[00:00:07]
[CALL MEETING TO ORDER]
UH, IT IS 6 0 3 AND WE HAVE A QUORUM.SO I'M GONNA CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER.
IS THERE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR, OKAY.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CALL THEM? OH YEAH, YOU CAN GO FOR IT.
IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S LIKE PAUL YOU'RE UP FIRST.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU DON'T, BUT YOU CAN, IF, IF YOU, YOU SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE, I'M SURE WE CAN HEAR YOU JUST SO I CAN BREATHE.
UM, I'M GOING TO READ SINCE I ONLY HAVE THREE MINUTES, COULD YOU STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD PLEASE? YES.
SORRY, JUST BEFORE YOU GET STARTED, I JUST GOT A TEXT FROM DANA SAYING THAT SHE IS IN PANELIST MODE.
SO SHE SAYS, SHE'S ALSO TEXTING WITH NATASHA.
SO, UH, MY NAME IS GAIL BORES, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF STEWARDSHIP PINK.
UH, AND IT'S AN ARCHITECTURAL FIRM.
AND AS THE BIOLOGISTS TURN ARCHITECT, I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE NEW CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE RESOLUTION PROPOSED BY PAUL ROBINS AS A PRACTICING ARCHITECT WHO COMPLETED GRADUATE STUDIES IN THE SPECIALTY OF ENERGY STUDIES IN ARCHITECTURE NEARLY 40 YEARS AGO.
OUCH, MOST OF MY CAREER HAS EMPHASIZED SUSTAINABLE DESIGN BACK IN THE 1980S.
HOWEVER, THE TERM SUSTAINABLE WAS NOT YET IN COMMON USE AND ENERGY CONSERVATION WAS ABOUT ALL WE CONSIDERED.
THEN IN 1991, I MET DOUG CIDER HEAD OF THE NASCENT GREEN BUILDING GREEN BUILDER PROGRAM.
AT THAT TIME GREEN BUILDER PROGRAM, THE PREDECESSOR OF AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING, AND HE INVITED ME TO JOIN THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO HELP DEVELOP THE, TO HELP DEVELOP THE PROGRAM.
IN 1993, I WAS ASKED TO BE THE ARCHITECT FOR THE DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR THAT PROGRAM CALLED THE GREEN HABITAT LEARNING PROJECT, WHICH WAS THE FIRST HOME BUILT USING THE NEW RATING SYSTEM.
SO I HAVE BEEN, UH, AND, UH, I HAVE HAD AN INTIMATE CONNECTION WITH AUSTIN'S GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM SINCE ITS INCEPTION.
I HAVE PARTICIPATED IN AND PROUDLY WATCHED THE PROGRAM GROW THROUGH THE YEARS, THE GREEN BUILDER PROGRAM, THINKING IN HISTORY AGAIN HERE WAS ON THE CUTTING EDGE AND WENT BEYOND ENERGY TO INCLUDE ISSUES SUCH AS WATER AND MATERIALS CONSERVATION.
THROUGH THE YEARS GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, INCLUDING AUSTIN'S STARTED TO INCLUDE MORE NUANCED ISSUES, SUCH AS SUSTAINABLE SITES, MATERIALS, SOURCING, TRANSPORTATION, OCCUPANT WELLBEING, UM, AND MANY OTHERS IN MORE RECENT YEARS, SOME PROGRAMS HAVE INCLUDED HUMAN HEALTH, TOXIN ELIMINATION AND EMBODIED CARBON ISSUES AS WELL.
THE MOVEMENT HAS PROGRESSED SIGNIFICANTLY THROUGH THE YEARS WHILE AUSTIN'S PROGRAM.
NOW AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING IS EXCELLENT.
IT SEEMS TO HAVE LOST THE PROGRESSIVE BOLDNESS AND INNOVATIVE DRIVE THAT AT ONCE, UM, THAT, UH, RESULTED IN AT ONCE WINNING THE UNITED NATIONS AWARD NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR ANYONE OR ANY ORGANIZATION TO SIT BACK ON ITS LAURELS, THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY AND HEALTH CRISIS DEMAND ACTION.
NOW THROUGH BOTH PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, I HAVE LEARNED THAT WHAT WE BREATHE, EAT CONTACT WITH OUR SKIN AND INGEST CAN HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE.
THIS IS WHY I FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT FOR AEG B TO BE BOLD AND UPDATE THE RATING SYSTEM TO INCLUDE THE SIGNIFICANT MINIMIZATION OF TEA TO INCLUDE THE SIGNIFICANT MINIMIZATION OF TOXIC CHEMICALS FOR A GREEN BUILDING, WHERE GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS HAVE FAILED TO PROTECT HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESPECTED VOLUNTARY PROGRAMS, SUCH AS AEG B CAN PROVIDE THE PATH TOWARDS HEALTHIER, MORE RESPONSIBLE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS.
DO YOU ALL DO QUESTIONS OR NOT? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS? ANYBODY REMOTELY AND GAIL, I, THIS IS SMITTY ON THE ZOOM CALL.
I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR DECADES OF SERVICE AND THE VISION THAT YOU'VE HELPED BRING TO THIS PROGRAM.
UM, AND, UM, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
[00:05:01]
THE AIR QUALITY IN BUILDINGS FOR A MOMENT PLEASE? SURE.WHAT, WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IS THAT MANY OF OUR CONVENTIONAL BUILDING MATERIALS EMIT TOXIC FUMES, AND WE ALWAYS THINK OUR GOVERNMENT IS PROTECTING US, BUT, BUT IT, IT CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH.
AND IN THIS COUNTRY, THE PRIVATE SECTOR OFTEN RULES AND W THE RESULT IS WE HAVE TOXIC TOXIC COMPONENTS.
MOST OF THE, THE EXPOSURE IS, IS THROUGH INHALATION, BUT THERE ARE ALSO, UH, CONCERNS ABOUT DIRECT CONTACT, ESPECIALLY FOR THE WORKERS THAT ARE HAVING TO WORK WITH MATERIALS THAT, THAT ABSORPTION THROUGH SKIN CAN BE AN ISSUE AS WELL.
BUT AS FAR AS THE, THE, IN THE INDOOR AIR ISSUE, UH, IT, IT CAN BE DEALT WITH BY CAREFULLY SELECTING MATERIALS.
AND THERE ARE ALMOST ALWAYS OTHER OPTIONS THAN THE TOXIC, UH, MORE CONVENTIONAL MATERIALS.
IS THAT KIND OF WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR SMITTY, OR DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER, AND SO I'D LIKE TO PICK YOU UP, PICK, ASK YOU TO PICK UP ON THE THEME THAT YOU JUST STARTED, WHICH IS, COULD YOU GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES WITHOUT NECESSARILY NAME, SPECIFIC PRODUCT NAMES, BUT ARE THERE DIFFERENCES IN INSTALLATION OR DIFFERENCES AND, UM, POLY FOAMS OR THE MATERIALS AND CABINETS THAT YOU COULD DESCRIBE FOR US ALL OF THE ABOVE, OFTENTIMES IT'S FORMALDEHYDE, BUT THEN, UH, FLOORING, UH, VINYL FLOORING, WHICH IS ONE OF THE BIG OFFENDERS, UH, BUT, UH, UH, FORMALDEHYDE IN VARIOUS THINGS, WHETHER IT'S PAINT, CEILINGS, INSULATION, AND AGAIN, THERE ARE ALL, ALL OUR ALTERNATIVES FOR THESE, MOST OF THESE THINGS READILY, READILY AVAILABLE.
AND THEN ARE THERE DOCUMENTED STUDIES THAT SAY SHOW THAT, UH, YOUR CHOICE BETWEEN, UM, VARIOUS, UH, BRANDS OR TYPES OF MATERIALS THAT ARE IN VINYL FLOORING HAVE DELMONT DEMONSTRABLE, CARCINOGENIC, UH, IMPLICATIONS.
I SUSPECT THAT GAIL, OUR NEXT GALE VITORI OUR NEXT SPEAKER CAN ADDRESS THAT BETTER THAN I, BUT THE ANSWER IS YES, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE ANY SPECIFIC STUDIES IN FRONT OF ME THAT I COULD CITE ON THAT.
WELL, THEN I'LL WAIT AND ASK THAT QUESTION OF GAIL.
UM, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US? UM, I GUESS MAYBE JUST ON A, ON AN EVEN MORE PERSONAL NOTE THAT I REALLY HAVE COME TO APPRECIATE THE VALUE OF GOOD INDIA, INDOOR AIR QUALITY FOR HEALTH AS A, AS A CANCER SURVIVOR.
UH, I, I HAVE TAKEN REALLY GOOD CARE OF MYSELF BY CONTROLLING WHAT I BREATHE AND, AND WHAT I EAT.
AND, UH, I REALLY HAVE REALIZED THAT THERE'S A HUGE IMPACT THAT THE INDOOR AIR QUALITY CAN MAKE ON OUR CONTINUED HEALTH.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M, IT'S, IT'S PERSONAL, BUT IT, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT I'VE DONE PROFESSIONALLY FOR A LONG TIME AND IS TRYING TO PROTECT PEOPLE'S HEALTH THROUGH BETTER INDOOR AIR QUALITY.
AND THEN ONE LAST THING THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR SOME OF THESE NEW COMMISSIONERS TO UNDERSTAND IS HOW CUTTING EDGE, UM, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY'S GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM WAS AT THE TIME OF ITS FOUNDING AND HOW MANY AWARDS IT HAS WON OVER TIME.
ARE YOU IN A POSITION TO REFLECT ON THAT FOR A MOMENT? OH, YES.
I CERTAINLY DON'T KNOW ALL THE AWARDS OTHER THAN THAT INITIAL AWARD.
AND GAIL PROBABLY KNOWS MORE ON THIS TOO, BECAUSE GAIL AND HER PARTNER PLENTY WERE TOTALLY INSTRUMENTAL ON LAUNCHING THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM ORIGINALLY.
SO, SO THAT'S PROBABLY ANOTHER GOOD GAIL QUESTION TOO.
SORRY TO KEEP DEFERRING SMITTY COMMISSIONERS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR GAYLE? I HAVE THIS LOOSE STONE.
MY QUESTION IS, CAN YOU KIND OF OUTLINE FOR ME, CAUSE MY COLLEAGUES KNOW I'M KIND OF THE NEW KID AT THE TABLE.
UM, WHAT THE GREEN BUILDING CERTIFICATION, WHAT THAT INVOLVES.
CAN YOU KIND OF WALK ME THROUGH THAT JUST A LITTLE BIT? YEAH.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM AND IT'S, IT'S A SERIES OF, UH, FOUR, UH, FIVE
[00:10:01]
STARS AND EACH THE MORE STARS, THE MORE REQUIREMENTS, THE MORE EFFORT, WHATEVER.SO THE ONE STARS, I WOULD SAY LIKE MORE OF THE LOW-HANGING FRUIT AND BY THE TIME YOU GET TO FIVE STAR, UH, YOU'RE DOING SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT THINGS, BUT NOT UNAFFORDABLE THINGS BECAUSE, UH, CASA VERDE BUILDERS, WHOM I'VE WORKED WITH FOR A LONG TIME THROUGH AMERICAN YOUTH WORKS, THEIR, THEIR HOUSES NOW ARE TO MY KNOWLEDGE, ALWAYS FIVE STAR, AND THIS IS AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUILT BY YOUNG KIDS.
SO, SO YES, IT'S ALL, IT'S ALL POSSIBLE.
SO, UH, SO YES, THE FIVE STAR LEVELS.
AND THEN, AND THEN THERE ARE SEVERAL CATEGORIES.
I DID COPY WHAT THE CATEGORIES ARE, IF YOU CAN GIVE ME A SECOND HERE.
UH, SO THERE, THERE'S A SET OF BASIC REQUIREMENTS THAT ALL, ALL OF THE, UH, PROJECTS HAVE TO ADHERE TO.
AND THEN THERE ARE CATEGORIES, EDUCATION, SITE, ENERGY, WATER MATERIALS, AND RESOURCES, HEALTH, AND INNOVATION.
AND THE MORE POINTS, THE MORE STARS YOU GET, AND THEN THERE ARE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS AT, ESPECIALLY AT THE UPPER STAR LEVELS.
SO IF YOU WANT A FOUR STAR OR FIVE STAR, YOU, YOU HAVE TO DO CERTAIN THINGS, BUT AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM.
UH, AND LET'S SEE, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF WHAT ELSE KIND OF IN A GENERAL D DOES THAT KIND OF GIVE YOU A SENSE? WELL, I MEAN, I, MY FOLLOW-UP QUESTION IS GOING TO BE WHY, WHAT INCENTIVE, IF ANY, IS THERE FOR THE BUILDER IN THIS SCENARIO, DO THEY GET TO MARKET AND SAY THAT THEY ARE A FOUR STAR GREEN BUILDER? OR IS THERE A FINANCIAL INCENTIVE ATTACHED TO IT? I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THIS TAKES US.
IT, IT, IT DEFINITELY A MARKETING THING FOR BOTH BUILDERS AND ARCHITECTS AND BRAGGING RIGHTS FOR THE OWNERS.
BUT IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE I'VE FOUND THAT THE MAIN DRIVING FORCE EARLY ON WAS, WAS THE OWNER OWNERS WERE ASKING FOR GREEN BUILDING, AND THEN THE BUILDERS WOULD SAY, OKAY, YOU PAY ME, I'LL DO ANYTHING YOU WANT.
AND THEN FINALLY WE ARCHITECTS GOT ON BOARD, BUT THERE IS A VERY EDUCATED PUBLIC IN THE CITY AND WAS, AND, AND, AND THEY WERE ASKING FOR IT.
SO AGAIN, THAT JUST BRAGGING RIGHTS, BUT, BUT DEFINITELY THE MARKETING AND, AND, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS GONE THROUGH, UM, GREAT EFFORTS TO PUBLICIZE THE NAMES OF THE PROJECTS IN THOSE WHO BUILT AND DESIGNED THEM.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU FIRST.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING AND SPEAKING TO, UH, I THINK THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE.
IT'S ONE THAT I HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY AWARE OF.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, LIKE YOU SAID, A LOT OF PEOPLE DO ASSUME THAT THE PRODUCTS WE BUY, THE PRODUCTS THAT ARE USED IN OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT ARE SAFE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALLOWED TO BE SOLD.
AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY THE CASE.
I'M WONDERING IF YOU, UM, CAN, CAN SHARE WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT ANY EXISTING, UM, GUIDELINES, UM, LIST RECOMMENDATIONS AROUND PRODUCTS THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE HARMFUL OR ON THE FLIP SIDE PRODUCTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE SAFE.
UM, AND I, AND I ASK BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT IN OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS IS THE POSSIBILITY OF THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM, HIRING SOMEBODY TO LOOK FOR, OR DEVELOP SUCH A LIST.
AND I'M CURIOUS WHETHER THAT IS WORK, THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE, OR WHETHER IT'S WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE.
I WOULD SAY THERE THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE THAT CAN BE DRAWN UPON.
AND IN AUSTIN ENERGY, GREEN BUILDING SEEMS TO BE REALLY GOOD ABOUT LOCALIZING THINGS, BECAUSE EACH, EACH AREA MATERIALS SOURCES ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, BUT, BUT I THINK, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING HAS BEEN REALLY GOOD ABOUT ADAPTING THINGS.
SO THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF REALLY GOOD SOURCES THERE'S, UH, LET'S SEE, UH, PARSONS IS, IS A GOOD, A GOOD RESOURCE, UM, PERSONS, HEALTHY MATERIALS.
AND AGAIN, GAIL, GAIL HAS GOT THESE MORE ON HERS.
I'M, I'M A, I'M A PRACTITIONER AND I, AND I, AND I'M NOT ALWAYS UP ON THINGS.
UM, THE, UM, THE NAMES OF THE ORGANIZATIONS, BUT I HAVE A WHOLE LIST OF THEM.
AND IF I WEREN'T NERVOUS, I COULD PROBABLY THINK OF SOME MORE, BUT YES.
SO, SO GAIL, YOU'RE GONNA BAIL ME OUT AGAIN.
YOU'RE GOING TO GIVE SOME MORE EXAMPLES.
UM, GOSH, I WISH I SHOULD BE ABLE TO DRUDGE UP SOME MORE.
YOU CAN ALWAYS FOLLOW UP WITH THIS COMMISSION BY EMAIL TOO.
[00:15:01]
AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR SPEAKING.THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
NEXT SPEAKER IS GAIL THE TORI WELCOME GAIL.
I'LL ALSO TAKE OFF MY MASK AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
I'M THE CO-DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL BUILDING SYSTEMS, A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT WAS FOUNDED IN AUSTIN IN 1975.
UM, ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS THAT I THINK WE'VE BEEN IN COLLABORATING A COLLABORATOR ON WAS DEVELOPING THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR WHAT HAS NOW BECOME THE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING THAT WAS IN 1989.
AND AT THE TIME IT WAS REALLY A SIGNIFICANT STEP TO MOVE BEYOND A RATING SYSTEM THAT FOCUSED JUST ON ENERGY TO AS GAIL BORE SAID ALSO INCLUDED WATER WASTE AND MATERIALS.
THAT WAS REALLY THE BIG IDEA TO ADDRESS THESE MULTIPLE FLOWS THAT INFLUENCED THE REALITY OF WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE THE WALLS, BUT VERY MUCH ALSO INFLUENCED WHAT HAPPENS OUTSIDE OF THE WALLS.
UM, AS GAIL MENTIONED, THE GREEN BUILDING GREEN BUILDER PROGRAM, UM, WAS RECOGNIZED THAT THE UN OR SUMMIT IN 1992, IT WAS THE ONLY AWARDEE FROM THE UNITED STATES OUT OF 12 TOTAL INTERNATIONALLY.
SO IT REALLY PUT THE PROFILE OF GREEN BUILDING ON THE MAP.
AND JUST A YEAR LATER WAS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CONCEPT OF LEAD THE US GREEN, I'M SORRY, THE US GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL, AND THEN A FEW YEARS AFTER THAT LEAD.
SO IT HAS HAD A LEADERSHIP ROLE AND CONTINUES TO HAVE A LEADERSHIP ROLE.
UM, SO IMPORTANTLY, UM, INCLUDING MATERIALS IN THE ORIGINAL FRAMEWORK FOR AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING, UM, ALL OF THESE EFFORTS REALLY ARE EVOLVING AND WE LEARN OVER TIME HOW TO BEGIN TO, UH, OR HOW TO CONTINUE TO ELEVATE THE SIGNIFICANCE AND THE RELEVANCE OF THE CONTENT THAT'S IN THESE GREEN BUILDING RATING SYSTEMS AND WHETHER IT'S LEAD OR THE LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE OR AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING, THEY HAVE CONTINUED VALUE AND RELEVANCE BECAUSE THEY CONTINUE TO EVOLVE.
UM, CERTAINLY HEALTH HAS BECOME A MORE PROMINENT CONSIDERATION AS WE BETTER UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIP OF BUILDINGS AND HUMANS IN THE BUILDINGS THAT WE OCCUPY AND, UM, SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN THAT REALM, OUR MATERIALS.
AND WE KNOW THAT MANY OF THEM HAVE SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS.
SO TO RECOGNIZE THEIR SIGNIFICANCE, UM, IN A RATING SYSTEM, SUCH AS THE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING, UM, SINGLE AND MULTIFAMILY RATING IS TIMELY TO DO MORE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SIGNIFICANTLY AND COMPREHENSIVELY THAN IT CURRENTLY IS.
UM, WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT HAVE MORE THAN 80,000 CHEMISTS CHEMICALS THAT ARE IN COMMERCE RIGHT NOW, A VERY SMALL PERCENT, SOME SAY AS SMALL AS 1% ARE ACTUALLY TESTED FOR HEALTH.
AND SO THERE'S A VERY MUCH OF A BIG UNKNOWN REALM OUT THERE.
WE KNOW CHILDREN AND OTHER COMPROMISED POPULATIONS ARE VERY MUCH MORE VULNERABLE TO EXPOSURE TO THESE CHEMICALS.
AND SO, UM, TO LOOK AT HOW TO BEGIN TO INTRODUCE THEM IN A SYSTEMATIC WAY, IN A FRAMEWORK LIKE AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING WOULD CERTAINLY BE A TIMELY PURSUIT.
MY PERSONAL WORK FELL VERY DEEPLY INTO THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR, WHERE WE THROUGH THE GREEN GUIDE FOR HEALTH CARE AND LEAD FOR HEALTHCARE INTRODUCED AND PIONEERED A SERIES OF CREDITS THAT FOCUSED ON CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS AND BUILDING MATERIALS.
UM, MANY OF THOSE ARE CONSIDERED PERSISTENT BIOCUMULATIVE TOXIC CHEMICALS, AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT CERTAINLY HAVE A HEIGHTENED CONCERN BECAUSE OF THEIR PERSISTENCE.
THEY ALSO KNOWN AS FOREVER CHEMICALS THEY'RE TOXIC AND THEY BUY OUR ACCUMULATE, WHICH MEANS THAT OVER TIME THEY ACTUALLY INCREASE IN CONCENTRATION AND VARIOUS SPECIES.
I'M SORRY, YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED.
IF YOU WANT TO WRAP UP ANY FINAL THOUGHT THAT YOU HAD THERE, THAT'S SURE I WOULD JUST SAY THAT.
UM, I THINK IT'S TIMELY FOR THESE TYPES OF MATERIAL CREDITS TO BE MORE REPRESENTED IN AUSTIN, ENERGY, GREEN BUILDING, SINGLE AND MULTI-FAMILY RATING.
AND I THINK THERE'S MANY PRECEDENTS IN OTHER RATING SYSTEMS TO SHOW SOME OF THOSE APPROACHES AND TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THOSE PRIORITY CHEMICALS.
