[00:00:03]
THE WAY IT WAS PRESENTED, UH, IS PROBABLY THE BEST WAY OF APPROACHING THIS.
[1. Approval of the January 13, 2020, Regular Meeting Minutes]
I HAVE A HOUSEKEEPING QUESTION THOUGH, BEFORE WE GET STARTED HERE, DID I MISS OR OVERSEE OVERLOOK THE, UH, JANUARY 13 MINUTES, 13TH MINUTES.STAFF LOOK INTO THAT RIGHT NOW.
REGARDLESS SINCE THERE'S ONLY SIX OF US, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GOING TO PROBABLY HAVE TO, WELL, NOT PROBABLY, WE'RE GOING TO DEFER THAT ITEM UNTIL OUR NEXT, UH, MEETING, SINCE WE WOULDN'T HAVE ENOUGH VOTES AND I WOULD HAVE TO RECUSE MYSELF ON THAT ONE.
SO MOVING RIGHT ALONG GUYS, WE CAN MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO, WHICH IS NEW BUSINESS.
[2.A. Discussion and Action: Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) Brownfields]
AND I THINK THE FIRST ITEM IS THE DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON THE A, A R R BROWNSVILLE BROWNFIELD.UH, WHAT IS IT? UH, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, BROWNFIELD ITEM.
I THINK KEN, SOMEBODY WAS GOING TO SPEAK TO THAT.
IS THAT RIGHT? THAT'S CORRECT.
WE HAVE, CHRISTINE WHITNEY IS GOING TO COME UP AND TALK ABOUT THAT.
UM, WE HAVE HAD TWO PRIOR ROTATION LISTS THAT WE HAVE MANAGED THROUGH THE CITY, UM, FOR OUR GRANT FUNDING AND JUST THE OPERATIONAL DUE.
AND THIS IS JUST A SELECTION OF FIVE CONTRACTORS THAT WENT TO PANEL REVIEW AND THEY WERE SELECTED.
AND NOW WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH APPROVAL FROM COUNCIL FOR THAT ANYWAY.
SO IT'S, UH, UH, FIVE YEARS, FIVE CONTRACTORS, $3.5 MILLION AND IT'S TO PERFORM ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SERVICES.
DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? IS THAT 3.5 OR FOUR POINT? OH, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY.
ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. WHITNEY? IS THIS A REPLACEMENT FOR, OR, UM, WELL FOR AN EXISTING CONTRACT OR IS THIS SOMETHING NEW THAT WE HAVEN'T DONE BEFORE? IT'S A REPLACEMENT OF, WE HAVE ONE THAT WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF AUTHORITY.
THE LAST TIME WE DID THE RFQ, HE HAD ASKED FOR THREE CONTRACTORS FOR $1.2 MILLION AND WE BURNED THROUGH IT WITH OUR GRANT FUNDS, UM, AT A QUICK CLIP.
AND, UH, THE CAPITOL CONTRACTING OFFICE ASKED US POLITELY TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT.
SO WE'RE, UH, TRYING TO GET MORE CONTRACTORS THIS TIME, WHICH WE HAVE THEM AND, UM, A LARGER AMOUNT, WHICH WE ALSO HAVE DONE.
SO THAT'S JUST SAY THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING UP.
EVERYONE'S VALUABLE TIME WITH THIS.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS.
COULD YOU JUST EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THESE FIRMS ARE NOW APPROVED TO PROVIDE SERVICES WHO PROVIDES WHAT SERVICE AND WHAT GETS DETERMINED? WHO, YEAH, THERE'S, THERE'S A VARIETY OF THINGS THEY'RE DOING.
YOU HAVE FIVE DIFFERENT CHOICES NOW.
IF THIS IS APPROVED FOR THEN HOW YOU USE THESE ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES YOU NEED.
IT'S THE STANDARD ROTATION LIST PROCESS AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO YOU START WITH THE PERSON THAT WAS RANKED THE HIGHEST AND THEY, THEY HAVE THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO PROPOSE WORK, UM, IN LIKE, SO WHEN WORK EVENTUATES WE SAY HI, WOULD YOU LIKE HIM TO DO A PHASE ONE? AND FROM A SAYS, YES, WE WOULD.
AND THEN THEY SEND US A PROPOSAL.
SO SAID, THEN WE ENCUMBER THE FUNDS.
UM, BUT I'M SORRY, I KICKED YOU BACK TO THE QUESTION.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS PROCESS.
[00:05:01]
SAID LIKE THE STANDARD CITY PROCESS, UM, THERE ARE PRIME FIRMS AND THEY HAVE CREATED A TEAM OF, UH, FIRMS. SO NOT NECESSARILY ONE FIRM CAN COMPLETE THE ENTIRE SCOPE OF SERVICES THAT WE NEED.SO IF WE'RE GOING TO RECYCLE LAND AND BUILDINGS, WE MIGHT NEED IN AS BEST AS THE BAIT THAT THAT'S THE SPERMS, OR WE MIGHT NEED, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL INTERFERES OR WE MIGHT NEED THIS FIRM OR THAT FIRM OR SOMEONE WITH STORMWATER KNOWLEDGE.
SO THEY BUILD A TEAM AND THEY RESPONDED TO SOLICIT SOLICITATION, AND THEN WE RANKED THEM AND THAT THIS IS WHAT, THIS IS THE FIVE TOP RANKED FIRMS ARE NOW GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND THOSE WILL BE THE FIRMS THAT WE WOULD CALL ON AND THEY WE'RE GOING TO PUT UNDER CONTRACT.
AND SO THEN ONCE YOU HAVE THEM UNDER CONTRACT, THE FIVE FIRMS, THEN YOU ROTATE AT THE CITY.
YOU GO THROUGH, YOU ROTATE THROUGH ALL THE FIRMS AND THEN UNLESS, UM, THERE'S REALLY BIG EXPENSE FOR ONE FIRM.
YOU'RE GOING TO KEEP GOING ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE.
UM, BUT SAY A FIRM, ONE GETS A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLAR OR A MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT.
THEN THEY'RE GOING TO FALL OFF KIND OF IT'S, IT'S JUST THE WAY THE ROTATION LISTS WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S FAIR TO EVERYONE THAT'S RESPONDED AND EVERYONE GETS THEIR SHARE.
UM, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? AND THEN IS THIS STREAMLINED FOR YOU? WHERE DO YOU HAVE AN ISSUE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL PROJECT, ANOTHER RFP AND GET RESPONSES? OR IS THIS SOMEHOW FASTER NOW? BECAUSE THEY'RE ON THIS PRE-APPROVED LIST? OH, IT'S MUCH FASTER.
NO, AFTER THIS, WE JUST, UH, WE DO WORK ORDERS, SO WE SEND AN ASSIGNMENT NOTIFICATION LETTER AND THEN THEY RESPOND AND THEN THEY'VE SEND A PROPOSAL AND THEN WE ENCUMBER THE FUNDS AND THEN WE DO THE WORK SO THAT I WON'T SAY SEAMLESS, BUT, UM, IT'S A FAIRLY SMOOTH PROCESS.
