Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, September 9, 2024 ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, September 9, 2024 The Electric Utility Commission convened in a regular called meeting on Monday, September 9, 2024, at Austin Energy Headquarters, 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723. Chair Dave Tuttle called the Electric Utility Commission meeting to order at 6:06 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Commissioner Dave Tuttle, Chair; Commissioner Kaiba White, Vice Chair; Commissioner Jonathon Blackburn; Commissioner Joshua Rhodes Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Commissioner Raul Alvarez; Commissioner Cesar Benavides; Commissioner Cyrus Reed. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL • Becky Halpin- Gen Plan • Richard Halpin- Gen Plan APPROVAL OF MINUTES 2024. 1. Approve the minutes of the Electric Utility Commission Regular Meeting on August 12, The motion approving the minutes of the Regular Electric Utility Commission meeting of August 12, 2024, were approved on Commissioner Blackburn’s motion, Commissioner Rhodes’s second on an 6-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent, Commissioner Alvarez off the dais, and one vacancy. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON RECOMMENDATIONS 2. Recommend approval of a resolution authorizing the filing of eminent domain proceedings and payment to acquire the property interests needed for a Permanent Electric Transmission and Distribution Easement, consisting of approximately 0.153 acres (6,668 square feet) of land in two parts (3,709 square feet and 2,959 square feet) generally located at 6900 South Interstate Highway 35, Austin, Texas 78745 and being a portion of Lots 1A and 2A, Forrest C. Walker Subdivision, a Subdivision recorded in Book 75, Page 219; and a Temporary Construction Easement, consisting of approximately 0.0734 acres (3,196 square feet) of land generally located at 6940 South Interstate Highway 35, Austin, Texas 78745 and being a portion of Lot 2A Forrest C. Walker Subdivision, a Subdivision recorded in Book 75, Page 219 Official Public Records of Travis County, Texas, from Long Real Estate Holdings, LLC. The property is currently appraised at $556,853, subject to an increase in value based on  ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, September 9, 2024 updated appraisals or a Special Commissioner’s award. The motion to approve a recommendation approving a resolution authorizing the filing of eminent domain proceedings and payment to acquire the property interests needed for a Permanent Electric Transmission and Distribution Easement were approved on Vice Chair White’s motion, Chair Tuttle’s second on a 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 3. Recommend approval of a resolution authorizing the filing of eminent domain proceedings and payment to acquire the property interests needed for a Temporary Construction Easement, consisting of approximately 0.0703 acres (3,062 square feet) of land generally located at 8309 South Interstate Highway 35, Austin, Texas 78744 (PID 430743) and being out of the Santiago Del Valle Survey No. 24, Travis County, Texas. Being a portion of Lot 1E Mrs. Rosa J. Spillman Estate, a Subdivision Recorded October 15, 1956, in Book 8, Page 15, Plat Records of Travis County, Texas, from Emil E. Spillmann, Stephanie S. Koch & Stacy S. Greene, Charlene W. Spillmann, Charles Douglas Spillmann, Mildred Anne Witt, Carl G. Knape, Luanne Pillsbury Slaughter, Lexine Spillmann, and Sherrill D. Spillmann Oates and The Estate of Richard D. Spillmann. The property is currently appraised at $20,209, subject to an increase in value based on updated appraisals or a Special Commissioner’s Award. The motion to approve a recommendation approving a resolution authorizing the filing of eminent domain proceedings and payment to acquire the property interests needed for a Temporary Construction Easement was approved on Vice Chair White’s motion, Chair Tuttle’s second on a 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 4. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of three contracts for utility wood poles with Koppers Utility and Industrial Products. Inc., Techline Inc, and Texas Electric Cooperatives, for up to five years for total contract amounts not to exceed $15,000,000 divided among the contractors. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing negotiation and execution of three contracts for utility wood poles were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 5. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for call center quality monitoring services with The Northridge Group, Inc., for up to five years for a total contract amount not to exceed $4,000,000. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for call center quality monitoring services were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 6. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for the design and fabrication of steel transmission poles with KBS Electrical Distributors Inc, for up to five years for a total contract amount not to exceed $15,000,000. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for the design and fabrication of steel transmission poles were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy.  ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, September 9, 2024 7. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for utility advanced metering infrastructure services with Landis+Gyr Technology Inc. for up to ten years for a total contract amount not to exceed $89,000,000. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for utility advanced metering infrastructure services were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 8. Recommend authorizing execution of a contract for crane rental and operation services with GAC Equipment LLC D/B/A Austin Crane Service, for up to three years for a total contract amount not to exceed $1,000,000. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing execution of a contract for crane rental and operation services were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 9. Recommend authorizing an amendment to a contract for continued hosted software for valuing, simulation, and managing Austin Energy’s energy portfolio with Ascend Analytics, LLC to increase the amount by $340,000 for a revised total contract amount not to exceed $1,660,000. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing an amendment to a contract for continued hosted software for valuing, simulation, and managing Austin Energy’s energy portfolio were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 10. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for decommission and removal of District Cooling Plant #4 at Austin Convention Center, with Texas Airsystems, LLC D/B/A Texas Airsystems, in an amount not to exceed $1,597,778. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for decommission and removal of District Cooling Plant #4 at Austin Convention Center were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 11. Recommend authorizing execution of a contract for construction services for the Timber Creek Substation project with Bobcat Heavy Civil, LLC, in the amount of $9,752,169 plus, a $1,000,000 contingency, for a total contract amount not to exceed $10,752,169. