THIS POINT. OKAY. OKAY. >> ALL RIGHT. WE’VE GOT A LITTLE LESS THAN 30 SECONDS.
FROM A PROPOSED 3.1 BILLION
DOLLAR BUDGET TO THE IDEA OF
POSSIBLY GETTING MONEY BACK
FROM CPS, ENERGY. A LOT TO TALK
ABOUT WITH SAN ANTONIO MAYOR
RON NIRENBERG TODAY. WHO WAS
OUR KSAT Q AND A GUEST. MAYOR,
GOOD TO SEE YOU. WE WANT TO
START WITH CPS ENERGY BECAUSE
WE’VE GOT SOME NEWS ASIDE FROM
THE IDEA OF POTENTIALLY GETTING
MONEY BACK. RUDY GARZA, INTERIM
PRESIDENT AND CEO OF CPS WILL
BE TAKING ON THAT POSITION
FULL-TIME PERMANENTLY. SO TALK
ABOUT WHAT LED INTO THAT
DECISION.
>> SURE. WELL, THE SEARCH FOR
HIM WAS ENGAGED BY THE BOARD
AND THE ORGANIZATION TO START
DEVELOPING THE PROFILE OF THE
NEXT PERMANENT CEO AT THE SAME
TIME, OBVIOUSLY, RUDY GARZA HAS
BEEN OUR INTERIM CEO HAS BEEN
DOING A STELLAR JOB. SO WE HAD
CHECKED IN AS WE DO IS PART OF
THE SEARCH PROCESS, TOO DISCUSS
NEXT STEPS IN. AND FROM MY
PERSPECTIVE, THE PROFILE THAT
WAS THE CONSENSUS THAT WAS
FORMS FROM THE INPUT IN THAT
PROCESS REALLY REVEALED THAT
RUDY GARZA HAS EXEMPLIFYING THE
KIND OF LEADER WE WANT TO SEE
GOING FORWARD ADDRESSING THE
CHALLENGES INTERNALLY AND
EXTERNALLY OF THE ORGANIZATION
STABILIZING SOME OF THE THINGS
THAT CREATED A ROCKY
ENVIRONMENT FOR ENERGY SYSTEMS
AROUND THE COUNTRY AND
ULTIMATELY HAVING A VISION FOR
THE FUTURE. SO THE NEXT STEP
WE ENTER INTO DISCUSSIONS WITH
RUDY IS THE FINALISTS FOR THAT
POSITION. AND IF WE CAN COME TO
TERMS ON A CONTRACT THAT HE
WILL BE OUR NEXT AND CEO AFTER
A BOARD APPROVAL. RIGHT NOW
WE’RE GOING ON TO THE NEXT
STEPS. AND THAT’S WHERE WE ARE
TODAY AS A BOARD IS AS
DISCUSSIONS WITH FRUITY ABOUT
POSSIBLY SHOWING THAT A
PERMANENT ROLE.
>> AND MAYOR STICKING WITH CPS
HERE FOR A MOMENT. AS YOU GUYS
ARE WORKING ON THE BUDGET FOR
NEXT YEAR. THERE’S BEEN TALK
ABOUT A CPS HAVING A WINDFALL,
SOME OF THAT MONEY COMING BACK
TO US. WE’RE ALL HAVING VERY
HIGH BILLS THIS SUMMER. WHAT IS
THE POTENTIAL FOR A REBATE FOR
CUSTOMERS?
>> THAT IS THE RECOMMENDATION
OF THE CITY MANAGER AND I
SUPPORTED. THERE’S STILL SOME
DISCUSSION
GOING ON AT THE COUNCIL OF THE
CHALLENGES. THE EXTRAORDINARILY
HIGH BILLS THAT PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN EXPERIENCING ALL ACROSS
THE STATE ARE REALLY THE RESULT
OF SURGING GAS PRICES. AND SO
ALL OF THOSE PASS THROUGH ARE
ARE FRANKLY A LARGE PART OF
THAT PASSES THROUGH DIRECTLY TO
THE GAS COMPANIES THAT, YOU
KNOW, PRODUCE ELECTRICITY FOR
ENERGY COMPANIES ACROSS THE
STATE. SO THOSE ARE IN THE
FORMS OF PROFITS THAT, YOU
KNOW, PEOPLE WANT TO SEE BACK
IN ARE NOT EVEN PART OF A CPS
REVENUE. BUT AS PART OF THE THE
CPS REVENUE, THERE’S A 14% SURE
THAT THOSE CITY THAT DOES
THINGS LIKE PAID STREETS AND
ALL THIS OTHER STUFF THAT ENJOY
A CITY SERVICES. SO BECAUSE OF
THAT HIGH REVENUE, THERE ISN’T
ADDITIONAL INCREMENT THAT THE
CITY HAS RECEIVED AND WHERE
THE PROPOSAL IS TO SEND SOME OF
THAT BACK STATE STATUTE
PREVENTS US FROM DISCRIMINATING
BETWEEN CLASSES OF CUSTOMERS,
COMMERCIAL, ETC. SO IF WE ARE
GOING TO REBATE SOME OF THAT
MONEY THAT PEOPLE PAID BACK AS
A RESULT OF THOSE TYPE FEELS IT
HAS TO GO BACK THE WAY IT CAME
IN. SO THAT’S THE PROPOSE ON
AND ON AVERAGE, IT’S ABOUT 30
BUCKS HIGHER ENERGY USERS ARE
GOING TO GET MORE IN A
OBVIOUSLY. AND FOLKS CAN OPT
OUT AS WELL IF THEY WOULD LIKE
TO CONTRIBUTE THEIR
REBATE TO, YOU PROGRAMS THAT
HELP LOWER-INCOME CUSTOMERS.
AND CERTAINLY WE WOULD LOVE TO
SEE THAT HAPPEN. BUT IF WE DO
THE REBATE, IT WILL GO BACK
TO WORK, CAME AND AGAIN, NOT
WITH THOSE GAS PROFITS THAT
THAT WERE ALREADY TAKEN OUT OF
THOSE REVENUES. AND, OF COURSE,
THIS IS JUST PART OF THE BUDGET
PROPOSAL THAT IS STILL BEING
WORKED ON BY COUNCIL. I BELIEVE
SEPTEMBER 17TH IS WHEN IT IS
SUPPOSED TO BE.
>> VOTED ON. SO WE’LL SEE WHAT
ALL SHAKES OUT BETWEEN NOW AND
THEN. BUT PART OF THAT BUDGET
PROPOSAL INCLUDES A PROPERTY
TAX CUT RATE.
>> SO COULD YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IS
BEING PROPOSED THERE AND HOW
IT COINCIDES WITH WITH STATE
REQUIREMENTS.
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE
PRIORITIES OF OF ME AND MY
COLLEAGUES OVER THE YEARS HAS