AND JUST TO CLARIFY QUESTION, CHRISTINE, SO THIS IS ACTUALLY JUST THE STUDY.
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE ACTUAL PHYSICAL REMOVAL OF SAY, UH, AN UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK.
THIS IS JUST THE, THE EVALUATION STUDY, WHICH WOULD DETERMINE THAT YES, WE NEED TO REMOVE THIS UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANK.
AND THAT WOULD BE A SEPARATE COST.
IS THAT CORRECT? UM, ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT.
THIS IS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT WORK, UM, WHICH TECHNICALLY YOU BROUGHT UP THE ONE LOOPHOLE, UM, IN THE STATE OF TEXAS BECAUSE OF THE, UH, REGULATIONS, UM, THAT, UH, YOU CAN ACTUALLY REMOVE A TANK, WHICH IS CLEANUP, BUT YOU CAN REMOVE A TANK AND CALL IT ASSESSMENT.
AND IT IS ASSESSMENT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T TAKE A SAMPLE FROM UNDER THE TANK COLD WITHOUT REMOVING THE TANK.
SO IT'S JUST FUNNY THAT YOU SAID THAT ONE THING THAT, UH, BUT THEN IT, I'M SORRY, BUT THEN THE SITE WOULD BE REMEDIATED CORRECTLY.
LET'S SAY THEN YOU GET THE, SO THEN YOU ACTUALLY END UP MEDIATING SOMETHING WITH AN ASSESSMENT.
AND AGAIN, THE AWARD HERE IS A 4.2 MILLION, WHICH WOULD BE LITERALLY JUST ROTATED BETWEEN THE CONTRACTORS THAT ARE SELECTED HERE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? SO AT THE EXPECTED RUN RATE, HOW LONG IS THIS, WOULD THIS POTENTIALLY LAST A YEAR OR FIVE YEARS THE FULL DURATION, OR HOW DOES THAT I'M GUESSING FOUR YEARS.
YEAH, IT'D BE INTERESTING TO KIND OF SEE WHAT THE RUN RATE BOOKS.
UM, YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THE CHARTS THAT WE GET FROM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OTHER CHARTS THAT WE LOOK AT IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH WE SPEND ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.
AND OF COURSE THAT CHANGES OVER TIME SINCE THIS IS A FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT.
IT MIGHT BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THE, THIS IS CONTINGENT PART OF.
UH, THE BURN RATE, UH, IS DEPENDS ON
[00:10:01]
HOW MUCH GRANT FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVE FROM EPA.SO, UM, IF WE GET A $600,000 GRANT THAT WE APPLIED FOR VERSUS A $300,000 ONE, SO THAT ALSO PLAYS INTO IT, HOW FAST WE GO THROUGH THE FUNDS.
COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS? UH, I, I DID HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, I'M GLAD THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING THIS WORK.
I AM JUST CURIOUS HOW THIS, UH, BODY OF WORK CAME TO BE HOUSED AT ARR.
IT SEEMS A LITTLE, I DUNNO, UM, DIFFERENT THAN MOST OF THE REST OF YOUR WORK BROWN FIELDS IS ACTUALLY BEEN WITH ARR SINCE 1998.
I THINK I ACTUALLY, IF YOU WANT ME TO BORE YOU, UM, I THINK IT STARTED BECAUSE OF LANDFILLS AND THE CONCERN.
IF YOU LOOK BACK AT THE, UM, I KNOW CAT COG HAS LIKE THE LANDFILL INVENTORY AS WELL, BUT EVERYONE WAS BECOMING CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING AROUND THE CITY.
SO I THAT'S WHERE IT CAME FROM, BUT YOU CAN HEAR ALL ALONG.
ALL RIGHT, WELL, I'LL MOVE APPROVAL.
WAS THAT A KAI OR AMANDA TAYYIBA MOVES APPROVAL? DO I HEAR A SECOND YON SECONDS, HYDE, ANY DISCUSSION, FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, SAY AYE, OR RAISE YOUR HAND OR WAVE OR DO SOMETHING.
ANYONE OPPOSED? NO DISSENSION.
ANY ABSTENTIONS? NONE UNANIMOUS.
[2.B. Discussion and Action: Appoint Construction and Demolition Committee Chair]
YOU.THE NEXT ITEM HERE IS A, WHAT IS THAT? THE DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM TO A POINT? UH, MY GOSH, THE A C AND D COMMITTEE CHAIR.
KATHY, IT SEEMS AS THOUGH CHAIR IS HAVING SOME ISSUES, SOME TECHNICAL ISSUES.
IF YOU COULD TAKE OVER THE MEETING, WOULD YOU BE THERE? IS HE BACK? OKAY, GREAT.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, SIR.
YES, I WAS CHAIR, IF YOU WOULD, PLEASE TRY TO CUT OFF YOUR VIDEO AND JUST SEE IF WE CAN DO IT THROUGH THERE AND SEE IF THAT HELPS.
THERE WAS A SUGGESTION THAT YOU TURN OFF YOUR VIDEO TO REDUCE BANDWIDTH.
UH, YEAH, JUST A QUICK QUESTION.
I MEAN THE ACTUAL, JUST TO REITERATE THE, UH, COMMITTEE ITSELF CONSISTS OF, UH, AMANDA COHIBA, I'M SORRY, AMANDA, CATHY AND YON.
I GUESS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO THIS EVENING IS FIND A CHAIR FOR THIS COMMITTEE.
DO I HEAR ANY VOLUNTEERS? WELL THEN CAN WE FLIP A COIN? I, I AM COMFORTABLE WITH A RANDOM SELECTION.
WELL, KATHY YOU'RE, UH, CURRENTLY CHAIRING THE EURO.
IS THAT CORRECT? KATHY IS CHARLOTTE OFF? WE'RE TRYING TO GET HER BACK ON.
WOULD YOU FLIP THE COIN? THERE ARE.
I FEEL LIKE I'M A BIT OF A NEW BEFORE IT, THAT'S IT? YEAH.
THEY'LL BE VERY NICE TO YOU SURE.
[00:15:02]
ALL RIGHT, CATHERINE, WE GET YOU BACK ON HERE.WE CAN TAKE A VOTE ON THAT STAFF.
LET US KNOW WHEN WE GET A, OKAY.
IT'S KATHY, CORRECT? UH, YEAH, KATHY, WE, UH, YON HAS GRACIOUSLY VOLUNTEERED TO CHAIR THIS, THIS, UH, C AND D SUB COMMITTEE.
AND I HAD THOUGHT THAT YOU WOULD BE VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT, BUT, UH, I AM AND I CERTAINLY APPROVE LET'S.
YEAH, LET'S GO AHEAD AND JUST FINALIZE THIS.
I MEAN, THE FORMALITIES HERE, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF YANA, CHAIRING THE SUBCOMMITTEE.
JUST AGAIN, SCREAM, SAY HI, WHATEVER I'M.
I DON'T WANT TO BE A STICKLER, BUT DO YOU HAVE SOMEBODY WRITTEN DOWN? MAKING THE MOTION? YEAH.