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing execution of a contract for construction services for the Timber Creek Substation project were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 12. Recommend authorizing issuance of rebates for multifamily and commercial customer energy efficiency measures by Austin Energy during Fiscal Year 2024-2025 in the aggregate amounts of $3,450,000 for multifamily programs and $3,300,000 for commercial programs, for a total combined budget amount of $6,750,000.  ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, September 9, 2024 The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing issuance of rebates for multifamily and commercial customer energy efficiency measures by Austin Energy during Fiscal Year 2024-2025 were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 13. Recommend authorizing issuance of commercial and multifamily solar incentives during Fiscal Year 2024-2025, in an amount not to exceed $4,000,000 for customer-sited commercial solar installations and $3,000,000 for customer-sited multifamily installations, for a total combined budget amount of $7,000,000. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing issuance of commercial and multifamily solar incentives during Fiscal Year 2024-2025 were approved on Vice Chair White’s motion, Chair Tuttle’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 14. Recommend approval issuing of capacity-based incentives to Eanes Independent School District, for installation of solar electric systems on their facilities located at 3301 Pinnacle Road, 1110 Westbank Drive, 4100 Westbank Drive, 1203 S Capital of Texas HWY NB, 6401 Cedar Street, 601 Camp Craft Road, 4100 Westbank Drive, 1314 Patterson Road, 9201 Scenic Bluff Drive, in an amount not to exceed $2,725,127. The motion to approve a recommendation approving issuing of capacity-based incentives to Eanes Independent School District, for installation of solar electric systems on their facilities were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 15. Recommend approval of a resolution authorizing the filing of eminent domain proceedings and payment to acquire the property interests needed for the Cap Ex South, CKT987&1031 Structure Relocation 2021 project for the public use of relocating transmission electric structures and line to accommodate the Texas Department of Transportation’s expansion of Interstate Highway 35 (I-35), requiring the acquisition of a Permanent Electric Transmission and Distribution Easement, consisting of 0.181 acres (7,884 square feet) of land generally located at Foremost Drive, Austin, Texas 78745 and being out of the William Cannon League Survey No. 19, Abstract No. 6, Travis County, Texas. Being a portion of Lot 2, Foremost Lot 2, conveyed by Special Warranty Deed, Document No. 2018031037 Official Public Records of Travis County, Texas, from OH Foremost, LP, a Texas Limited Partnership. The property is currently appraised at $14,980 and is subject to an increase in value based on updated appraisals or a Special Commissioner’s award. The owner of the needed property is OH Foremost, LP, a Texas Limited Partnership. The property is located at 00 Foremost Drive, Austin, TX 78745. The general route of the project is along I-35 from State Highway 71 south to State Highway 45. The motion to approve a recommendation approving of a resolution authorizing the filing of eminent domain proceedings and payment to acquire the property interests needed for the Cap Ex South, CKT987&1031 Structure Relocation 2021 project for the public use of relocating transmission electric structures and line to accommodate the Texas Department of Transportation’s expansion of Interstate Highway 35 (I-35) was approved on Vice Chair White’s motion, Chair Tuttle’s second on a 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy.  ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, September 9, 2024 16. Recommend approval authorizing negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary or desirable to acquire a Permanent Electric Transmission and Distribution Easement, consisting of approximately 0.0330 acres (1,438 square feet) of land generally located at 8601 S. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78745 and being out of the William Cannon League Survey No. 19, Abstract No. 6, Travis County, Texas. Being a portion of Lot 1, Block A, Oaks at Slaughter, a Subdivision recorded in Document No.201900203 Official Public Records of Travis County, Texas, from CL Oaks at Slaughter TX, LP in an amount not to exceed $80,429. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary or desirable to acquire a Permanent Electric Transmission and Distribution Easement were approved on Commissioner Rhodes’s motion, Commissioner Blackburn’s second on an 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. 17. Recommend conducting a public hearing and consider proposed terms, rate and fee changes for Austin Energy – Solar Standard Offer Rider – Solar Integrator; High Load Factor Primary Voltage (Demand greater than or equal to 20,000 kW); and High Load Factor Transmission Voltage (Demand greater than or equal to 20 MW). No action was taken on this item. This item will be moved to the Special Called Meeting on September 30, 2024. 18. Recommend approval to consider an ordinance repealing and replacing Article 12 of the City Code Chapter 25-12 (Technical Codes) to adopt the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code and local amendments and creating offenses. The motion to approve a recommendation to consider an ordinance repealing and replacing Article 12 of the City Code Chapter 25-12 (Technical Codes) to adopt the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code and local amendments and creating offenses were approved on Commissioner Reed’s motion, Vice Chair White’s second on a 7-0 vote with Commissioners Akande, Chapman, and Kirksey absent and one vacancy. STAFF BRIEFINGS 19. Staff briefing and process update on the Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan by Lisa Martin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, and Lynda Rife, President of Rifeline. The briefing was presented by Lisa Martin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer and Lynda Rife, President of Rifeline. 20. Staff briefing and Modeling Overview for the Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan by Michael Enger, Vice President of Energy Market Operations and Resource Planning, and Ben Anderson, Senior Energy Analyst at Ascend Analytics. The briefing was presented by Michael Enger, Vice President of Energy Market Operations and Resource Planning, and Ben Anderson, Senior Energy Analyst at Ascend Analytics. 21. Staff briefing on the Solar Standard Offer Program by Tim Harvey, Customer Renewable Solutions Manager, Austin Energy. The briefing was presented by Tim Harvey, Customer Renewable Solutions Manager, Austin Energy.  ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Distribution System Upgrades and results of the Reliability Study • Solar Standard Offer • Solar For All Monday, September 9, 2024 ADJOURNMENT Chair Tuttle adjourned the meeting at 7:53 p.m. without objection. The meeting minutes were approved at the October 21, 2024 meeting on Commissioner Chapman’s motion, Commissioner Reed’s second on an 10-0 vote with one vacancy.