UM, I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME QUESTIONS.
I SEE SMITTY COMING OFF, MUTE SMITTY.
GAIL EARLIER, THERE WAS A, A QUESTION THAT I'D ASKED, UH, GAYLE ABOUT, UM, AND BY THE WAY TO BEGIN, LET ME COMPLIMENT YOU ON YOUR MANY DECADES OF COMMITMENT AND LEADERSHIP.
[00:20:01]
YEARS THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN LEADING THE NATION AND YOUR ANALYSIS OF BUILDING SYSTEMS AND, UM, THE IMPACT OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT ON HUMAN HEALTH AND SMARTER WAYS TO BUILD.AND I JUST WANT TO, TO RECOGNIZE YOUR EFFORTS AND PLENTY'S EFFORTS AND GIVE FULL CREDIT TO YOUR ROLE AND ALSO TO, UH, TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THESE COMMISSIONERS, UM, AND HAVE THEM FULLY AWARE OF THE EXPERTISE THAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE.
AND, UM, AND THE MULTIPLE ROLES YOU HAVE PLAYED IN, UH, THE BUILDING OF THE NEW DELL HEALTH CENTER, ET CETERA.
UM, AND THE MANY GREEN AWARDS THAT PARTICULAR BUILDING IS ONE.
CAN YOU TELL A LITTLE S A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SORT OF AWARD-WINNING HISTORY OF, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY'S GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM? WELL, THANK YOU SMITTY FOR, UM, THOSE GENEROUS COMMENTS, MUCH APPRECIATED.
UM, I KNOW SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE 1992 AWARD FOR THE UN OR SUMMIT, I THINK PROBABLY KURT HERE COULD BETTER ELABORATE ON OTHER RECOGNITIONS THAT AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING HAS HAD OVER NOW THREE DECADES.
SO, UM, HE COULD COME UP AFTER, OR HOWEVER YOU WANT TO DO IT, BUT I, UM, I DON'T KNOW, IN DETAIL SPECIFIC AWARDS THAT THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM HAS RECEIVED, UH, THEN TO GO BACK TO, ARE THERE OTHER COMMENTS YOU'D MAKE TO AMPLIFY ON GAIL'S COMMENTS ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE DICK BUILDING MATERIALS MAKE IN TERMS OF HUMAN HEALTH? SURE.
AS I SAID, THE, UM, THERE'S VARIOUS CLASSES OF CHEMICALS, THERE'S A TERRIFIC FRAMEWORK THAT'S BEEN DEVELOPED BY, UM, ARLENE BLOOM WITH THE GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE CALLED SIX CLASSES WHERE, UM, SPECIFIC CHEMICALS ARE REALLY IDENTIFIED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO BOTH LOOK TO, UM, WHAT'S PROBLEMATIC IN A SPECIFIC MATERIAL.
AND ALSO WHAT'S ALL AN ALTERNATIVE AND NOT GET INTO A, UM, SUBSTITUTION STRATEGY THAT MAYBE DOESN'T GET YOU OUT OF THAT.
SO I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE SIX CLASSES WORK OF ARLENE BLOOM AT THE GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE.
UM, THERE'S OTHER FRAMEWORKS LIKE THE HEALTHIER HOSPITALS INITIATIVE, WHICH, UH, INTERESTINGLY HARVARD UNIVERSITY HAS ADOPTED FOR THEIR PROCUREMENT OF MATERIALS.
HARVARD ALSO REQUIRES FOR ALL OF THEIR NEW CONSTRUCTION, A HEALTH PRODUCT DECLARATION, WHICH IS A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO IDENTIFY THE CHEMICAL INGREDIENTS IN BUILDING MATERIALS SPECIFICALLY.
UM, I WILL SAY I'M ON THE BOARD OF THAT ORGANIZATION, BUT I THINK AS A FIRST STEP TO KNOW THAT THERE'S A TRUSTED SOURCE NOW ALMOST 10,000 PRODUCTS HAVE HPDS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE CHEMICALS THAT MAYBE ONES THAT YOU INTENTIONALLY WANT TO AVOID.
UM, A LOT OF THIS WORK IS REALLY DESIGNED TO BOTH PROVIDE INFORMATION AND EDUCATION AND ALSO MARKET TRANSFORMATION, RIGHT? OFTEN A MANUFACTURER MAY NOT KNOW WHAT IS IN THE PRODUCTS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE SUPPLY CHAIN AND SOMETHING LIKE THE HPD IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVEAL THAT AND TO GIVE THEM THE, THE INFORMATION THAT MAYBE THEY NEVER HAD BEFORE TO SAY, WOW, I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS LEAD SOMEWHERE UP THERE OR MERCURY, WHATEVER PROBLEMATIC CHEMICAL, UM, AND TO ENCOURAGE AND INCENTIVIZE, UH, INNOVATION.
UM, THERE'S ALSO JUST IN TERMS OF BROADER HEALTH CONCERNS, ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION IS A HUGE ISSUE.
CANCER, OBVIOUSLY AS MOGENS MUTAGENS REPRODUCTIVE, TOXICANTS, THERE'S A WHOLE ARRAY OF HEALTH EFFECTS.
MANY OF WHICH ARE TRIGGERED AND TIED TO EXPOSURE TO CHEMICALS, WHICH CAN BE, AS GAIL WAS SAYING RESPIRATORY EXPOSURE, IT CAN BE DERMALLY EXPOSURE.
SO I THINK THERE IS A BROAD NOW VERY, VERY GROUNDED SCIENCE THAT IS NOT JUST ANECDOTAL ANYMORE.
IT'S REALLY BASED ON FINDINGS.
UM, GOING BACK TO HARVARD, THEY DID A STUDY AFTER THEY HAVE IMPLEMENTED SOME OF THEIR PROCUREMENT POLICIES THAT INTENTIONALLY AVOID SOME OF THESE MOST PROBLEMATIC CHEMICALS AND MEASURABLY CAN NOW DETECT SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER LEVELS OF THESE CHEMICALS IN THEIR SPACES.
UM, SO THESE STUDIES ARE BEING DONE, UM, REALLY WITH MUCH MORE FREQUENCY AS THE, UH, THE WORK IS MORE CLEARLY DEFINED WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO, ELIMINATING CERTAIN
[00:25:01]
CHEMICALS, AND THEN GOING BACK, UM, OFTEN THESE CHEMICALS RESIDE ON DUST MOTES.AND SO, UM, THAT IS ONE OF THE VERY TYPICAL WAYS THAT THE CONCENTRATION OF THESE CHEMICALS IS MEASURED IN A SPACE.
IS THERE A WAY FOR A LAY PERSON TO TEST THE AIR QUALITY IN THEIR HOME OR IN THEIR WORKPLACE? I MEAN, WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS, IS RATHER ALARMING.
AND I THINK THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ASSUMING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, TH THE GOVERNMENT OR OTHER REGULATORY BODIES IS LOOKING AT THIS ISSUE FOR US, BUT, YOU KNOW, MOST OF US PROBABLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE AIR QUALITY IS LIKE IN OUR OWN HOME OR IN OUR OFFICE.
IS THERE A WAY FOR SOMEBODY TO TEST THAT ON, ON THEIR OWN? UH, WELL, I THINK THERE ARE, THERE ARE AIR TESTING, UM, MONITORS THAT ARE AVAILABLE.
UM, SOME OF THEM ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MEASURE CERTAIN, UH, IDENTIFIABLE CHEMICALS, UM, TO VARIOUS DEGREES, DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH MONEY YOU WANT TO SPEND ON THEM.
UM, CERTAINLY PARTICULATE MATTER IS ONE THAT IS NOT SO, UM, TIED TO A CHEMICAL PER SE.
BUT AS I SAID, THE PARTICULAR IT'S OFTEN ARE CARRIERS OF THE CHEMICALS.
UM, THEY'RE ALSO AIR QUALITY TESTING FIRMS THAT DO THIS.
AS A MATTER OF COURSE, THERE ARE, UM, UH, CREDIT AND LEAD, FOR EXAMPLE, WHICH IS CONSTRUCTION, INDOOR AIR QUALITY TESTING, WHERE THERE ARE, UH, A WHOLE LIST OF CHEMICALS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED WITH THRESHOLDS.
AND SO THE PURPOSE OF THE TESTING IS TO ENSURE THAT THE BUILDING DOES NOT HAVE A CONCENTRATION OF THESE IDENTIFIED CHEMICALS HIGHER THAN WHAT IS LISTED IN THESE, IN THESE EXPOSURE LEVELS.
UM, I THINK PROBABLY BECAUSE THERE'S MORE AND MORE INTEREST AND CONSUMER CONCERN ABOUT THIS, THAT PROBABLY THERE WILL BE, UM, TEST KITS THAT WILL BE MORE READILY AVAILABLE FOR THE AVERAGE CONSUMER.
UM, I THINK, I THINK A BIG STEP IS JUST, YOU KNOW, WITH EVERYTHING WE'VE LEARNED WITH COVID TO HAVE AIR MONITORING, BE MUCH MORE OF A COMMON OCCURRENCE WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW, THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE AIRFLOW IS.
THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE FILTRATION MEDIA, UM, IS THEY, I ALSO GOING TO WANT TO KNOW WHAT CHEMICAL CONCENTRATIONS THERE ARE.
SO I THINK WE'RE, UM, AT A POINT IN TIME, WHEN I THINK THE SENSITIVITY ABOUT HOW INFLUENTIAL BUILDINGS ARE TO HEALTH IS AT AS HIGH A LEVEL AS IT'S EVER BEEN IN TERMS OF A BROAD POPULATION CONCERN, YOU MAY NOT KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS, BUT, UM, DO YOU KNOW IF THERE'S SOME STATE OR FEDERAL REQUIREMENT FOR AIR TESTING? UM, FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE A NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL BEING BUILT ON THIS SITE.
WOULD THERE BE ANY REQUIREMENT THAT THE AIR BE TESTED IN THAT FACILITY PRIOR TO THE STUDENTS? UM, BEGINNING SCHOOL THERE, I DON'T KNOW OF ANY REQUIREMENT.
UM, MY OFFICE IS ACTUALLY WORKING ON THAT PROJECT AND WE ARE, UM, CONSIDERING THE CONSTRUCTION INDOOR AIR QUALITY TESTING AS ONE OF THE STRATEGIES THAT WOULD BE PURSUED, BUT THAT WOULD BE A VOLUNTARY PURSUIT, NOT SOMETHING THAT'S REQUIRED.
WELL, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR YOU, YOU'RE WORKING ON THAT FACILITY SHOULD BE A GREAT ONE COMMISSIONERS.
DO YOU HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, GAIL? THANK YOU.
I MEAN, THE, THE AMOUNT OF KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU OBVIOUSLY ARE BRINGING TO US IS INCREDIBLE.
AND, UM, I APPRECIATE YOU COMING HERE TONIGHT.
UM, AS, AS I MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS ON OUR AGENDA IS THIS, UH, BUDGET RECOMMENDATION THAT, THAT I THINK WAS IN LINE WITH WHAT, UH, KURT AND HIS TEAM ARE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF DEVELOPING THE LIST AND SOME SORT OF STRATEGY TO, UH, START ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM IN A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY THROUGH THE PR THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, HEARING, HEARING YOU SPEAK AND KNOWING ALL THE WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE, IT DOES SEEM THAT YOU ARE PERHAPS TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, LIKE THE WALK-IN ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION BEING POSED THAT YOU PROBABLY HAVE THE RESOURCES THAT THIS PERSON WOULD BE OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WERE HIRED SEARCHING FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, IT JUST MAKES ME THINK THAT, WELL, MAYBE ONE OF THE MORE EFFECTIVE WAYS TO GET THIS WORK DONE IS YES.
PERHAPS HIRE SOMEBODY, BUT TO HAVE SOME SORT OF COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, UM, ADVISORY GROUP TO HELP THAT PERSON.
AND I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD BE WILLING TO, TO ABSOLUTELY.
AND MADAM CHAIR, I'VE GOT ANOTHER QUESTION TO FOLLOW UP.
ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT HAS BEEN RAISED, UM, BY AUSTIN ENERGY IS THE LEGISLATION
[00:30:01]
WAS PASSED, UH, IN TEXAS THAT BASICALLY BAND PREFERENCES, UM, IN VARIOUS MATERIALS.UM, AND I WAS SOMEWHAT TAKEN BY THE, I BELIEVE IT WAS HARVARD, UM, SORT OF CERTIFICATE PROGRAM WHERE, UH, THERE SEEMED TO BE POTENTIALLY AN ALTERNATE WORK AROUND.
UM, HAVE YOU BEEN BRIEFED ON THE STATE LEGISLATION AND HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT, OR ANY OPINION ON WHETHER OR NOT THIS MIGHT, THIS CERTIFICATE STRATEGY MIGHT BE A WAY TO WORK AROUND, UM, THE STATE V THE STATE BAN WITHOUT BANNING ANY MATERIALS OR, BUT AT LEAST COMING UP WITH THEIR CERTIFICATE, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT, THAT YOU MIGHT SHARE? UM, THIS MANY I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM FROM HARVARD? UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IF THE, IF A CREDIT OR A MEASURE IS VOLUNTARY, IT WOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO COMPLIANCE OR RESTRICTED BY THAT STATE LAW.
ALTHOUGH I DON'T KNOW THE STATE LAW IN DETAIL, BUT THAT'S BEEN MY GENERAL UNDERSTANDING.
I WAS WONDERING IF KURT, WHEN HE COMES UP, MIGHT BE ABLE TO ADDRESS THAT.
WELCOME PAUL, ANY OF THREE MINUTES.
UH, I AM AN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST AND CONSUMER ADVOCATE.
I'M HERE AGAIN TO ASK YOU TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL, TO CHANGE AUSTIN'S GREENBELT OR PROGRAM, TO CREATE A CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE POINT SYSTEM.
IN THE LAST MEETING, I SUGGESTED THAT THIS COULD EITHER BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH A MANDATE OR A POINT SYSTEM.
THE RESOLUTION THAT I'M ADVOCATING FOR TONIGHT IS STRICTLY A POINT SYSTEM.
MY FRIEND, DOUG SIDER, WHO WAS THE FIRST MANAGER OF THE GREEN BUILDER PROGRAM IN THE 1990S, HAS SENT A LETTER TO YOU IN SUPPORT OF THIS IDEA TO EMPHASIZE IT.
I WANT TO BRIEFLY QUOTE THE GREEN BUILDER PROGRAM WAS THE FIRST IN THE COUNTRY RECEIVING IMMEDIATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE FIRST EARTH SUMMIT IN REDIS SHOW DE RIO DE JANEIRO.
IN 1992, AUSTIN HAS OFTEN LED THE NATION IN RAISING THE BAR TOWARD A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT.
INTRODUCING THE COMPONENT OF COST EFFECTIVE CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE SHOULD NOT BE ONEROUS.
REDUCING TOXINS IN OUR ENVIRONMENT CAN AND SHOULD BE EMBRACED THROUGH ESTABLISHED VEHICLES LIKE THE MARKET-BASED AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM.
I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL, UH, MARK RICHMOND, UH, WHO WAS THE IMMEDIATE SUCCESSOR TO DOUG CIDER ALSO SENT A LETTER TO YOU.
I'LL BRIEFLY, UH, QUOTE, A FEW SENTENCES.
UH, I SPEAK IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE PROPOSAL TO PUSH THE PROGRAM TO MORE COMPREHENSIVELY AND DEEPLY ADDRESSED THE ISSUE OF UNHEALTHY CHEMICALS IN OUR IMMEDIATE AND WIDER ENVIRONMENT.
THE AUSTIN PROGRAM IS THE GRANDFATHER OF THEM ALL AND NEEDS TO WORK HARD TO MAINTAIN ITS REPUTATION BY STAYING IN A LEADERSHIP ROLE, UH, BETWEEN DOUG CIDER, MARK RICHMOND, GAIL BORST AND GAIL VITTORI.
YOU HAVE MORE LITERALLY THAN A COLLECTIVE CENTURY OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD, AND THEY ARE URGING YOU TO TAKE ACTION.
I WANT TO EMPHASIZE AGAIN, THAT THIS IS A POINT BEZ POINT BASED MARKET BASED QUASI VOLUNTARY CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE TRACK.
GIVEN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD'S CHEMICAL INDUSTRY, PEOPLE ARE BASICALLY ELAP RATS ON A ROULETTE WHEEL IN THE U S PEOPLE HAVE A ONE IN THREE CHANCE OF GETTING CANCER.
ONE REASON IS CHEMICALS IN BUILDING MATERIALS.
THIS CAN NOT BE IGNORED ANY LONGER.
I'M ASKING YOU TO TAKE ACTION, HOPEFULLY IN APRIL TO SEND THIS CONCEPT TO COUNCIL.
UM, ONE, UM, IMPROMPTU THING RESPONDING TO WHAT'S BEEN ASKED.
[00:35:01]
ARE SHELVES FULL OF STUDIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON HEALTHY BUILDING MATERIALS AND ON TOXIC BUILDING MATERIALS.UM, DON'T REINVENT THE WHEEL A LOT OF WHAT YOU NEED ALREADY EXISTS.
UM, PAUL, WOULD YOU DESCRIBE SOME OF YOUR ROLES IN THE, IN THE, UH, CREATION OF THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM, PLEASE? IS THIS SMITTY CLOGGING? YEP.
THIS IS COMMISSIONER SMITTY, ACTUALLY.
UM, I DID NOT PLAY A DIRECT ROLE IN ESTABLISHING THE GREEN BUILDER PROGRAM IN THAT ERA.
IT'S, IT'S, THERE'S AN OLD JOKE, WHICH I'M MOST OF YOU HAVE HEARD THAT, UH, THAT VICTORY HAS A THOUSAND PARENTS TO IS AN ORPHAN JUST ABOUT EVERY ACTIVIST IN THE 1990S SAID THAT THEY HELPED START THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM.
I'M ONE OF THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT NEVER MADE THAT.
UH, BUT WHAT I DID TOO, IS I HELPED START THE ENERGY CONSERVATION, UH, AND CLEAN ENERGY PROGRAMS, WHICH WAS A SPRINGBOARD FOR THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM.
AND THEN, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KURT HAS SAID, UM, THAT CAUSES HIM ALARM ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL, UH, FOR A POINTS SYSTEM, IS THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN PROHIBITED BY STATE LAW.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT? UM, THAT HE'S WRONG.
UH, THERE ARE, THERE ARE TWO POINTS TO BE MADE HERE.
I ORIGINALLY IN FEBRUARY RECOMMENDED TWO ALTERNATIVES TO THIS CONDITION.
ONE WAS MANDATES, THE OTHER WAS VOLUNTARY.
AND WHAT I AM SUGGESTING TONIGHT IS VOLUNTARY AND WILL GET YOU A 80 OR 90% OF WHERE YOU CAN GO WITH MANDATORY.
BUT TO THE QUESTION, IS IT PROHIBITED IF THIS WERE IN THE BUILDING CODE, I WOULD BE FORCED TO AGREE WITH THEM, BUT THIS IS NOT, THIS IS GREEN BELDING HAS ALWAYS BEEN A VOLUNTARY PROGRAM.
NOW THERE ARE PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENTS IN AUSTIN, AND IN ORDER TO GET A PUD, WHICH IS A NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT BETWEEN, UH, THE CITY AND THE DEVELOPER, UH, ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS PLACED ON THE DEVELOPERS WAS TO HAVE MOSTLY TWO STAR AND IN THE MILLER DEVELOPMENT THREE-STAR HOMES, FOUR STAR HOMES OR NEVER FIVE STAR HOMES AND FOUR-STAR HOMES ARE NEVER MENTIONED.
UH, I WOULD ARGUE THAT THOSE PUDS WERE A VOLUNTARY AGREEMENT.
NOBODY FORCED THE BUILDERS TO NEGOTIATE.
THEY DID THIS BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO MAKE MORE MONEY.
AND IF RAISING, UH, THE, THEIR STANDARDS WOULD COST THEM MILLIONS AND TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, I COULD UNDERSTAND WHY THEY MIGHT BE UPSET, BUT I'M NOT THINKING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
SO THERE'S ONLY ONE PLACE IN THE ENTIRE CITY WHERE THEIR ARGUMENT WOULD BE VALID.
AND I BELIEVE THERE IS, UH, SOME STATUTE OR ORDINANCE THAT REQUIRES THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT IN AUSTIN TO BE ONE STAR.
SO THAT IS A REQUIREMENT THERE THAT WASN'T A VOLUNTARY PUTT AGREEMENT.
SO IN THAT NARROW CASE, THEY COULD ARGUE THAT THIS WOULD VIOLATE STATE LAW, NO OTHER PLACES THAT I'M AWARE OF.
I HAVE A UP, THIS IS LOOSE STONE IN YOUR PREPARED REMARKS.
YOU MENTIONED THE TERM QUASI VOLUNTARY.
IS THIS THE KIND OF SITUATION YOU'RE REFERRING TO, WHERE SOMEBODY MIGHT ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO GET SOME SORT OF A TAX BREAK OR AN ALLOWANCE BY THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO OVERBUILD ON THE LOT? IS THAT WHAT YOU MEAN BY QUASI VOLUNTARY LU? UM, AS YOU KNOW, I SUBMITTED
[00:40:01]
A VERY, VERY, VERY FIRST DRAFT OF WHAT, UH, A MANDATORY OR POINT SYSTEM MIGHT LOOK LIKE AT THE LAST MEETING AND IN THE GREEN.AND I SAY VERY FIRST DRAFT BECAUSE IT'S REALLY EASY TO COME UP WITH A LOT OF IDEAS, BUT THEN WHEN YOU GET INTO THE TRADE-OFFS AND YOU GET INTO HOW MANY POINTS YOU'RE GOING TO DESIGNATE AND ALL THAT STUFF, IT CAN GET INTO MORE COMPLICATION, BUT I WAS TRYING TO BE CONSTRUCTED AND GIVE YOU A FIRST STEP BY
I MEAN, THAT IN THE CURRENT GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM, THERE ARE SOME NOT A LOT OF, BUT SOME PREREQUISITES IT'S LIKE FOR A ONE-STAR YOU MUST DO THIS, THAT OR THE OTHER.
