(a) The office of public interest counsel shall report to the commission each year in a public meeting held on a date determined by the commission to be timely for the commission to include the reported information in the commission’s reports under Sections 5.178(a) and (b) and in the commission’s biennial legislative appropriations requests as appropriate:
(1) an evaluation of the office’s performance in representing the public interest in the preceding year;
(2) an assessment of the budget needs of the office, including the need to contract for outside expertise; and
(3) any legislative or regulatory changes recommended under § 5.273.
(b) The commission and the office of public interest counsel shall work cooperatively to identify performance measures for the office.