The Irvine City Council voted 3-2 to remain with the Orange County Power Authority on Dec. 29 in hopes of reforming the Community Choice Energy corporation despite concerns over transparency and leadership.

The Irvine City Council decided to continue their partnership with OCPA for at least another six months, despite major financial and transparency concerns found in a city report.

Councilmembers Larry Agran and Mike Carroll voted in dissent, while Mayor Farrah Khan, Vice Mayor Tammy Kim and Councilwoman Kathleen Treseder affirmed the final decision to stay with the OCPA with visions for change.

“Can [OCPA] be more transparent? Yes. Can it have better-qualified personnel? Yes. Are we able to achieve those if we work collaboratively? Yes,” Khan said to VoiceofOC. “[I would rather] actually work to make it better and provide options for our residents and businesses and help us get to 100% renewable energy faster.”

OCPA currently powers customers in Irvine, Huntington Beach, Fullerton and Buena Park. The Orange County Board of Supervisors announced their discontinuation with OCPA on Dec. 20, and it remains to be seen whether the other cities contracted with OCPA will also terminate their contracts.

A recent report dated Dec. 9 by Local Power LLC says the Power Authority’s problems include its poor communication with customers as they failed to make it clear that residents can opt out, costs for basic service plans that do not match the rates offered by Southern California Edison and a top manager who lacks “energy market” experience, according to the OC Register.

The Irvine City Council staff also mentioned that withdrawal from the OCPA would severely impact the city’s finances. Although OCPA has not provided the city with a number, staff believe the exit fee would be around $145 million, according to California City News.

Opposing concerns arose at the December City Council meeting regarding OCPA’s long-continued transparency and accountability problems. There was a debate over the current CEO’s inexperience and whether the City Council’s decision would truly lead to a fix in the corporation’s systematic problems.

“If the motion adopting the notice of withdrawal had been adopted, that would have incentivized the new board at OCPA to immediately undertake the reforms that are desperately needed,” Councilmember Larry Agran said to the Epoch Times.

The newly elected OCPA Board of Directors, including Kim and Treseder from the Irvine City Council, are now working to provide solutions for OCPA.

In late January, Treseder threatened to call for a special City Council meeting in February to pull her vote away from allowing Irvine to continue operating with the OCPA if the controversial CEO is not replaced.

“We look forward to continuing to work with all of our member agencies to build on OCPA’s already strong financial position and bring more renewable energy to Orange County to create healthier, more resilient communities,” OCPA officials said in a press release on Jan.17.