YOU, BUT IT WAS KIND OF ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE DIDN'T CATCH A QUICK VOTE.
WE MIGHT NOT GET THE CHANCE, BUT UH, I'LL MOVE YAWN AS A CHAIR OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE.
AND DO I HEAR A SECOND? UH, I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THAT.
THE RECEPTION'S NOT GREAT NOW WE'RE JUST BASICALLY DOING SOME FORMALITIES HERE.
I MOVED THAT, UH, YON, UH, CHAIR, THE SANDY SUB COMMITTEE.
AND I'M LOOKING FOR A SECOND ON THAT SO WE CAN FORM.
GOOD TO, SO, SO WE DO AGAIN FOR THE RECORD, REBUILD ON THAT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, SAY AYE, OR WAVE AGAIN.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER WHITE.
[2.C. Discussion and Action: Multi-family Organic Collection Pilot Rollout—Strategic Initiatives]
MOVING ALONG THERE.ITEM TWO C IS THE MULTIFAMILY ORGANIC COLLECTION, PILOT ROLLOUT.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A PRESENTATION BY STAFF COMING UP HERE SHORTLY.
UM, CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME? YES.
UM, SO WHEN I GO SEE YOU I'M WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK A BIT ABOUT THE MULTI-FAMILY COMPOST PILOT TODAY.
UM, YOU DON'T KNOW IF I CAN CONTROL THE SLIDES OR THE NEXT FLOOD, AND NOW I DON'T KNOW FOR, FOR YOU.
SO AS A REMINDER, THE GOAL OF THE PILOT IS TO INFORM FUTURE POLICY DISCUSSIONS, UM, ABOUT COMPOSTING FOR MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES.
AND IN ORDER TO REACH THAT GOAL, THE PILOT WOULD BASICALLY ALLOW STAFF TO GATHER INFORMATION FROM THESE PROPERTIES AND THE RESIDENTS, AND START IDENTIFYING WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OR THE PAIN POINTS, AND ALSO BEST PRACTICES AROUND COMPOSTING FOR THESE TYPES OF PROPERTIES.
SO BEFORE I DELVE INTO WHERE WE ARE WITH THE PROJECT, I JUST WANTED TO GIVE A QUICK RECAP OF HOW WE GOT HERE, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S, IT'S BEEN A MINUTE.
AND SO THE PLAN WAS TO LAUNCH THE PILOT IN MARCH OF 2020.
AND AS WE ALL KNOW, OUR ROADS COMPLETELY CHANGED A YEAR AGO DUE TO COVID.
AND SO AFTER A FEW MONTHS OF LIVING, UM, IN COVID WORLD, UH, ONCE IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT IT WAS NOT LEAVING SOON, STAFF STARTED TO BRAINSTORM AND PLAN FOR A RELAUNCH TO TAKE PLACE IN FYI 21, WHICH IS THE FISCAL YEAR THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW.
AND SO STAFF CONTACTED PROPERTIES TO GAUGE OVERALL INTEREST AND OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR.
AND BASED ON THOSE RESPONSES, WE PLAN TO
[00:20:01]
RESTART IN CALENDAR YEAR 2021, UH, MARCH WAS ORIGINALLY SET AS A STARTING MONTH, UH, TO COVER MULTIPLE SEASONS AND WEATHER PATTERNS.SO WE PLANNED FOR THE 20, 21 RESTART TO COVER THE SAME MONTHS TO GET THOSE SAME BENEFITS.
AND SO CHAD STARTED REACHING OUT TO PROPERTIES AGAIN, PROPOSING A MARCH, START IN JANUARY.
SO A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND THEN THE WINTER STORM HIT, UM, IN FEBRUARY.
AND SO THAT OBVIOUSLY IMPACTED EVERYONE AND I STAYED STAFF EVE MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES ALSO.
UM, I THINK FOR SOME THAT'S, UNFORTUNATELY IT'S STILL BEING IMPACTFUL.
SO THE PANDEMIC, THE WINTER STORM, THE PASSING OF TIME IN GENERAL, ALL CONTRIBUTED TO SEVERAL PROPERTIES THAT ORIGINALLY PLANTED TO PURCHASE A PATE NO LONGER BEING WILLING OR ABLE TO PARTICIPATE, OR FRANKLY IT JUST NOT RESPONSIVE TO OUR EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS.
UH, SO WITH THIS SLIDE, I JUST WANTED TO SHOW HOW EVEN LAST WEEK WE WERE STILL SEEING MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES, REPORTING WATER OUTAGES.
SO FOR US, FOR STAFF THAT THE NOTES THAT WE'VE RECEIVED, OR EVEN THE ABSENCE IN THE COMMUNICATION SNOTS AND COMPLETELY ILLOGICAL GIVEN THE STATE OF SOME PROPERTIES RIGHT NOW, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO THIS IS WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ROSTER OF PROPERTIES THAT SIGNED UP TO START.
THE PILOT BACK IN 2020 HALF ARE IN AND HALF ARE OUT.
SO FROM THE PROPERTIES THAT ARE STILL ABLE TO PARTICIPATE, UM, YOU GOT SOME GOOD NEWS EARLIER THIS WEEK, COLLEGE COURTS, WHICH IS THE SECOND ONE ON THAT TABLE IS EXPECTED TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO START SERVICE.
THEY RECEIVED THEIR BANS TUESDAYS.
SO TWO DAYS AGO, AND OUR MARKETING TEAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON DELIVERING THE PREJUDICE COLLATERAL THAT WE PREPARED AND SCHEDULING AN INFORMATION SESSION FOR THE RESIDENTS.
NOW I'M GONNA TOUCH ON THOSE SESSIONS IN A FEW SLIDES.
SO ONE KEY COMPONENT TO IMPLEMENTING THIS PILOT IS COLLECTING DATA AND STAFF STARTED DOING THAT BEFORE COVID SO WE'RE, WE'RE SHAVING OFF A LITTLE BIT OF TIME IF YOU WILL, ON THAT FRONT.
UM, SO STAFF MET WITH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LAST FEBRUARY AND GATHERED SOME BASELINE INFORMATION IN TERMS OF THEIR TRASH AND THEIR RECYCLING SERVICE AND TALKED ABOUT WHAT COULD MAKE SENSE IN TERMS OF COMPOSTING SERVICE IN TERMS OF LEVEL, AND ALSO HAVE THE EDUCATION PLAN COULD BE MOST EFFECTIVE IN EACH PROPERTY.
SO THE OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE SHARED ARE LISTED HERE IN TERMS OF SERVICE, UM, WE WERE TALKING TO THEM ABOUT STARTING SMALL AND THEN INCREASING THE SURFACE AS THEY NEEDED.
AND THEN ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THEIR SELECTED HOLLER WOULD PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION IF THE PROPERTY ENDED UP ACCRUING ANY FEES FOR CONTAMINATION.
AND THEN ON THE EDUCATION FRONT, WE RECOMMENDED THAT PROPERTY MANAGERS USE ALREADY ESTABLISHED COMMUNICATION CHANNELS VERSUS FORCING RESIDENTS TO USE A NEW TOOL OR NEW PLATFORM FOR THIS NEW SERVICE.
