Plans for a new citizen input committee at CPS Energy have been shelved, as officials say the finer points need to be ironed out with the public. In a meeting on Monday, the utility's trustees were divided on pushing forward with the committee's formation without further public insight. The proposed Community Input Committee (CIC) is expected to replace CPS Energy's Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) and Rate Advisory Committee (RAC), covering pressing issues like rate structures and energy generation portfolios. However, the CPS board members have called for the brakes, demanding citizen feedback on the committee's bylaws before proceeding further.
A report by the San Antonio Report detailed the trustees' split vote that has paused the creation of the new committee. Trustees voiced their discomfort with approving the new committee's bylaws without public discussion.“[It] puzzles me why our proposed CIC bylaws are cloaked in this manner — it seems to me it would have been quite helpful and wouldn’t have caused any harm that I’m aware of” to make them public," trustee John Steen told the publication, highlighting that the bylaws were sent via a confidential email urging discretion.
Meanwhile, according to the Express-News, trustee Francine Sanders Romero stressed the importance of transparency, remarking, “I don’t want to be reading this in the newspaper tomorrow that the trustees approved bylaws for a Community Input Committee, but the community didn’t have any input,” This sentiment underlines a growing concern over CPS Energy's decision-making process and follows efforts to regain public trust after the costly impact of Winter Storm Uri.
The CIC, a fusion of the spirit of the defunct RAC and the historical significance of the CAC, has been a subject of discussion among CPS and its trustees. While some board members have advocated for a streamlined approach to gathering public input, opting for one inclusive committee, the board remains insistent on public involvement in shaping the bylaws. CPS Energy's interim chief executive, Rudy Garza, noted the intention to bring as much community input into the utility's decision-making processes as possible—a clear indication that the utility is trying to navigate the complex waters of public trust and regulatory responsibility.
The decision to delay the committee's formation reflects a broader recognition by the CPS Energy trustees that community involvement is crucial in guiding the utility's policies, especially in light of the looming rate increase deliberations. The CIC is poised to become a significant platform for public engagement, should the trustees and the San Antonio community find common ground on its scope and operational bylaws. With officials pledging to make the revised bylaws available for public scrutiny shortly, it appears that CPS Energy is taking a step towards ensuring its deliberations are not just about power in the electrical sense, but also about empowering the voices of its customer base.