AND IT IS PLAUSIBLE DEPENDING ON HOW, UH, THIS WAS STRUCTURED, THAT THERE WOULD BE A FEW PREREQUISITES LIKE THAT FOR, FOR GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS.
IT'S ALSO PLAUSIBLE THAT THERE WOULDN'T BE, THAT'S WHY I SAID QUASI, WE DON'T KNOW YET.
AND THEN AS ANOTHER QUESTION THAT I HAD FOR YOU, SO UNDER THIS MODEL, WE START RATING, UH, VARIOUS BUILDING PRODUCTS AND SCORING THOSE AS WELL.
SO DO YOU ENVISION THAT SOMETHING THAT FOR EXAMPLE, MAY BE CONSIDERED A FOUR, FOUR STAR, UH, UH, BUILDING NOW COULD END UP BEING DROPPED DOWN TO A THREE-STAR BUILDING IF THEY DON'T CHASE THE NEW REQUIREMENTS, UH, IN THE FUTURE, I DON'T THINK THEY CAN RETROACTIVELY DOWNGRADE A HOME THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN RATED, BUT YES, UH, LOU IN THE FUTURE, IF THEY DON'T MEET THE SPECS OF A CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE SYSTEM, THEN THEY WOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO GET THE HIGHER TIER.
IS THERE ANY CONCERN THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT, UH, BUILDERS, UH, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WAY OF PUTTING IT TAPPING OUT AND SAYING THAT IT'S NO LONGER WORTH IT TO THEM TO TRY TO CHASE THE HIGHER DESIGNATION.
IF WE ARE GOING TO COST THEM MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, THEN I WOULD EXPECT THEM TO TAP OUT IF THIS DOESN'T HAVE A HUGE APPRECIABLE AMOUNT OF EXTRA COSTS, I'M NOT THAT CONCERNED.
UH, I, I SHOULD ADD THAT WITH FOREIGN FIVE STAR HOMES IN GENERAL, THERE ARE ANOMALIES, BUT IN GENERAL MONEY IS NOT AN OBJECT.
WE HAVE A QUESTION HERE ON STACK.
UM, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING HAS BEEN A PIONEER WAS ONE OF THE EARLY LEADERS IN THIS AREA.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH HERE IS TO STAY AHEAD OF THE AHEAD OF THE CURVE AND TO CONTINUE THE LEADERSHIP.
BUT I'M WONDERING IF THERE ARE ANY EXAMPLES, UM, THAT YOU KNOW, OF, OF OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, OTHER CITIES, OTHER PROGRAMS, UH, THAT ARE SIMILAR, UH, EITHER VOLUNTARY OR, OR MANDATED FOR CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE, UM, THAT WE COULD LOOK AT AND MAYBE LEARN SOMETHING FROM, ARE THERE ANY, UM, OTHER PROGRAMS FOR GREEN BUILDING THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF THAT WOULD INCORPORATE THIS CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE? I AM NOT A, I DON'T HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE COMMAND, UH, TO ANSWER THAT.
I DO KNOW THAT THERE ARE A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES IN MY HEAD OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA IS VERY GOOD ABOUT MANDATING, LOW VOC, UH, LOW VOLATILE, ORGANIC COMPOUND EMISSIONS IN PAINTS, UH, SEALANTS CABINETS, UH, UM, THAT KIND OF THING.
UH, I ALSO HAVE HEARD THAT THERE'S ABOUT, AND I'D HAVE TO SEE HOW MUCH OF THIS IS STILL CURRENT, BUT I BELIEVE THERE'S ABOUT 12 COUNTIES IN GEORGIA THAT VAN VINYL SIDING, UH, I THINK, UH, THIS HAD TO DO MORE WITH FIRE THAN WITH CHEMICALS BECAUSE IT WAS SAID THAT THEY BURNED HOTTER, BUT I, WHEN I CHECKED, UH, I, I BELIEVE THIS WAS THE CASE.
UM, I KNOW THAT VERY RECENTLY, THE STATE OF MAINE, UH, HAS COME OUT WITH A RULE OR LAW BANNING ALL POLLY FLUOROCARBONS IN NEW PRODUCTS BY 2030.
[00:45:01]
I AM NOT INTIMATELY FAMILIAR WITH THE LAW AND I CAN'T SAY EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS YET.UH, EVEN THEN AUSTIN COULDN'T DO THAT UNDER CURRENT STATE LAW.
UH, WE COULDN'T BAN IT BECAUSE WE ARE PREEMPTED BY THE, UH, THE BUILDING CODE, UH, UH, LAW THAT'S, UH, THEN DISCUSSED AND ARGUED HERE, UH, BEFORE I GO A FEW MINUTES AGO, PAUL, I KNOW REBECCA HAS A QUESTION.
UM, FIRST I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE AND, AND YOUR COMMITMENT TO HELPING PEOPLE STAY HEALTHY.
AND I DID WANT TO EXPRESS MY SHOCK THAT THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM DIDN'T ADDRESS TOXIC MATERIALS AT ALL.
UM, BUT MY QUESTION IS, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT PERCENTAGE OF BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, COMMERCIAL OR RESIDENTIAL OR ANY KIND, UM, ACTUALLY HAVE PARTICIPATED? LIKE WHAT PERCENT OVERALL, JUST TO KNOW, LIKE, WHAT IS THE IMPACT AND POSSIBLE IMPACTS THE FUTURE? I WOULD NOT HAVE THE MOST CURRENT STATISTICS IN RECENT TIMES.
I THINK ABOUT 20% OF AUSTIN, SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, UH, GOT A GREEN BUILDING RATING OF SOME KIND, UH, BUT THAT MAY BE DATED INFORMATION.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW JUST HOW, I GUESS, NEW, NEW CONSTRUCTION AND, UM, PAST CONSTRUCTION, WHAT THAT PERCENTAGE IS, IT'S EASILY OBTAINABLE.
THEY KEEP, THEY CAN PULL THIS UP ON THEIR DATABASE.
UH, REBECCA, IS THAT YOUR ONLY QUESTION THAT IS, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO DOUBLE BACK, I JOKED A FEW MINUTES AGO THAT I MIGHT BE THE ONLY PERSON IN AUSTIN FROM THE NINETIES WHO NEVER CLAIMED TO HAVE, UH, INVENTED OR HELPED CREATE THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM.
UH, GAIL BORST AND GAIL VITTORI CAN ACTUALLY BOAST THAT THEY DID IT WITH LEGITIMACY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FROM COMMISSIONERS, PAUL? THANK YOU FOR CONTINUING TO BRING THIS TO US.
I, I DO HOPE THAT, THAT WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD NEXT MONTH WITH, WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, AS I, YOU KNOW, HAVE ALLUDED TO THERE'S THIS, THIS ITEM HERE ON OUR AGENDA RELATED TO THE BUDGET, AND THAT ASKS YOU THE SAME QUESTION THAT I ASKED, UH, GAIL, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE OR PARTICIPATE IN SOME SORT OF ADVISORY BODY TO ASSIST THAT PERSON IN, AS YOU SAID, NOT RECREATING THE WHEEL, BUT, YOU KNOW, UH, DRAWING FROM ALL THE MANY SOURCES AND RESEARCH THAT IS ALREADY OUT THERE? THE TWO-PART SIMPLE ANSWER.
YES, BUT I HOPE IT DOESN'T DELAY CREATING A NEW VOLUNTARY STANDARD.
UH, IS THAT THE END OF OUR, UH, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION? THAT'S CORRECT.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
NEXT UP, WE HAVE A APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM OUR FEBRUARY 15TH, UH, MEETING, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO MAKE A MOTION.IS THERE ANY, ANY DISCUSSION OR ANYTHING THAT, UM, ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST ADDING OR AMENDING ON THESE MINUTES? ALRIGHT.
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE BEEN USING SOME OTHER PROCESS, BUT I THINK I'M MOST COMFORTABLE WITH US, UH, JUST VOTING.
SO, UH, IF EVERYONE CAN, UH, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO COME OFF, UH, OR COME ONTO YOUR VIDEO AND, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE THEIR HAND PLEASE.
I SEE LOUIS, UH, REBECCA, I SEE YOU.
[00:50:01]
WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR US TO TAKE THE, UM, AGENDA OFF SO THAT WE CAN SEE? UM, I'M NOT SURE IF THERE ARE OTHERS ON THAT WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO SEE.SO SHANE AND JONATHAN, I CAN SEE IF YOU MIGHT'VE BEEN RAISED RAISING YOUR HANDS AND DAY AND I COULDN'T YOU EITHER.
THIS IS DANA ALAB STAIN AS I WASN'T PRESENT FOR THE LAST MEETING.
I AM ALSO ABSTAINING, BUT THE MINUTES ARE ADOPTED.
WE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL RCAS HERE.
UM, SO I'M ASSUMING THAT, UH, SOMEBODY FROM AUSTIN ENERGY IS PERHAPS HERE TO, TO PRESENT ON THESE ITEMS. IS THAT ACCURATE WITH, I SHARE, WE HAVE, UH,
[Items 2 - 5]
TIM OR EIGHT OR ITEMS 2, 3, 4, AND FIVE.UH, YEAH, WE CAN HEAR YOU, BUT WE CAN'T NOW.
I THINK YOU'RE GETTING MOVED SO WE CAN MAYBE SEE YOU CAN, IS IT OKAY IF WE TAKE THE AGENDA BACK DOWN? I THINK IT'S MORE IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO SEE EVERYBODY.
AND IF YOU, IF YOU WANT TO PRESENT ON THESE, UH, ALTOGETHER, THAT WOULD BE FINE WITH ME.
UM, OR IF YOU THINK IT'S BETTER TO JUST TAKE THEM UP ONE BY ONE.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAD ANYTHING THAT YOU WANTED TO PRESENT ON THEM, OR IF YOU JUST WANT TO TAKE QUESTIONS? UH, YEAH, I'M, I'M OPEN TO TAKE QUESTIONS, BUT JUST, UM, A LITTLE PREAMBLE ABOUT THEM.
UM, THESE ARE ALL CAPACITY BASED IN SYDNEY IS, UM, AND THEY ARE FOR NONPROFITS.
UM, AND THE REASON THAT WE HAVE THESE ELEVATED INCENTIVES FOR NONPROFITS IS BECAUSE THEY'RE UNABLE TO LEVERAGE FEDERAL TAX CREDITS FOR ONE, AND THEY REPRESENT A GROUP OF BUSINESSES THAT HAVE, UH, A LARGE AMOUNT OF COMMUNITY BENEFIT.
SO, UM, WE'VE TAILORED THE PROGRAM TO, UM, GARRET'S EFFORTS TOWARDS THOSE, UM, CUSTOMERS.
SO ANY QUESTIONS? UM, I THINK THE WAY WE'RE POSTED WE'LL, WE'LL VOTE ON THESE, UH, ONE BY ONE, BUT IF, IF ANYBODY HAS QUESTIONS ON ANY OF THOSE ITEMS, UM, FEEL FREE TO GO AHEAD, LIZ.
AS THE TEXAS FACILITY COMMISSION, A C3 NON-PROFIT TYPE OF AN ORGANIZATION, UM, IT IS, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT LEVEL OF NONPROFIT THEY, BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS AS SET FORTH IN THE GUIDELINES.
THE TECH, YOU HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, SO THE TEXAS FACILITIES COMMISSION IS, I UNDERSTAND IT.
TOWN IS, UM, THE STATE AGENCY THAT MANAGES ALL THE STATE BUILDINGS.
IS THAT YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR ROLE? UH, YES.
AND IT'S RCA IS THE STATE OF TEXAS, A CUSTOMER OF AUSTIN ENERGY.
I KNOW THEY HAD A POWER PURCHASE, UH, DEAL THAT THE, THE, UM, LAND COMMISSION, I THINK, WENT OUT FOR BIDS FOR POWER, BUT I THINK IT DID NOT INCLUDE THE CUSTOMERS IN AUSTIN.
DO YOU KNOW WHETHER ARE THEY THE METERS IN AUSTIN? DO YOU KNOW WHETHER THEY ARE AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS? YES.
IT'S BEEN VALIDATED THAT THEY ARE AN AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMER.
AND SO THEY'RE SIMILAR TO, UM, ANY OTHER NON PROFIT, I GUESS THE STATE'S NONPROFIT BEST I CAN TELL.
UM, ALTHOUGH WE ALWAYS HAVE A BALANCED BUDGET, UH, IN TERMS OF THEIR LEGAL STATUS, THERE'S AN APPLICANT.
[00:55:02]
IS THAT WHERE YOU'RE READING TIM? YEAH, I'M JUST KINDA GOING THROUGH, UM, SO THEY'VE PROVIDED PROOF OF NONPROFIT STATUS.UM, AND I WOULD HAVE TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER TO, UH, PULL THAT UP, BUT THEY ARE DEFINITELY A AUSTIN ENERGY, NONPROFIT CUSTOMER.
THAT'S ALL I NEED TO ESTABLISH.
I WASN'T TRYING TO MAKE YOU DO ANY MORE WORK.
I JUST WANTED TO GET THAT ON THE RECORD THAT NONPROFIT AND YOU GUYS HAVE LOOKED INTO IT IN THE PAST.
UM, IF I COULD ASK ONE THING, I SPENT CONSIDERABLE TIME TRYING TO FIND TEXAS FACILITIES COMMISSION ONLINE ON THE IRS WEBSITE, AS WELL AS THROUGH CHARITY NAVIGATOR AND GUIDESTAR.
AND I DO NOT BELIEVE THEY QUALIFY AS A NONPROFIT.
AND I ALSO FIND IT STRANGE THAT WE WOULD BE SENDING MONEY TO IT'D BE THE EQUIVALENT OF THE KIDS SENDING MONEY TO MOM AND DAD IN THIS CASE.
UM, SO I JUST, I HAVE A PERSONAL OBJECTION TO THEIR PARTICULAR APPLICATION.
AND, AND IT'S COMING BACK TO ME NOW.
UM, AS I RECALL, THE, UM, THE OPERATION OF THAT FACILITY IS TO, UM, GATHER UNUSED, UM, LIKE EQUIPMENT AND RESELL IT TO THE PUBLIC.
SO D O DESKS AND CHAIRS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND VEHICLES ATTACH THINGS.
UM, THEY ARE CLEARLY A LARGE CUSTOMER SHAME WITHOUT A DOUBT.
UM, I DON'T RECALL NOW THAT WE'VE GOTTEN SO MANY OF THE HIGH-TECH COMPANIES IN, BUT WHEN I FIRST STARTED WORKING ON THIS 20 ODD YEARS AGO, THE 30 YEARS AGO, THEY WERE THE LARGEST SINGLE COLLECTION OF METERS IN THE STATE OF TECH AND AUSTIN ENERGY SERVICE AREA.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, UH, GIVEN THE POLITICS OF THE STATE, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO INVEST IN SOLAR FAR, BE IT, BUT FROM THE EVENT, THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO HAVING FACILITIES WITH AS MUCH FLAT ROOF, UM, AND AS MUCH, UM, AS SORT OF LOW CODE AS REPRESENTED BY LARGE WAREHOUSES LIKE THAT, UM, THAT ARE AIR CONDITIONED TO BE AIR CONDITIONED BECAUSE THEY REDUCE SIGNIFICANTLY THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY CONSUMED THAT CAUSES US TO HAVE TO PAY HIGHER PEAK POWER PRICES ACROSS THE SYSTEM.
AND SO I'VE LONG HELD MY NOSE ON THIS PARTICULAR SET OF APPLICATIONS AND LOOK AT IT IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, UH, SIGNIFICANT DEMAND REDUCTION.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, REDUCING ONE OF THE LARGEST CONSUMERS AT PEAK ENERGY, UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE SYSTEM.
SO THAT'S WHERE, HOW I'VE, UM, UH, BASICALLY RATIONALIZED MY WAY OUT OF MY REPO, UH, MY GENERAL SENSE THAT THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN NOT BE SUPPORTING THE STATE, BASICALLY THIS REDUCES OUR BILLS.
AND THAT'S THE REASON THAT I SUPPORTED DINA.
DID I SEE YOUR HAND UP? YOU DID KIVA THINGS.
AND INTERESTINGLY, MY, MY QUESTION WAS ALSO FOR THE TEXAS FACILITIES COMMISSION, I GUESS IT GOT ALL OF OUR ATTENTION.
UM, JUST A QUICK NOTE, THERE IS A SHORT DESCRIPTION, UH, IN THE, UH, PACKET OF THE, KIND OF THE, THE ROLE OF THE TEXAS FACILITIES COMMISSION.
BUT, UM, TIM, MY QUESTION WAS ACTUALLY A BIT MORE, IF YOU BE WILLING, COULD YOU PLEASE REMIND US ON HOW THE INCENTIVES ARE CALCULATED, UM, FOR THESE CAPACITY BASED INCENTIVES? I, I RECOGNIZE THAT THAT STOOD OUT A BIT, UM, COMPARED TO THE OTHER FOUR, IN TERMS OF THE PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL COSTS THAT WAS BEING PAID.
UM, I THINK THEY WERE AT 21% AND THE OTHERS WERE IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES, UM, WHICH MAY BE MORE KIND OF MORE THE TRADITIONAL NON-PROFITS THAT WE PROBABLY HAD IN MIND THAT, THAT THIS PROGRAM WAS INTENDED TO SERVE.
UM, SO W COULD YOU MAYBE JUST REMIND US HOW THOSE INCENTIVES ARE CALCULATED PLEASE? YEAH.
THE INCENTIVE IS BASED ON THE, UH, DC SYSTEM CAPACITY.
SO, UM, MY, IF, IF THE INCENTIVE IS COVERING LESS OF THAT PROJECT, IT'S BECAUSE THE INSTALLED COST IS GREATER.
LIKE THE INSTALL COST PER WATT, THE COST PER WATT IS GREATER.
[01:00:01]
UM, IT DID LOOK LIKE THERE WERE BECAUSE THE, OKAY.IT WAS COST FOR WHAT I HADN'T DONE THAT MATH.
YOU KNOW, TIM, I DO HAVE SOME KIND OF SIMILAR CONCERNS AS, AS THOSE THAT ARE, THEY'RE BEING BROUGHT UP HERE AROUND THE, UM, ITEM WITH THE CHECKS, FACILITIES COMMISSION, UH, AND, AND I GUESS A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, ONE IN TERMS OF THE, THE GUIDELINES FOR THIS PROGRAM, JUST AT, JUST SAY NON-PROFITS, OR, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALL TYPES OF NONPROFITS.
UM, IS THERE NOTHING MORE SPECIFIC IN THERE IN TERMS OF, UH, EITHER, UH, SPECIFIC LEGAL STATUS OF NONPROFITS OR ANYTHING ABOUT THEIR KIND OF MISSION OR CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMMUNITY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? IS IT JUST ANY NONPROFIT? UH, YEAH, PRETTY MUCH IT'S TOO.
YOU HAVE TO, UM, SHOW AN ACCEPTABLE FORM OF PROOF, UM, THAT YOU ARE A NONPROFIT, SO WE DON'T, UM, YOU KNOW, BREAK IT DOWN INTO CLASSES.
AND IS IT YOUR, UM, YOUR OPINION OR UNDERSTANDING THAT IF THE QUALIFICATION IS MET, THAT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF KIND OF JUDGMENT CALL IN, IN WHO IS, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE, OR NOT HAVE AN INCENTIVE, BUT RATHER THE, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE SHOULD BE AWARDED THROUGH THE PROGRAM.
I WOULD SAY THAT IF WE, IF WE DECIDE TO, UM, HAVE A CRITERIA BY WHICH WE EXCLUDE CERTAIN NON-PROFITS, THEN THAT WOULD NEED TO BE EXPLICIT IN THE GUIDELINES.
IT'S CURRENTLY NOT, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD ENTERTAIN, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING JUDGMENT CALLS.
UM, I THINK THAT'S BAD POLICY IF IT NEEDS TO BE CLEARLY STATED IN THE GUIDELINES.
I WOULD DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THAT.
UM, THIS, UH, THIS ITEM DOES MAKE ME THINK THAT I THINK THE GUIDELINES COULD PROBABLY USE A BIT OF REFINEMENT IN THIS AREA, AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT I REALLY, UH, THOUGHT OF, UM, AS, AS YOU WERE DEVELOPING THIS PROGRAM, BUT, UM, I THINK CLEARLY THIS ONE JUST KINDA DOESN'T, UH, SIT WELL WITH A NUMBER OF US, UM, IN TERMS OF THE INTENTION OF THE PROGRAM.
AND OF COURSE THEY, EVEN IF THEY WERE NOT GOING THROUGH THIS NON-PROFIT PROGRAM, COULD STILL GET AN INCENTIVE, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE, THE OTHER, UH, SOLAR INCENTIVE PROGRAMS TO KIND OF GET TO SMITTY'S POINT THERE, THERE STILL COULD BE A PATHWAY FOR THEM TO, UM, TO HAVE SOLAR INCENTIVIZED.
UM, BUT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, THAT'S MY VIEW THAT I, I DO THINK PERHAPS SOME REFINEMENT OF THE CRITERIA FOR, FOR FUTURE PROJECTS WOULD BE GREAT.
ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS ON THESE ITEMS? UM, I'VE SEEN THIS AS A SET OF THESE, ON THE AGENDA PREVIOUSLY, THEIR LAST MEETING OR THE MEETING BEFORE LAST.