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, TO CONTINUE ENGAGING WITH RESIDENTS ON EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THE SERVICE PERIOD TO PREVENT CONTAMINATION.
SO STAFF WILL KICK OFF THAT EDUCATION EFFORT BY HOSTING LIVE VIRTUAL PRESENTATIONS FOR EACH PARTICIPATING PROPERTY, WHERE THEY'LL GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR ABOUT COMPOSTING AND ALSO ASK QUESTIONS.
UH, THE SESSIONS WILL BE RECORDED AND MADE AVAILABLE FOR THOSE RESIDENTS WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND OR WANT TO WATCH THE SESSION.
WE ALSO PLAN TO INVITE THE HOLLER THAT WE'LL BE SERVICING THEIR PROPERTY TO THOSE INFORMATION SESSIONS.
IN CASE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE ANY TIPS OR GUIDANCE FOR THE RESIDENTS.
AND, UM, THERE ARE ALSO PROVIDE RESIDENTS WITH KITCHEN COMPOST COLLECTORS THAT HAVE INFORMATION ON STICKERS.
LIKE THE ONE ON THIS SLIDE HERE WITH PHOTOS AND BILINGUAL TEXT EXPLAINING WHAT TO COMPOST.
[00:25:03]
THEN THE RESIDENTS ARE ALSO GOING TO RECEIVE SOME COMPOSTABLE BAGS TO LAND THEIR KITCHEN COLLECTORS.IF THEY LIKE, AND EACH PROPERTY WILL RECEIVE SOME HARD COPIES OF A OH TWO GUY THAT WE CREATED FOR THIS PILOT AND THE GUIDE WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE ONLINE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
SO IN TERMS OF OUR RECRUITMENT EFFORTS AND HOW WE LANDED WITH THAT ORIGINAL BATCH OF PROPERTIES, THIS IS THE LEVEL OF OUTREACH THAT STAFF WAS DEDICATING TO GET PROPERTIES ON BOARD.
LAST YEAR, THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF PROPERTIES CONTACTED VIA EMAIL PHONE AND IN-PERSON MEETINGS.
AND WE ALSO USED OUR SOCIAL MEDIA NETWORK AND OUR HOLLER COMMUNITY TO TRY AND GETTING PROPERTIES INTERESTED IN THE PILOT.
AND ALL OF THESE EFFORTS LANDED US WITH THE 10 PROPERTIES.
SINCE A FEW OF THOSE ORIGINAL PROPERTIES ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO PARTICIPATE.
STAFF IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO FIND NEW PROPERTIES.
WE'RE TASKING A BROAD NUDGE THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA AND THEN FOCUSING EFFORTS WHERE WE ALREADY HAVE ESTABLISHED CONNECTIONS NAMELY THROUGH, OH, THERE'S THE AUSTRIAN APARTMENT ASSOCIATION AND PROPERTIES THAT HAVE PREVIOUSLY EXPRESSED INTEREST IN.
AND HOPEFULLY BY NOW YOU MIGHT BE STARTING TO WONDER HOW YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP.
AND THE ANSWER IS DEFINITELY HELPING US IDENTIFY POTENTIAL PROPERTIES TO PARTICIPATE ANY SEMBLANCE OF A LEAD OR INTRODUCTIONS THAT YOU COULD PROVIDE COMFORTABLE PITCHING THE PILOT BY ALL MEANS.
UM, BUT WE ARE, WE'RE CERTAINLY INTERESTED IN GETTING MORE PROPERTIES INCLUDED TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF THE POOL.
AND THAT WILL OBVIOUSLY BE TO, TO RICHER RESULTS.
SO IN TERMS OF NEXT STEPS, WE'VE HAD QUITE A FEW, UH, THE PLAN IS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE FIVE PROPERTIES THAT WE HAVE CONFIRMED.
YOU CAN JUST IGNORE THAT FOR THERE.
UM, THEY WILL GET STARTED ON THEIR SERVICE AND WHILE THAT'S HAPPENING, STAFF WILL CONTINUE OUTREACH TO RECRUIT MORE PROPERTIES AND ADD THOSE NEW PROPERTIES ON A ROLLING BASIS UP TO AUGUST OF THIS YEAR AND AUGUST WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE ONE PIECE OF FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED WHILE TALKING TO PROPERTIES THIS GO AROUND IS THAT IT WOULD BE CHALLENGING FOR MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES THAT ARE HEAVILY STUDENT POPULATED TO START A SIX MONTH SERVICE IN MARCH AND APRIL BECAUSE THE RESIDENTS WILL LIKELY LEAVE FOR SUMMER BREAK SOON.
AND THEN THERE WILL BE A DROP IN OCCUPANCY, OR THERE WILL BE A NEW COHORT OF STUDENTS IN THE PROPERTY.
SO TO AVOID MIGHT BECOME AN ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN FOR THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT TEAM.
UM, AND ALSO POTENTIALLY CONFUSED RESIDENTS, STAFF DECIDED TO ALLOW FOR, FOR AN AUGUST START AT, AT THE LATEST AND FOR THOSE SPECIFIC PROPERTIES.
SO ONCE ALL OF THE PROPERTIES FINISHED WITH THEIR SIX MONTHS OF SERVICE, THEN THE PILOT WILL BE COMPLETE.
AND AT THAT POINT, STAFF WILL SWITCH GEARS AND MOVE ON TO DATA ANALYSIS, AND THAT WILL CULMINATE IN A REPORT TO PRESENT TO THE URL COMMITTEE AIMING FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER THE END OF THE PILOT.
THAT IS WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU ALL.
AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
SO LINK COMMISSIONERS QUESTIONS.
SO WHY, WHAT IS IMPEDING THESE PROPERTY MANAGERS FROM WANTING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PILOT? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THAT MAY NOT BODE WELL, IF THEY'RE NOT WANTING TO DO IT OUT OF THE GATE.
UM, THERE'S SEVERAL PIECES TO THAT.
UM, SO FOR THOSE LARGER PROPERTIES, ONE OF THE
[00:30:01]
MAIN ISSUES THAT PROPERTY MANAGERS ON-SITE PROPERTY MANAGERS RUN INTO IS THAT THEY NEED TO GET IT APPROVED BY CORPORATE.SO IF YOU THINK OF ALL OF THE LARGE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES THAT YOU MIGHT SEE SIGNS OF AROUND TOWN, UM, THE PROPERTY MANAGER ONSITE CAN'T MAKE THAT DECISION, GIVE US A YES OR NO.
AND SO THE ISSUE THAT WE RAN INTO ALMOST A YEAR AGO, EARLY, UH, 2020 IS THAT AGENTS DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THE HOOPS THAT THEY NEEDED TO GO THROUGH.
UM, AND IT A COMBINATION OF NOT ENOUGH TIME AND THEN ALSO INTEREST FADED, I'LL SAY THAT HIGHER, IT GOT UP.
SO FOR, WE CAN GO BACK, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK.
