Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy today made a major announcement with Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone for a new shared services partnership to procure electric vehicles together. Albany County now joins Suffolk and Westchester Counties in a tri-county agreement that increases the combined purchasing power and will drive down the costs associated with transitioning the counties away from fossil fuel-powered fleets.
“Just last week, Albany County was designated a Climate Smart Community by New York State because we’ve demonstrated our commitment to preventing and preparing for climate change, including through our past investments in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. Today, I’m proud to build on that progress by partnering with like-minded county executives through this innovative shared services plan,” said County Executive McCoy.
“Through this plan, all three counties will be able to transition to 100% electric fleets no later than 2030. Not only will we cut our emissions through this plan, we will also be cutting the price tag, which will ultimately benefit our taxpayers. It’s my hope that more counties will partner with us, and this progress will encourage those in the private sector to follow suit,” he continued.
“There is no denying the impacts that climate change is having across the State, but through strategic partnerships such as this, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint and harmful emissions,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “With Albany County now joining together with Suffolk and Westchester, we can further drive down the cost of these electric vehicles, saving critical taxpayer dollars. I thank County Executive McCoy for partnering together on this initiative, and I encourage other local governments to participate so we can not only build back, but build back with cleaner, greener energy.”
Last month, Suffolk County Executive Bellone and Westchester County Executive George Latimer came together to announce their own shared services procurement initiative. With Albany County now joining, other counties around New York State are encouraged to follow suit to further increase the buying power for purchases and further drive down costs paid by counties. Additionally, this new policy allows for the local municipalities within each of the three counties to buy and lease electric vehicles as well.
During the announcement, County Executive McCoy also unveiled a new request for proposals (RFP) for a fleet inventory and electrification plan, as well as plans for seven new dual-port public charging stations that will soon be installed at six different locations throughout Albany County. The proposed locations are as follows:
• One located at the Voorheesville trailhead of the Albany County Rail Trail, 8 Grove Street, Voorheesville, NY
• One located at the Albany trailhead of the Albany County Rail Trail, 772 South Pearl Street, Albany, NY
• One located at the Ann Lee Nature Preserve, Heritage Lane, Colonie, NY
• One located at the Albany County Parking Lot at 208 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY
• One located at Lawson Lake County Park, Lawson Lake Road, Feura Bush, NY
• Two located at the Albany County Hockey Facility, 830 Albany Shaker Road