UM, AND I'M CURIOUS, UM, WHAT IS THE TOTAL BUDGET FOR THESE, IN THESE SPECIFIC INCENTIVES? AND MIGHT WE SEE ANOTHER GROUP OF THESE NEXT MEETING JUST, AND DOES THIS GO UNTIL ALL OF THE MONEY IS EXHAUSTED? HOW MUCH IS IT? I LOOK AT, I SEE THAT THE, UH, THE MAXIMUM IS JUST UNDER 500,001 OF THE, UM, ENTITIES ON THE LIST TODAY HAS, YOU KNOW, GOT RIGHT UP $18 BELOW IT.
UM, SO HOW MUCH MONEY IS THERE? AND, YEAH, SO THIS IS A LIMITED RUN PROGRAM AND IT'S DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE NINE MEGAWATTS.
AND WE PLAN TO DO THAT OVER A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS.
SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THREE, $3 MILLION ANNUALLY BECAUSE IT'S BASED ON THE DC WIDE AGE, RATHER THAN THE PROGRAM SIZE IS BASED ON THE AC WATTAGE.
SO NINE MEGAWATTS AC, BUT THE INCENTIVES ARE PAID OUT IN DC, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER.
AND SO WERE WE TO APPROVE ALL OF THE ONES ON THE LIST TODAY? HOW CLOSE ARE WE TO MAXING OUT THAT 3 MILLION FOR THIS YEAR, FOR THIS YEAR? I BELIEVE WE HAVE, UM, 600 KILOWATTS LEFT AND THE FIRST TIER, WHICH IS WHY IT'S COMMITTED FOR THIS YEAR.
SO A COUPLE MORE PROJECTS PROBABLY, BUT TO MY KNOWLEDGE, WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED APPLICATIONS YET
[01:05:01]
FOR THOSE JIM.ONE OTHER QUESTION, DANA POINTED OUT THE, UH, DISCREPANCY IN THE PERCENT OF COST.
AND YOU SAID THAT THAT TO DO WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OVERALL COST PER WATT, JUST THE PROGRAM GUIDELINES, DID THEY INCLUDE ANY, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MAXIMUM, UH, FOR COST PER WATT IN ORDER TO, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROGRAM IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE EFFICIENT USE OF THE DOLLARS AVAILABLE, UM, A MAXIMUM INSTALLED COST FOR PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY? YEAH.
AND, UM, BECAUSE IN THE PAST WE'VE TRIED THAT A COUPLE OF TIMES, BUT, UM, AS SOON AS WE POST THAT NUMBER, UM, THE CONTRACTORS TEND TO CLIMB UP TO IT.
SO, I MEAN, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DO AND WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE, I SEE THE INSTALL COSTS CLIMB UP TO THAT NUMBER, UM, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE BOARD MORE.
IT JUST DOES STRIKE ME THAT, UM, PERHAPS THESE DOLLARS COULD HAVE, COULD HAVE WENT FURTHER IF, UH, IF THEY DID MORE SHOPPING AROUND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY ENDED UP WITH IT SEEMS LIKE IT MUST BE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE, UH, IN THEIR PER WHILE I HAVE NOT DONE THE CALCULATION, BUT YEAH, WE ENCOURAGE OUR CUSTOMERS TO GET MULTIPLE QUOTES BECAUSE YOU WILL GET, YOU KNOW, VARYING PRICES FROM, UM, COMPANIES AND WE CAN'T CONTROL THAT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS AND JUST, UH, FOR CLARITY, WE ARE, UH, DISCUSSING ITEMS TWO THROUGH FIVE ON OUR AGENDA.
I APPRECIATE YOU, UH, EXPLAINING THESE PROJECTS TO US.
I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE THESE UP ONE AT A TIME.
SO, UH, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO MAKE A MOTION ON ITEM TWO, I'LL MOVE TO ACCEPT.
UM, ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
IF YOU'RE ABLE TO TURN ON YOUR VIDEO, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
IT LOOKS LIKE, UH, ITEM TWO APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.
UM, ITEM THREE, SEND HIM REBECCA.
ARE YOU MAKING A MOTION? YOU'RE MUTED.
WELL, THIS IS MAKING A MOTION.
ANYBODY WANT A SECOND, SECOND DANNA AND SECONDING.
AGAIN, UH, IF YOU'RE VOTING IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
I THINK AGAIN, UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED AND NUMBER FOUR, SAME DRILL.
SMITTY'S MAKING THE MOTION ON THIS ONE TO HAVE A SECOND.
HOW SECOND, BUT CAN I EVEN, I JUST DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU CAN SEE CHARLOTTE AS WELL.
I DON'T SEE YOUR VIDEO, SO JUST WANNA MAKE SURE YOU'RE GETTING HER VOTE.
I DON'T KNOW WHY SHE'S ALSO SHOWING UP THERE, BUT THAT THAT'S HER GUEST.
DAN, ARE YOU, DID YOU SECOND THAT MOTION? OKAY.
SECOND BASED ON THE POLICY AS IT'S WRITTEN.
UH, SO AGAIN, UH, THIS IS ITEM FOUR, EVERYONE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
AND, UH, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 IN, IN SUPPORT.
UH, LOUIS, ARE YOU VOTING AGAINST OR ABSTAINING AGAINST? FAIR ENOUGH.
[01:10:01]
FIVE, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THIS ITEM.MOTION TO APPROVED, RIGHT? WELL, THIS IS MOVING APPROVAL DAY AND I SAW YOUR HAND.
DO YOU WANT A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
AGAIN, ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
OR ARE YOU ABSTAINING OR VOTING AGAINST THEM? THIS ONE.
[6. (4/21) [Austin Water] Approve an ordinance amending City Code Chapter 2-13 (Administrative Adjudication of Violations) relating to establishing administrative penalties and penalty ranges for water conservation violations and Chapter 6-4 (Water Conservation) relating to obtaining and submitting evaluations.]
ALL RIGHT.THIS IS A NRCA FROM AUSTIN WATER, UH, REQUESTING APPROVAL ON AN ORDINANCE, UH, RELATED TO ADMINISTRATIVE, UH, EDUCATION OF VIOLATIONS.
AND I GUESS THIS HAS TO DO WITH WATER CONSERVATION.
DO WE HAVE SOMEBODY HERE TO SPEAK? THANK YOU.
DO YOU MEAN COMMISSIONERS? MY NAME IS KEVIN KLUGIE.
I'M THE WATER CONSERVATION MANAGER AT AUSTIN WATER, AND I JUST HAVE A, UH, JUST A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE RCA.
AND THEN I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, BACK IN 2012, WATER CONSERVATION STAFF TOOK BEFORE THIS COMMISSION AND THE WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION, A SERIES OF PENALTIES FOR DIFFERENT WATER CONSERVATION VIOLATIONS.
UM, SO THERE IS A RANGE OF DIFFERENT PENALTIES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIOLATIONS, AND THAT WAS HELD CONSTANT THROUGH DECEMBER OF 2020, DECEMBER OF 2020.
THE COUNCIL REMOVED, UH, THE, THE PENALTIES FOR WATER CONSERVATION FROM, UH, CHAPTER SIX, FOUR, AND PUT THEM ALL INTO CHAPTER TWO 13 IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE IT, MAKE THOSE PENALTIES CONSISTENT WITH OTHER PENALTIES FOR THE CITY.
UNFORTUNATELY, ONE OF THE UNFORTUNATE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT ACTION WAS THAT IT MADE THE PENALTIES FOR ALL TYPES OF WATER CONSERVATION, UM, REGULATIONS, WHETHER IT'S WATERING ON THE WRONG DAY OR TIME, OR, UH, REQUIRED INSPECTION REPORTS FOR CAR WASHES OR WHAT HAVE YOU.
IT GAVE ALL OF THOSE, UH, REQUIREMENTS, THE SAME PENALTY.
AND YOU SEE IT SAW THAT IN THE RCA, YOU KNOW, STARTING AT 250.
SO EVEN IF SOMEONE WATERED ON THE WRONG DAY AND SOMEHOW GOT PAST OUR WARNING AND WENT ALL THE WAY TO A PENALTY, THEY WOULD RECEIVE A PENALTY, NOT TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS, BUT $250.
SO IT REALLY USED JUST ONE SINGLE TOOL FOR ALL TYPES OF CONSERVATION REQUIREMENTS.
WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH THIS RCA IS TRYING TO GO BACK TO THE, IS CONTINUING TO GO BACK TO THE COUNCIL AND EXPANDING THE NUMBER OF, AND THE RANGE OF PENALTIES FOR THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF REQUIREMENTS.
UM, SO ONES THAT DEAL WITH RESIDENTIAL WILL GO DOWN, THEY'LL START LOWER, UM, ONES THAT DEAL WITH COMMERCIAL ENTITIES WILL GENERALLY START HIGHER.
UM, THERE'LL BE NO THERE, EVEN THOUGH WE'RE EXPANDING AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE DOING A WHOLE LOT MORE ENFORCEMENT, A WHOLE LOT MORE PENALTIES.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET A LARGER NUMBER OF TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX.
THERE'S NO CHANGE IN OUR ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES, AND THERE ARE, UH, THERE'S NO LOSS OF DUE PROCESS FOR ANY OF THE CUSTOMERS, WHETHER THEY BE RESIDENTIAL OR COMMERCIAL.
AND INDEED THERE'LL BE ACTUALLY MORE, I GUESS, YOU'D CALL IT DUE PROCESS BECAUSE EVERY PENALTY WILL HAVE A THIRD PARTY HEARING UNLESS THE, UH, THE CUSTOMER ADMITS LIABILITY, UM, BEFOREHAND, UH, PREVIOUSLY THEY ASK, THEY HAD TO ASK FOR THIRD-PARTY HEARING, WHICH IS FINE.
UH, BUT GOING FORWARD A SLIGHT CHANGE IS THAT EVERYONE WILL HAVE A THIRD PARTY HEARING UNLESS THEY, UH, ADMIT LIABILITY BEFOREHAND.
JUST TO GIVE YOU A REALLY, UH, A SNAPSHOT OF PENALTIES, UM, BACK IN FISCAL YEAR 2020, THAT WAS THE LAST FULL YEAR THAT WE, UH, ENFORCED VIOLATIONS WITH PENALTIES.
UM, THERE ARE ROUGHLY 1300 PENALTIES, 88% OF THOSE WERE FOR ONE SINGLE PROGRAM, WHICH WAS COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION AUDITS WHERE COMMERCIAL IRRIGATORS
[01:15:01]
HAVE TO SEND IN A, UH, AN INSPECTION REPORT EVERY OTHER YEAR.SO 88% OF ALL OF THOSE PENALTIES WERE FOR THAT COMMERCIAL IRRIGATION, 10% WERE FOR A CARWASH INSPECTION REPORTS.
AND THEN THE REMAINING 2% WERE FOR WATERING AND LEAKS.
AND IN THAT FISCAL YEAR 20, UH, ONLY, THERE WERE ONLY FOUR PENALTY VIOLATIONS FOR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.
SO IT'S HELPFUL TO SEE JUST THE SCALE OF WHERE PENALTIES ARE, UH, FOR WATER CONSERVATION.
SO THAT WRAPS UP MY, MY BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THIS RCA IS AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER IS THE QUESTIONS.
ARE THE PENALTIES DISCRETIONARY OR, UM ARE YOU, YOU KNOW, ONCE THE PERSON IS FOUND TO HAVE VIOLATED THE ORDINANCE, IS IT MANDATORY PENALTY? RIGHT.
SO, UM, SO FOR INSTANCE, YOU TAKE THAT FIRST ONE FACILITY EVALUATIONS, THERE'S THAT RANGE FROM 500 TO A THOUSAND ON THAT FIRST IN THAT FIRST OCCURRENCE.
SO IF THEY FAILED TO SUBMIT THEIR REPORT BY THE DUE DATE, YOU KNOW, WE'LL GIVE THEM A 30 DAY NOTICE OF WARNING.
AND THEN AT THE END OF THAT, 30 DAYS WE'LL GIVE THEM WE'LL ISSUE THEM A PENALTY VIOLATION.
WE HAVE THAT RANGE AND TO, UH, ASSIGN A PENALTY AT THIS POINT, WHAT WE'RE WE'LL BE DOING IS DEVELOPING A STANDARD OPERATING GUIDANCE DOCUMENT TO ASSIGN PENALTIES BASED ON THAT RANGE.
AT THIS POINT, WE'RE LOOKING TO DIFFERENTIATE THOSE PENALTIES WITHIN THE RANGE GENERALLY BY THE, UH, SIZE OF THE SYSTEM, IN SOME CASES, OR THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT IS BEING USED BY THAT CUSTOMER'S CUSTOMER RATHER, OR A PARTICULAR DROUGHT STAGE.
SO GENERALLY IT WILL BE THE MINIMUM, BUT FOR A VERY, PERHAPS VERY LARGE USERS, VERY EGREGIOUS USERS, USERS IN STROUT STAGE FOUR, OR WE WILL PROBABLY BE LOOKING TO INCREASE THAT PENALTY OF THAT RANGE.
I THINK SOMEBODY ELSE HAD A QUESTION.
UM, HOW MUCH TIME DO WE SPEND ON AN ANNUAL BASIS IN THE WATER CONSERVATION STAGE, AS OPPOSED TO THE DROUGHT RESPONSE STAGES? UH, THE CONSERVATION STAGES ARE AS OUR BASE STAGE.
UM, I'M STRUGGLING TO REMEMBER THE LAST TIME WE WERE IN A STAGE ONE, PERHAPS 2018 OR SO WE'VE BEEN IN CONSERVATION STAGE FOR QUITE A WHILE.
UH, WE MAY GO INTO STAGE ONE BASED ON LCRA PER CHECK ACTIONS, PERHAPS AS EARLY AS MAY OF THIS YEAR, IF IT'S DRY CONDITIONS OR JUNE FOR MEDIA AND CONDITIONS.
SO W WE MAY BE MOVING INTO STAGE ONE, UH, THIS SUMMER.
AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY PROMPTED THIS LCRA IS TO TRY TO GET THESE MORE DIFFERENTIATED PENALTIES ON THE BOOKS RATHER THAN THE ONE SIZE FITS ALL.
BECAUSE PART OF MY CHALLENGE AND LOOKING AT THIS AS I BELIEVE THAT YOU'VE, YOU'VE, YOU'VE BASICALLY CREATED A MENU OF OPTIONS HERE, AND I GUESS I WOULD ALMOST PREFER TO SEE CONSERVATION STAGE AND DROUGHT STAGE, AND THEN NOT MAKE A DIFFERENTIATION IF WE'RE IN DROUGHT STAGE ONE OR DROUGHT STAGE FOUR OR FIVE, I DON'T KNOW HOW, I DON'T REMEMBER HOW FAR THEY GO.
IT LOOKS LIKE THREE, JUST KIND OF TAT EMERGENCY STAGE.
UM, SO TO ME, IT ALMOST MAKES MORE SENSE TO HAVE YOUR CONSERVATION STAGE PENALTIES AND THEN A DROUGHT PENALTY.
AND SO MAYBE YOU PICK A NUMBER THAT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF THOSE, THOSE, UH, DROUGHT STAGES, MAYBE USE DROUGHT THREE AS A GOOD MEDIUM, AND THEN HAVE JUST BASICALLY TWO OPTIONS.
IT'S EITHER CONSERVATION OR IT'S DROUGHT RELIEF, AS OPPOSED TO CREATING A MENU THE WAY THAT IT IS NOW, WHERE YOU HAVE TO CONSULT THE CHART.
UH, I THINK I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
WHAT'S IN THE RCA, THERE ARE FOUR,
[01:20:01]
THE WATERING RESTRICTIONS AND THE WATER WASTE, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY LEAKS.UH, WE DO HAVE THEM BY THE DIFFERENT STAGES IN ADDITION TO THE CONSERVATION.
SO WE, WHILE WE DO HAVE RANGES, WE HAVE THEM SET FOR CONSERVATION STAGE AND FOR STAGE 1, 2, 3, 4 OTHER QUESTIONS COMMISSIONERS.
WELL, I GUESS MY POINT TO THAT WAS IS IF WE ARE IN A DROUGHT STAGE, YOU DON'T WALK ME LOT OF WATERING MY LAWN TODAY.
JUST LIKE YOU WOULD WANT ME REGARDLESS IF THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE THREE WEEKS FROM NOW, THAT'S WHY THAT'S THE POINT I'VE TRIED TO MAKE IS THAT IT SEEMS TO ME, YOU SHOULD JUST HAVE A TWO TIER SYSTEM, ONE FOR WEARING IN OUR STANDARD CONSERVATION MODE AND THE OTHER FOR WE'RE IN A DROUGHT RESPONSE MODE.
AND SO THAT'S MY GENERAL FEEDBACK ON THIS.
UM, I'M NOT SURE THAT WE'RE IN A POSITION TO OFFER AMENDMENTS TO IT, BUT THAT'S JUST MY THOUGHT PROCESS ANYWAY.
SO I'LL BE QUIET NOW, OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS? UH, I DID HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UM, FIRST I'M WONDERING HOW THESE, UM, PROPOSED NEW, UH, PENALTIES COMPARE TO WHAT WAS IN PLACE BEFORE THE PREVIOUS CHANGE, BY AND LARGE FOR THE COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS AND FOR THE WATERING AND LEAK, UH, ORDINANCES THAT THEY'RE VERY COMPARABLE.
WE KIND OF TOOK WHAT WE HAD BEEN USING FROM 2012 TO 2020, UM, WHEN DEVELOPING THESE SAME ONES, THERE ARE SOME THAT THERE WERE NOT PENALTIES FOR, UH, PREVIOUSLY, UH, SUCH AS THAT, UH, FACILITY REQUIREMENTS.
UM, THOSE ARE REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE ON THE BOOK IN SIX, FOUR, UH, THAT THERE HAD NEVER BEEN PENALTIES FOR.
UM, IN, IN THAT CASE, IN THAT CASE, WE DEVELOPED PENALTIES GENERALLY LOOKING AT FOR THOSE THAT WERE RESIDENTIAL IN NATURE, UM, KEEPING THEM RATHER LOW, UH, SUCH AS A ONE 50 STARTING, UM, AND ONES THAT ARE GENERALLY MORE COMMERCIAL IN NATURE, THEY STARTED HIGHER, THOSE PARTICULAR ONES.
WE THERE'S, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF EVER ANY PENALTIES, YOU KNOW, AND NOT A LOT OF ENFORCEMENT ON SOME OF THESE, BUT WE THOUGHT IF WE WERE GOING TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING PENALTIES, UH, DEVELOPING A LOT OF TOOLS THAT WE SHOULD PUT SOME IN JUST IN CASE.
CAUSE MEAN, YOU KNOW, I THINK THESE ARE REASONABLE ON THE RESIDENTIAL LEVEL.
I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, ON LARGE COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, I MEAN A THOUSAND DOLLARS WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT PENALTY TO ME, BUT HOW SIGNIFICANT IS AN, AND DO YOU THINK THAT THAT IS ENOUGH TO BE A DETERRENT FOR, YOU KNOW, LARGE FACILITIES THAT MIGHT BE WASTING WATER SIMPLY A, A THOUSAND DOLLARS MAY NOT BE, HOWEVER, WE DO HAVE THE OPTION OF THEORETICALLY, WE COULD ISSUE A NOTICE OF VIOLATION WITH A PENALTY EVERY, EVERY DAY, BUT THAT'S JUST NOT WORTH DOING THAT.
BUT IF, IF SOMEONE DOES NOT SEND IN THE REPORT AND WE ISSUE ONE NOTICE OF VIOLATION, MAYBE THE NEXT MONTH ISSUE ANOTHER ONE AND ANOTHER ONE AND ANOTHER ONE TO ENCOURAGE COMPLIANCE, TAKE IT, THEIR SYSTEM INSPECTED AND OPERATING EFFICIENTLY THAT THAT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY MOVE UP TO A THOUSAND AND YOU HAVE NUMEROUS VIOLATIONS AND PENALTIES.
WELL, YOU READ MY MIND ON MY NEXT QUESTION ABOUT HOW OFTEN, WHAT COUNTS AS ONE VIOLATION.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE DAILY, UH, YEAH, OUR LAWYER, THE LAWYER SAID, YEAH, THEORETICALLY DAILY, BUT, UH, THAT WE'RE NOT, OUR INTENT IS NOT TO JUST ISSUE ALL KINDS OF PENALTIES IS TO CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR OR BRING THEM BACK INTO COMPLIANCE.
AND WHETHER IT'S A HOMEOWNER WHO HAS A LEAK, OR IF IT'S A BUSINESS WHO HAS TO GET AN INSPECTION DONE, THEY NEED TIME TO DO THAT.
UM, SO MOST LIKELY WOULD BE AT LEAST A MONTH BEFORE WE HAD EVER TAKEN OTHER ACTION IN ORDER TO GIVE THEM TIME TO COME INTO COMPLIANCE.
UM, MY OTHER QUESTION WAS ABOUT THE, UM, I FORGET THE THIRD PARTY HEARING.
UM, I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF, UH, VIOLATIONS CURRENTLY GO TO THIRD-PARTY HEARING
[01:25:01]
UNDER THE, THE SYSTEM WHERE THEY NEED TO REQUEST IT? WELL, OVER THIS LAST FISCAL YEAR, WE HAVEN'T ISSUED ANY PENALTIES THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK OUT WITH MY LEGAL TEAM, BUT BEFORE THAT PRE DECEMBER, 2020, UH, I'M AFRAID, I DON'T KNOW THAT ANSWER, BUT THERE WERE VERY FEW THAT REQUESTED TO GO TO A THIRD PARTY HEARING.SO IT WILL BE A CHANGE THAT WE'LL NEED TO BE WORKING THROUGH WITH AUSTIN ENERGY WHO MANAGES THE HEARING CONTRACT.
CAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S GOING TO REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL STUFF, TIME AND COST.
