Charging stations coming to downtown Mundelein after all

After a brief pause, Mundelein officials are moving ahead with plans to install electric-vehicle charging stations in the downtown area.

The village board this week voted to amend the 2026 fiscal year budget to come up with $473,610 for the equipment. The budget initially included $135,000 for the project. The difference will be made up with grant funds and property tax revenue, Trustee Kara Lambert said during Monday’s board meeting at village hall.

The budget change comes two weeks after the board agreed to a deal with Vernon Hills-based Powerlink Electric that covers the purchase and installation of the equipment.

Two charging stations will be installed in a parking lot southwest of where Seymour Avenue crosses Park Street, and two will go in a lot west of Seymour and north of Park. Each station will be able to charge up to two cars simultaneously.

Users will pay fees based on the amount of electricity provided. The village board approved a fee structure for the chargers in July.

The board had halted the project in August after the lowest bid from vendors came in at nearly $688,000, much higher than a $320,000 state grant Mundelein has secured for the effort.

Village staffers and Powerlink subsequently negotiated the deal to bring the price down, Village Administrator Eric Guenther said. Agreeing to purchase less powerful charging stations helped reduce the cost, he said.

The ChargePoint Express 250 stations to be installed will fully charge an electric vehicle’s battery in about an hour, while the machines originally eyed would do that job in about 20 minutes, documents indicate.

Additionally, officials realized both parking lots are within a special district that allows the village to purchase the equipment using diverted property tax revenue rather than general funds, Guenther said.

The charging stations should be installed by the end of the year, Guenther said.