ACTION:
____________________________
Clerk/Secretary
Department: City Manager’s Office Item No: C6
Prepared by: Angela Baggett, Management Analyst Meeting Date: April 25, 2023 Approved by: John Conley, City Manager Agenda Location: Consent Calendar SUBJECT: AWARD FOR ONLINE SOLAR PERMITTING PROCESS
RECOMMENDATION: Adopt City Council Resolution No. 2023- , authorizing receipt of award from the California Energy Commission to adopt and implement an automated online solar permitting process.
CORRELATION TO CITY COUNCIL GOALS: 1) Fiscal Responsibility; and 2) Climate and Environmental Responsibility
PRIOR ACTION: None
STATEMENT ON THE SUBJECT: Senate Bill (SB) 379, the Solar Access Act, was passed last year. This new law requires most cities and counties to adopt SolarAPP+, an automated online permitting platform for standard residential solar and storage systems. Additionally, California cities and counties with more than 50,000 residents must adopt SolarAPP+ by September 30, 2023.
SolarAPP+ automates and standardizes building departments’ permitting processes for simple residential rooftop solar systems. The platform asks the contractor a series of questions to verify the solar system’s design is up to code, runs automated code compliance and plan check and then, for compliant systems, automatically issues a permit so that installation can begin.
The California Energy Commission has provided grant funding based on population through its California Automated Permit Processing (CalAPP) program to help jurisdictions adopt the software or enhance their current systems to comply with the new law.
The City of Vista has been approved for grant funding up to $80,000 to adopt and implement an online solar permitting platform.
FISCAL IMPACT: The awarded amount from the California Energy Commission is up to $80,000 of actual costs incurred in adopting and implementing an automated online solar permitting process. The General Operating Budget will be amended to reflect this and will be included in the Fiscal Year 2022/23 Q3 (third quarter) report.
EXHIBITS:
1. City Council Resolution No. 2023- , authorizing receipt of award from the California Energy Commission to adopt and implement an automated online solar permitting process online solar permitting process.
2. CalAPP Submission
3. Notice of Award
AGENDA
REPORT
CITY COUNCIL
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
SUCCESSOR AGENCY
BUENA SANITATION DISTRICT
JOINT POWERS FINANCING AUTHORITY
Approved above recommendation, adopted City Council Resolution No. 2023-59.
Vote: 4-0 (O'Donnell Absent)
00029213 6
RESOLUTION NO. 2023-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CHARTERED CITY OF
VISTA, CALIFORNIA, AUTHORIZING RECEIPT OF AWARD FROM THE
CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT AN
AUTOMATED ONLINE SOLAR PERMITTING PROCESS
The City Council of the City of Vista does resolve as follows:
1. Findings. The City Council hereby finds and declares the following:
A. The Solar Access Act (SB 379) requires cities and counties to streamline and automate their rooftop solar permitting process. The federal government has developed free software to help cities and counties streamline their permitting.
B. The state of California Energy Commission has also provided grant funding based on population to help jurisdictions adopt the software or enhance their current system to comply with the new law.
C. The state of California Energy Commission has also provided grant funding based on population to help jurisdictions adopt the software or enhance their current system to comply with the new law.
2. Action.
A. The City Council approves the filing of project grant agreement for the above specified grant project and
B. The City Manager, or his/her designee is authorized to conduct all negotiations, sign and submit all documents, including, but not limited to applications, agreements, amendments, and payment requests, which may be necessary for the completion of the project scope(s)
Adoption. PASSED AND ADOPTED at a meeting of the City Council of the City of Vista held on April 25, 2023, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTAIN:
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
WALTER CHUNG, CITY ATTORNEY
By:
APPROVED
Walter C. Chung
20230413142743
JOHN FRANKLIN, MAYOR
ATTEST:
KATHY VALDEZ, CITY CLERK
By:
04/25/2023 C6 Page 2 of 7EXHIBIT 1
ATTACHMENT 01
Grant Application Form -EXHIBIT A
California Automated Permit Processing (CalAPP) Program
1. APPUCANT INFORMAnON (REQUIRED)
Jurisdiction Name (please use full legal name as it would appear on the executed grant):
City of Vista
Jurisdiction Type (select one):
~City Ocounty D City and County
Current Estimated Population State of California De12artment of Finance Demogra12hics ( https://dof .ca .gov /forecasting/Demographics/):
D Less than 50,000 IXI From 100,000 to 200,000
D From 50,000 to 99,999 D Greater than 200,000
Project Manager Name Nabil Chehade
(serves as point
of contact for all Street Address 200 Civic Center Drive communications) City and Vista 92084-6275
Zip Code
Phone Number (760) 643-5392
E-Mail Address [email protected]
2. FUNDING (REQUIRED)
Assigned Maximum Grant Amount (select JllY:)
D Group 1 ($40,000): Population less than 50,000
D Group 2 ($60,000): Population from 50,000 to 99,999
IX! Group 3 ($80,000): Population from 100,000 to 200,000 D Group 4 ($100,000): Population greater than 200,000
June 2022 Page 1 of 4
CalAPP Attachment 01
GFO-21-402
04/25/2023 C6 Page 3 of 7EXHIBIT 2
3. PROJECT INFORMATION (REQUIRED)