AND IF FOLKS WERE NOT REQUESTING THOSE HEARINGS, UM, I'M WONDERING WHY MAKE IT A DEFAULT? MY UNDERSTANDING I'M NOT A LAWYER OR THE ONES WHO WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT TO MAKE THAT SWITCH BROUGHT US MORE IN LINE WITH A STATE LAW AND PROVIDED A GREATER DUE PROCESS FOR THE CUSTOMERS TO AUTOMATICALLY GIVE A THIRD PARTY HEARING UNLESS THEY ADMIT LIABILITY BEFOREHAND.
SO I'M NOT SURE I CAN GIVE YOU A REALLY GOOD ANSWER.
UM, THAT'S JUST WHAT I'VE UNDERSTOOD FROM OUR LAWYERS.
AND DO YOU HAVE AN ESTIMATE OF WHAT THE COST FOR THAT CHANGE WILL BE? IT COULD BE.
I DON'T THINK I BROUGHT THAT UP.
UM, IT COULD BE SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, UM, IN TERMS OF HEARINGS.
IT DEPENDS IF WE RECOUP HEARING COSTS FROM THOSE WHO GO TO HEARING AND LOSE IT AT ONE WOULD BE A WAY TO RECOUP SOME OF THOSE COSTS OFFSET.
SOME OF THOSE COSTS, ADDITIONAL STAFF TIME CERTAINLY IS BEING LOOKED AT ALSO, AND IT MAY INVOLVE US CHANGING HOW WE DO THINGS, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, ENCOURAGING COMPLIANCE BEFORE THEY MISS THAT DEADLINE, UM, OR HOW WE, HOW WE DEAL WITH DEAL WITH THEM AFTER, UM, THEY DO MISS THAT DEADLINE.
SO IT W IT COULD BE A SIGNIFICANT COST AND WE'RE TRYING TO WORK OUT HOW WE CAN MAKE THAT WORK.
WELL, I LIKED THE IDEA OF RECOUPING THE COST FROM THOSE WHO ARE FOUND TO BE IN VIOLATION.
IT DOESN'T REALLY SEEM FAIR THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, OTHER WATER CUSTOMERS SHOULD, SHOULD BEAR THE COST OF, OF THAT PROCESS.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE, ARE WASTING WATER, THERE IS A HEARING FEE AND THE CITY'S FEE SCHEDULE OF A HUNDRED, $197 FOR A HEARING, UH, IN THE PAST FOR DECEMBER, 2020.
UH, WE HAD SO FEW, UM, HEARINGS THAT AUSTIN WATER WOULD JUST PAY THE COST OF THE HEARING.
UH, BUT CERTAINLY NOW THAT, THAT WON'T BE THE SAME CASE.
SO WE, WE WILL NEED TO LOOK INTO THAT.
UM, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY.
UM, IN, IN LIGHT OF WHAT YOU JUST SHARED, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE APPROVE THIS REQUEST WITH THE ADDED RECOMMENDATION THAT, UH, THOSE FOUND SHOULD BE IN VIOLATION, BUT THAT DO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE HEARING PROCESS ARE ASSESSED AND APPROPRIATE, UH, FEE TO COVER THE COST OF THAT HEARING PROCESS.
BUT, UM, BEFORE I SECOND, THAT, UH, I'M STILL NOT CLEAR AS TO WHY THE THIRD PARTY HEARING NEEDS TO BE THE DEFAULT, IF IN THE PAST, UH, IT WAS AVAILABLE TO A PERSON OR, OR AN ENTITY, UM, THAT MAY BE FOUND IN VIOLATION.
UM, AND MAYBE I JUST MISSED THAT.
WHAT, WHAT, WHY WOULD THIS CHANGE IN FEE SCHEDULE NECESSITATE A HEARING EVERY SINGLE TIME? YEAH.
I DON'T THINK YOU NECESSARILY MISSED IT.
I THINK THAT, UM, I DON'T HAVE A VERY GOOD ANSWER FOR YOU.
UM, BEYOND SAYING THAT THAT'S WHAT OUR, OUR, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN ATTORNEYS TOLD US THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE THIS CHANGE IN ORDER TO BRING IT MORE CLOSELY
[01:30:01]
IN LINE WITH STATE LAW, UH, AND TO PROVIDE A GREATER DUE PROCESS.I WISH I COULD GIVE YOU A BETTER ANSWER THAN THAT.
UM, BUT I CAN'T, I AGREE THAT THAT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A VERY SATISFACTORY RESPONSE.
UM, I MEAN, GENERALLY WHEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU WORK WITH LEGAL IS THEIR ROLE TO ADVISE YOU OF THE RISK, AND THEN IT'S THE BUSINESS DECIDES IF THEY ARE WILLING TO TAKE THAT RISK, IF THAT IS INAPPROPRIATE, UH, RISK TO TAKE.
UM, I DON'T, I'M NOT AN ATTORNEY.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, WHAT THE RISK TO AUSTIN WATER WOULD BE, UH, FOR MAINTAINING THAT STATUS QUO, BUT TO HAVE $197 HEARING EVERY SINGLE TIME THERE'S A WATER VIOLATION JUST SEEMS REALLY, REALLY LIKE A, NOT A GREAT USE OF RESOURCES.
AND TO BE CLEAR, EVERYONE GETS A, WHETHER IT'S A COMMERCIAL OR RESIDENTIAL, YOU KNOW, WE DO GIVE THEM A WARNING AND A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE, WHETHER IT BE RESIDENTIAL OR, OR EVEN SO SLIGHTLY LESSER DEGREE BECAUSE COMMERCIAL COMPANIES, THEY DO COME BACK INTO CLIENTS.
UM, SO AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO ALSO TRY TO DO IS TO REDUCE THAT SECOND NOTICE OF VIOLATION WHERE WE, IT DOES TRIGGER THAT HEARING IN OUR PROCESSES AND TRY TO MAKE THAT WARNING A LITTLE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN IT HAS BEEN.
AND SOME OF THESE PROPOSED VIOLATIONS ARE, UM, $75 FOR THE FIRST VIOLATION, $25 FOR THE FIRST $50, LESS THAN THE COST OF A HEARING.
SO A RATIONAL PERSON MIGHT DECIDE IF I'M GOING TO BE FOUND TO HAVE TO PAY FOR THE HEARING COSTS IN ADDITION TO THE FIELD, JUST FOREGO IT, BUT STILL IT'S, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT I WOULD PUSH BACK ON AND MADAM CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT TO YOUR MOTION, AND IF IT'S ACCEPTABLE, I'LL SECOND, THE MOTION.
AND THAT IS TO MODIFY IT, TO SAY WITH GOOD CAUSE SHOWN.
I DON'T WANT TO BE IN A POSITION WHERE THAT $500, UM, HEARING COST BECOMES AN IMPEDIMENT TO SOMEBODY OF MODEST OR LOW INCOME WHO IS IN A POSITION THAT CANNOT AFFORD TO APPEAL.
UM, SO IT, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE GOOD COST THAT WAS SHOWN, BUT THE, THE ESSENCE IS IF SOMEBODY HAD, WOULD HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME AFFORDING AN APPEAL, UH, THEN I THINK THAT WOULD BE ADEQUATE SMITTY.
I'M NOT SURE I ENTIRELY UNDERSTAND.
OR ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT, UM, PERHAPS THERE'S SOME SORT OF, UM, INCOME LEVEL AT WHICH YOU WOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE HEARING COST? I DON'T KNOW.
I MEAN, GIVEN THE YOU'D GET A WARNING AND IT'S ONLY, YOU'RE ONLY IN THAT POSITION, I GUESS IF YOU ACTUALLY DID VIOLATE IT, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A RESPONSE HERE, UH, SORRY TO JUMP IN.
BUT, UM, IN TWO 13, THERE'S ALREADY PROVISIONS IN CHAPTER TWO 13.
IF A VIOLATOR IS UNABLE TO PAY, THE HEARING OFFICER CAN, UH, CHANGE THE AMOUNT OR EVEN DO AWAY WITH THE COST.
IF THAT PERSON IS UNABLE TO PAY.
AND THERE ARE IN THE CODE THAT WE WANT TO TAKE THE COUNSEL THAT'S CURRENTLY UNDER LEGAL REVIEW, UH, THERE ARE PROVISIONS TO IDENTIFY THOSE THAT ARE ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED OR INABILITY TO PAY.
SO THERE, THERE IS, AND WILL BE THAT OPTION.
SO IF WE WERE TO KIND OF BUILD OFF WHAT SMITTY IS SAYING, WE COULD JUST SAY IN LINE WITH EXISTING, YOU KNOW, WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE EXCEPTIONS PROVIDED AN EXISTING CODE FOR, FOR THOSE UNABLE TO PAY THAT THAT WOULD BE AN IN LINE SMITTY.
DOES THAT SOUND GOOD TO YOU? I THINK GIVEN MY UNDERSTANDING THE WAY THIS WOULD FIT IN CODE, I THINK IT'S JUST UNNECESSARY.
SO JUST SO WE HAVE THE RECORD STRAIGHT SMITTY, ARE YOU SECOND IN MY MOTION? YES.
[01:35:01]
DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC, DANA? YEAH, I DON'T.I ONLY WANT TO ASK YOU OF, IF YOU COULD, TO REPEAT THE, YOUR AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION AND LET ME PREFACE WHY, AND THAT IS THE WAY THIS RCA IS POSTED.
I FEEL LIKE THE, THE CONCEPT OF, OF, UM, THE HEARING COST ISN'T REALLY INCLUDED IN MOVING, UH, THE, THE PENALTY VIOLATIONS IN THE CITY CODE.
SO I, I'M JUST WONDERING IF THEY SHOULD BE TWO SEPARATE TOPICS THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING OR IF THAT CAUSES ANY CHALLENGES, YOU KNOW, FURTHER DOWN THE LINE.
UM, YEAH, I'M NOT, I'M NOT REALLY SURE HOW TO ANSWER THAT.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF, UH, ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT WE SHOULD, SHOULD TAKE TWO, TWO VOTES, ONE ON THE ONE ON THE FEE SCHEDULE AND THEN ONE PERHAPS ON THE I'M HEARING COST ISSUE, BUT MAYBE I'M JUST BECAUSE THIS, THIS RCA CAME TO US.
I SEE THAT IT HAD ALREADY GONE TO, UM, THE WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION.
UM, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF ON A SPECIFIC TRACK.
UM, I, I, MY, MY ONLY PROPOSAL IS I, I FEEL LIKE WE MAY BE TALKING ABOUT TWO SEPARATE ISSUES.
I MAY BE THE ONLY ONE THAT THINKS THAT, THAT TYPE OF, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, COULD YOU JUST REPEAT WHAT YOU WERE SUGGESTING, UM, REGARDING THE, THE HEARING COST AND THE AMENDMENT THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING? YEAH.
SO I WAS, I WAS MAKING A MOTION THAT WE, UH, APPROVE THIS PROPOSAL, UH, AS STATED WITH THE AMENDMENT THAT THOSE WHO DO AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE HEARING PROCESS, BUT ARE FOUND TO BE IN VIOLATION SHOULD BE ASSESSED INAPPROPRIATE FEE TO COVER THE COST OF THE HEARING PROCESS.
UM, I, I, I SUPPOSE I, THAT IS REASONABLE AND IT DOES HAVE TO DO WITH THIS, WITH THIS RCA.
UM, SO I'LL, I'LL WITHDRAW THAT IT'S PERHAPS THE DANA'S POINT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE HEARING FEE COULD BE A PART OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY A PART OF THIS, UM, ACTION ITEMS. SO MAYBE PHRASE IT THAT WAY OR, OKAY, THANK YOU.
I WANTED SOMETHING TO TIE IT TOGETHER.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD SUGGESTION.
SO, UH, I WILL REPHRASE AND SAY THAT, UH, THAT THOSE ARE THE AVAIL THEMSELVES OF THE HEARING PROCESS SHOULD BE ASSISTED IN A MINUTE AND AN ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTY THAT COVERS THE COST OF THE HEARING PROCESS AND SMITTY, IS THAT OKAY WITH YOU AS THE SECOND AND THE EMOTION? OKAY.
SHANNON, SEE YOUR, YOUR, UH, UH, ON CAMERA.
DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT? UM, I HAD A COLUMN MORE RELATED, UH, WITH SOME OF SMITTY'S, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, POINTS THAT HE MADE.
UM, AND, UH, BUT I, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY TAKEN CARE OF, YOU KNOW, IF PEOPLE CAN BE, I'M REALLY MORE CONCERNED WITH, YOU KNOW, IF INDIVIDUALS ARE FINED AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IF THEY CAN'T PAY, UM, AND THE INTERSECTION OF THAT ISSUE WITH LIVE WITH LANGUAGE ACCESS, UM, WHICH SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES HAVE WORKED ON A LITTLE BIT, UM, YOU KNOW, I WOULD HATE FOR IT TO BE THE CASE, OR I GUESS MY QUESTION IS I DO HAVE A QUESTION, IS THAT, HAS THERE BEEN ANY CASES OR SITUATIONS WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A RESIDENTIAL VIOLATOR, THEY WERE SENT NOTICES, BUT IT WAS, UH, NOT SAYING IN A LANGUAGE THAT THEY UNDERSTOOD AND SO THEY DIDN'T SEE THE VIOLATION.
AND IF THAT IS, UH, IF THINGS LIKE THAT ARE SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN FURTHER INTO ACCOUNT, I, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANY PAST VIOLATIONS THAT FOR WHICH THERE WAS A PROBLEM IN NOT UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE, BUT THAT'S A GOOD POINT, UM, IN MOVING FORWARD, AS WE SEND OUT THOSE NOTICES OF VIOLATIONS, UH, TO INCLUDE THEM IN, IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES, UM, I GUESS AT LEAST ENGLISH AND SPANISH, AND THEN WE'LL LOOK AT ADDITIONAL ONES, UH, THAT, THAT IS A GOOD POINT TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE RECEIVING.
YEAH, TH THAT DOES, UM, SEEM LIKE AN IMPORTANT THING.
AND EVEN IF, YOU KNOW, THERE WASN'T TRANSLATION INTO, YOU KNOW, ALL THE OTHER LANGUAGES THAT ARE, UH, FOUND USED IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY, YOU COULD AT LEAST HAVE PHONE NUMBERS, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE INSTRUCTIONS IN OTHER LANGUAGES
[01:40:01]
HOW TO CALL TO, TO GET A TRANSLATED VERSION.I WAS JUST THINKING OF THE SAME THING.
YOU COULD EASILY HAVE ONE FORM PAGE SENT OUT, AND EVERYONE THAT HAS THE TOP 10, MOST COMMON SPOKEN LANGUAGES IN AUSTIN THAT AREN'T, UH, OR IN ADDITION TO ENGLISH CAN SAY, YOU KNOW, IF CALL THIS NUMBER, OR, YOU KNOW, TH THIS ISN'T DESCRIBING IN ONE, YOU KNOW, A FEW SENTENCES, YOU RECEIVED A WATER VIOLATION.
IF YOU NEED INTERPRETATION OR TRANSLATION SERVICES.
CALL US NUMBER, VISIT, YOU KNOW, ET CETERA.
OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS, CONCERNS.
UH, SO WE HAVE A MOTION ON THAT.
UM, IF EVERYONE, UH, CAN, UH, COME ON TO CAMERA IF POSSIBLE, AND IF YOU'RE VOTING IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.
I SEE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, AND LOUIS HURRY VOTING.
UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, FOR BEING HERE IN PRESENTING THIS APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
[7. Approve a representative and an alternate to serve on the Joint Sustainability Committee.]
MOVING ON TO, UH, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, WE, UH, NEED TO, UH, APPROVE A REPRESENTATIVE AND AN ALTERNATE TO SERVE ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.AND, AND, UM, JUST SO FOLKS KNOW WHY THIS IS ON OUR AGENDA.
THERE WAS SOME UNKNOWN SOURCE OF, UH, I GUESS ADMINISTRATIVE GLITCH OR LAPSE IN PROCESS.
AND SO A NUMBER OF THE MEMBERS OF THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, INCLUDING MYSELF, UH, DID NOT GET APPROVED BY COUNCIL, UM, AFTER THEIR MOST RECENT, UH, NOMINATIONS BY THEIR RESPECTIVE COMMISSIONS.
UM, SO THAT'S WHY THIS IS BACK, UH, ON OUR AGENDA, UM, AT THIS TIME.
UM, YEAH, BUT OBVIOUSLY, UM, IT, IT, IT IS AN OPEN PROCESS HERE.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST THE BACKGROUND.
I WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE COHIBA TO CONTINUE TO SERVE, UH, ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF RMC.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT SOUNDS SUPPOSED TO DO IT, BUT WHATEVER.
ARE THERE OTHER NOMINATIONS, JONATHAN? I SEE YOU CAME, YOU CAME ON CAMERA.
AND DID, DID YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING? NO.
WE DO ALSO, UM, WE SHOULD ALSO HAVE A BACKUP.
UM, MY RECOLLECTION WAS THAT REBECCA WAS THE ALTERNATE PREVIOUSLY.
I COULD BE REMEMBERING WRONG, AND I, I DON'T THINK THAT, UH, SHE HAS BEEN CALLED UPON, UH, TO SERVE IN THAT CAPACITY, BUT WE SH WE SHOULD HAVE AN ALTERNATE, SO WE CAN DO THESE TOGETHER.
OR IF SOMEBODY, UM, WANTS TO NOMINATE FOR THE ALTERNATE, OH, I'LL RE UH, NOMINATE REBECCA.
IF SHE WISHES TO THE ALTERNATE, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO, UM, OR DANA IS, I WOULD HAPPY TO, UM, NOMINATE DENA, REBECCA, IT'S YOUR CALL? YOU, AND I HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THIS ONE.
UM, I'D BE HAPPY TO DO IT AS WELL, BUT IF YOU WERE ALREADY SERVING IN THAT CAPACITY AND WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE, AND I'LL DEFER TO YOU, UM, EITHER WAY THE, BY YOUR MOTION, REBECCA, ARE YOU, ARE YOU PULLING YOURSELF FROM NOMINATION? NO.
I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT ANYONE ELSE WHO
[01:45:01]
WANTED TO DO IT COULD EITHER VOLUNTEER TO DO IT, OR, UM, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO SERVE WELL, WE'RE AT A CROSSROADS HERE TOO NOW MINIS.THIS MEANS WE'LL HAVE TO GO TO A VOTE, UH, UNLESS ONE OF YOU DECIDES TO WITHDRAW, WITHDRAW, OKAY.
AND I'M NOT SURE REBECCA ACTUALLY GOT A SECOND.
SO I WILL SECOND REBECCA, AS THE ALTERNATE AND REBECCA, JUST AS A HEADS UP, YOU MIGHT, YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY BE CALLED INTO DUTY AND SOMETIME IN THE SUMMERS WARNING.
UM, I, I JUST, BEFORE WE VOTE, I WILL, UH, SHARE THAT, UM, THERE, THERE IS, UM, ACTIVE DISCUSSIONS GOING ON AROUND, UM, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CLIMATE PLAN.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DO THINK THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR THIS COMMISSION TO, UM, TO JUST HAVE THIS KIND OF ON OUR, ON OUR RADAR MORE REGULARLY.
UM, AND, AND I KNOW THAT I SHOULD BE, UH, BRINGING THAT FORWARD.
SO, UM, YEAH, JUST SAYING THAT OUT LOUD HERE.
UM, I GUESS IF I THINK WE CAN JUST VOTE ON THESE TWO TOGETHER, IF, IF EVERYBODY IN FAVOR CAN, UH, RAISE YOUR HAND, PLEASE.
REBECCA, HOW ARE YOU? BUT OKAY.
IT LOOKS LIKE, ALL RIGHT, YOU MEANT UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED.
SO WE WERE NOW ON OUR WAY TO BECOMING OFFICIAL.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UM, GET THAT CONFIRMED ON THIS WEEK'S, UH, COUNCIL AGENDA.
[8. Discussion and possible action regarding the 2022-2023 City of Austin Budget recommendations.]
UH, MOVING ON TO ITEM NUMBER EIGHT, UH, ON, ON BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.UM, JUST SO FOLKS KNOW THE BUDGET OFFICE HAS REQUESTED RECOMMENDATIONS FROM, UH, CITY COMMISSIONS BY THE END OF THE MONTH.
OF COURSE, THIS COMES BEFORE WE, UH, KNOW WHAT DEPARTMENTS MIGHT HAVE IN MIND FOR THE MOST PART WITH THEIR BUDGETS.
SO THESE ARE, UM, INTENTIONALLY SUPPOSED TO BE, YOU KNOW, OUR THOUGHTS ON THINGS THAT SHOULD BE PRIORITIES.
AND THERE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE, YOU KNOW, MUCH REFINEMENT TO BE DONE IN THE COMING MONTHS.
AND THERE WAS A DOCUMENT SHARED, COULD, COULD THAT, UH, BE PUT ON THE SCREEN? I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE THAT DOCUMENT TO SHARE, UM, CHECKING WITH NATASHA TO SEE IF SHE'LL SHARE HER SCREEN.
AND NATASHA, JUST AS A REMINDER, THERE WAS, UM, AN YEAH, A NEW VERSION THAT HAS TWO RECOMMENDATIONS IN IT.
AND OF COURSE THESE WERE THE, UM, WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS, IS TWO RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WERE KIND OF, UH, WRITTEN AHEAD OF TIME, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE CAN'T TAKE UP OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO IF, WHILE WE'RE WAITING, ANYBODY WANTS TO JUST SPEAK TO BUDGET THOUGHTS.
COHIBA UM, THIS IS SMITTY AND, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY MADE A RECOMMENDATION, UH, CAME TO THE, UM, AUC, THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION YESTERDAY AND MADE A PRESENTATION ON THEIR UPCOMING RAPE CASE, WHICH WILL BE PART ULTIMATELY OF THIS BUDGET.
