City Council Honors Utilities Director Dean Batchelor

Published on December 23, 2024

On December 16, 2024, the Palo Alto City Council made a special proclamation expressing appreciation to Utilities Director Dean Batchelor upon his retirement. They thanked him for his leadership and guidance steering the City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) through major accomplishments including adoption of a carbon neutral energy portfolio, major capital improvement projects, recruitment, succession and strategic planning. He was also lauded for his integrity and commitment to public service. The text of the proclamation read:

"PROCLAMATION OF THE COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO
EXPRESSING APPRECIATION TO DEAN BATCHELOR
UPON HIS RETIREMENT

WHEREAS, Dean Batchelor began his career with the City of Palo Alto on October 21, 2008 and has provided exemplary service for more than 16-years; and

WHEREAS, Dean Batchelor has enthusiastically served the citizens of Palo Alto as Assistant Director for Utilities Operations, as Chief Operating Officer, and Utilities Director; and

WHEREAS, Dean provided leadership and oversight for numerous Utilities capital improvement projects including: major multi-year infrastructure replacement and street improvement in downtown Palo Alto, new Corte Madera Reservoir construction, Colorado and Hanover power substations rehabilitation, rebuilding and undergrounding electric lines in the Foothills, deploying advanced metering infrastructure and smart grid technology, implementing a new electric outage management and customer notification system, launching the electric grid modernization and fiber-to-the-premises pilot project, accelerating sewer main replacement investments, and adding solar to City facilities; and

WHEREAS, Dean executed contract agreements for advantageous resource supply procurements, successfully managed finances and rates to save Palo Alto customers money on utility costs, introduced new technologies such as MyCPAU online account management to improve customer service and efficiencies, implemented new customer programs for environmental sustainability such as the carbon neutral gas offset program and sustainability and climate action plan, and won awards on behalf of the City of Palo Alto Utilities for leadership in utilities safety and operations, smart energy program structure, and the customer experience.

WHEREAS, Dean has strengthened the Utilities Department’s recruitment, retention, succession preparation and strategic planning initiatives, mentored and trained team members to provide the highest quality services for the Palo Alto community, emphasizing the importance of integrity and honesty in public service; and

WHEREAS, Dean Batchelor is recognized by his peers and City staff for being professional, knowledgeable, dependable and a team player.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Palo Alto does hereby extend its sincere appreciation to Dean Batchelor for his dedication and excellent service rendered to the City."

This proclamation was signed by the Mayor and the City Council members.