little additional planning work to go into that,” he said.

He noted any private developer brought on for the project will also need to kick in matching funds for the federal dollars, and fees paid by the charging station users will help that company recoup its investment.

Meanwhile, Dane County will be using its own funding to install 92 public EV charging stations with a total of 368 ports, with a focus on “high-density urban and suburban areas as well as rural areas.” The county aims to eliminate gaps in charging availability, according to the funding announcement. The Madison area currently has 407 EV charging stations, according to PlugShare.

In a statement on the funding, Dane County Executive Jamie Kuhn says the award is “great news” as it will help expand access to electric vehicles in the region.

“Expanding the EV charging infrastructure will help Dane County continue to lead the way on sustainability measures that help combat climate change,” Kuhn said.

See the full list of awards.

— State officials have released their latest plan for allocating affordable housing tax credits, including changes meant to “lower the barrier for entry” and streamline elements of the program.

That’s according to yesterday’s release from Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. They announced the final 2025-2026 Qualified Allocation Plan for certain state and federal tax credits, which help finance low- to moderate-income housing in Wisconsin.

“These tax credits are vital to expanding access to affordable housing, driving economic development, and extending the reach of community services,” Evers said in a statement.

The state’s Housing Tax Credit program, reduces federal income taxes for owners and investors in qualified projects that house tenants with incomes at or below 60% of the county’s median income, according to the WHEDA website.

Under the latest plan, state officials say they have redefined geographic “set-aside” categories to promote distributing resources statewide, along with changing the competitive application process in order to “streamline decision making” for part of the submission process.

The plan also includes changes to the non-competitive application process “to anticipate the continuing trend” of rising demand for tax-exempt bonds, according to Evers’ release, among other changes.

See the release and the plan.

— The Realtors Association of South Central Wisconsin has announced Lisa Marshall as its new CEO starting Sept. 30.

Marshall, who will also serve as CEO for the South Central Wisconsin Multiple Listing Service, is currently the CEO of the Central Wisconsin Board of Realtors, based in Wausau. She was previously chief marketing officer and vice president of engagement for the Chicago-based Residential Real Estate Council, the release shows.

Ben Oblizajek, RASCW president and chair of the search committee, is praising her “proven track record of leadership, strategic thinking, and innovative management” in the real estate industry.

See the release.

— The Wisconsin Technology Council is now taking applications from companies seeking to pitch to investors at the upcoming Early Stage Symposium in Madison.

The annual event is being held Nov. 13-14 at the Monona Terrace, where startup company leaders will have multiple opportunities to tell their story in front of a crowd or through one-on-one meetings with angel and venture capital investors.

The Tech Council yesterday said it’s taking applications for the conference, also teasing an announcement coming in early September “that will expand national and international reach” for the conference and presenting companies.

Get more event info and register here.

— A researcher with the Medical College of Wisconsin is part of a team getting $2.4 million to study the use of psychedelic drugs to treat meth addiction.

John McCorvy is an assistant professor in the MCW’s Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy. He and researchers at the University of California San Diego and LSU Health Shreveport’s Louisiana Addiction Research Center have been selected for the five-year award from the National Institutes of Health.

This funding from the NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse comes as stimulant abuse and meth-related overdose deaths are “escalating at an alarming rate,” according to the release. The research project aims to find solutions for this issue through substances such as psilocybin, the psychoactive component of so-called “magic mushrooms.”

The scientists want to understand how psychedelics affect a specific receptor for the neurotransmitter serotonin, which could lead to ways to reduce their psychoactive effect and “open the door” to new treatments, according to McCorvy. He notes there are currently no pharmacological treatments for meth addiction.

“This project’s findings could ultimately pave the way for new therapeutic approaches to treat stimulant use disorder, impacting the lives of so many who are coping with addiction,” he said in a statement.

While certain psychedelics are being explored as potential treatments for depression and anxiety as well as other substance abuse problems, the “intense” psychoactive effects and side effects can make them impractical for regular use, according to UC San Diego Prof. Adam Halberstadt. He says their work aims to usher in “a new generation” of psychedelic therapies that are more manageable and better tolerated by patients.

See more in the release.

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