AND THEY, UM, OUTLINED, UH, THEIR GOAL TO RAISE THEIR BASE RATES, UH, BY AN AMOUNT YET UNKNOWN BECAUSE THERE, UM, THERE, THERE WERE A LOT MORE PEOPLE MOVING TO AUSTIN AND THE REQUIREMENTS FOR POLES, WIRES, AND OTHER SERVICE RELATED ITEMS WERE INCREASING AND INCREASINGLY MORE.
AND MEANWHILE, THANKS TO THE ENERGY CONSERVATION EFFORTS.
UM, THE AVERAGE ROSTON CONSUMERS IN NEW HOMES OR MULTI-FAMILY
[01:50:01]
HOMES ARE USING ABOUT HALF AS MUCH ENERGY AS THEY HAVE USED IN THE PAST.AND SO WHILE THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY SOLD ON WHICH WE MAKE REVENUE IS GOING TO INCREASE, IT'S NOT INCREASING NEARLY AS RAPIDLY AS THE TOTAL EXPENSES FOR SERVING BOSTON ENERGY, UH, THE CUSTOMERS IN AUSTIN ENERGY.
SO TO ME, THAT'S A JOB WELL DONE, BUT ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS THAT WAS OMITTED AND THAT PRESENTATION WAS ANY ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES ON THE, UH, INCREASING LOAD.
AND AUSTIN HAS ONE OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS SET OF TARGETS, WHICH I'LL ASK KAI, BUT A FILL IN MINUTE FOR WHAT PERCENTAGE OF ALL VEHICLES WILL BE ELECTRIFIED BY 2030.
AND WHAT PERCENTAGE OF TRIPS WILL BE DONE ELECTRICALLY, WHICH IS GOING TO INCREASE SIGNIFICANTLY THE DEMAND FOR ELECTRICITY, UNLESS THERE ARE SOME RATE PROVISIONS PUT IN PLACE THAT ACTUALLY REWARD CUSTOMER SMITTY.
I DON'T KNOW IF HE MADE IT TO YOURSELF OR SOMEBODY ELSE MUTED YOU, BUT I APPARENTLY MUTED MYSELF ANYWAY.
SO UNLESS WE PUT IT RATES INTO, INTO ACCOUNT, UH, THAT WILL ENABLE US TO MO TO MODULATE THAT OR TO MODIFY THE TIMES PEOPLE CHARGE TO OCCURRING OVERNIGHT WHEN WE HAVE EXCESS WIND OR DURING THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY, WHEN WE HAVE EXCESS SOLAR AND ENABLING CUSTOMERS TO SIGN UP FOR AN EFFECTIVE DEMAND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM THAT ASSURES THEY HAVE ENERGY TO GET HOME AT NIGHT OR WHEREVER THEY'RE GOING.
BUT IN ADDITION PROVIDES THAT THERE ARE, UM, WAYS THAT THEY CAN, UM, UH, CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCING DEMAND ON THE GRID.
AND THAT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF POLES AND WIRES AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE THUS REDUCING OUR OVERALL COSTS.
SO WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST IS THAT WE ASK AUSTIN ENERGY TO, UH, FIRST THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER A SUBCOMMITTEE TO WORK ON THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE IMPACTS.
WE ASKED AUSTIN ENERGY TO COME PRESENT NEXT TIME ABOUT HOW THEIR IMPACT, UH, ON, UH, ELECTRIC VEHICLES IS GOING TO AFFECT RATE CASE AND WHAT PLANS THEY HAVE TO MITIGATE THE DEMAND THROUGH TARIFFS AND THROUGH DEMAND RESPONSE, AND WHAT KIND OF AN IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE ON OVERALL DEMAND, UH, OR WITH, WITHOUT A BATEMAN OR WITH ABATEMENT.
SO THAT'S ESSENTIALLY ONE OF THE BUDGET ITEMS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US GET BACK TO THE COUNCIL WITH AND MAKE SURE IT'S A DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL TO AUSTIN ENERGY TO MAKE SURE THIS IS PART OF THEIR RATE CASE.
AND, UM, UH, AND, AND, AND AN ANALYSIS OF HOW THIS WILL AFFECT THE BUDGET, NOT ONLY IN THIS BUDGET YEAR, BUT GOING FORWARD, MAYBE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT RELATIVELY LONG WINDED EXPLANATION OF SERIES OF QUESTIONS, SMITTY.
THERE, THERE WAS A LOT THERE, AND I THINK SOME OF IT WAS A REQUEST FOR A FUTURE BUD OR A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM.
UM, I WOULD SUGGEST, UM, IF YOU CAN MAYBE, UM, TRY TO TRY TO WRITE DOWN EXACTLY WHAT THE, THE, THE BUDGET REQUEST IS THAT YOU WANT US TO CONSIDER WHILE WE DISCUSS THESE OTHER TWO, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
I CAN'T SHARE, BUT NATASHA, IF, IF YOU GET A, IF SOMEBODY SENDS YOU SOMETHING, WILL YOU BE ABLE TO SHARE IT ON THE SCREEN? YES, MA'AM.
SORRY FOR BUTCHERING YOUR NAME.
I WASN'T LOOKING AT IT, BUT I WAS READING IT.
UM, LET'S, LET'S, UH, TAKE A LOOK HERE AT NUMBER ONE.
UM, AND THIS IS, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION AROUND THE, UH, TOXIC MATERIALS.
UM, IF IT'S POSSIBLE TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THIS A LITTLE BIT, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, JONATHAN, I THINK YOU PUT THIS ONE TOGETHER, RIGHT?
[01:55:08]
YEAH, I PUT THIS EPISODE TOGETHER.UH, THIS IS BASED ON, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY'S, UH, BUTTER REQUEST ON THE, I GUESS THE, THE LANGUAGE AND QUOTATIONS IS A, IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF ON EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING TO DO WITH, WITH THAT MY, UH, RELATED TO THE GREEN DELEK PROGRAM, TOXIC MATERIALS.
JONATHAN, I'M WONDERING WHAT YOU WOULD THINK ABOUT, UM, ADDING SOMETHING TO THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, TO RECOMMEND THAT THIS PERSON WORK WITH SOME SORT OF, UM, COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO BE, UH, YOU KNOW, IN, IN CONSULTATION WITH, WITH THE RMC SEEMS REASONABLE TO SUGGEST SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
ANY, ANY THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS ON THIS, UH, ITEM NUMBER ONE HERE, UM, AS THIS IS A BUDGET REQUEST FOR THE 20 22 23, UM, IS IT FAIR TO INFER THAT THIS WOULD BE A, UM, HIRING AN OUTSIDE FIRM TO KIND OF GO THROUGH AND LOOK AT WHAT THESE, WHAT CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE MIGHT BE? UM, IS IT FAIR TO ASSUME THAT THIS WOULD BE SOMEHOW A PREREQUISITE TO IMPLEMENTING A, UM, VOLUNTARY CHEMICAL AVOIDANCE POINT SYSTEM? LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER? UM, AND IF SO, IS THAT KIND OF ON THE TIMELINE THAT, THAT, UH, WE'RE THINKING OF JONATHAN, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? UH, UH, I MEAN, I CAN'T SPEAK DIRECTLY FOR US ENERGY STAFF AND WHAT THEY HAVE IN MIND HERE, BUT I, IN, IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM, UH, THEY VIEW THIS AS THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP IN ADDRESSING, UH, TOXIC MATERIALS AND, AND, AND BUILDINGS KIND OF TO THE SPEAKER EARLIER THAT MENTIONED THAT THE GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM HAS BEEN QUITE SUCCESSFUL AT MAKING THESE ISSUES LOCAL TO AUSTIN.
UH, I THINK THIS IS ALSO AN ATTEMPT TO DO THAT IN REGARDS TO TOXIC, UH, BUILDING MATERIALS.
AND, UH, FROM MY UNDERSTANDING FROM STAFF, THEY, THEY VIEW THIS AS KIND OF THE NEXT STEP AND, UH, NAILING DOWN SOME, BOTH QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ASPECTS, UH, TO ADDRESS AND IN THAT PROGRAM, AS IT RELATES TO MATERIALS, CHARLOTTE, AND I'M KIND OF, I GUESS, READING BETWEEN THE LINES THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOU'RE KIND OF SUGGESTING THAT THIS MIGHT BE SLOWING DOWN THE PROGRESS THAT THE, PERHAPS A NUMBER OF US WOULD LIKE TO SEE ON THIS ISSUE WAS, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE RAISING HERE? YEAH.
AND JUST SOME OF THE DISCUSSION THAT WE HAD FROM THE PUBLIC COMMENT EARLIER ABOUT THERE BEING STUDIES AND DATA AVAILABLE TODAY, UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT'S NOT CATALOGED EXACTLY HOW WE WOULD, WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF, OF DATA AND INFORMATION THAT IS ALREADY EXISTING.
UM, AND SO I GUESS JUST NAIVELY, WHAT WOULD THE PROCESS BE TO IDENTIFY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE LIST OF POTENTIAL HARMFUL TARGETS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE AVOIDANCE AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS A REASONABLE COURSE OF ACTION TO, YOU KNOW, TO KIND OF TAKE THAT ON.
UM, AND THIS SEEMS LIKE THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING OF, YOU KNOW, LET'S HAVE SOMEONE LOOK AT IT NEXT FISCAL KIND OF A THING.
SO THAT'S WHY I ASK COMMISSIONERS OTHER THOUGHTS ON THIS TOPIC.
UH, I WOULD JUST POINT OUT THAT THE, THE LANGUAGE TALKS ABOUT LOOKING AT THE EXISTING DATABASE.
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BE A RECREATION OF THE WHEEL AND PERHAPS THE IDEA BEHIND THIS WOULD BE MORE OF A TIME SPENT ON DEVELOPING THE CALCULATOR.I'M JUST POINTING OUT SOME OF THE LANGUAGE IN THERE.
NOT OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T DRAFT THIS MYSELF, BUT I THINK THERE IS SOME INTENT TO, TO BUILD OFF OF WHAT'S ALREADY OUT THERE.
UH, I WONDER IF THERE'S, IF THERE'S A WAY TO, UM, KIND OF THROW THE NEEDLE AND SLIGHTLY REWORD THIS TO, YOU KNOW, UM, FOCUS ON REFINING, UM, REFINING A POINT SYSTEM THAT YOU COULD IMPLY THAT A POINT SYSTEM COULD BE PUT IN PLACE AND THEN REFINE THROUGH ADDITIONAL RESEARCH.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS IN LINE WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE REQUEST, BUT ALL RIGHT.
UM, WELL, JONATHAN, UH, ARE YOU MAKING A MOTION ON THIS ITEM? UH, YES.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO, UH, INSERT, UH, RECOMMENDATION NUMBER ONE CURRENTLY MARKED AS DRAFT AND THE FINAL RESOLUTION.
AND, AND, OR ARE YOU OKAY WITH, UM, ADJUSTING THE WORDING TO, UM, TO ADDRESS BOTH THE NEED TO, UH, COLLABORATE WITH THE COMMUNITY AND TO PERHAPS NOT CLOSE THE DOOR ON, UH, PUTTING SOME SORT OF POINT SYSTEM IN PLACE WHILE THIS, UM, ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS CONDUCTED? YEAH, I THINK YOU WOULD NEED TO SEE THAT PARTICULAR LANGUAGE, UH, BUT, UH, AT LEAST AS FAR AS THE QUOTED PORTION, IT WOULD BE INAPPROPRIATE TO EDIT THAT AS IT'S A DIRECT QUOTE.
THAT MAKES SENSE, CHARLOTTE, THAT'S IT.
I WAS ABOUT TO SPEAK A MOMENT AGO AND HAD A CHILD THAT NEEDED SOMETHING.
I I'M, I DO THINK THAT IT WAS SHOWING THAT THERE IS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE, UM, ON THIS TOPIC FROM THE, THE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION EARLIER IN ALL OF THE DISCUSSION, THAT WOULD BE AMAZING TO TAP INTO.
UM, I ALSO SUPPORT, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF AND IN THE FACT THAT THIS IS THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE, AS JONATHAN SAID, THE LOGICAL NEXT STEP, UM, IN TERMS OF MOVING TOWARDS A POINT SYSTEM.
UM, AND SO I, I DO SUPPORT THE LANGUAGE AS IT'S DRAFTED AND IF IT'S POSSIBLE, UM, I DON'T BELIEVE CREATING A WORKING GROUP, UM, IS, IS REALLY, UH, NOT NECESSARILY A BUDGET ITEM, BUT IF THERE'S A WAY TO, UH, UM, UH, SHOW OUR SUPPORT FOR THAT PART OF THE PROCESS, I WOULD BE, UM, I WOULD ENCOURAGE THAT.
UM, I THINK THAT'S NOT SO MUCH A BUDGET ITEM, BUT I DO THINK IT WOULD BE, UM, VALUABLE TO SHOW OUR SUPPORT OF THE PEOPLE WHO CAME BEFORE US EARLIER IN TODAY'S DISCUSSION.
ARE THERE OTHER, I'M NOT SURE WHERE, WHERE WE'RE LANDING ON, ON THIS.
UH, SO I THINK WHAT, UM, MAYBE WHERE WE COULD GO WITH THIS IS, UM, ADDING LANGUAGE TO, YOU KNOW, THIS PAIR OF THE LAST PARAGRAPH HERE ABOUT THE RMC SUPPORTS THIS BUDGET REQUESTS AND PERHAPS YOU'RE ALREADY DRAFTING SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, AND I THINK THERE HAVE SOME LANGUAGE ABOUT ENCOURAGING AUSTIN ENERGY TO FOCUS ON INCORPORATING COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND BUILDING OFF EXISTING DATABASES EMPHASIZE THAT, UM, IS THAT SEEMS IMPORTANT TO COMMISSIONERS AND TO FOCUSING QUICKLY ON THE CREATION OF A POINT SYSTEM.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT WE'LL BE SAYING, WE, WE SUPPORT THIS BUDGET ITEM, BUT THIS IS REALLY HOW WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU IMPLEMENTED UH,
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YEAH, THANKS.I'M TAKING A STAB AT, UM, EDITING THE, TO THAT EFFECT.
UM, AND I GUESS WHAT, WHAT I'VE GOT SO FAR IS YEAH.
MAKING IT, SO IT'S NOT A QUOTE, UM, AND INSTEAD JUST A 50, $50,000 TO HIRE A CONSULTANT TO WORK WITH A COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP TO, UH, ASSEMBLE EXISTING RESEARCH ON HAZARDOUS DOLBY AND MATERIALS, UH, TO REFINE A CALCULATOR AND THEN BASICALLY LEAVE THE REST OF THE SAME, UH, I DON'T KNOW, THOUGHTS ON THAT I'M WRITING ON THE FLY.
I THINK IT WAS LISA WHO SAID, I LIKED THAT SUGGESTION OF IF WE CAN, CAN, UM, IN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH I'M SAYING RMC SUPPORTS THIS BUDGET REQUEST, UM, AS IN SHOWING THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN RMC AND AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF, UM, AND SHOW IN THAT SECOND PARAGRAPH, OUR KIND OF THE, THE ADDITIONAL AMENDMENT IS WHERE I MIGHT RECOMMEND WE CONSIDER PUTTING OUR ADDITIONAL REQUESTS.
JONATHAN, IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE KIND OF, IT SOUNDED LIKE YOU WANTED TO THE, THE, THE QUOTE THAT CAME FROM AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF, YOU, UM, IN YOUR DISCUSSION.
SO IT WAS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THAT REPRESENTATIVE, WELL, I DON'T WANT TO MISS PORTRAY THE STATEMENTS THAT WERE MADE, RIGHT? SO IF THE QUOTED PART GETS EDITED, WE NEED TO REMOVE THE QUOTES.
UM, SECONDLY, IN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH, UH, YOU KNOW, I'VE MADE A STATEMENT THAT AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF ARE INTERESTED DOT, DOT DOT.
UH, IT IT'S, IT WOULD BE PROBABLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR US TO, YOU KNOW, TAG SOMETHING ELSE TO WHAT THE AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF WERE INTERESTED IN.
SO THAT WOULD JUST NEED TO BE SEPARATED OUT AS JUST THE RMC.
COULD WE SAY, COULD WE JUST REARRANGE THAT SENTENCE AND SAY BOTH THE RMC AND AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF ARE INTERESTED IN EXPLORING WAYS TO INCENTIVIZE THAT COMMENT, AND THEN AS THE RMC SUPPORTS THIS BUDGET REQUEST AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE, OR SORRY, YOU GUYS ARE BETTER WITH LANGUAGE THAN I AM, BUT WOULD LIKE TO, WOULD RECOMMEND INCLUSION OF A WORKING GROUP SUPPORTED BY COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO DEVELOP THE CALCULATOR AND TOOL OR WITH INPUT TO, OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
SORRY, LISA, THAT I TOTALLY MISUNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU WERE SAYING.
AND DANA, THANK YOU FOR TRANSLATING.
IT MAKES MUCH MORE SENSE THAN WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO AND IT'S EASIER.
UM, SO JUST TAKING ANOTHER STAB AT THIS, JUST ADDING A SENTENCE AT THE END THAT SAYS THE RMC RECOMMENDS THAT THE CONSULTANT WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY ADVISORY GROUP ASSEMBLED BY THE RMC AND AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, STAFF, UH, AND THAT THIS, UH, THAT THIS PROCESS NOT PRECLUDE, UM, MORE NEAR TERM INCLUSION OF A POINT SYSTEM TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.
JONATHAN, DOES IT WORK FOR YOU? THAT SOUNDS GOOD, KATIE.
UM, LET'S, LET'S MOVE ON TO NUMBER TWO HERE.
UM, SO THIS, THIS, UH, ONE I WROTE UP AND COMES OUT OF, UH, SOME CONVERSATIONS, UM, THAT, UH, WE'VE HAD WITH THE, SOME OF THE SOLAR TEAM, UH, AROUND THE COMMUNITY SOLAR, UH, PROGRAM AND, UH, KIND OF THE SPIN OUT OUT OF, UM, I GUESS TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO NOW, UH, THIS
[02:10:01]
COMMISSION STARTED, UH, PUT TOGETHER A WORKING GROUP FOCUSED ON EXPANDING ACCESS TO ROOFTOP SOLAR, UH, AND THAT THE EVENTUALLY WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, UH, ROLLED INTO A, UH, COMMUNITY SOLAR PRO PROD, UH, PROPOSAL THAT HAS NOT YET COME TO FRUITION.AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT HAS BEEN RAISED IS THE COST OF A DISTRICT DISTRIBUTION LEVEL, UM, UH, SOLAR, UH, ROOFTOP, SOLAR, UM, IN THE, IN THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM.
AND, UH, AND THAT WE ARE TOLD THAT CURRENTLY THE, UH, THE, EVEN THE NON CAP CUSTOMERS, UH, PARTICIPATING IN THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM ARE, UM, THAT THE FEE THEY'RE THEY'RE PAYING THE RATE, THEY'RE PAYING JUST NOT FULLY COVER THE COST OF THE PROGRAM AND THAT THE, THE EXCESS, UH, IS RECOVERED THROUGH THE PSA AND THAT THERE'S A DESIRE WITHIN AUSTIN ENERGY FOR THAT TO NOT BE THE CASE.
UM, SO I PUT, I PUT THIS PROPOSAL TOGETHER IN AN ATTEMPT TO TRY TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE AND, UH, BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT, UH, UH, POSSIBLE SUBS THAT IF THE PROGRAM IS BEING SUBSIDIZED, AND IF THAT IS A CONCERN, UM, BY AUSTIN ENERGY, THAT THAT'S PART OF THE PSA THAT THERE'S INAPPROPRIATE MECHANISM FOR SOME SUCH SUBSIDIES THAT WE HAVE BEEN USING FOR A LONG TIME FOR, FOR SOLAR ON THE DISTRIBUTION GRID HERE.
SO JUST THAT'S, THAT'S THE BACKGROUND.
UM, AND WE WERE TOLD THAT THAT, UM, UNDERPAYMENT IS CURRENTLY A 1.50 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR, MORE OR LESS.
UM, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT NUMBER COMES FROM.
AND, UM, AND IN TERMS OF THE COST ESTIMATE, THAT WAS MY BACK OF THE ENVELOPE, UH, CALCULATION BASED ON, UH, THE SIZE OF THE PROGRAM, UH, THE, THE KILOWATT HOUR PRODUCTION, THE NUMBER OF, UM, HOMES, UH, SERVED, UH, MULTIPLIED BY THAT 1.50 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR.
SO ANY THOUGHTS? OKAY, I'M GOOD.
I'M GOING TO SHOW MY IGNORANCE HERE.
UM, THE 1.50 CENTS BEING PROPOSED FOR IN THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES FEE, WOULD THAT BE AN ADDITIONAL RATE PAYER CHARGE OR IS THAT COMING OUT OF AN EXISTING TARGE? SO THE, THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES FEE IS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE ALL ALREADY PAYING, UM, IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT THIS ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURE FROM THOSE, UH, FUNDS, UH, H HOW, HOW THAT COMPARES AGAINST EXISTING BALANCES.
I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER I HAVE REQUESTED THAT INFORMATION, BUT IT HASN'T BEEN PROVIDED.
UM, THIS IS A FAIRLY SMALL AMOUNT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BUDGET.
SO, AND I KNOW AT LEAST IN PAST YEARS, THE, UM, THE BUDGET DRAWING FROM THE S HAS NOT, UH, EXPENDED ALL THE DOLLARS IN THOSE FUNDS.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS CURRENTLY THE CASE, BUT THAT'S WHAT BACKGROUND I CAN GIVE YOU.
