CT Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative CMEEC

MINUTES OF THE REGULAR HYBRID MEETING OF THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OF THE BOARDS OF DIRECTORS OF CONNECTICUT MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC ENERGY COOPERATIVE AND CONNECTICUT TRANSMISSION MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC ENERGY COOPERATIVE January 7, 2025 A Regular Hybrid Meeting of the Joint Legislative and Governmental Affairs Committee of the Joint Boards of Directors of Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (“CMEEC”) and Connecticut Transmission Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative (“CTMEEC” dba “Transco”) was held in person at 30 Stott Avenue, Norwich, CT and via Zoom on Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 1:00 p.m. The meeting was legally noticed in compliance with Connecticut General Statutes and all proceedings and all actions thereafter recorded occurred during the publicly open portions of the meeting. The following Committee Members participated via Zoom: Bozrah Light & Power: Scott Barber East Norwalk Municipal Representative: Pete Johnson Groton Municipal Representative: Mark Oefinger Jewett City Department of Public Utilities: Louis Demicco Jewett City Municipal Representative: George Kennedy Norwich Public Utilities: Chris Riley (NPU Non-BOD Member) Norwich Municipal Representative: David Eggleston The following Non-Voting Members participated via Zoom: Bozrah Light & Power: William Ballinger Jewett City Department of Public Utilities: Elier Alvarado South Norwalk Electric & Water: David Westmoreland The following CMEEC Staff participated in person: Lauren Gaudet, CMEEC Administrative & Sustainability Specialist Chantal Maxwell, CMEEC Administrative Services Coordinator Pat Meek, CMEEC Director of Finance & Accounting Dave Meisinger, CMEEC CEO Others participated via Zoom: Timothy Shea, BrownRudnick David Silverstone, Esquire Municipal Electric Consumer Advocate Ms. Gaudet recorded. Committee Chair Louis Demicco called the meeting to order at 1:02 p.m. noting for the record that today’s meeting is being held in person at 30 Stott Avenue, Norwich, CT and via Zoom. Committee Chair Demicco reminded participants to keep their devices on mute unless speaking to eliminate background noise and to state their names when speaking for clarity of the record. Specific Agenda Item A Public Comment Period No public comment was made. B Roll Call Ms. Gaudet conducted roll call. Committee Chair Demicco confirmed a quorum of the Committee was present. C Select 2025 Joint Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Committee Chair Demicco opened the floor for nominations for Chair of this Committee for 2025. Committee Member Barber nominated Committee Chair Demicco to serve as Chair for 2025. No other nominations were made. A motion was made by Committee Member Barber, seconded by Committee Member Eggleston, to appoint Committee Member Demicco as Chair of the Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee for 2025. Motion passed unanimously. D Approve Minutes of the May 16, 2024 Regular Hybrid Meeting of the Joint Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee A motion was made by Committee Member Eggleston, seconded by Committee Member Oefinger to Approve the Minutes of the May 16, 2024 Regular Hybrid Meeting of the Joint Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee. Motion passed unanimously. E Connecticut General Assembly Update: Timothy Shea, BrownRudnick Mr. Shea guided the Committee through the BrownRudnick slide deck that was shared in advance of today’s meeting. He explained that this year’s Legislative Session begins on January 8, 2025 and concludes on June 4, 2025. Mr. Shea added that the anticipated deadline for the Energy and Technology Committee to vote bills out is March 16, 2025. He noted that bills may be proposed by individual legislators until the third week of January and by Committees until the second week of March. Mr. Shea summarized the recent changes in the composition of the State Senate and State House of Representatives for the Committee. He noted that the leadership for the Energy and Technology Committee remains the same as it was for the 2024 Session. Next, Mr. Shea outlined the key issues before the state legislature in 2025. He explained that the “fiscal guardrails” used in the new biennial state budget will be a major topic of discussion and potential modification. The “fiscal guardrails” consist of the spending cap, revenue cap, volatility adjustment, housing, health care costs, artificial intelligence, climate change, and tax changes. Mr. Shea then reviewed the potential issues that the Energy and Technology Committee are currently expected to tackle in the 2025 Session, including electric rates for regulated retail customers, appointment of additional PURA Commissioners, energy efficiency, Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETS), and community access television programming. Finally, Mr. Meisinger explained that following several discussions with Mr. Silverstone and other key stakeholders, CMEEC is currently in the early stages of exploring the possibility of eliminating the Municipal Electric Consumer Advocate (MECA) position that was added to the state statutes in 2017. Mr. Silverstone conveyed his general support for the removal of the position, stating that he feels that its marginal utility has been decreasing annually. Discussion followed. F Review the Results of the Joint Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee Self- Evaluation and Discuss 2025 Goals Ms. Gaudet led the Committee through the results of its annual self-evaluation. She observed that there was greater survey participation this year than last year, with responses from seven of nine Committee members. Ms. Gaudet explained that all except one question earned an average score of at least three out of four. She noted that the topic of the lowest-scoring question was the efficacy of the new Committee member orientation process, suggesting that there is room for improvement in that area.  The Committee discussed their proposed goals for 2025 and agreed to prioritize improving communication through the 2025 Legislative Session. Mr. Meisinger informed the Committee that those interested in receiving regular legislative updates should contact him or Ms. Gaudet to be added to the BrownRudnick email distribution list. G Review the Joint Legislative & Governmental Affairs Committee Charter Committee Chair Demicco introduced the Charter review to the Committee and explained that the current Charter was approved in January of 2021. Mr. Meisinger noted that while he has three primarily semantic changes in mind for the Charter, he would prefer to wait until substantive changes are also needed to make those revisions. Therefore, staff does not currently recommend any changes to the Charter, and no other changes were requested or proposed by any Committee members. H New Business There was no new business. I Adjourn A motion was made by Committee Member Barber, seconded by Committee Member Johnson to adjourn. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 1:51 p.m.