MONTE SERENO CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
7:00 p.m.
Remote Participation
2540 Venture Oaks Way
Sacramento, CA95833
December 16, 2025
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER
At approximately 7:00 p.m., Mayor Allan called the meeting to order.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Council lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL
Present – Chambers: Councilmember Craig, Councilmember Mekechuk, Vice Mayor Shannon and Mayor Allan
Present – Remote: Councilmember Toren
Absent: None
Staff: City Clerk Gonzalez-Langarica, City Manager Perkins and City Attorney Powell
Staff – Remote: None
ORDERS OF THE DAY
Mayor Allan requested that item #9 under New Business be moved up after Orders of the Day at tonight’s meeting.
NEW BUSINESS
9. Recognition of Outgoing Better Streets Commissioners Barry Chaffin
Steven White
Omar Billawala
Mayor Allan presented a Certificate of Recognition to Barry Chaffin for serving as a Commissioner on the Better Streets Commission.
Docusign Envelope ID: FFA3DE8F-F473-4B52-8405-F6172BDF436F
Commissioners who could not attend were also recognized and thanked for being volunteers and serving as Commissioners. City Clerk Gonzalez-Langarica will be mailing the outgoing Commissioners their Certificates of Recognition.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
None.
PRESENTATIONS
None.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
None.
CONSENT CALENDAR (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION)
1. Approve the Minutes of the December 2, 2025 Regular City Council Meeting
2. Approve Warrant List Dated December 16, 2025 in the Amount $37,055.19
3. Adopt a Resolution Declaring Noxious and Dangerous Weeds and Rubbish, Refuse, and Dirt to be a Public Nuisance and Setting a Public Hearing Date and Time and Consider All Objections to the Proposed Destruction or Removal of Weeds, Dirt, Rubbish, or Other Hazardous Material
4. Consideration to Authorize the City Manager to Execute First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Dicar Networks Corporation for Information Technology Services
5. Consideration to Authorize the City Manager to Execute First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Maze and Associates Accounting Corporation for Annual Financial Audit Services
6. Consideration to Authorize the City Manager to Execute First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Municipal Resources Group for Finance Department Consulting Services
7. Adoption of Ordinance No. NS-249, an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Monte Sereno Amending Section 9.07.035 (Mechanical Blowers – Gas-Powered Devices Prohibited) Vice Mayor Shannon requested to pull Item #3 and Item #6.
Councilmember Mekechuk requested to pull Item #4.
Mayor Allan opened the Consent Calendar for Public Comment. With no one wishing to speak, Mayor Allan closed Public Comment.
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Craig to approve Items #1, #2, #5 and #7 from the Consent Calendar. Seconded by Vice Mayor Shannon.
VOTE: Motion passed. (5-0-0)
3. Adopt a Resolution Declaring Noxious and Dangerous Weeds and Rubbish, Refuse, and Dirt to be a Public Nuisance and Setting a Public Hearing Date and Time and Consider All Objections to the Proposed Destruction or Removal of Weeds, Dirt, Rubbish, or Other Hazardous Material Docusign Envelope ID: FFA3DE8F-F473-4B52-8405-F6172BDF436F
City Clerk Gonzalez-Langarica provided a staff report and answered questions from the Council.
Discussion ensued.
Mayor Allan opened the item for Public Comment. With no one wishing to speak, Mayor Allan closed Public Comment.
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Mekechuk to approve Item #3 from the Consent Calendar. Seconded by Councilmember Craig.
VOTE: Motion passed. (5-0-0)
4. Consideration to Authorize the City Manager to Execute First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Dicar Networks Corporation for Information Technology Services City Manager Perkins provided a staff report and answered questions from the Council.
Discussion ensued.
Mayor Allan opened the item for Public Comment. With no one wishing to speak, Mayor Allan closed Public Comment.