SO THIS WOULD BE JUST REALLOCATING A PORTION OF THAT TO SUBSIDIZE SOLAR FOR LOW-INCOME OR OTHER, UM, CUSTOMERS THAT AREN'T ABLE TO, UH, AFFORD IT, UH, SORT OF, I MEAN, ESSENTIALLY WE'RE PAYING THIS FEE, THE F THE MONEY GOES INTO A FUND, AND THEN THE MONEY HAS TO BE ALLOCATED IN ORDER TO BE SPENT.
UM, SO THIS WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL ALLOCATION FROM AN EXISTING FUND THAT WE'RE PAYING.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF THIS WERE A LARGER AMOUNT THAN, UH, YOU KNOW, I DO THINK WE WOULD WANT TO TALK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THE FEE WOULD NEED TO BE RAISED IN ORDER TO COVER THE AMOUNT I CAN'T SAY WITH AUTHORITY THAT, THAT IT'S NOT AN ISSUE, BUT I, I WOULD EXPECT WITH THIS.
I MEAN, IF YOU LOOK AT THIS AMOUNT COMPARED TO THE RCAS WE JUST APPROVED, UM, AND, AND ACTUALLY THIS IS, THIS IS ROUNDED UP.
I THINK IT CAME OUT TO, UM, 80 SOMETHING THOUSAND.
SO, UM, UH, RELATIVELY SMALL BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS FAIRLY SMALL.
IT SERVES, I THINK ABOUT 500 HOUSEHOLDS.
BUT IT, IT, IT, JUST TO BE CLEAR, IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST FOR LOW INCOME.
UM, THE, UH, THE CAP CUSTOMERS, UH, DO RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL SUBSIDY SUBSIDY,
[02:15:01]
BUT THE 1.50 CENTS THAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD BY STAFF THAT'S EVEN FOR NON CAP CAP CUSTOMERS.OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, TEVA.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR PUTTING THIS TOGETHER AND FOR DRAFTING THE LANGUAGE FOR US.
UM, I THINK I, I DO APPRECIATE THE IDEA OF, OF PUTTING SOMETHING IN THE BUDGET THAT DOES KIND OF HELP CLOSE THE GAP FOR, UM, MORE COMMUNITY SOLAR DEPLOYMENT.
AND IF, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE HEARING THE, UH, SUBSIDIES, WHAT WOULD BE REQUIRED, UM, I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO, UM, YOU KNOW, COME FROM THIS COMMISSION THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'D LIKE TO SEE THAT GAP CLOSED.
UM, I, YOU KNOW, AS I THINK I'VE SAID BEFORE, PART OF MY HESITANCY IS, UM, REALLY IN, IN KIND OF UNDERSTANDING THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE, THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATION WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF FULL DATA AND REALLY WORKING WITH AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND SPECIFICALLY FOR THAT S BUDGET, UM, YOU KNOW, DOES THAT MEAN THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE TAKING MONEY FROM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS OR THE, YOU KNOW, TRADITIONAL, THE REGULAR ROOFTOP, SOLAR REBATES, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT, WHAT WOULD THE IMPLICATIONS OF THAT ADDITIONAL SET AND A HALF, UM, SUBSIDY? I THINK I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND A BIT MORE, UM, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU THAT IF IT'S, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN A HUNDRED K PER YEAR, THAT THAT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE A BIG NUMBER.
UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I, I, I PERSONALLY DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE ENOUGH OF AN UNDERSTANDING OF LIKE, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE IMPLICATIONS OF, OF THIS RECOMMENDATION.
UM, AND I WOULD, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW WE HAVE THE ACCESS TO SOLAR WORKING GROUP, UM, AND THIS IS A TOPIC THAT WOULD BE GREAT TO, TO GO THROUGH THAT WORKING GROUP.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T THINK THAT WE HAD THE, UM, UH, ABILITY OR, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO, TO COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS THIS BUDGET ITEM OR THIS RECOMMENDATION, I MEAN, UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF EXPRESS THOSE CONCERNS WITH, YOU KNOW, BY, BY KIND OF JUST DESCRIBING THIS SET AND A HALF, UH, SUBSIDY WITHOUT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, FULL, I GUESS TRANSPARENCY IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT FULL OF FULL APPRECIATION OF WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN.
UM, IT DOES GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF RESERVATION.
I, I WOULD LIKE, UM, I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO, YEAH, TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION TO, TO PUT IT, UH, IN CONTRACTS WITH THE, THE AVAILABLE FUNDS, UH, TO KNOW IF, IF THERE WAS SOME TRADE-OFF TO BE MADE, YOU KNOW, PERSONALLY, I, I WOULD ARGUE THAT EVEN IF THERE IS A TRADE-OFF TO BE MADE, UH, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE SOLAR BUDGET THAT IT'S PROBABLY APPROPRIATE.
UM, AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A LARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE IN THIS CITY AND LARGE NUMBER OF PROPERTIES IN THE CITY THAT, UM, FOR VARIOUS REASONS ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, THE INDIVIDUALS DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO SOLAR AND, AND PROPERTIES.
THEY'RE NOT BEING, UH, USED FOR SOLAR BECAUSE OF SPLIT INCENTIVES BECAUSE OF RENTERS AND A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS, UM, INCLUDING ACCESS TO CREDIT AND WHATNOT.
UM, BUT NEVERTHELESS, I, I, I CERTAINLY WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE MORE OF A HOLISTIC LOOK AT YEAH.
WHAT, WHAT IS THE PIE AND, AND HOW, HOW SHOULD THE PIE BE DIVIDED? YEAH, THANK YOU.
AND I MEAN, ESPECIALLY FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY, RIGHT.
BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN GENERAL, UM, WELL, IT, I, I FEEL LIKE THE, THE, THE, THE SOLAR BUDGET IS ONE THING, ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS ANOTHER, AND, YOU KNOW, THE IDEA OF CUTTING INTO ENERGY EFFICIENCY I THINK IS, IS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE NOT THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR SOLAR.
UM, AT THE SAME TIME, I'M WHOLEHEARTEDLY IN AGREEMENT, UM, THAT THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE, MANY AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS WHO AREN'T ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE REBATES FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS THAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED.
SO I, I, I LOVE THE IDEA OF TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO GET MORE ACCESS TO SOLAR.
UM, AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT YOU'VE BEEN LEADING KIBO WITH THE WORKING GROUP, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF ON.
UM, SO I, UM, I LOVE THE IDEA OF, OF, OF THIS, THE CONCEPT BEING A BUDGET RECOMMENDATION.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S, MAYBE IT'S THE SIX AND A HALF, UH, AND, AND SPECIFICALLY COMING OUT OF THE EES BUDGET.
THAT MAKES ME A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS ONLY BECAUSE I PERSONALLY DON'T APPRECIATE THE IMPLICATIONS.
[02:20:03]
OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM? UM, HEY, Y'ALL SAYS, THIS IS SHANE.UM, WE GAVE A, YOU AND I TALKED JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, BENEFITING OR SUBSIDIZING CAP CUSTOMERS.
UM, SO FIRST I ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, IS IT YOUR UNDERSTANDING, OR, OR, OR CAN YOU CLARIFY WHAT THE UNDERSTANDING WE CAN GET FROM THE INFORMATION WE HAVE? UM, SO IF WE, YOU KNOW, IF THIS, UH, SAY THIS SWEATER RECOMMENDATION WERE TO BE PASSED, AS IT'S CURRENTLY WRITTEN, UM, DOES THIS A CENT AND A HALF PER KILOWATT HOUR, IT PAYS FOR, UM, THE BASELINE OF THE CUSTOMER, OR EXCUSE ME, OF THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM.
UM, BUT THIS ISN'T, THAT WOULDN'T COVER THE COSTS THAT IS CURRENTLY, UM, OR THE SUBSIDY THAT IS CURRENTLY GOING TO CAP CUSTOMERS.
SHANE SAY, YOU'RE, YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE, UM, THE, THE ADDITIONAL SUBSIDY FOR THE, FOR CAP CUSTOMERS THAT ALLOW THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM WITHOUT INCURRING ANY ADDITIONAL COSTS AND ACTUALLY HAVING A VERY SLEEP BILL SAVINGS.
YOU KNOW, I, I'M SORRY, BUT MY MEMORY IS FAILING AS TO WHERE THAT SUBSIDY IS COMING FROM RIGHT NOW.
IT MAY ALSO JUST BE INCORPORATED, UH, INTO THE PSA.
UM, AND SO TO, YOU KNOW, I GUESS TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT IT WOULD BE SOMETHING MORE THAN 1.50 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR, UH, TO RECOVER THOSE ADDITIONAL, UH, COSTS.
UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THE AMOUNT IS.
THIS IS THE NUMBER THAT, THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP IN RECENT CONVERSATIONS.
CAUSE, UM, I THINK I, AND SIMILARLY, I DON'T REMEMBER PRECISELY, BUT I, I DO THINK THERE IS SOME SORT OF, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A CURRENT SUBSIDY THAT'S BEING PAID.
AND MY, FROM WHAT I VAGUELY REMEMBER, I, I WANT TO SAY THAT IT'S PROBABLY COMING FROM THE, UM, FROM THE CAP BUDGET.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S MAYBE, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AS AN AMENDMENT HERE OR, UM, BUT I THINK SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO HEAR FROM AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF IS, UH, HOW MUCH HAS THAT SUBSIDY SUBSIDY OR SUBSIDIZATION AND WHERE'S THAT MONEY COMING FROM? UH, CAUSE IF IT'S COMING FROM THE CAP BUDGET CURRENTLY AND IT'S ALREADY BEING SPENT, UM, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD, UH, BE, UH, MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO CONTINUE DOING THAT.
UM, PARTICULARLY GIVEN THAT AUSTIN ENERGY HAS, UH, IN OUR WORKING GROUP DISCUSSIONS, UM, DS HAS CONSIDERED DOING A WAY WITH THAT SUBSIDY OR DOING A WAY WITH THE BILL SAVINGS FOR, UM, CAP CUSTOMERS.
HAS THEY RESTRUCTURED THEIR, THEIR PROGRAM? YEAH, SHANNON, I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH THAT.
UM, I, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO, UH, PUT ANY NUM NUMBER ON IT, BUT I, I THINK WE COULD, WE COULD ADD, ADD SOMETHING HERE THAT, UM, INDICATES SUPPORT FOR, UH, CONTINUING THE, UH, CURRENT, ADDITIONAL SUBSIDY FOR, UH, CAP CUSTOMERS, UH, TO PARTICIPATE IN THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM.
AND MAYBE WE COULD SAY SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF CONTINUING THE CURRENT LEVEL AND EXPLORING INCREASING IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'M THINKING ABOUT YOUR, YOUR COMMENTS ON THE, UM, ON THE ONE, 1.5, UH, SENSE.
UM, I'M WONDERING IF YOU WOULD FEEL, UM,
[02:25:01]
MORE COMFORTABLE WITH, WITH LANGUAGE, UH, THAT SIMPLY, UH, IT PERHAPS JUST, UM, SAYS A SUBSIDY TO, UH, ACCOUNT FOR CURRENTLY AN, A SUBSIDY YOU HAVE AN APPROPRIATE AMOUNT TO ACCOUNT FOR UNRECOVERED COST, UH, FOR NON-CASH CUSTOMERS OR JUST, OR WE COULD JUST SAY UNRECOVERED COSTS, UH, UM, THROUGH THE COMMUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM.I, I DO THINK THAT FUNDED BY THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES FEE, UH, IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE THERE, THERE ALREADY IS ESSENTIALLY A SUBSIDY.
AND THAT SEEMS TO BE THE ISSUE WE COULD, UM, UH, TO, TO SHANE'S POINT PERHAPS SAY FUNDED BY THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES FEE AND, UH, AND, AND CAP FUNDS AS APPROPRIATE.
WOULD THAT SOUND BETTER TO YOU? I, I CERTAINLY ONE THING JUST WITH THAT LAST PART OF THAT STATEMENT, I WOULD CERTAINLY NOT WANT TO RECOMMEND THE CAP FUNDS GO TO NON CAP CUSTOMERS IN ANY WAY.
UM, SO WE'D NEED TO MAKE SURE TO, YOU KNOW, CRAFT THAT LANGUAGE APPROPRIATELY.
UM, I DO GET WHAT YOU MEAN OR I DO.
IT DOES MAKE SENSE THAT, THAT IT COMES FROM THE, UM, THE S UH, FI I THINK IT, IT, IT'S KIND OF A QUESTION OF, OF WHICH SUBSET I, MY, MY CONCERN IS IF WE'RE GOING TO TRADE OFF ENERGY EFFICIENCY FOR SOLAR, UM, THAT, THAT DOES GIVE ME SOME, SOME PAUSE BECAUSE I STILL, I CONTINUE TO BELIEVE THAT ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS STILL THE LEAST COST RESOURCE.
AND WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A LOT MORE OUT THERE THAT WE NEED TO ACHIEVE, UH, IN OUR BUILDING STOCK.
UM, SO I, I THINK, AND JUST ADD A LINE TO ADDRESS THAT, SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU.
OH, I WAS JUST SUGGESTING WE COULD, WE COULD ADD A LINE, UH, TO INDICATE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T, UH, WE DON'T SUPPORT CUTTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS, UM, IN RESPONSE TO THIS RECOMMENDATION OR THIS RECOMMENDATION SHOULD NOT RESULT IN.
I WOULD LIKE TO, TO INCLUDE THAT.
AND TH TH THE PROBLEM, I THINK THAT WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE FOR HERE IS FOR THOSE AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS WHO ARE NOT ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN ROOFTOP, SOLAR REBATES FOR THE REASONS THAT ARE, ARE LISTED, UM, WHO OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE ACCESS TO COMMUNITY SOLAR AS AN ALTERNATIVE.
AND SO I THINK THAT IT, IT FEELS LIKE THE RECOMMENDATION THAT'S BEING MADE HERE IS TO, YOU KNOW, CREATE SOME, SOME ROOM IN THE BUDGET FOR ADDITIONAL SOLUTIONS FOR THOSE CUSTOMERS, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE ENERGY, UH, IN THE, THE CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS BUDGET, UM, WHICH I, I DO SUPPORT.
I THINK THAT THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
UM, WHEN I GO BACK TO, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT THE REASON THAT FROM THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE LAST RFP THAT'S GONE OUT, AND JUST WITH REGARD TO HOW COMMUNITY SOLAR IS PROGRESSING, UM, I'M TRYING TO, IT IS, IT IS THIS IS IT, THIS SUBSIDY IS IN THE HALF OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER WOULD END UP BEING THAT WOULD END UP MAKING MORE COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECTS, ECONOMIC, UM, ULTIMATELY IS THE QUESTION.
AND IF OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATION COULD ANSWER YES TO THAT QUESTION, UM, THEN I THINK I WOULD CERTAINLY SUPPORT IT.
UM, I JUST, I FEEL LIKE I, I PERSONALLY DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO SAY, DOES THIS SPECIFIC BUDGET RECOMMENDATION, YOU KNOW, NEIL TO YES, TO THAT QUESTION.
UM, BUT I KNOW THAT'S A LOT OF TALKING.
IT'S NOT ALL THAT HELPFUL, UM, IN TERMS OF THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE TO RECOMMEND HERE TONIGHT, I KNOW WE NEED TO GET IT RECOMMENDED BEFORE THE DEADLINE OF THE 31ST.
ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT, THAT PERHAPS THIS AMOUNT ISN'T ENOUGH TO, UM, YOU KNOW, RESULT IN, IN ADDITION, AN ADDITIONAL PROJECTS, UH, BEING BROUGHT ONLINE THAT ARE IN LINE WITH THE, THE GUIDELINES THAT THE, UM, WORKING GROUP AND THIS COMMISSION PUT FORWARD? I REALLY JUST SUGGESTING TYPE, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF WE KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT, UM, IF THIS IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT OR NOT.
AND SO MAYBE THAT'S A GOOD REASON FOR JUST SAYING, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKING IT A LITTLE MORE GENERAL, UM, AND, AND WE COULD EVEN SAY RECOMMEND AN APPROPRIATE SUBSIDY TO ALLOW FOR THE DEPLOYMENT OF ADDITIONAL
[02:30:01]
COMMUNITY SOLAR INSTALLATIONS ON THE DISTRIBUTION GRID, UH, YOU KNOW, AND JUST KIND OF LEAVE IT, LEAVE IT AT THAT I WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT LANGUAGE AND THEN LETTING STAFF INTERPRET WHAT THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER WOULD BE.AND AGAIN, SORRY, JUST TO REITERATE THE, WITHOUT CUTTING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY BUDGET, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF THAT COMMISSIONERS, OTHER COMMENTS OR THOUGHTS ON THIS.
UM, SMITTY, SORRY, GO AHEAD, SHANE.
WAS JUST GOING TO SAY, UH, YEAH.
AGREE WITH WHAT DAN IS SAYING.
UM, AND I, AND I DO THINK THAT THE INTENT IS THAT THERE'S ESSENTIALLY SORT OF A, YOU KNOW, A PORTION OF THE S BUDGET IS ALREADY GOING TO SOLAR AND WE JUST WANT TO REALLOCATE, WHAT'S GOING TO SOLAR, UH, KIND OF INDIVIDUAL HOME, UH, REBATES TO BE THE SPEND ON COMMUNITY SOLAR.
I AGREE WITH, UH, DANA WAS SAYING, YOU KNOW, UM, OF, UH, MAKING SURE THEY DON'T CUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY.
UM, AND ALSO, MAYBE IT SOUNDS LIKE THE RIGHT PATH FORWARD IS JUST NOT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, SAY NOT TO RECOMMEND A SPECIFIC QUANTITY.
UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT WE SHOULD INCLUDE THE, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CURRENT SUBSIDY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS CONSIDERED ESSENTIALLY A SUBSIDY IS, IS, UH, IS A CENT AND A HALF PER KILOWATT HOUR, UH, IN, IN WHATEVER SORT OF, I GUESS, RESOLUTION WE PASS, JUST SO THAT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, UH, THAT'S KNOWLEDGE THAT'S BEING PASSED FORWARD.
AND WE CAN REFERENCE BACK TO THAT, UH, ESPECIALLY IF YOU KNOW, THIS IS CITY COUNCIL BECAUSE ARE LOOKING AT THIS, THEY, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT CONTEXT FOR THEM TO SEE.
I THINK I MIGHT HAVE A QUESTION THERE, BUT FIRST I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY, YOU KNOW, I I'M, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF, UM, SPECIFYING THAT THE MONEY SHOULD NOT, UH, COME FROM THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY BUDGET.
I, I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK THAT WE SHOULD SAY THAT IT SHOULD COME FROM EXISTING, UH, SOLAR PROGRAMS, BECAUSE I THINK THAT IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT THERE'S A SLICE OF PIE OF SOME UNKNOWN QUANTITY THAT IS NOT BEING EATEN CURRENTLY.
AND THAT THIS WOULD JUST TAKE A LITTLE SCOOP FROM IT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
IN OTHER WORDS, THERE'S, ANELA, I BELIEVE LIKELY SOME AMOUNT OF UNALLOCATED FUNDS, SO YOU MIGHT NOT NEED TO CUT FROM ANYWHERE.
AND THIS IS, I THINK WHAT WE WOULD FIND OUT AS, AS THE PROCESS CONTINUES, WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S EVEN A TRADE OFF THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE, BUT I DIDN'T TOTALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU WERE SAYING ABOUT THE, INCLUDING THE NUMBER.
AND, AND IN TERMS OF THE KIND OF REALLOCATING, I WAS JUST TRYING TO SAVE SORT OF FOR CONTEXT, THAT THERE COULD BE, YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE YEAR ON ALLOCATED SOLAR REBATE AND IN ADDITION TO OTHER, ON ALLOCATED FUNDS THAT WE COULD SCOOP FROM, UM, I, AND I JUST MEANT THAT, UH, IN TERMS OF, I JUST WANT THE CONTEXT OR INFORMATION IN THERE THAT, UM, ACCORDING, YOU KNOW, IN WHATEVER WE PASS AS A RECOMMENDATION, I JUST WANT IT TO SAY THAT OR CONTEXT WE ARE, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THERE'S AN ESTIMATE OF ABOUT, OF HALF A CENT AND A HALF PER KILOWATT HOUR IS WHAT IT'S BEING CURRENTLY SUBSIDIZED.
THAT DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? OKAY.
SO PERHAPS THAT COULD BE ADDED INTO THE LAST SENTENCE THAT'S HERE ON THE, OUR ESTIMATE, YOU KNOW, BASED ON, UH, BASED ON INFORMATION PRESENTED, PROVIDED, YOU KNOW, ADD THAT IN THERE.
DOES THAT WORK? YEAH, THAT WORKS.
DANA HOW, HOW DOES ALL OF THAT SOUND TO YOU? I THINK FOR CONTEXT THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW THAT SENT A HALF AS A NUMBER THAT HAS COME TO US FROM DIFFERENT, UH, SOURCES.
SO I THINK, I THINK THAT THAT'S, THAT'S FINE.
UM, AND AGAIN, JUST KIND OF GENERALLY, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT'S REALLY OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I'M SO THANKFUL THAT WE ARE, UM, IN LOCK STEP WITH THE REQUESTS FROM BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS TO MAKE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.
I GET THAT IT'S DIFFICULT TO MAKE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS WITHOUT FULL VISIBILITY INTO WHAT, YOU KNOW, CITY DEPARTMENTS ARE THINKING AND REALLY THEY KNOW HOW THE SAUSAGE IS MADE,
[02:35:01]
SO TO SPEAK.UM, AND SO AGAIN, IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, DRAFT THIS IN A WAY THAT SHOWS OUR INTENT, THAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL, UM, UH, SUBSIDY FOR COMMUNITY SOLAR TO, IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE MORE DEPLOYMENT OF SOLAR, UH, LOCAL SOLAR IN AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS WHAT THIS IS INTENDED TO DO.