A LOT OF THE PROPERTIES THAT WE LOST WERE THOSE BIGGER ONES THAT HAD 200 PLUS UNITS.
UM, IT, IT SEEMED LIKE TOO MUCH AT THIS POINT THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, TOO MANY THINGS UP IN THE AIR AND THEY JUST COULDN'T IT.
UM, ANOTHER ISSUE IS THAT THERE IS QUITE A HIGH TURNOVER IN THE MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, UM, WORLD OR INDUSTRY.
AND SO IF WE LOSE A CHAMPION THERE, LIKE THE CHAMPION THAT HAD TAKEN US WEEKS OR MONTHS TO GAIN, IT'S PRETTY CHALLENGING TO GET, TO GET ANOTHER ONE.
UM, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT THAT PERSON STARTED NOT TOO LONG AGO, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, DO THIS BY PROCESS OF ELIMINATION THAT THAT PERSON PROBABLY HAS A YEAR OR LESS IN THE POSITION.
SO THEY MIGHT NOT FEEL CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO MOVE FORWARD WITH WHAT MIGHT BE CONSIDERED, UM, A PRETTY BIG DECISION, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH THE CITY.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S A MATTER OF, UH, I DON'T KNOW, I GUESS KEEPING INCENTIVES IN PLACE OR SOME SORT OF CONTINUED ENCOURAGEMENT NOW AND REALLY ON AN ONGOING BASIS TO MAKE IT FOR THEM TO SIGN UP AND THEN CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN THE PROGRAM.
THAT'S ANOTHER PIECE TO IT THAT, UM, A LOT OF THOSE LARGER COMPANIES SAW IT AS GREAT TO THAT THE CITY COULD PROVIDE THIS SERVICE, UH, FOR, OR COULD COVER THE COST OF THIS SERVICE FOR SIX MONTHS.
BUT THEN WHAT DID WE DO AFTER THE END OF THOSE SIX MONTHS? AND WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO IT, I THINK A LOT OF THOSE COMPANIES DID NOT HAVE THE INTEREST IN CONTINUING THE SERVICE AFTER.
SO THERE'S THE SIX MONTHS WOULD PROBABLY COME DOWN TO MORE OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN OR BE SEEN MORE AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, SORRY, I DON'T KNOW WHO THAT WAS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, A QUESTION, UM, NOW THAT YOU HAVE STARTED, UM, YOU, WELL, YOU SAID ONE, ONE PROPERTY AT LEAST IS EARLY ABOUT HER, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S OTHERS.
CAN YOU, UM, SHARE WITH US THE COST THAT YOU'RE SEEING FOR THESE CONTRACTS? OH GOSH.
UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE SEEN A CONTRACT.
UM, BUT I CAN SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH YOU.
UH, I MEAN, ELIZABETH HAD, HAD CALLED ME AND IT SOUNDED LIKE THERE THAT INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE.
SO IF YOU CAN, UM, YEAH, IF YOU CAN JUST SHARE IT WITH THE COMMISSION, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.
OR, UH, OR KATHY WITH THE, UH, SINCE YOU'RE CHAIRING THE URL, WHAT IS THE IDEAL SAMPLE SIZE? I MEAN, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR HERE? WHAT WOULD BE THE PERFECT NUMBER? UM, THIS IS KATHY.
UM, SO I COULD NOT HEAR A LOT OF WHAT CELINE SAID, SO I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TALK TO YOU LATER.
SO IT WAS JUST, IT WAS, IT WAS MY
[00:35:01]
TURN REALLY? SORRY.HAVE I JUST TAKE THIS TONIGHT FOR ME? WE TALK ABOUT 20 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT BEFORE.
BACK IN, I WOULD SAY DAY ONE, WHICH WAS PROBABLY ABOUT A YEAR PLUS AGO.
UM, THE GOAL WAS 20 AND THEN WHEN, ONCE WE STARTED DOING RECRUITMENT LAST YEAR, WE REACHED 10.
NOW WE'VE HAVE TO THAT ONCE MORE AND REV FIVE.
SO OUR REALISTIC GOAL IS TO GET BACK TO THAT 10.
BECAUSE IT'S, UH, IT'S, UH, IT'S GOING TO BE, BUT YOU NEED THAT TEND TO BE A GOOD SAMPLING OF, OF DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT KINDS OF PROPERTIES.
AND THE PROPERTIES RIGHT NOW, AGAIN, IF YOU ALL ARE INTERESTED IN, YOU KNOW, TAKING A STAB AT DOING SOME RECRUITMENT FOR THE PILOT, THE PROPERTIES THAT WE ARE, THAT WE HAVE LESS REPRESENTED ARE THOSE LARGER COMPANIES THAT I WAS JUST MENTIONING.
SO APARTMENT COMPLEXES WITH GREATER THAN 200 UNITS, UM, WOULD BE, WOULD BE REALLY WONDERFUL TO, TO GET ON BOARD NOW AS A COST.
NOW THERE'S A COST, A REIMBURSEMENT PROPORTIONAL TO THE SIZE OF THE PROPERTY ITSELF, OR IS A, IS THERE A LIMIT PER PROPERTY ON WHAT, UH, WE WOULD REBATE IT'S PERSONNEL? SO IT WOULD COVER THE, THE, THE FULL COST OF SERVICE FOR THE COMPANY THAT WE AGREE ON.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE SINCE WE HAD A COUPLE OF THOSE LARGER COMPLEXES BOW OUT, WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR THIS PILOT PROJECT FREED UP.
AND I'M NOT SURE IF, UH, FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PILOT, IF THAT, IF THAT FUNDING ALL NEEDS TO BE SPENT PROPORTIONAL TO THE UNIT SIZE, IS THAT WHY YOU'RE RECOMMENDING FOR SOME, UH, RECRUITMENT ON OUR END OR FIND SOME OF THOSE BIGGER UNITS BECAUSE THAT FUNDING NEEDS TO BE SECURED IN A WAY FOR THE PILOT.
UM, SO WE'RE JUST WANTING, UM, A MORE DIVERSE GROUP, UM, TO, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PILOT, BUT THE, THE SIZE OF THE PROPERTY IS, OR BETTER.
THE FUNDING IS NOT CONTINGENT ON THE SIZE OF THE PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF AN FYI AND MOST OF THE ACTUAL DEVELOPMENT MULTI-FAMILY DEVELOPMENTS.
NOW WE'RE PROBABLY IN EXCESS OF A HUNDRED UNITS WITHOUT A DOUBT.
THERE'S VERY, I MEAN, WE HAVE THE OLD, UH, MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND HERE FOR, FOR YEARS, THEY'VE BEEN AROUND THE, UH, INFIELD AREA, THE UNIVERSITY AREA.
THOSE ARE PROBABLY THE GUYS THAT ARE MORE RECEPTIVE TO THIS.
WHEREAS THE BIG BULLS IS, AS YOU STATED AT THE BIG GUYS THAT ARE BEING DEVELOPED A THEY'RE THE ONES WHO REALLY ARE PROBABLY GOING TO WANT TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS TOO, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY WOULD TO SUCCEED WITH THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM.