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Mekechuk to approve the agreement with Dicar Networks Corporation subject to the City Manager working to verify the number of equipment and the cost per unit and comparing that to what the City’s recent invoices have been. If there is a significant increase, it shall return to Council for review. Seconded by Vice Mayor Shannon.
VOTE: Motion passed. (5-0-0)
6. Consideration to Authorize the City Manager to Execute First Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement with Municipal Resources Group for Finance Department Consulting Services
City Manager Perkins provided a staff report and answered questions from the Council.
Discussion ensued.
Mayor Allan opened the item for Public Comment. With no one wishing to speak, Mayor Allan closed Public Comment.
MOTION: Motion by Mayor Allan to approve Item #6 from the Consent Calendar.
Seconded by Councilmember Craig.
VOTE: Motion passed. (4-1-0 Noes: Mekechuk)
PUBLIC HEARING
None.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
8. Consider Approval of Updated Job Descriptions and Adopt a Resolution Updating the Salary Schedule to Include a Part-Time City Planner Salary
City Manager Perkins provided a staff report and answered questions from the Council.
Discussion ensued.
Mayor Allan opened the item for Public Comment. With no one wishing to speak, Mayor Allan closed Public Comment.
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MOTION: Motion by Vice Mayor Shannon to approve the updated job descriptions and adopt a resolution updating the Salary Schedule to include a part-time City Planner salary. Seconded by Councilmember Mekechuk.
VOTE: Motion passed. (5-0-0)
NEW BUSINESS
10. Consideration and Approval of the 2026 City Council Meeting Schedule City Clerk Gonzalez-Langarica provided a staff report and answered questions from the Council.
Discussion ensued.
Mayor Allan opened the item for Public Comment. With no one wishing to speak, Mayor Allan closed Public Comment.
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Mekechuk to approve the 2026 City Council meeting and event schedule and cancel the regular City Council meetings of July 7, 2026 and July 21, 2026. Seconded by Councilmember Craig.
VOTE: Motion passed. (5-0-0)
11. Consider and Approve City Council Committee/Commission Assignments for Calendar Year 2026 Council reviewed the City Council Committee/Commission Assignments for Calendar Year 2026.
Discussion ensued.
Mayor Craig opened the item for Public Comment. With no one wishing to speak, Mayor Craig closed Public Comment.
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Mekechuk to approved City Council Committee/Commission Assignments for Calendar Year 2026. Seconded by Vice Mayor Shannon.
VOTE: Motion passed. (5-0-0)
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Mekechuk to publish a notice that the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority Board’s Alternative assignment is vacant and accept applications to fill the assignment. Seconded by Councilmember Craig.
VOTE: Motion passed. (5-0-0)
12. Consider Approving a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cities Association of Santa Clara County to Participate in the Santa Clara County Planning Collaborative and Authorize the City Manager to Execute the Memorandum of Understanding.
City Manager Perkins provided a staff report and answered questions from the Council.
Discussion ensued.
Mayor Craig opened the item for Public Comment. With no one wishing to speak, Mayor Craig closed Public Comment.
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Mekechuk to adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager to execute the Memorandum of Understanding with the Cities Association of Santa Clara County to participate in the Santa Clara Docusign Envelope ID: FFA3DE8F-F473-4B52-8405-F6172BDF436F
County Planning Collaborative for 2026 and 2027 with the selection of Tier 1 for 2 years. Seconded by Councilmember Craig.
VOTE: Motion passed. (5-0-0)
COMMITTEE/COMMISSION REPORTS
Councilmember Mekechuk shared Valley Transportation Authority Policy Advisory Committee was canceled. West Valley Stormwater Authority and West Valley Solid Waste Management Authority Board are scheduled to meet in the new year. Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority met last week for a regular and a special meeting. Santa Clara County Recycling and Waste Reduction Commission December meeting has been moved to January due to the holidays.
Councilmember Craig shared that for Santa Clara County Library JPA, the nominating committee has put forth a slate of officers and hopefully, he will be appointed the board chair of Santa Clara County Library JPA at the next meeting.
