Sacramento Utilities Rate Advisory Commission Meeting - January 25, 2023
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Sacramento Utilities Rate Advisory Commission Meeting – January 25, 2023
The Utilities Rate Advisory Commission met virtually on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, at 5:31 p.m., adjourning at 6:13 p.m. The commission approved the previous meeting minutes, received updates on the Department of Utilities’ first‑quarter performance, elected a chair and vice chair for 2023, and reviewed the Council Rules of Procedure.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of September 28, 2022 Meeting Minutes (File ID: 2022‑02496): The commission passed a motion (5‑0, with Commissioner Rae Vander Werf absent) to approve the minutes of the September 28, 2022 meeting.
Discussion Items
- Department of Utilities Accountability Plan Update – 1st Quarter of Fiscal Year 2023 (File ID: 2022‑02530): Interim Director Pravani Vandeyar and Business Services Manager Ryan Pham presented the quarterly report. Key statistics: as of September 30, 2022, there were 9,022 residential participants and 5 non‑profit organizations in the Sacramento Utility Rate Advisory (SURA) program; $957,156 was spent in the first quarter of FY2023 out of a total budget of $4.8 million. Cumulative water use reduction from June 2021 through September 2022 was 10% compared to 2020 and 26% compared to 2013. The department reported that over 85% of audit recommendations had been implemented. A new reserve fund policy was approved by City Council the previous evening, establishing minimums of 120 days of working capital for operations, 25% of maximum annual debt service for rate stabilization, and a capital reserve target covering five years of capital improvement funding. Commissioner Lara Johnson noted a typographical error in the written CIP financing memo on page 205 (a possible misplaced “million”) and the department agreed to review it. The item was received and filed, with no vote required.
- Selection of Chair and Vice Chair for Calendar Year 2023 (File ID: 2022‑02289): Commissioner Melissa Lee nominated Commissioner Megan Fidell for chair; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously (6‑0, with Vander Werf voting later). Commissioner Lee then nominated Commissioner Connie Gutowsky for vice chair; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously (6‑0). Both are one‑year terms.
- Council Rules of Procedure Review (Oral Report, File ID: 2022‑02325): City Clerk Mindy Cuppy provided an oral update on the November 2022 revisions to the Council Rules of Procedure, which apply to all city boards, commissions, and committees. High‑level changes include formalized teleconference participation, a standard meeting order, and a requirement for advisory bodies to maintain a future agenda items log. The item was received and filed.
Key Outcomes
- Vote on Consent Calendar: Motion passed 5‑0 (Commissioner Vander Werf absent).
- Vote on Chair (Megan Fidell): Motion passed 6‑0.
- Vote on Vice Chair (Connie Gutowsky): Motion passed 6‑0.
- Next Steps: Chair Fidell announced she would place a work‑planning discussion item on the February 2023 agenda for the commission to consider potential projects beyond rate reviews. The department committed to providing a capital improvement program financing update at the next meeting and to correcting the typographical error in the written report.
Meeting Transcript
Chair staff is ready when you are good evening and welcome to the January 25th, 2023 Utilities Rate Advisory Commission meeting. The meeting is now called to order. Will the Kirk please call the role to establish a quorum? Yes, thank you, Chair. Commissioner Glitchowski. Here. Thank you. Commissioner Johnson. Here. Thank you. Commissioner Lee. Here. Thank you. Commissioner Zito. Here. Thank you. Vice Chair Vanderworf. Is currently absent. And Chair Fidel. Here. Thank you. We have a quorum. Great. This meeting is virtual via Zoom. For members of the public who wish to join, please refer to the agenda for the Zoom link. Once you have joined the meeting and wish to speak, raise your hand to provide public comment when the chair confirms the public comment speaking period for your desired item. If you're online, click on raise hand on the bottom of your screen. In the mobile app, you can raise your hand by tapping the raise hand option in the more tab. If you're calling in via telephone to raise your hand, dial nine, start dial star nine. Then to unmute or mute, dial star six. Speakers will be called on by the last four digits of their phone number. You will have two minutes to speak once you are called on. We will now proceed with today's agenda. Please rise for the opening acknowledgments in honor of Sacramento's indigenous people and tribal lands. To the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains Miwok, Patwan Wintun peoples, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized trial. May me may we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together in the act of practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples' history, contribution, and lives. Thank you. Please remand remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. You can sit. Thank you, Chair. I do not see any hands raised for the consent calendar. Thank you. Thank you. Are there any commissioners who wish to speak on this item? No. Okay. Is there a motion and a second for the consent calendar? I move that we adopt the previous meeting minutes.
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