PUC reports cautious optimism on budgets; WESIP rebaseline and SSIP progress highlighted

At the Dec. 13 commission meeting, the PUC’s finance and capital leaders presented quarterly results and capital‑program updates that showed cautious improvement in several financial metrics and detailed program schedules and workforce outcomes.

CFO Eric Sandler said Q1 (July–Sept) fiscal results show modest revenue increases for water (~$6.6M) and wastewater and modest declines for power sales tied to wholesale market prices. He noted a $24M savings in debt service from a refunding and said Clean Power SF is broadly on target with the budget but will be reforecast after November enrollments.

Karen Kubik (Wastewater Enterprise) updated the Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP): 3 of 70 projects are 'red' (>=6 months delay), 10 projects in construction, and Phase I reflects $2.9B in approved funding. Kubik highlighted workforce outcomes: San Francisco residents worked 38% of project hours and apprentices (entry‑level) were 75% San Francisco residents, exceeding the city's 50% target.

Dan Wade (Hetch Hetchy capital) said the program is being rebaselined to align the quarterly report with the newly approved ten‑year CIP; he listed specific project overruns and schedule delays and forecast that the REM fire program will likely come in under budget by about $3.7M with insurance and grant reimbursements still to be collected.

What’s next: Staff will return early next year with rebaseline results, a proposed policies review for mid‑cycle budgeting, and a workforce development policy to be considered for future agendas.