DocuSign Envelope ID: DB243F1D-7F28-435E-BD8E-B63CAB4B94F7
TOWN OF WOODSIDE
TOWN COUNCE ME TING MINUTES Road, Woodside December 12, 2023 7:00 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Shaw called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, Goeld, Wall, and Mayor Shaw Staff Present:
Kevin Bryant, Town Manager
Jean Savaree, Town Attorney
Sage Schaan, Planning Director
Sindhi Mekala, Deputy Town Engineer
Jennifer Li, Town Clerk
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Seven students led the Pledge of Allegiance.
COMMUNICATIONS
Jackie Young, previous Planning Director, commended Mayor Shaw for his year as Mayor.
REORGANIZATION OF TOWN COUNCIL
Election of Mayor and Mayor Pro Tempore
Mayor Shaw moved to elect Councilmember Wall as Mayor.
Motion seconded by Councilmember Goeld and approved by roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, Goeld, Shaw, and Wall NOES: None
Councilmember Shaw thanked staff for their guidance and his fellow councilmembers for their productive discussions during his term as Mayor.
Mayor Wall moved to elect Councilmember Fluet as Mayor Pro Tempore.
Motion seconded by Councilmember Goeld and approved by roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, Goeld, Shaw, and Mayor Wall NOES: None
Mayor Wall noted: she is the 43rd Mayor, 11th woman to hold the role, and the 1st female Mayor since 2016; her outlook for 2024; her appreciation for outgoing Mayor Chris Shaw.
Councilmember Fluet presented Mayor Wall with a Mayoral sash.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
County Supervisor Ray Mueller commended Chris Shaw, presented him a Certificate of Appreciation Town Council Meeting Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 1
DocuSign Envelope ID: DB243F1D-7F28-435E-BD8E-B63CAB4B94F7 signed by the Board of Supervisors, and expressed support for Mayor Wall.
Mayor Wall read a Commendation for Chris Shaw in recognition of his service as Mayor of the Town of Woodside.
TOWN MANAGER REPORT
Mr. Bryant noted: the new Town Engineer, Yazdan Emrani, will start on January 8, 2024; the Town has hired three new employees in the past month (two Assistant Planners and one Senior Management Analyst); recognition for Ms. Mekala stepping up after the previous Town Engineer/Public Works Director, Sean Rose, retired.
CONSENT CALENDAR
1. Approval of Waiver of Full Reading of Ordinance, per Government Code Section 36934.
2. Register of Demands Against the Town of Woodside from November 17 through December 1, 2023.
3. Approval of Minutes: Regular and Special Meetings of October 10, 24, and November 28, 2023.
4. Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Section 30.03, Procedure for Filling Vacancies on the Town Council, Title III, Administration, Chapter 30, Town Council, of the Woodside Municipal Code to Extend the Time to Call for a Special Election to Fill Vacancies on the Town Council.
Ordinance No. 2023 - 632
5. Resolution Authorizing the Town Manager to Execute a Contract Amendment with Harrison Engineering, Inc., for Additional Construction Engineering Support for the Glens Path Phase 2 and Phase 3 Project.
Resolution No. 2023 - 7644
6. Resolution Setting Aside and Vacating Resolution 2021-7433.
Resolution No. 2023 - 7645
7. Resolution Authorizing the Town Manager to Execute a Professional Services Agreement with NorthStar Survey to Prepare a Right-of-Way Boundary Survey for the Glens.
Resolution No. 2023 - 7646
Councilmember Fluet pulled Item 6 for discussion.
Councilmember Shaw pulled Item 7 for discussion.
Councilmember Fluet moved approval of the Consent Calendar Items 1-5.
Motion seconded by Councilmember Dombkowski and approved by roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, Goeld, Shaw, and Mayor Wall NOES: None
Regarding Item 6, Councilmember Fluet stated he needs to be recused from voting since he was a named defendant in the lawsuit.
Councilmember Shaw moved approval of the Consent Calendar Item 6.
Motion seconded by Councilmember Dombkowski and approved by roll call vote:
Town Council Meeting Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 2
DocuSign Envelope ID: DB243F1D-7F28-435E-BD8E-B63CAB4B94F7 AYES: Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Goeld, Shaw, and Mayor Wall NOES: None
RECUSED: Councilmember Fluet
Regarding Item 7, Councilmember Shaw noted this project was a product of the Glens pathway project, and wanted to ensure that the generous homeowner who dedicated an easement to the Town has been informed.
Ms. Mekala confirmed that staff has notified the homeowner.
Councilmember Dombkowski noted that that homeowner deserves an Honor Coin.
Councilmember Shaw moved approval of the Consent Calendar Item 7.
