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PUC asks for mid‑cycle adjustments; board reviews Community Choice Aggregation startup funding
Summary
Public Utilities Commission sought $2.17M in mid‑cycle adjustments for new service installations, salary changes and a flood management grant; PUC also asked for a $4M Hetch Hetchy fund loan and release of $2.2M in reserves to launch CleanPowerSF (community choice aggregation). Budget analysts recommended modifications and placement of portions on controller—s reserve.
Harlan Kelly, general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, told the committee the PUC is requesting a mid‑cycle operating adjustment of $2,170,000 to cover new service installations, salary conversions (including moving temporary positions to permanent following a SEIU memorandum) and a $250,000 flood management grant program to help vulnerable property owners address localized flooding and backflow prevention needs.
Kelly said the PUC has kept operating budgets largely flat while timing and phasing capital projects and locking in low‑cost bond financing. He flagged revenue pressure from drought‑related declines in retail and wholesale water and power sales and said some costs will be offset by planned reserves.
On related items, the committee considered two CCA‑related proposals (items 14 and 15) to release $2.2 million and to authorize a $4.0 million short‑term loan from Hetch Hetchy Fund balance to support the CleanPowerSF launch. Barbara Hale, assistant general manager for power, said the $2.2 million would fund pre‑launch costs including staffing, technical consultants and required pre‑enrollment notices, while the $4.0 million loan would provide working capital for early billing and customer remittances and be repaid from program revenues by early 2018.
The Board—s budget analyst recommended amending the ordinance to place $4.0 million on controller—s reserve until needed and to release $1,820,799 of the $2.2 million while placing the remainder on controller—s reserve pending filling vacant positions. The committee adopted a motion forwarding the items to the full Board with positive recommendations and directed the reserves treatment described by analysts.
