The village of Oak Park is preparing to implement a user fee of 25 cents per kilowatt hour for electric vehicle charging stations owned and operated by the village, officials announced in a village news release. The long-term goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the release states. According to a news release, the new user fee was to take effect Aug. 26. Officials say the fee will help ensure the long-term financial viability of the charging sttation network in the village while also providing a “sustainable path forward in the effort to expand access to charging station infrastructure, particularly for residents without access to private parking facilities.” Oak Park has 13 publicly accessible EV charging stations, according to the release. The mobile app ChargePoint is used to search for and get directions to available stations, monitor charging activity and pay for charging sessions. “The 25 cents per kilowatt hour fee matches the amount charged by the Park District of Oak Park to use its public charging stations and is in line with the industry best practices,” officials stated in the release. Further, the release explains, “increasing access to electric vehicle charging station infrastructure is one of the goals outlined in the Climate Ready Oak Park plan adopted in 2022. The plan points to greenhouse gas emissions from conventional cars and trucks as being the second largest contributor toward climate change in Oak Park.” Under the plan, Oak Park would look to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Those metrics will have the town meet the goal of becoming a net-zero, or carbon-neutral, community, according to the release.