GREENFIELD — In an effort to save money, make Greenfield eligible for more state funding and help reduce the city’s carbon footprint, City Council President Lora Wondolowski is proposing an ordinance requiring that departments prioritize energy efficiency when purchasing new vehicles.
“This would prioritize, when you’re doing vehicle purchases, the most efficient vehicles first — starting with EVs, and then working your way down to hybrids or vehicles that have alternative fuels,” Wondolowski said in an interview Tuesday. “There’s a caveat in there that if it’s prohibitively expensive, then you must choose the most efficient [options] that are within the resources of the city.”
Two vehicles in the city’s 106-vehicle fleet are fully electric, including the purchase of a 2024 all-wheel drive Chevrolet Blazer for Building Inspector Mark Snow. In 2010, the city became one of the first municipalities in Massachusetts to be designated as a Green Community by the state Department of Energy Resources for its commitment to fuel efficiency and its investments in renewable energy.
According to Wondolowski, having an ordinance or resolution to prioritize buying electric or hybrid vehicles will inch the city closer to its goal of being a Climate Leader Community, a state designation that would open Greenfield up to more grant funding in the future.
The Climate Leader designation builds upon the Green Communities program, which encouraged communities to reduce municipal energy usage. Since Green Communities was first created in 2010, 297 Massachusetts cities and towns have earned the designation, sparking state officials to create the Climate Leader program. To become a Climate Leader, municipalities must make a commitment to transition away from on-site fossil fuel use in municipal buildings and fleets by 2050, enact a zero-emission-vehicle first policy and adopt the specialized energy code.
Ashfield became the first Franklin County municipality to earn the designation in May. Since then, pursuing a Climate Leader designation has been discussed in Warwick and Montague as well.
While serving on Greenfield’s Ways and Means Committee, Wondolowski said she was taken aback by just how much city departments spent on gas. She noted that last year, the Police Department spent roughly $50,000 on fuel. Other departments saw similarly large fuel bills, such as the Department of Public Works, which spent roughly $80,000 on fuel in Fy25.
“It’s a double win — it will reduce how much we’re spending every year just on fuel and it will give us a chance to both decrease our carbon footprint as well as save money for the city in the long run,” she said. “Given the federal climate — no pun intended — the onus is going to really be on cities and towns and states to continue to work to combat climate change. Everything that we’re able to do in Greenfield makes a huge impact and given the high property taxes we face, any way that we can save money for the city as well as protect the environment is a win-win.”
In previous City Council discussions on electric vehicles, councilors raised questions about their reliability, price and suitability for various city roles. Energy and Sustainability Director Carole Collins previously explained to councilors that the city can receive a roughly $4,000 tax credit on the purchase of electric vehicles, along with an additional state tax credit. The price of a new electric car ranges from $35,000 to $50,000 before incentives.
Precinct 9 City Councilor Derek Helie previously noted that as the city continues to work toward a fully electric fleet, it must complete an assessment of the municipal sites at which the vehicles are charged to ensure they have the electrical capacity needed.
“We have old buildings. … One of my concerns is making sure we’re doing a thorough audit and we’re also not putting too much strain on that facility, where they don’t have the power for something else that they might need down the line,” Helie said previously. “Another thing to consider … is making sure that the chargers are also part of the backup generator, so if we lose power, they still charge.”
The proposed ordinance is expected to go before the Appointments and Ordinances Committee at its September meeting and, if approved, will likely be put to a City Council vote in September.
