1 STAFF REPORT
DATE
: November 1, 2022
TO: J
ustin Hess, City Manager
FR
OM: Dawn Roth Lindell, General Manager, Burbank Water and Power BY: Armando Casillas, Senior Administrative Analyst
SUBJ
ECT: Approval to Nominate a Burbank Water and Power Board Member to Apply for the Vacant American Public Power Association Policy Makers Council Position
RECOMMENDATION
Approve the Burbank Water and Power (BWP) General Manager to nominate a member of the BWP Board to apply for the vacant American Public Power Association (APPA) Policy Makers Council (PMC) position.
BACKGROUND
APPA has a PMC that serves the 2, 000 municipal utilities nationwide by advocating for issues important to utilities at the federal level.
The P
MC is comprised of 45 members , 40 regular members and five officers , who are either elected or appointed officials on the governing authorities of public power distribution utilities, including mayors, city council members, and elected or appointed board members. Four members are appointed to the PMC from each of the ten geographic regions recognized by APPA.
The P
MC meets a minimum of twice a year in Washington, D.C. during the APPA Legislative Rally in February/March and at a separate PMC -only meeting in July. PMC members participate in meetings with elected representatives and congressional staff to advocate for APPA’s legislative and regulatory priorities. PMC members are expected to attend these meetings. In addition to the meetings referenced above, PMC members are asked to participate in monthly update calls on legislative issues, as well as to respond to action items as they arise. The PMC is a very effective voice for public power utilities on Capitol Hill.
WATER AND
POWER
2 The regular term of office on the PMC is three years. At the end of the first term, if a member wishes to continue serving on the PMC, they are eligible to serve a second term.
DISCUSSION
To serve on the PMC, the candidate must be a current elected or appointed official on the governing board of their utility. If a member of the PMC loses reelection, departs office, or is term-limited, they are no longer eligible to serve.
Council Member Frutos served one year of his three-year term. Because he is not running for re-election, he will no longer be a current elected official as of December 19, 2022.
Therefore, he is not eligible to serve on the PMC and the vacancy is opened to all APPA’s member utilities.
Due to the vacant seat on the PMC as of December 19, 2022, we would like to present a new nominee for consideration from the city of Burbank. Nominations must be received no later than November 18, 2022 to be considered.
Three city council seats are up for re-election. The newly comprised City Council will not be officially certified until after the November 18, 2022 nomination deadline, therefore those newly elected City Council Members are not eligible. Both Vice Mayor Anthony and Council Member Schultz have two years left in their terms as they are up for re- election in 2024 and, if appointed, may not complete the full three-year term in PMC should they not serve an additional term in City Council.
Due to the challenging timing of the APPA nomination deadline and the three -year commitment required, the current City Council Members may not be able to commit to the three-year term. Therefore, as an alternative, nominating a current BWP Board Member to apply for the vacant PMC position enables BWP to better guarantee the fulfillment of a full term and representation of Burbank at this policy level. Three of the seven BWP Board Members have four years left in their term, which is more than what is needed to serve on the PMC. Additionally, their expertise in their relevant field of work and knowledge of BWP’s needs will position Burbank at the forefront in the event they are selected to be part of the PMC. Application to the PMC position does not guarantee the appointment by APPA.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact with the nomination of a BWP Board Member to apply for the vacant APPA PMC position.
CONCLUSION
Staff requests that the Burbank City Council approve the BWP General Manager to nominate a member of the BWP Board to apply for the vacant APPA PMC position. 3 ATTACHMENT
None.