Vice Mayor Shannon shared that West Valley Sanitation District Board met last week, when they approved their financial reports and a rebate program for residents that are on a septic system and want a line.
Councilmember Toren shared that the Cities Association had their holiday event instead of a formal meeting.
Mayor Allan shared that Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority just renewed their contract with the executive director.
COUNCILMEMBER COMMENTS
Vice Mayor Shannon expressed appreciation with Mayor Allan for making the effort to get all the Councilmembers in the roles they wanted to be in with the Committees/Commissions.
Councilmember Craig thanked Dennis Varney for allowing the Council to use his bus at the Annual Children’s Christmas/Holiday Parade.
Councilmember Mekechuk shared there is going to be a “Lid Tipping,” which is a required waste audit where local haulers or their contractors inspect residents' and businesses' trash, recycling, and organics carts. Every jurisdiction is going to be measured to create a baseline. Between Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Los Gatos and Campbell, these cities should be on the higher end of the compliance stream.
Mayor Allan expressed that he and his wife Mary are looking forward to seeing everybody at the holiday party this coming weekend.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
City Manager Perkins expressed happy holidays to everybody.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
13. A copy of the Tentative 2026 Council Meeting Calendar was included on the agenda.
Councilmember Mekechuk would like to have a presentation by West Valley Solid Waste at a meeting in January.
ADJOURN
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Mayor Allan adjourned the meeting at approximately 8:12 p.m.
Lionel M. Allan, Mayor
ATTEST:
____________________________________
Gloisy Gonzalez-Langarica, City Clerk
Docusign Envelope ID: FFA3DE8F-F473-4B52-8405-F6172BDF436F December 10, 2025 Silicon Valley Clean Energy Board
Meeting & December 12 Special Board Meeting Follow-Up
Meeting Snapshot
At the December Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) Board of Directors (Board) meeting, the Board received an informational update on data center power needs, set direction for 2026 electric generation rates, and held a Board workshop on organizational priorities and strategies.
High-Level Item Summaries
1. Data Centers and How They Are Impacting SVCE Planning Efforts The SVCE Board of Directors received an informational presentation on data centers and their potential impact on SVCE. While data centers hosting web services and storage are common in the Silicon Valley region, new data centers serving artificial intelligence (AI) are distinct, growing rapidly, and creating uncertainty in future load. Drivers of this uncertainty include the pace of AI adoption, AI hardware efficiency, and actual grid infrastructure needs. This high level of uncertainty complicates load forecasting efforts and makes it challenging to procure the proper amount of power.
Data centers may ultimately reduce electricity prices by utilizing and paying for existing grid capacity that is currently available. This benefit will be particularly true if they can operate with some flexibility and shift usage to other locales during times of peak demand. Staff is closely monitoring data center development and its related impacts.
2. SVCE Board Sets 2026 Rate Direction
SVCE predicts that energy bills will decrease for customers in 2026, offering some relief after energy prices have steadily increased in recent years. Given this decline in rates, driven by decreases in energy market prices, the Board voted to adopt a one percent discount to PG&E rates for 2026. Overall, bills will decrease slightly as SVCE generation rates account for one-third of total energy bills. In January, PG&E will make final rates available, and SVCE will implement them.
The Board also voted to provide a $12 monthly bill credit to California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) and Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) customers and reduce the rate premium for the 100% renewable GreenPrime product. SVCE has been committed to competitive rates and has saved all customers over $200 million since launching service in 2017.
3. December 12 Special Study Session: Board Prioritizes Needs Amidst Upcoming Market Challenges
Board Members and Alternate Directors participated in a two-hour workshop which covered the context of budgetary headwinds faced by the organization, potential levers to address them, and program priorities given the changing conditions. Board Members present emphasized the importance of a balanced approach that includes affordability, community investment, decarbonization, and innovation.
