Letter: Dixon’s approach to electric vehicle charging not as progressive as other towns in region

To the Editor:

Electric vehicle charging: It’s interesting to compare how local communities welcome electric vehicle visitors and community members.

As a 40-year Dixon resident with a locally purchased extended-range plug-in vehicle, I have been charging my car for nine years at my local car dealer, at freely accessible 110-volt outlets on city lampposts and at my house for three years at my own expense.

Forward-looking communities in the area, including Oregon, Morrison, Savanna, Clinton, Iowa, and in a few months, Polo, have free or low-cost charging for $1 an hour.

In contrast, I was recently informed that if I charged my car at one of the Dixon public lot’s accessible 110-volt outlets, I would be charged a $200 fine for theft of municipal utilities.

City Hall receptionists said that the Street Department would contact me. They did not.

A uniformed police officer did, however, while I was in a local store and my car was on city streets but not charging. I was instructed to go to the police station, which I did.

After a 20-minute search by the receptionist and another officer, no specific city ordinances were found.

However, I was given a state of Illinois statute regarding theft of municipal utilities.

So to all you potential electric vehicle visitors, Dixon wants your fine money more than supporting local merchants. So much for being a progressive community.

Tom Cartwright

Dixon