AND I, UH, I PERSONALLY WOULD, UH, WE'LL GO OUT THERE AND TRY TO RECRUIT ONE OR TWO OF THE LARGER, UH, DEVELOPMENTS HERE IN TOWN.
SO ANYWAY, THAT'S JUST MY, THANK YOU.
THOSE LINES WHEN IT COMES TO RECRUITMENT AND, YOU KNOW, THE BENEFITS FOR THE PARTICIPATING, UH, PROPERTIES, IS THERE, HAVE YOU ALREADY THOUGHT ABOUT A STRUCTURE FOR WHAT KIND OF INPUT THEY WOULD HAVE INTO WHATEVER GETS SHAPED FROM THIS PILOT? UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THAT WE CAN ONLY OFFER THE INCENTIVE AND THE REBATE FOR THE PERIOD OF THE PILOT, BUT I'M WONDERING IF YOU KNOW, THAT THAT SEAT AT THE TABLE IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT'S GOING TO BE COMING DOWN.
THE PIPELINE IS SOMETHING THAT SOME OF THE PROPERTIES WOULD FEEL IT'S, UM, AN INCENTIVE, YOU KNOW, IN AND OF ITSELF THAT THEY KNOW WHAT'S COMING AND THEY CAN PLAN AND PREPARE AND HAVE THEIR RESIDENTS ALMOST.
THEY COULD PROBABLY MARKET IT TO THEIR RESIDENTS FOR SOME OF THE PROPERTIES, RIGHT.
AS BEING SOMETHING THAT, UM, SO I'M WONDERING ABOUT THAT.
THAT IS DEFINITELY PART OF THE PITCH THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN, UM, TRYING TO SELL, UM, TWO PROPERTIES BECAUSE, AND WE DO TRULY WANT
[00:40:02]
THAT THOSE PROPERTIES TO CONTINUE TO BE ENGAGED THROUGHOUT WHATEVER IS THE NEXT PROCESS.UM, AND THAT'S, THAT IS, I THINK PROBABLY ONE OF THE REASONS WHY SOME OF THESE PROPERTIES HAVE CONTINUED AND ENGAGED BECAUSE THEY SEE THE POSSIBILITY OF SOMETHING COMING FURTHER DOWN THE PIPELINE.
AND WE'VE ALSO MENTIONED THAT SPECIFICALLY TO BE FOSTER DEPARTMENT ASSOCIATION, UM, AND THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, A HUGE MEMBERSHIP AND SO THAT, UM, THAT CONNECTION TO HAVING, UM, A VOICE AND PARTICIPATING IN THIS LARGER, BROADER PROCESS IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT, UM, AND WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO EXPRESS.
I HAVE, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S A FEW GROUPS THAT I CAN THINK OF THAT ARE MORE ON THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING SIDE.
UM, IF YOU HAVEN'T REACHED OUT TO THEM, I'M HAPPY TO MAKE THOSE CONTACTS, BUT I'M THINKING OF, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE AUSTIN HOUSING COALITION, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, IT'S A GOOD GROUP OF, OF PROPERTY OWNERS AND, UM, AND THEN ONE IN PARTICULAR CALLED AFFORDABLE CENTRAL TEXAS THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S FAIRLY TWO, FAIRLY LARGE PROPERTIES, UM, OVER A HUNDRED UNITS AS JERRY WAS SAYING, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE REALLY CRITICAL.
HAPPY TO SHARE IF YOU, IF YOU REACH OUT, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE CONTACTS.
I WOULDN'T GET DISCOURAGED AT THIS POINT BECAUSE WE JUST WENT THROUGH, AS WE ALL KNOW, ONE OF THE MOST HISTORICAL CHALLENGES THE CITY HAS FACED IN MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS NOT TO MENTION, WE HAD THIS THING CALLED A VIRUS.
IT KIND OF HELPED A LITTLE BIT, AND WE STILL HAVE THAT BY THE WAY.
BUT, UH, TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, DON'T GET DISCOURAGED.
I THINK, UH, TOGETHER WE CAN PROBABLY COME UP WITH SOME GOOD IDEAS, GOOD THOUGHTS, AND A SUCCESSFUL PILOT PROGRAM WITHOUT A DOUBT.
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS, JUST HOUSEKEEPING AREAS.
THIS IS A DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM.
WE CAN DEFER THIS FOR, UH, A FUTURE MEETING AS FAR AS GETTING AN UPDATE ON THE PILOT PROGRAM, PERHAPS MAYBE, AND IF NOT 30 DAYS, 60 DAYS, SEE HOW WE'VE PROGRESSED.
AND, AND, UH, I WOULD, I WOULD MOVE A DEFERRAL ON A DISCUSSION.
I SHOULD SAY PARDON ME GUYS, BUT, UH, IT THAT'D BE THE WILL OF THIS COMMISSION, JUST A TABLE THAT WE WOULD TO DOWN THE ROAD.
IF WE WERE TO ACTIVELY RECRUIT, WHERE SHOULD WE SEND THEIR PROPERTIES TO HAVE BEST CONTACTS FOR THIS? SO THAT WOULD BE MYSELF.
UM, THAT WOULD BE THE EASIEST CONTACT.
AND I CAN, I CAN REACH OUT TO YOU TO, SO THAT WE CAN BE IN TOUCH.
I WAS GOING TO GET SILLY AND SAY THAT, YEAH, YOUR COMMISSION CHECK WILL BE SENT TO WHATEVER ADDRESS YOU DEED, BUT, UH, ANYWAY GUYS MOVING ALONG HERE, THANK YOU SLING VERY, VERY MUCH.
AND STAFF, THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT.
[2.D. Discussion and Action: Safe Right-of-Way Clearance/Accessibility for Weekly Vehicle Servicing Collection of Garbage, Recycling, and Composting containers from City of Austin Routes—Ron Romero]
UH, THE NEXT ITEM HERE IS ITEM D AND THIS IS ITEM D.FOLKS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, REALLY CAME TO LIGHT OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST A MONTH WHEN WE HAD THESE INCUR THIS INCREDIBLE EVENT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ALL LOVE TREES.
WE JUST, I HAVE MANY, MANY TREES ON, ON OUR PROPERTY.
THE CHALLENGES WHEN OUR WONDERFUL TRUCKS RUN UP AND DOWN THE STREETS HERE AT TIMES WITH, WITH A HEAVY RAIN EVENT, OR ESPECIALLY WITH SOMETHING THAT OCCURRED, UH, LAST MONTH, IT BECOMES A CHALLENGE.
AND, AND RON, YOU'RE GOING TO WALK US THROUGH THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE THAT WE HAVE FACED HERE.
MY NAME IS ROB MANAGER FOR COLLECTION SERVICES EITHER, UH, WITH, UH, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
UM, WE DO HAVE SOME TALKING POINTS ON THIS, UH, UM, COMMISSIONERS, BUT WE WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST TILL NEXT MONTH WE ARE AWAITING SOME UPDATED NUMBERS FROM SAFETY.
ALSO SOME INFORMATION FROM PUBLIC WORKS.
