Draft Minutes
Financial, Administrative and Procurement Subcommittee
Meeting
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
3:30 pm
In Person:
Altamont Conference Room
Ava Community Energy
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 2300
Oakland, CA 94612
Or from the following locations:
• 1110 Webster St Conference Room 2nd floor, Oakland, CA 94607 • 34009 Alvarado-Niles Road, Union City, CA 94587
• Clipper Club, 5 Captain Drive, Emeryville, CA 94608
• Dublin Civic Center, City Manager's Office, 100 Civic Plaza Dublin, CA 94568 • Milk and Honey Cafe, 34265 Fremont Blvd Fremont, CA 94555 Via Zoom:
https://avaenergy-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. (0:38) Welcome & Roll Call
Present: Directors: Morada (Dublin), Keng (Fremont), Brown (Oakland), Sakakihara (Union City), and Chair Kaur (Emeryville).
Ava Community Energy
Board of Directors Page | 2
Absent: Director Del Catancio (Newark).
2. (1:11) 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. (1:21) Approval of Minutes from September 8, 2025 (Action Item) Director Morada (Dublin) motioned to approve the minutes. Director Keng (Fremont) seconded the motion, which passed 6/0/0/0/1.
Yes: Morada (Dublin), Keng (Fremont), Brown (Oakland), Del Catancio (Newark), and Chair Kaur (Emeryville).
No: None.
Abstain: None.
Recuse: None.
Not Present: Director Sakakihara (Union City).
There were no speakers for public comment.
4. (4:05) FY 2025-26 Mid-Year Budget Review (Informational Item) Review the mid-year performance of actuals through December 2025 and updated projections through June of 2026 as compared to the fiscal year budget.
Howard Chang presented the FY 2025–2026 mid-year budget update, reporting improved financial projections driven by operational savings, higher revenues, and reduced reliance on reserves. He noted that mild weather lowered electricity sales in the first half of the year, while rising energy prices continue to create market volatility.
There were no speakers for public comment.
Selection of topics discussed by subcommittee members:
• Frequency and timing of budget reforecasting and financial updates • Impacts of current fiscal year performance on future budget projections • Energy market volatility and unexpected fluctuations in energy and natural gas prices
• Variances between budget forecasts and actual financial performance • Improvements in the agency’s projected financial outlook and reduced reliance on reserves
• Actions taken to manage deficits, including cost reductions, deferred hiring, and procurement adjustments
• Concerns about long-term reliance on the rate stabilization fund and deferred expenses
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Board of Directors Page | 3
• Importance of maintaining community support programs and bill credits while managing financial risk
5. (39:50) Overview of Contracts Entered Into (Informational Item) Brief follow-up to input from the Board upon the implementation of the latest Procurement Policy to discuss the details of the monthly Contracts Entered Into item.
Howard Chang reviewed Ava’s standardized contract reporting format in response to board feedback and recent procurement policy changes. He explained key fields included in the contract reports, such as vendor name, contract purpose, value, expiration date, and not-to-exceed amount.
There were no speakers for public comment.
Selection of topics discussed by subcommittee members:
• Clarity and functionality of the updated contract reporting format • Requests for more descriptive explanations of vendor services and contract scopes
• Distinction between contract amendments and first-time agreements in reporting descriptions
• Whether contract purpose provide sufficient context for board review • Where and when contract reports should be reviewed by the committee and full board
• Preference for maintaining a centralized contract reporting process through regular board agenda
6. (51:03) Committee Member and Staff Announcements including requests to place items on future Board Agendas
• Howard Chang announced that the March 25, 2026 FAP meeting may need to be rescheduled or canceled due to a potential scheduling and quorum conflict with a CalCCA event.
• Howard Chang announced the upcoming resilience hub workshop at Ava’s office, and highlighted strong community interest and participation.
7. Adjourned at 4:30pm.
The next Financial, Administrative and Procurement Subcommittee meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 at 3:30pm.
Altamont Conference Room
Ava Community Energy
1999 Harrison Street, Suite 2300
Oakland, CA 94612
Minutes written by Raïssa Ngoma.