Draft Minutes
Financial, Administrative and Procurement Subcommittee
Meeting
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
1:00 pm
In Person:
Conference Room 5
Ava Community Energy
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 2300
Oakland, CA 94612
Or from the following locations:
• Member Kaur - Clipper Club, 5 Captain Drive, Emeryville, CA 94608 • Member Bedolla - 1755 Harvest Landing Lane, Tracy, CA 95376 • Member Cox - Fremont City Hall, Building B, HR Training Room 3300 Capitol Ave. Fremont, CA 94538
Via Zoom:
https://ebce-org.zoom.us/j/83599993289
Or join by phone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free) or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free) Webinar ID: 835 9999 3289
Meetings are accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals who need special assistance or a disability-related modification or accommodation to participate in this meeting, or who have a disability and wish to request an alternative format for the meeting materials, should contact the Clerk of the Board at least 2 working days before the meeting at (510) 707-1764 or [email protected].
If you have anything that you wish to be distributed to the Finance, Administration and Procurement Subcommittee, please email it to the clerk by 5:00 pm the day prior to the meeting.
1. Welcome & Roll Call
Present: Directors: Andersen (Piedmont), Bedolla (Tracy), Gonzalez (San Leandro), Kaur (Emeryville), and Chair Cox (Fremont).
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Director Bedolla (Tracy) joined at 1:16pm.
2. Public Comment
This item is reserved for persons wishing to address the FAP Subcommittee on any Ava-related matters that are not otherwise on this meeting agenda. Public comments on matters listed on the agenda shall be heard at the time the matter is called. As with all public comment, members of the public who wish to address the Board are customarily limited to three minutes per speaker. The FAP Chair may increase or decrease the time allotted to each speaker.
There were no speakers for public comment.
3. Approval of Minutes from July 10, 2024
Director Gonzalez (San Leandro) motioned to approve the minutes. Director Kaur (Emeryville) seconded the motion, which passed 3/0/1/0/1.
Yes: Directors: Andersen (Piedmont), Gonzalez (San Leandro), and Kaur (Emeryville).
No: none.
Abstain: Chair Cox (Fremont).
Recuse: none.
Excused: Director Bedolla (Tracy).
There were no speakers for public comment.
Please note that the meeting did not start recording until after Item 3. Approval of Minutes at 1:08pm due to technical difficulties. The minutes record was noted and retrieved from the internal clerk roll call and tally spreadsheet.
4. Audit Progress Report (Informational Item)
Report on the status and timeline of the fiscal audit.
The Committee Discussed:
• (2:45) Director Gonzalez (San Leandro) sought clarification on whether there is a delivery obligation for Ava to provide audit documents to counterparties. He also expressed a preference for using the auditor’s exact language when describing the audit in any public presentation.
(1:01) Public Comment – Ayla Peters inquired whether the audit will be available and accessible to the public for reading.
5. Ava Participation in Hourly Flex Pricing Pilots (Informational Item) Staff seeking approval to participate in hourly flex pricing pilots with PG&E.
The Committee Discussed:
• (25:11) Director Andersen (Piedmont) inquired about differences between this pilot and PG&E time-of-use plans, how they will be communicated to current participants, and the possibility of an app for real-time pricing adjustments. She Ava Community Energy
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also suggested adding more context to the presentation before the board meeting to show Ava’s awareness of time-of-use pricing. • (30:29) Director Gonzalez (San Leandro) questioned why daytime electricity prices are lowest despite high demand and expressed concerns about potential long-term behavioral impacts from this. He also asked if the pilot is limited to non-residential customers and noted that, unlike real-world scenarios, there are no financial consequences for participants.
• (39:29) Director Andersen (Piedmont) voiced concern that limiting the pilot to 200 opt-in participants may create a non-representative sample, attracting mainly highly motivated customers. She questioned if the pilot primarily serves internal goals rather than providing broader insights for a wider rollout. • (42:33) Chair Cox (Fremont) inquired if there is a specific target area or city for the 200 customers participating in the pilot.
(18:48) Public Comment – Ayla Peters sought clarification on whether there is currently a way for the public to enroll in the Hourly Flex Pricing Pilots program. (20:44) Public Comment – Jim Lutz asked if energy usage for residential customers will be automated to adjust settings like air conditioner temperatures. He also asked whether shadow bills will show spending or savings, and if there will be incentives or notifications for participation during extreme peak pricing.
6. Committee Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Board Agendas
There were no Committee Member or Staff Announcements.
7. Adjourned at 1:52pm.
The next Financial, Administrative and Procurement Subcommittee meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 at 1pm.
Conference Room 5
Ava Community Energy
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 2300
Oakland, CA 94612
Minutes written by Raïssa Ngoma