UH, SO WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU GUYS A MORE DETAILED REPORT AND PRESENTATION NEXT MONTH.
UH, ONCE WE HAVE ALL THE NUMBERS IN, UH, IF YOU GUYS ARE AGREEABLE,
[00:45:01]
WE'D LIKE TO MOVE THIS, UH, PRESENTATION TILL NEXT MONTH.IN FACT, KID AND I HAD A CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT THIS.
THIS WAS SOMETHING I WANTED ON THE, ON THE AGENDA TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF THE CHALLENGES THAT OUR TRUCKS FACE EVERY, EVERY SINGLE DAY OUT THERE.
AND TREES ARE JUST ONE THING THAT YOU REALLY DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO.
UNTIL AGAIN, WE HAVE AN EVENT SUCH AS THIS AND COMMISSIONERS I'D TO, AGAIN, THIS IS ANOTHER ITEM THAT I LIKE TO KEEP ON HERE, GIVE STAFF AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO BACK AND PULL SOME NUMBERS AND, UH, GIVE US A MORE DETAILED, UH, IDEA OF WHAT, WHAT OCCURRED AND WHAT THE CHALLENGES ARE.
AND PERHAPS A SUGGESTION OR TWO ON HOW WE CAN, UH, KIND OF CLEAN UP THE, UH, RIGHT AWAY THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY HERE, WHERE THESE TRUCKS RUN UP AND DOWN.
AND, UH, I CAN TELL YOU WATCHING THE TRUCKS RUN DURING THIS, UH, EVENTS RE BEFORE THE FREEZE, I WAS IMPRESSED WITH HOW THEY WERE DODGING SOME OF THESE LESSONS, BUT NONETHELESS, HAVING SAID THAT COMMISSIONERS THAT'D BE THE WILL OF THIS COMMISSION.
I'D LIKE TO AGAIN, GIVE STAFF AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO, TO COME BACK WITH US WITH, UH, SOME, SOME, UH, DETAILED INFORMATION.
I WOULD LOVE THE SUPPORT OF THIS COMMISSION ON THAT SOUNDS GOOD.
SO IS THAT A UNANIMOUS, MOVE IT, MOVE IT TO NEXT MONTH.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS, RON.
THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH AND BE SAFE OUT THERE.
I ENLIST LOOKS LIKE WE'RE DOWN TO STAFF BRIEFINGS,
[3. STAFF BRIEFINGS]
MICHIGAN.WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER, UH, BRIEFINGS OTHER THAN WHAT WAS COVERED IN NEW BUSINESS.
UM, IF THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DIRECTION FROM FOUR, DO YOU WANT TO JUST REALLY QUICKLY TALK A BIT ABOUT HOW STAFF BEFORE DURING THE WINTER STORM EVENT AND JUST SHARE WITH YOU JUST FOR A BACKGROUND AND PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT STAFF HAS DONE.
UM, AT THE ONSET OF THE STORM, WE HAD SEVERAL MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM ASSIST THE CITY IN RECOVERY BY WORKING AT THE EOC.
UM, WE HAD FOLKS THAT WERE WORKING WITH THAT WERE WORKING IN LOGISTICS SECTIONS AND ALSO WORKING IN THE COMP SECTION AND GETTING MESSAGING OUT TO FOLKS ACROSS THE CITY.
WE ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO WORKED AT THE AIRPORT, CLEARING SNOW AND ICE FROM THE RUNWAYS, FROM THE PARKING APRONS, AND ALSO, UM, FROM THE TAXI WAYS.
AND, UH, ALSO AS PART OF THE EFFORT, WE HAD FOLKS THAT CAME IN AND SUPPORTED, UH, MOVING COTS AND BLANKETS AND PILLOWS, UH, TO THE VARIOUS WARMING CENTERS AND OTHER SHELTERS.
THEY ALSO CAME IN, IN, UH, IN MOVE MEALS.
WE, WE SHARED OR DELIVERED THOUSANDS OF MEALS, UH, ACROSS THE CITY, UH, AS PART OF, UH, THE EFFORT TO HELP SUPPORT THE WORK THAT WAS HAPPENING ACROSS THE CITY.
UH, AND JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GET PEOPLE WHAT THEY NEEDED AT THAT TIME.
OF COURSE, WE WERE A BIT BEHIND BECAUSE OF THE STORM AND WE'D BEEN WORKING FEVEROUSLY TO GET CAUGHT UP.
UH, THE FIRST, UH, UH, PRIORITY FORCE WAS OF COURSE, UH, TRASH AND, UM, COMPOST, HOW WE MANAGED TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THAT PRETTY QUICKLY WORK THE TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF HOURS, UH, OVER THE WEEKEND AS WELL, UM, WHICH ALSO PUT US BEHIND ON RECYCLING.
AND SO WE SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME GETTING CAUGHT UP THERE AS WELL BECAUSE OF THE STORM, IN FACT, THAT OUR RECYCLING EVERY OTHER WEEK, UH, SOME OF OUR CUSTOMERS WERE APPROACHING A MONTH WITHOUT RECYCLING SERVICE.
UH, AND SO WE QUICKLY PIVOTED TO GET CAUGHT UP THERE.
AND, UH, OF COURSE NOW WE ARE WORKING FEVERISHLY TO GET CAUGHT UP ON ALL OF THE STORM DEBRIS, TREES, UH, BRUSH AND SO FORTH THAT IS DOWN.
AND SO A LOT OF MATERIAL OUT OF THE GUYS ARE WORKING REALLY HARD AGAIN, UH, LONG HOURS AND OVER THE WEEKENDS TO PULL TOGETHER THE EFFORT IN A RESPONSE TO, TO GET CAUGHT UP ON THAT MATERIAL.
SO I JUST WANT TO SAY, UH, YOU KNOW, I CANNOT SHARE HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE, UH, WHAT THESE GUYS ARE DOING ANYMORE.
THEY'RE JUST TREMENDOUS AND GETTING WORK DONE ACROSS THE ENTIRE DEPARTMENT.
AND IT WAS A TRUE TESTAMENT OF THEIR PROFESSIONALISM THAT THEY ALL STEPPED UP TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CITY'S RESPONSE DURING THE, UH, TRUMP DURING THE WINTER STORM URI.
UH, YES, IF I COULD SAY SOMETHING, KIM, UM, I HAVE TO AGREE A HUNDRED PERCENT AT THE, UH, DEPARTMENT AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS JUST PHENOMENAL
[00:50:01]
WHEN I WATCH IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE.UH, Y'ALL DONE JUST EXCELLENT JOB.
PLEASE TELL ALL THE WORKERS THAT.
A VERY COMMENDABLE JOB CAN, AND AGAIN, AS, AS WE KNOW, ANYBODY WHO IS IN THIS INDUSTRY UNDERSTANDS THE CHALLENGES THAT, UH, EVERYONE FACED, NOT JUST THE CITY OF AUSTIN, BUT ANYONE WHO IS IN THIS LINE OF WORK WAS EQUALLY CHALLENGED, PERPLEXED, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THE JOB DONE.
AND YOU GUYS HAVE DONE A HECK OF A JOB.
