Item 5
1 VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY ALLIANCE
Staff Report – Item 5
TO: Board of Directors
FROM: Alisa Lembke, Board Clerk / Administrative Analyst SUBJECT: Approval of Minutes from November 14, 2024 meeting DATE: December 12, 2024
RECOMMENDATION
Receive, review and approve the attached November 14, 2024 meeting Minutes.
Attachment: November 14, 2024 meeting Minutes
VCEA Minutes November 14, 2024 Board Meeting Page 1 of 3
MINUTES OF THE VALLEY CLEAN ENERGY ALLIANCE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2024
The Board of Directors of the Valley Clean Energy Alliance duly noticed their regular meeting for Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. to be held at City of Woodland Council Chambers located at 300 First Street, Woodland, California 95695. Chair Lucas Frerichs established that there was a quorum present and began the meeting at 5:32 p.m.
Board Members Present: Lucas Frerichs (Chair), Bapu Vaitla (Vice Chair), Jesse Loren, Tania Garcia-Cadena, Richard Casavecchia
Members Absent: Tom Stallard, Jim Provenza, Will Arnold Welcome and
Approval of the
Agenda
Chair Frerichs welcomed everyone to the meeting. Motion made by Director Loren to approve the November 14, 2024 Board meeting agenda, seconded by Vice Chair Vaitla. Motion passed unanimously with Directors Stallard, Provenza, and Arnold absent.
Public Comment –
General and Consent
Items
Chair Frerichs opened up the public comment period on general and consent items. There were no written or verbal public comments.
Approval of Consent
Agenda / Resolution
2024-014
Motion made by Vice Chair Vaitla to approve the consent agenda items, seconded by Director Loren. Motion passed with Directors Stallard, Provenza, and Arnold absent. The following items were:
3. approved October 10, 2024 Board meeting Minutes;
4. received 2024 long range calendar;
5. received October 2024 regulatory update dated November 6, 2024 provided by Keyes & Fox;
6. received Community Advisory Committee October 24, 2024 meeting summary;
7. received copy of Second Amendment letter increasing the not to exceed amount and extending Jim Parks Consultant agreement one year;
8. received copy of First Amendment letter increasing the not to exceed amount and extending Pacific Policy Group agreement one year;
9. approved Amendment One (1) to REACH Strategies agreement extending term one (1) year and increasing the not to exceed amount as Resolution 2024-014; and,
10. accepted and attested the accuracy of Valley Clean Energy’s 2023 Power Content Label.
VCEA Minutes November 14, 2024 Board Meeting Page 2 of 3 Item 11: Approve
Phase 2 of Electric
Vehicle Rebate
Program. (Action)
VCE Executive Officer Mitch Sears introduced this item. VCE Director of Marketing & Customer Care Rebecca Kuczynski reviewed background and context, proposed program design, the program’s equity, and reviewed next steps. Chair Frerichs asked if there were any public comments. There were no written or verbal public comments.
The Board and Staff discussed: re-evaluating as proposed Phase 2 of Electric Vehicle (EV) Rebate program; assistance for and efforts to reach low income and multi-family housing customers; the number of customers on the “waiting list” as the result of Phase 1 EV Rebate program; goals of EV Rebate program; and the inclusion of mid-income customers; and the need for a little more information and revision to the proposed Phase 2 program.
No action was taken by the Board at this time. The Board directed Staff to gather more information, redraft Phase 2, and return to the Board with a revised and updated Phase 2 Electric Vehicle Rebate Program proposal.
Item 12: Approve
VCE’s participation in
Hourly Flex Pricing
Pilots: Expanded
Agricultural Flexible
Irrigation Technology
(AgFIT) Pilots 1 & 2
and Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X).
(Action)
Mr. Sears introduced this item. Ms. Kuczynski reviewed background and context, reviewed Hourly Flex Pricing (HFP) Pilot goals and program design, reviewed HFP customer price interface on PG&E’s website, briefly reviewed eligibility and incentives of HFP, and next steps. Ms. Kuczynski informed those present that PG&E is administering all pilots except for HFP Expanded Pilot #1, which is being administered by VCE.
The Board and Staff discussed: location of a customer’s circuit i.d.; what CCA’s are participating in the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2X) program; and, how the CCA is handling. There were no written or verbal public comments.
Motion made by Director Garcia-Cadena to approve VCE’s participation in the Hourly Flex Pricing Pilots: Expanded Agricultural Flexible Irrigation Technology (AgFIT) Pilots 1 & 2 and Vehicle-to-Everything, seconded by Director Loren.
Motion passed by the following vote:
AYES: Vaitla, Loren, Garcia-Cadena, Casavecchia, Frerichs NOES: None
ABSENT: Stallard, Provenza, Arnold
ABSTAIN: None
Item 13. Receive
2025 Operating
Budget and
Customer Rates
update. (Information)
Mr. Sears introduced this item. VCE Director of Finance & Internal Operations Edward Burnham provided an overview of VCE’s short-term 2025 financial outlook, reviewed key factors influencing 2025 Budget and Customer Rates, reviewed VCE’s long-term fixed costs, and reviewed possible VCE Reserve Policy and Dividend Policy revisions, rate discounts and revenue investment.
Mr. Burnham reviewed three (3) draft budget and rate scenarios.
VCEA Minutes November 14, 2024 Board Meeting Page 3 of 3 The Board and Staff discussed: possible impacts to each scenario on the credit rating; the desire to provide additional rate reductions to customers; the possible impacts to rate reductions; program funding; affordability; and data impacts of costs to lower income customers. There were no written public comments.
Verbal Public Comment: Christine Shewmaker: she thanked Staff for the clarification on rate reductions and was glad to hear that CARE/FERA customers receive an additional reduction. She would like to see information on the results of VCE’s power sales on VCE’s renewable energy procurement and the projected pathway moving into 2025.
Mr. Sears and Mr. Burnham thanked the Board for their feedback. Mr.
Burnham informed those present that VCE’s Reserve Policy and Dividend Programs Guidelines will also be brought back to the Board as a separate item at their December 2024 meeting, in addition to the draft 2025 Operating Budget and customer rates.
Item 14: Board
Member and Staff
Announcements
Director Loren announced that SACOG released their 2024 Regional Progress report, available online, which has valuable information that may be of interest to VCE. Mr. Sears provided a demonstration of VCE’s Electric Advisor Service on VCE’s website.
Public Comment on
Closed Session Items
Chair Frerichs announced that the Board will be going into Closed Session and asked if there were any public comment on the Closed Session items. There being no verbal or written public comment, Chair Frerichs announced that it is anticipated that no reportable action will be taken in Closed Session.
Announcement /
Adjournment
There being no further business to discuss the regular meeting was adjourned at 6:50 p.m. to go into Closed Session.
CLOSED SESSION:
Public Employee
Performance
Evaluation
The Board began Closed Session at 6:51 p.m. and adjourned their Closed Session at 7:10 p.m. There was nothing to report.
Alisa M. Lembke
VCEA Board Secretary