A. Online, automated solar permitting platform to be adopted:
~ SolarAPP+
D Other. If selected, complete Section 4 (''Additional Information'') B. Please select allowable budget item(s) anticipated to be used (Select at least one):
IXI Ongoing in-house staff labor costs associated directly with adoption and maintenance of the platform
IXI Ongoing third-party or consultant time associated directly with adoption and maintenance of the platform
IXI Ongoing staff training and education, specific to the platform D Ongoing training events for local installers, specific to the platform IXI Essential hardware or equipment necessary to support adoption of the platform
IXI Maintenance, such as adding support for energy storage paired with solar energy system permitting, and subscription cost for permit tracking software in support of adopted permitting platform
C. Estimated Project Timeline*
*Enter actual dates if activities already began
Activity
Begin Development/Pilot
Full Adoption
Staff Training
Training for Local Installers
Date (Month/Year)
July/2023
September/ 2023
August/2023
July/2023
June 2022 Page 2 of 4
CalAPP Attachment 01
GFO-21-402
04/25/2023 C6 Page 4 of 7
4. ADDMONAL INFORMATION (if applicable)
NOTE: Only complete this section if you implement a platform other than SolarAPP+ Please identify whether the following features are supported by the implemented platform. All features are required for the platform to qualify for funding. CEC staff will verify prior to payment approval.
Performs an automated plan review for residential solar energy systems that completes automatic code compliance checks based on user inputs (such as a contractor), thereby enabling or otherwise issuing permits instantly when the project is confirmed as code compliant, without the need for human review
Supports online, immediate fee payment once an application is complete, which may include auto-invoicing of permit fee costs Supports immediate generation of a permit job card following payment confirmation
Blocks noncompliant applications from receiving a permit EITHER: 1) Stand-alone permitting tool; OR 2) Integrates with current software and inspection platform already in use
5. REPORTING (REQUIRED)
Following adoption and verification of a qualifying platform, the Energy Commission may request, and the Recipient will provide if requested, annual data on the number of permits issued for solar energy systems and a solar energy system paired with an energy storage system including relevant characteristics of those systems, such as system capacity.
Please indicate your acceptance of these terms.
June 2022 Page 3 of 4
CalAPP Attachment 01
Oves □ No
Oves □No
Oves □No
Oves □ No
Oves □No
~Yes □ No
GFO-21-402
04/25/2023 C6 Page 5 of 7
6. CERTIFICATION (REQUIRED)
• I am authorized to complete and sign this form on behalf of the applicant. • I authorize the California Energy Commission to make any inquiries necessary to verify the information presented in this application. • I have read and understand the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation . I accept the terms and conditions contained in this solicitation on behalf of the applicant, and the applicant is willing to enter into an agreement with the Energy Commission to conduct the proposed project according to the terms and conditions without negotiation.
• I certify under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of California that the foregoing is true and correct.
Name of Authorized Nabil Chehade
Representative:
Title:
Phone Number:
E-mail Address:
Date:
Signature of
Authorized -Representative:
June 2022
Building Official
(760) 643-5392
[email protected]
March y, i023
~ \l r-~ ~
NOTE: Do not overlap signature with surrounding border lines.
CalAPP Attachment 01
GFO-21-402
04/25/2023 C6 Page 6 of 7
Sent: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 2:02 PM
To: Nabil Chehade
Subject: RE: Funding for Solar App
Dear Nabil Chehade,
Thank you for applying to the California Automated Permit Processing (CalAPP) Program. Staff have reviewed your application for grant funds and are recommending it for approval by the Energy Commission. Your application will now be used to develop a formal grant agreement. To move forward, we are attaching two documents that need to be completed and returned to us as soon as possible.
The first attached document is a Payee Data Record, which is a standard state form that our accounting office uses to authorize payments. The second is a Contact Form, which must identify key contact(s) associated with this grant agreement.
After the attached documents are returned to us, our Contracts, Grants, and Loans Office will assemble required documentation and contact you with next steps when the grant agreement requires your signature. Once you return your signed copy, the grant agreement requires a final authorizing signature from the Energy Commission to formally execute the grant. Please note this grant agreement is tentative until it is fully executed. The Energy Commission cannot reimburse activities that occur outside of an executed grant term.
Once the grant agreement is executed, CEC staff will send finalized grant agreement documents as well as information about the invoicing process. We will also offer an opportunity to discuss any questions about the grant requirements and next steps.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at [email protected].
California Automated Permit Processing (CalAPP) Program California Energy Commission
[email protected]
www.energy.ca.gov
04/25/2023 C6 Page 7 of 7EXHIBIT 3