Motion seconded by Councilmember Goeld and approved by roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Brown, Dombkowski, Fluet, Goeld, Shaw, and Mayor Wall NOES: None
NEW BUSINESS
A. Resolution Authorizing the Town of Woodside to Deploy a Photovoltaic System at Town Hall and Independence Hall in Partnership with Peninsula Clean Energy Should the Town Determine There Are Cost Benefits Following Participation in a Collaborative Procurement Led by Peninsula Clean Energy.
Resolution No. 2023 - 7647
Mr. Bryant introduced representatives from Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), Rafael Reyes and Peter Levitt.
Mr. Reyes spoke of: how PCE operates; three programs that service local governments (GovPV, GovBE, and GovEV); other municipalities participating in the program; the timeline for the program; the economics of the solar systems; future options for battery storage.
Mr. Levitt noted that for a 34 kilo-watt hour (kwh) sized system, discount rate of 3%, the conservative estimated 20-year savings is $73,000.
Council questions included: whether the 58.4% performance ratio on the HelioScope preliminary engineering report is good or bad; whether staff has a preference with leasing or buying solar panels; whether the presented model includes that fact that panels decrease in efficiency with age; whether other locations in Town were considered (e.g., Barkley Fields); where the solar panels are sourced from; what happens at the end of the 20-year commitment; would the excess electricity go back into the grid; whether tonight's proposal is a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI); what the environmental benefits are since PCE's energy is already close to 100% from renewable sources; would battery storage be a part of a subsequent program; whether there is any prohibition for the Town to purchase its own storage system after working with PCE to install solar panels; how this proposal might fit into the Climate Action Plan goal; whether the capital costs include equipment upgrades; will PCE have any ability to override use in case of an emergency; what the potential harm may be to other public entities if Woodside can no longer participate in the program; what happens when the solar panels becomes obsolete after 10 years.
In response to the Council's questions, Mr. Levitt stated: factors for the performance ratio include shade, size, and ownership; they ensured the systems meet a minimum threshold that will effectively achieve economies of scale; due to the Net Energy Metering (NEM) 2.0 deadline, it would be difficult for the Town to own the panels; currently, federal incentives are for American-made panels; at the end of the 20-year term, the three options are the following: PCE could remove the system, the Town may purchase the system at fair market value, or extend the terms of the power purchase agreement by an extra five or 10 years; the generation of these panels would be ¾ of load; PCE does not make use of the solar power Town Council Meeting Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 3
DocuSign Envelope ID: DB243F1D-7F28-435E-BD8E-B63CAB4B94F7 themselves; photovoltaic systems have been on a drastic cost decline that has started plateauing five years ago, and it is not projected to continue receiving the amount of cost reduction seen historically.
In response to Council's questions, Mr. Reyes stated: PCE would not have proposed this if it was not worth pursuing; buying is always going to be better, however, the PCE power purchase agreement is at cost; yes, the model includes a reduction in panel efficiency over time; there are few commercial providers who do commercial systems at this small of scale, so it may be difficult to secure; regarding other potential locations, they were not evaluated for this round of the program; yes, this is a non-binding LOI; there is always some environmental benefit to local generation (e.g., reducing strain on the grid at- large); PCE's strategic objective is to add storage at any public agency that wants to have storage for resiliency purposes; they have not done the financial analytics yet; PCE will work with the Town if the Town decided to purchase a third-party storage system; yes, the capital costs include equipment upgrades; no, PCE would not have the ability to override use during an emergency; PCE's partner would be notified of sudden drops of generation; energy data will be used to bill the Town; the likelihood of materially impacting the cohort is modest; at the end of the term, one option is to deploy a new set of panels, however, there would be additional capital costs; the panels would be not upgraded within the 20-year term.
In response to the Council's questions, Mr. Bryant sated: when solar was initially evaluated years ago, a power purchase agreement was an option; the biggest difference now is the partnership with a governmental agency the Town is closely tied with; this directly addresses the Climate Action Plan goal, which was adopted when the General Plan was updated in 2012; at the time, the Town worked closely with the County, and it was reviewed by the Sustainability Committee; the reconstituted Environment Committee will be helping to identify priorities in the current Climate Action Plan and work with the County on updating it.
The Public Comment Period opened at 8:30 pm.
Ed Kahl, resident, expressed opposition to installation of solar at Town Hall.
The Public Comment Period closed at 8:33 p.m.