Docusign Envelope ID: FFA3DE8F-F473-4B52-8405-F6172BDF436F Directors also expressed support for ways to engage customers in program changes as they are developed. This workshop will be followed by further discussion in 2026 leading to incorporating the priorities into the agency’s integrated decarbonization roadmap and budget. A summary of the discussion, provided by facilitator Bluepoint Consulting can be found at the end of this summary.
Item Details
1. Data Centers and How They Are Impacting SVCE Planning Effort Al data centers are rapidly growing throughout the country. While most new data centers are being built outside of California, local development will impact SVCE load forecasting, energy affordability, and grid development.
Load Forecasting: Many forecasts anticipate that data centers will account for 5-15% of the current US electricity load by 2030. There is a high level of uncertainty about exactly how much they will increase electrical load and where the impacts will be experienced.
There are currently many “phantom data centers” being proposed that may never be built due to the actual demand for the services, development costs, and changing priorities. SVCE needs to ensure that a new significant load is real before purchasing energy to serve it. SVCE intends to utilize a combination of customer data and intelligence from member agencies to forecast data center load, with the goal of developing a defendable forecast that enhances the SVCE portfolio while minimizing risk.
Energy Affordability: Some forecasts also suggest that data centers will reduce energy prices, as the increased utilization of the existing grid is expected to lower the cost paid by existing customers for grid services. Since grid services now make up the majority of customer electricity bills, this benefit could be significant – particularly if the data centers sited locally can flex their load away from peak demand periods. Shifting a data calculation from Silicon Valley to the Midwest during peak demand may result in a mere millisecond delay in responding to the customer awaiting a response.
Grid Development: The raw amount of energy that can be delivered to Silicon Valley, in general, and to a particular data center location, is constrained by the ultimate capacity of the wires to the region and location. While the current transmission and distribution grid is adequate to meet current needs and the planned electrification of buildings and vehicles, it will not be able to serve an unlimited number of data centers. Therefore, utility planners are bringing additional capacity to the region. SVCE will advocate to ensure that existing customers are not unduly burdened by the costs of this grid expansion.
2. SVCE Board Sets 2026 Rate Direction
Since its inception, SVCE has been able to offer a competitive discount to PG&E generation rates that has ranged from one to one-to-ten percent, depending on many factors. SVCE first considers the forecasted costs to provide its service, including cost uncertainty under various scenarios, and then forecasts revenue to recover those costs.
Docusign Envelope ID: FFA3DE8F-F473-4B52-8405-F6172BDF436F Rates are determined based on the forecasted revenue requirement and overall projected load for all SVCE customers. The SVCE generation rate also includes the cost of the Power Charge Indifference Adjustment (PCIA).
3. December 12 Special Study Session: Board Prioritizes Needs Amidst Challenging Conditions
SVCE Directors and Alternative Directors participated in a two-hour workshop on December 12th which covered the context of budgetary headwinds faced by the organization, potential levers to address them, and direction on program priorities given the changing conditions. As budget headwinds emerge this year, SVCE expects to begin drawing down from its reserves to cover a forecasted shortfall in the coming years. Staff identified three financial levers that would balance a projected drawdown of reserves with spending priorities that could be recalibrated to match existing needs. The three key areas are clean energy, programs, and affordability.
In a workshop exercise, board members chose between archetypes of core SVCE functions and discussed how they might change given projected budget conditions. A key theme that emerged from this exercise was the need for a balanced approach that blends affordability and decarbonization while maintaining community investment and promoting innovation.
In a second exercise, members focused on electrification support provided by the agency, with a series of trade-offs presented as examples of choices to consider for continued program implementation. Directors expressed support for moving with speed and unlocking electrification at scale for customers. Directors emphasized the continued need for balance, choice, and simplicity for customers among the potential solution options, including a tiered rate where customers can decide which offering suits their preferences based on the provided information.
SVCE staff will use the Board’s guidance to develop program and strategic financial proposals in 2026.
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