Lexington Select Board sets EV charging rates, backs state empowerment bill

LEXINGTON — April 28, 2025 — Lexington Select Board unanimously approves EV charging rates and backs Municipal Empowerment Act. The board voted 5-0 Monday to set a flat rate of 45 cents per kilowatt hour at its new level-three chargers in the NSTAR lot, with a $1-per-minute idle fee kicking in after two hours and a 10-minute grace period. Sustainability and Resilience Officer Maggie Peard said the stations are waiting on Eversource to complete a final power connection, with no firm launch date but hopes for before summer. The board also voted unanimously to send a letter co-signed by all five members and Town Manager Steve Bartha supporting the governor's re-filed Municipal Empowerment Act, which would give towns new local options including additional room tax, meals tax, and motor vehicle excise surcharges, as well as a mechanism to remove double utility poles at utility expense. Member Joseph Pato, who requested the letter, noted that Lexington's own legislative delegation had been unaware of several provisions in the bill.