ITEM 5A
Desert Community Energy Board
Meeting Minutes
February 14, 2022
3:00 pm
Held via Zoom videoconference
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting of the DCE Board was called to order by Chair Geoff Kors, City of Palm Springs, at 3:00 p.m. via Zoom videoconferencing, pursuant to Assembly Bill 361.
2. ROLL CALL
Roll call was taken, and it was determined that a quorum was present.
Members Present Agency
Councilmember Geoff Kors, Chair City of Palm Springs
Mayor Pro Tem Sabby Jonathan, Vice Chair City of Palm Desert DCE Staff & Consultants
Tom Kirk
Katie Barrows
David Freedman
Liz Barnwell
Erica Felci
Claude Kilgore
Jennifer Nelson
Janice Reitman
Jaclyn Harr
Others Present
Don Barrett
Trisha Stull
David Burdicke
Brad Anderson
The Energy Authority
Community Advisory Committee
City of Palm Desert
TerraVerde Energy
Resident
3. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON AGENDA ITEMS
Brad Anderson voiced concerns regarding Item 5B, the use of virtual meetings under Assembly Bill 361, and stated that Board meetings be in person going forward.
4. BOARD MEMBER / DIRECTOR COMMENTS
None.
5. CONSENT CALENDAR
The audio file for this meeting can be found at: http://www.desertcommunityenergy.org Desert Community Energy Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes – February 14, 2022
IT WAS MOVED BY MAYOR PRO TEM JONATHAN AND SECONDED BY
COUNCILMEMBER KORS TO:
A. Approve Minutes from Board Meeting of January 10, 2022 B. This item was pulled from Consent Calendar for further discussion.
C. Authorize the Executive Director to negotiate and execute amendments to the Renewable Power Purchase Agreement and Renewable Energy Purchase and Sale Agreement with Deer Creek Solar I
THE MOTION CARRIED WITH 2 AYES.
Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Aye
Councilmember Kors Aye
5.1 ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT CALENDAR
B. Affirm the findings still exist, pursuant to Assembly Bill 361, and authorize continuation of remote teleconference/virtual meetings of Desert Community Energy
Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan requested additional information about the use of virtual meetings and asked that information be provided at the next meeting regarding hybrid options.
THE MOTION CARRIED WITH 2 AYES.
Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Aye
Councilmember Kors Aye
6. DISCUSSION / ACTION
A. Contract for Distributed Energy Resources Program – David Freedman David Freedman provided the staff report, including an update on the distributed energy resources program and the RFP process. Member discussion ensued, with staff providing additional information on the phases and fees of TerraVerde’s proposal.
IT WAS MOVED BY MAYOR PRO TEM JONATHAN AND SECONDED BY
COUNCILMEMBER KORS TO, AUTHORIZE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO
FINALIZE AND SIGN A CONTRACT WITH TERRAVERDE ENERGY FOR A BEHIND-THE-METER DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES PROGRAM, REQUIRING NO
COSTS TO DCE UNTIL ADDITIONAL BOARD ACTION IS TAKEN
THE MOTION CARRIED WITH 2 AYES.
Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Aye
Councilmember Kors Aye
Desert Community Energy Board of Directors
Meeting Minutes – February 14, 2022
B. Resolution in Support of Rooftop Solar and Net Energy Metering – David Freedman Mr. Freedman provided a staff report. Member discussion ensued, including discussion of public outreach and other ways to alert the public of the program.
IT WAS MOVED BY MAYOR PRO TEM JONATHAN AND SECONDED BY
COUNCILMEMBER KORS TO, ADOPT RESOLUTION 2022-02 IN SUPPORT OF NET
ENERGY METERING AND DIRECT STAFF TO DISTRIBUTE THE RESOLUTION TO GOVERNOR NEWSOM, THE REGION’S LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, AND
MEMBERS OF THE CALIFORNIA PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
THE MOTION CARRIED WITH 2 AYES.
Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan Aye
Councilmember Kors Aye
7. INFORMATION
The following items were put in the agenda packet for members’ information :
A. Attendance Record
B. Unaudited Financial Report for July 1, 2021 to November 30, 2021 C. Update on DCE Program Activities
D. Southern California Edison Time-Of-Use Billing Transition At the request of Councilmember Kors, Ms. Barrows provided an update on Southern California Edison’s time-of-use billing and indicated a one-page fact sheet addressing frequently asked questions would be distributed.
8. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS
Mr. Anderson expressed his disappointment in the Board’s approval of the line of credit item at the January meeting and expressed concerns with DCE’s Board makeup of having two members.
9. ANNOUNCEMENTS
The next DCE meeting was to be held March 21, 2022 at 2:30 p.m. via Zoom webinar.
Councilmember Kors requested permanently changing the meeting time from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. due to scheduling conflicts.
Mayor Pro Tem Jonathan indicated he would not be able to attend a meeting on March 21, and staff indicated a new date would be noticed.
10. ADJOURNMENT -- Chair Kors adjourned the meeting at 3:31 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Nelson,
Executive Assistant/Clerk