SO YOU GUYS WORKING ON SUNDAYS, OUT THERE DOING WHAT, UH, WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVING SAID THAT, ANY OTHER COMMENTS COMMISSIONERS, GO AHEAD.
OH, JUST ALSO, YOU KNOW, WHEN TO SAY THANK YOU.
UM, THE COMPOST, UH, ORGANICS CREW WAS PICKING THINGS UP IN MY HOUSE THE OTHER DAY AND COME OUT AND THEY'RE LIKE STUPID DOWN TO LIKE PICK UP LEAVES WITH THEIR HANDS.
AND I'M JUST LIKE, WHOA, IT'S OKAY.
THERE'S A LOT OF WILLIAMS SWEEP THE STREET WITH YOUR HANDS THAT ARE REALLY LIKE GOING THE EXTRA MILE.
ANY OF THE COMMENTS, THOUGHTS? YEAH, ONE THING ACTUALLY UNRELATED, UM, THAT I WANTED TO GIVE KUDOS FOR.
SO YEAH, ECHOING WHAT EVERYONE SAYS ABOUT THE WONDERFUL JOB THAT, THAT EVERYONE HAS DONE AND THE PIVOT TO, YOU KNOW, UM, DOING SHIFTING WORK AND THEN GETTING BACK TO YOUR OWN WORK AND DOING IT ALSO QUICKLY UNDER THE CONDITIONS THAT WE WERE ALL SUFFERING, UM, IS PRETTY REMARKABLE.
BUT, UM, I HAD MADE A NOTE AND I WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THE WORK ON THE RFP THAT WENT OUT, UM, FOR THE BEAUTIFICATION EDUCATION CLEANUP AND BEAUTIFICATION SERVICES.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE IN DEVELOPMENT AND WE TALKED HERE ABOUT TRYING TO GET SOME LANGUAGE IN THERE THAT WOULD ADDRESS BROADENING THE EDUCATIONAL PART OF THE PROGRAM, SOMEWHAT TO REACH SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS AND DEMOGRAPHICS NORMALLY ARE NOT PARTICIPATING IN THESE OUTDOOR ORIENTED PROGRAMS. AND SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL.
I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT IN MANY PLACES, THERE'S REFERENCE EXPLICIT REFERENCE TO REACHING SCHOOLS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN REACHED BEFORE, AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT PARTICIPATING IN OTHER PROGRAMS AND EXPANDING, UM, THE STUDENTS WHO INTERSECT WITH THESE PROGRAMS. SO I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE THAT, UH, THAT WAS, THAT WORK WAS PUT IN AND, UM, MADE IT INTO THE RFP.
I THINK THAT IT'S A GREAT, THE EXISTING PROGRAM IS GREAT.
IT CAN BE GREATER IF WE BRING IT TO MORE PEOPLE AND, AND MAKE IT A MORE DIVERSE SET OF STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THESE GREAT PROGRAMS. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE SEEING THAT IN THE RFP.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER, ANY OTHER, ANY, ANY OTHER COMMENTS FOLKS OKAY.
TO CONGRATULATE ALSO FOR THE REOPENING OF THE RECYCLE AND REUSE DROP-OFF CENTER, UH, THAT'S A VERY BIG DEAL AND THERE'S A LOT OF AUSTINITES THAT ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THE REOPENING OF THAT FACILITY, PUTTING MYSELF.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, YOU KNOW, AND, AND KEN, JUST TO ANOTHER THOUGHT HERE, THE DEFENSIVE LAST MONTH LITERALLY HAVE OPENED OUR EYES TO SOME OF THE NEEDS THE DEPARTMENT HAS IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY AND I'M, UH, YOU AND I DISCUSSED THIS AND, AND JUST TO BEGIN THE CONVERSATION SERIOUSLY, BEGIN THE CONVERSATION ON, ON HOW PERHAPS WE CAN, AGAIN, NOT BE BETTER PREPARED BECAUSE NO ONE'S EVER PREPARED FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS, BUT AT LEAST TO HAVE THE OPTIONS.
AND I THINK THAT, UH, AND LOOKING AT SOME OF THE, UH, LONG-TERM PLANS THAT YOU HAVE, UH, IN PLACE THAT IS GOING TO BE INCREDIBLY WONDERFUL WHEN WE FINALLY, WHEN THEY FINALLY COME TO FRUITION, I THINK THAT, UH, THAT'LL SAVE DOLLARS AND TIME AND, UH, BE A HECK OF A LOT MORE EFFICIENT FOR THE COMMUNITY OVERALL.
BUT, UH, ANYWAY, AGAIN, CAN'T THANK YOU AND STAFF ARE BEAUTIFUL JOB, FANTASTIC WORK.
AND, UH, I HEAR, UH, WE'RE INTERRUPTING YOUR PRESENTATION.
IN FACT, UH, WEDNESDAY, UH, YESTERDAY WE JUST HELD A, UH, DEPARTMENT, UM, LESSONS LEARNED, UH, SESSION JUST TO TALK ABOUT AND CAPTURED THE THINGS THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING.
WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, THINGS THAT WE DID WELL, THINGS THAT WE NOTICED THAT DIDN'T GO WELL.
UH, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW TO MAKE OUR FACILITIES MORE RESILIENT, FOR EXAMPLE, BY ADDING MAYBE A GENERATOR SO
[00:55:01]
THAT WE'D HAVE A PLACE TO OPERATE OUT OF.UM, OUR FACILITY WAS DARK, RIGHT? SO, UM, A NUMBER OF THINGS WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIGHLIGHT AND POINT TO A DEFINITELY CONSIDERATIONS THAT WE WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO GOING FORWARD, UH, TO JUST IN, SO OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE WORK AND TO GET BACK TO WORK SOONER THAN WE MIGHT HAVE OTHERWISE.
THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
[4. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
THE NEXT ITEM IS FUTURE AGENDA.WELL, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS, I SHOULD SAY, AND TO THE THINGS THAT WE DISCUSSED, BRINGING BACK WORK ITEM D, WHICH IS THE, UH, RIGHT AWAY ISSUE.
AND, UH, LET'S SEE, ITEM C, WHICH IS THE MULTIFAMILY ORGANIC COLLECTION, PILOT ROLLOUT, UH, AN UPDATE ON THAT.
AND, UH, LET'S SEE, PERHAPS AN UPDATE ALSO ON THE, UH, ON THE FIRST MEETING OF THE SUB COMMITTEE, THE C AND D SUB COMMITTEE, WE COULD DO THAT.
I MEAN, THOSE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF THREE THINGS OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
AND IF THINGS CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND OUR NEXT MEETING, WE CAN ADD THOSE IN RON.
RON ROMERO SAID HE WAS GONNA GET BACK WITH US AS DID, IS WHAT YOU SAID ALREADY.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS.
I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR GERMANS.
DO YOU HAVE A MOTION FOR GERMAN TONIGHT? OKAY.
UH, NO DISCUSSION BEING HEARD.
BYE-BYE THEN COUNTING UP ALL MY DAYS.
I FOUND THAT JOY IS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE TROUBLE.