Council comments in opposition included: this proposal is a repackaging (with a different financial structure) of what Council reviewed years ago and turned down; preference for a purchase structure rather than a complex lease structure; the site is not ideal for solar; the report is too thin to make a decision; there is no return on investment; the historic building issue has not been explored; interest in evaluating a proposal that includes electrical storage; wanting to ensure the public is aware of this proposal; open to alternative sites; discomfort with the idea of buying a 20-year technology; the amount of work is not worth the return on investment; agreement with Mr. Kahl that this is far more complex than it needs to be; the 3% discount rate is lower than what the Town can get from the Local Agency Investment Fund.
In response to the Council's question about the historical significance of Independence Hall, Mr. Bryant stated: the building is on the National Register of Historic Places; people can install solar panels on historic buildings under the Secretary of Interior guidelines; PCE is aware of that requirement.
Council comments in support included: this project is good for the overall environment; hesitant about the LOl as there are not many safeguards, and interest in tighter controls in the LOI; preference for the power purchase agreement to return to Council for approval; fully trust PCE as a partner; solar has been around for a long time and is not that complex; $100,000 in savings is still savings; interest in another round of review; PG&E rates are going to increase; this is rare circumstance where the Town has a willing partner to do most, if not all, of the work.
Mr. Levitt stated: this portfolio is two times cheaper than the initial estimate the Town received years ago; it is unlikely for the Town to execute a project on its own under the NEM 2.0 rate.
Town Council Meeting Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 4
DocuSign Envelope ID: DB243F1D-7F28-435E-BD8E-B63CAB4B94F7 Additional Council comments included: not being convinced by the NEM 2.0 offer; the timing of this discussion needs to be when more people are in Town; this project needs to be discussed during the Capital Improvement Program discussion so that it can be compared to other priorities; since this is a non-binding LOI, the Town does not lose anything by approving the Resolution.
Councilmember Fluet moved approval of the Resolution authorizing the Town to deploy a Solar Photovoltaic System at Town Hall and Independence Hall in partnership with Peninsula Clean Energy should the Town Council determine there are cost savings, other community benefits, and community support following participation in a collaborative procurement led by Peninsula Clean Energy and further approval by the Town Council.
Motion seconded by Councilmember Shaw and approved by roll call vote:
AYES: Councilmembers Fluet, Goeld, Shaw, and Mayor Wall NOES: Councilmembers Brown and Dombkowski
B. 2024 Work Plan Review.
Mr. Bryant started the presentation with the priorities of the Planning Department.
Council comments included: regarding the Housing Element, there is interest in not losing momentum for procuring additional housing units at Cañada College and the Caltrans land near Highway 280; working with Senator Becker on transferring the State-owned land to the State Surplus Lands Act so that the Town could acquire it and trade the property near Barkley Fields and Park for a great deal; interest in seeing the Western Hills Development Standards project start in 2024.
Mr. Bryant noted: he will need to strategize with the Planning Director on the Western Hills Development Standards because hiring a consultant is an available tool, however, there is still management and education that would be required; it can be evaluated after the Housing Element is completed.
Mr. Bryant spoke of the priorities of the Public Works Department.
Council comments included: interest in an opportunity to provide input for the State's Woodside Road median project; interest in a prospective analysis of the Town's storm drainage systems; interest in adding improvements to the top of Old La Honda Road to the list because the temporary traffic lights and plastic tarp are not functioning.
Ms. Mekala listed the storm drains replaced around Town this year.
Mr. Bryant added that the storm drain master plan from 2017 will be evaluated by the new Town Engineer.
Mr. Bryant spoke of the priorities for the Administration Department.
Council comments included: regarding improving internet service, interest in an outside consultant to help lobby current providers to see if there are financial incentives to have services brought in or evaluate any available subsidies for rural communities.
Mr. Bryant spoke of the priorities for Safety Services.
In response to the Council's question about a political signage issue, Ms. Savaree stated: staff is evaluating changes to the Ordinance, which will go to the Planning Commission before the Council for review.
The Public Comment Period opened and closed at 9:30 p.m.
Town Council Meeting Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 5
DocuSign Envelope ID: DB243F1D-7F28-435E-BD8E-B63CAB4B94F7 The Council thanked Mr. Bryant for articulating the status of projects and setting context for 2024.
REPORTS
C. Mayor and Councilmember Communications.
Mayor Wall's history fun facts for the evening: she will be the 43rd Mayor since the Town was incorporated in 1956; the first Mayor's term was six straight years, and subsequent Mayors had terms longer than the current one-year standard.
D. Volunteer Committee Updates.
None
COMMUNICATIONS
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Wall adjourned the meeting at 9:33 p.m.
erk of the Town of Woodsic
APPROVED:
- DocuSigned by:
Jennifer Wall
Mayor of the Town of Woodside
Town Council Meeting Minutes December 12, 2023 Page 6