UM, AND I FEEL, I FEEL LIKE THE LANGUAGE AND I, SORRY, I CAN'T SEE THE DRAFTS THAT YOU'RE MAKING KAI, BUT I FEEL LIKE WE, WE ARE HEADED, UH, THAT WAY WITH THE LANGUAGE THAT HAS BEEN DRAFTED.
UM, AND THEN ALSO JUST KIND OF MAKE THE KIND OF GENERAL STATEMENT THAT I, I REALLY APPRECIATED, UM, WITH JONATHAN'S RECOMMENDATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT, IT DID FEEL LIKE THAT WAS A, UM, YOU KNOW, RMC AND AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF COLLABORATIVE EFFORT, UH, TO PUT FORWARD.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO WORKING WITH STAFF TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT THE INTENT OF THE, THIS RECOMMENDATION IS, UM, CARRIED FORWARD AND, YOU KNOW, THEN LEAVE IT TO THE STAFF TO, TO SHARE WITH US THE NUMBERS THAT MAKE THE MOST SENSE AND YOU KNOW, WHICH, WHICH SCOPE OF WHICH BUCKET IT MAKES SENSE TO COME FROM.
UM, I AM, UH, TAKING A STAB AT, UM, PUTTING, PUTTING THIS INTO WRITING SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT IT, UH, WHEN WE VOTE.
AND I KNOW WE HAVE ONE MORE RECOMMENDATION COMING FROM SMITTY.
UH, SO PERHAPS WE CAN DISCUSS THAT AND THEN LOOK AT THE, LOOK AT THE DRAFT TOGETHER, UH, AT THE END, DOES THAT WORK FOR EVERYBODY? GREAT.
SMITTY G YOU HAVE, UM, DO YOU HAVE WHAT, WHAT YOU WERE DRAFTING READY FOR US? WE'RE GETTING IT UP.
I WILL SAY THIS IS NOT WELL DRAFTED AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE RIGHT PROCESS TO GET IT WELL DRAFTED IS, UM, BUT, UH, SORT OF GETS THE SPIRIT OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
AND, UM, AS I UNDERSTOOD IT, WHAT WE REALLY WANT TO DO IS GET QUESTIONS TO THEM AS OPPOSED TO RESOLUTIONS BY THE END OF THE MONTH, WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING, UH, KAI ABOUT WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO GET TO THEM? WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND MAYBE THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION WHENEVER IT COMES UP, BUT BASICALLY WHAT THIS SAYS IS COME BACK TO US WITH, UH, UH, A BUDGET ITEM THAT SHOWS WHAT THE IMPACT OF PVS ARE GOING TO BE ON BASE RATES IN THE GRID, AND THEN CONTRAST THAT WHAT HAPPENS IF WE, UH, DO SO IN A WAY THAT HAS MANAGED, UM, CHARGING AND TIME OF USE RATES IN IT.
AND SO THAT'S THE GOAL HERE? I'M NOT SURE I'VE GOT THE LANGUAGE.
I KNOW I DON'T HAVE THE LANGUAGE.
COULD YOU MAKE THAT BIGGER FOR US ALL? OKAY.
SO LOOKING AT IT, UM, AFTER AN APPROPRIATE PERIOD FOR, UH, IT PROBABLY, AND HAS, UH, THE, IT, WE DON'T NEED TO SAY IN BASE RATES AT THE END.
UM, AND I THINK IT, UM, WHAT OTHERS THINK THERE'S SOME TYPOS THAT NEED TO BE FIXED UP.
[02:40:01]
TO WRITE IT WAS SOMEBODY ASKING A QUESTION.I WAS JUST GONNA MAKE A SUGGESTION.
UM, IF YOU CAN'T COME TO A CONCLUSION ON THIS TONIGHT, YOU CAN APPROVE IT AT OUR NEXT MEETING.
UM, JUST, IT WILL BE PAST, UH, THE REQUESTED DEADLINE BY THE BUDGET OFFICE.
JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE.
SO COULD WE APPROVE IT WITH EDITING? I GUESS I'M, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA DEFER TO OTHERS TO, TO JUMP IN ON THIS WHILE I TRY TO, UH, REFINE THIS OTHER ONE.
UM, HEY, SMITTY, HEY, UM, THANKS FOR, FOR PUTTING THIS IN WORDS, IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF PROCESS IT BY, BY READING IT AND SEEING IT IN FRONT OF ME.
UM, THIS TO ME FEELS LIKE A, MULTI-YEAR KIND OF, UH, AN EXERCISE IN THAT THE, THE NUMBER OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES IS GOING TO GROW, BUT IT MAY NOT BE DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT IN 2023 VERSUS 2022.
LIKE IT WOULD BE HOPEFULLY IN 2030.
SO IS THIS A KIND OF A, A SUGGESTION FOR AUSTIN ENERGY TO, UM, TO TAKE ON A MULTI-YEAR KIND OF, UM, FORECAST ON, UH, EVIE UPTAKE AND WHAT THAT DOES TO, UH, YOU KNOW, DEMAND AND, UM, YOU KNOW, RATES AND ALL OF THOSE SORTS OF THINGS, OR IS THIS SOMETHING SPECIFICALLY THAT, UM, IS, IS, UM, UH, GERMANE TO THE 20 22, 23 BUDGET? SO, UM, THE ANSWERS ARE, IT WOULD BE GERMANE TO THE 20 22 23 BUDGET IN THAT WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS A STUDY BE DONE, OR PROJECTION BE DONE.
AND THEN SECONDLY, THERE IS ALSO AN INTENT HERE TO TRY AND ENCOURAGE THEM AS PART OF THEIR RATE CASE.
AND THE NEXT RATE K AT THAT WILL BE DONE THIS YEAR AND HAS A SEPTEMBER DEADLINE, UM, TO, UH, INCLUDE, UH, RATES THAT WOULD ENCOURAGE TIME OF USE AND MANAGE, UH, MANAGE, UH, CHARGING AND VEHICLE TO GRID AND BATTERY TO GRID, UM, COMPONENTS TO, UM, MANAGE DEMAND AS TERM.
THAT'S SORT OF THE OVERWHELMING DRIVER HERE TO ENABLE THOSE BATTERIES TO PLAY BACK INTO THE GRID.
AND THAT RATE CASE, UM, WILL BE, UH, BOATED ON, UH, IN SEPTEMBER.
AND WE'LL BE IN, UH, WE'LL BE EFFECTIVE SET RATES EFFECTIVE FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
SO WHILE YOUR POINT ABOUT GROWING EVS AND THE NUMBER OF EVS IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, AND IT IS, UH, THEY'RE GROWING FASTER THAN ANYONE HAS PROJECTED.
UM, THE, UH, THE SORT OF THING WE, THE THINGS WE NEED TO DO ARE BOTH GET SOMETHING IN THE BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR, BUT ALSO GET SOMETHING INTO THE RATE CASE.
AND, UM, SO THOSE ARE TWO GOALS THAT I, UM, THAT YOU'VE HELPED ME THINK THROUGH IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS MOTION WOULD WANT TO DO.
ARE THERE OTHER QUESTIONS WHILE KAI IS TRYING TO MAKE THIS SENSIBLE? WELL, I JUST TO BE CLEAR, I'M NOT EDITING WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON.
I WAS EDITING THE ONE, THE SOLAR ITEM, WHICH I HAVE DONE, AND I'LL SEND THAT TO NATASHA SO SHE CAN SHARE IT.
[02:45:01]
WANTS, IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO EDIT THIS ONE, THEY'VE GOT TO DO IT.SO IS THERE ANY, UH, ANY, UH, NATASHA, IS THERE A WAY THAT WE COULD APPROVE THIS AS A SUBJECT EDITING? I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, HOW DOES, I GUESS I'M HAVING A HARD TIME UNDERSTANDING HOW THE TARIFFS OR THE RATE MAKING IS TIED TO THE DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
I HAD THOUGHT INITIALLY THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT CREATING A PROGRAM FOR DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
SO I'M JUST NOT CLEAR ON THAT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE RIGHT MAKING.
SO THE TERM TARIFF AND RATE ARE THINGS I'M NOT SURE I HAVE QUITE STRAIGHT IN MY HEAD IN THIS CONTEXT, BUT THEY'RE FUNCTIONALLY THE SAME THING.
HOW MUCH IS BEING CHARGED TO THE CONSUMERS WHO, UM, HAVE AUSTIN WHO HAVE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND THEIR SPECIAL RATE CLASSIFICATIONS THAT, UM, ARE AVAILABLE CURRENTLY TO AUSTIN ENERGY'S CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE ELECTRIC VEHICLES THAT, UM, ARE DESIGNED TO REWARD THEM FOR A TIME OF USE AND, UM, FOR, UM, OKAY.
BUT ARE NOT AS I UNDERSTAND IT ABLE TO REWARD FULLY THE CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE BATTERIES OR HAVE, UM, UH, OR WHO ALLOW THEIR ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERIES TO BE PLAYED BACK AND CONTROLLED BY AUSTIN ENERGY IN WAYS THAT OFFSET OVERALL GRID EXPENSES, BOTH ON THE COST OF ENERGY AND ON THE COST OF, UM, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND, UM, SO WHAT THIS IS BASICALLY IS A RATE MODIFICATION STUDY THAT WOULD BE USEFUL.
I'M SORRY, THIS JUST CAME TO ME LAST NIGHT.
I'M NOT WELL-PREPARED ON THIS.
AND AS I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE AGENDA AFTER A SERIES OF MEETINGS TODAY, I THOUGHT, WELL, THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THIS UP.
AND SO I HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORDSMITH IT OR RUN IT BY OTHERS WHO ARE BETTER AT GRAFTING.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S DEFINITELY A PREMATURE ITEM, EXCEPT WE NEED TO DO IT IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO GET IT INTO THE, INTO THE PROCESS BY THE END OF THE MONTH, AS I UNDERSTAND IT.
WELL, I THINK TO COMMISSIONER DAVIS'S POINT, I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE A COUPLE, MAYBE THREE IDEAS HERE.
UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET PIECE WOULD BE A PROJECTION, UM, IN ORDER TO CREATE A DEMAND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, RIGHT.
BECAUSE BEFORE YOU COULD REALLY TAKE THIS TO MAKE IT A PART OF THE RATE MAKING, I THINK YOU WOULD NEED THE DATA ON IT, YOU KNOW, AND HOW TO TEAR IT, UM, AND HOW THOSE DIFFERENT RATES WOULD THEY WOULD LOOK LIKE.
SO I REALLY SEE THE PIECE ABOUT DEMAND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM BEING PERHAPS THE BUDGET ITEM AND PUTTING TOGETHER A PROJECTION ON, UM, I'M SORRY.
WE WOULD NEED THEM TO PUT TOGETHER SOMETHING THAT WOULD PROJECT FOR US.
UM, THE NUMBER OF EVS AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS THAT DEMAND FOR HELPING US MEET THAT DEMAND.
UM, I'M NOT, I'M A LITTLE UNCERTAIN, UH, WHERE, WHERE WE ARE IN TERMS OF WHAT WE MIGHT BE VOTING ON IT ON THIS ITEM.
UM, SMITTY, DO YOU FEEL LIKE WHAT YOU AND OTHERS, YOU KNOW, DO, DO WE NEED TO MAKE EDITS, UH, TO THE WORDS THAT SMITTY PUT FORWARD, IT NEEDS, UM, TEXT EDITING TO CLARIFY, OR TO HANDLE THE TYPOS.
[02:50:01]
UM, I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY CLEARLY TWO DIFFERENT, UM, STRATEGIES HERE.ONE SAYING TO AUSTIN ENERGY IN YOUR BUDGET, STUDY THIS, COME BACK AND DO A BUDGET ITEM TO STUDY THIS, COME BACK WITH A, UM, IMPACT ANALYSIS AND TO, TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR, UH, BUDGET, UH, OR FOR THEIR, FOR, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY'S RATE CASE.
WE ENDORSE THIS IDEA OF HAVING, UM, PROGRAMS THAT WOULD ENABLE DEMAND MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES TO REDUCE, UM, BASE RATES AND, UH, FUEL AND ENERGY COSTS.
UM, SO I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE ARE AT THE MOMENT.
AND I'M, WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT PROCEDURALLY HOW TO HANDLE THIS AND THE TIME WE HAVE LEFT YET THIS EVENING, I'M SORRY.
I WANT TO CLARIFY, UM, THE MARCH 31ST DEADLINE.
SO THAT IS FROM THE BUDGET OFFICE.
HOWEVER, UM, THE EUC, UM, WILL BE, UH, WE, WE SPOKE TO THE BUDGET OFFICE AND OUR FINANCE STAFF ADVISED THAT YOU CAN ENTER ITEMS, UM, IN APRIL AFTER YOUR APRIL, APRIL MEETING.
UM, AND, AND, AND THAT'S FINE TO DO.
AND, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, W OUR STAFF IS GOING TO KNOW THAT THIS IS COMING.
SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO EDIT AND WORDSMITH ON THE FLY, WHEN IT TAKES SOME MORE TIME, BRING THESE BACK IN APRIL, THAT THAT'S ACCEPTABLE AS WELL.
IN THAT CASE, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK FOR HELP FROM OTHER MEMBERS OF THIS COMMISSION AND PUTTING TOGETHER A BETTER PROPOSAL.
UM, AND, UM, WITH THAT, THEN WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS SEE IF THERE ARE ANY VOLUNTEERS AND I'LL WITHDRAW THE MOTION, SO WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE REST OF THE MEETING, BUT FOR THE AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF, TO BE AWARE THAT I WOULD LIKE THEIR INPUT ON HOW BEST TO HANDLE THIS.
AND, UM, AND SO IF SOMEBODY FROM AUSTIN ENERGY WOULD REACH OUT AND SELF IDENTIFY THEMSELVES AS FORTUNATE DESIGNEE, THAT HAS TO HELP US FIGURE OUT THIS, GET SOMETHING PUT TOGETHER, AND I WITHDRAW.
UM, I DO THINK THERE THERE'S, UH, SOMETHING, SOMETHING TO BE WORKED ON THERE.
UM, SO I, UM, WE CAN'T SEE THE, THE EDITS AND THE CURRENT MODE THAT WE HAVE UP IN FRONT OF CON NATASHA, CAN YOU ZOOM IN A BIT SO WE CAN SEE THAT BETTER, BUT THIS, I GUESS, UH, WOULD BE THE CLEAN KIND OF VIEW OF WHAT WE WOULD VOTE ON IN TERMS OF THE FIRST ONE, THE ONLY, UH, CHANGE, IF YOU CAN SCROLL DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT IS, WELL, THE CHANGE THERE IS, IS, UM, IS THE, UH, ON THE FIRST ONE IS JUST THE LAST, UH, THE LAST SENTENCE RMC RECOMMENDS THAT THE CONSULTANT WORK WITH ET CETERA.
AND ON, ON THE SECOND ONE, THE FIRST SENTENCE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO BE MORE GENERAL AS PER DISCUSSION.
AND THEN THE REST OF THAT, UM, THE REST OF THAT PARAGRAPH REMAINS THE SAME.
AND THEN, UH, SHANE W LET ME KNOW, I THINK I INCORPORATED YOUR REQUEST THERE IN THE, UH, SECOND TO LAST SENTENCE ON THE, UM, SHARING THAT, THAT NUMBER OF THE 1.50 CENTS, AND THEN YOUR REQUEST ON THE MAINTAINING THE TAB SPECIFIC SUBSIDY.
BUT LET ME KNOW IF I GOT THAT WRONG.
SHANNON, ARE YOU STILL WITH US? YEAH, SORRY.
UM, I GUESS, UH, MY ONLY, UH, OTHER,
[02:55:01]
UH, THING TO ADD IS THAT I DON'T QUITE REMEMBER IF THEY SPECIFICALLY SAID IT CAME FROM CAP FUNDS.I MEAN, IT KIND OF DOESN'T MAKE SENSE FOR IT TO NOT COME FROM CAP FUNDS.
BUT, UM, UM, SO MAYBE WE SAY BUY CAP FUNDS OR, OR OTHER FUNDS IDENTIFIED APPROPRIATE OR APPROPRIATE BY A STAFF, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
UM, SO WE, WE HAVE THESE, UH, TWO ITEMS, UH, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THIS GREAT SMITTY MOVES ADOPTION, DO WE HAVE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
UM, UH, IF, IF WE CAN TAKE THIS OFF THE SCREEN TO MAKE THIS EASIER, EVERYONE, UH, IF YOU'RE VOTING IN FAVOR, IF YOU CAN PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
IT'LL GO FORWARD IS AS THE SINGLE RECOMMENDATION, IF ANYBODY OBJECTS TO TAKING THESE UP AT ONCE, FEEL FREE TO SPEAK TO THAT.
AND WE CAN CHANGE COURSE HERE.
LOOKS LIKE WE'RE UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTING THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
[9. Discussion and possible action regarding the joint EUC/RMC working group on the Fayette Coal Plant. (Sponsors: Blackburn; White)]
WE HAVE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE, UH, FAYETTE, A WORKING GROUP THAT HAS, UH, BEEN MEETING ALONG WITH THE, UM, THE PARTNER WORKING GROUP, UH, ON THE UC.UH, WE, UH, MET, UH, WITH STAFF WE, UH, HAD, UH, HAD, DID HAVE ONE MEETING THAT INCLUDED, UH, MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY AS, AS THEY WERE, UH, WILLING AND ABLE TO ATTEND AND PARTICIPATE AND, AND CAME UP WITH, WITH SEVERAL REV RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, THAT WERE SHARED AROUND.
AND IF I THINK IF WE COULD GET THOSE, UH, UP ON THE SCREEN, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR DISCUSSION.
I'M NOT, I'M NOT GONNA READ ALL THESE, UH, WORDS.
UM, THERE ARE, BUT I'LL JUST KIND OF, UH, SUMMARIZE, UH, THERE ARE SEVERAL RECOMMENDATIONS HERE THAT ARE AROUND, UM, ESSENTIALLY, UM, ENCOURAGING CITY COUNCIL AND AUSTIN ENERGY TO, UM, PLACE MORE, UH, SCRUTINY ON EXPENSES RELATED TO FAYETTE.
UH, AND, AND SO I WOULD SAY THAT'S THAT'S ITEMS. OH, ONE TWO.
AND I THINK THAT THERE'S, UH, PERHAPS ANOTHER ONE THAT, THAT SPOKE, MAYBE WE, MAYBE WE MERGED THEM, SO ITEMS ONE AND TWO, UM, AND THEN SEVERAL OTHER ITEMS THAT JUDGE ON, UH, PAST NEGOTIATIONS, UH, FUTURE NEGOTIATIONS, UM, AND, UH, IN ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, COMPLIANCE, UH, AS WELL AS, UM, HOW, HOW THE, HOW THE PLANT IS OPERATED.
UM, UH, WE'LL JUST SHARE THAT, YOU KNOW, I DO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, NUMBER SIX, SOMETHING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN ENERGY STUFF HAS, HAS ALREADY COMMITTED TO.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT THERE'S, UM, A LOT OF UTILITY AND INCLUDING THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, I DON'T KNOW, BUT THIS IS WHAT CAME FORWARD FROM THE WORKING GROUP.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THERE'S, THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF QUESTIONS MARKS, UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT ON THIS PAGE IS ALREADY BEING PURSUED, UH, IN SOME WAY OR ANOTHER BY AUSTIN ENERGY STUFF, UH, BECAUSE THEY'RE, UH, YOU KNOW, UNDER A CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT WITH LCRA.
SO, UM, THERE, THERE ARE SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT LIMITS, UH, AS TO WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO SHARE WITH THE WORKING GROUP.
UM, YEAH, I THINK, I THINK IT'LL BE MOST USEFUL FOR US TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AND SEE WHAT FOLKS THINK ABOUT THIS IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN TALKING MORE
[03:00:08]
SO, ANY THOUGHTS, ANYTHING ANYBODY ELSE WANTS TO SHARE WHO'S PARTICIPATING IN THE WORKING GROUP OR, OR IF YOU WERE NOT ANYBODY STILL AWAKE? SHANNON, ARE YOU RAISING YOUR HAND? ARE YOU, ARE YOU JUST HOLDING YOURSELF UP? OKAY.I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE ANY, UM, YOU KNOW, COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION ON THIS, JUST TO SAY THAT, UM, I, I, I THINK THAT IT WAS QUITE DISAPPOINTING TO HEAR THAT THE PLANT WOULD NOT, UH, BE CLOSING ON THE SCHEDULE DESIRED AND THAT, UM, UH, I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT THE WORKING GROUP HAS PUT INTO THIS TO MAKE THAT A, UM, YOU KNOW, FEEL LIKE A REALLY BAD DECISION AND, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, INCREASED SCRUTINY AND PUT, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL COSTS AND THINGS ON IT TO INCENTIVIZE, UM, THE NEGOTIATIONS TOWARDS CLOSING THAT, THAT PIECE.
I THINK, UM, I JUST WANT TO SAY, APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO THAT.
I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF WORK, UH, LEFT TO DO THIS IS SMITTY AND I TOO WOULD LIKE TO SHARE MY DISAPPOINTMENT AND REFLECTING ON THIS POOR OUTCOME.
UM, I THINK WE PUT OUT THE FIRST REPORTS 20 ODD YEARS AGO, TALKING ABOUT THE CLIMATE IMPACTS OF FAYETTE AND, UM, SUGGESTING THAT THERE WERE ALTERNATIVES THAT WE COULD ENGAGE IN THAT WOULD BE LESS EXPENSIVE.
UM, AND THERE HAD BEEN REPORTS DRAFTED, UM, BY EVA, THE ENERGY INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY AND ECONOMIC FINANCIAL ANALYSIS.
UM, MORE THAN FIVE YEARS AGO, INDICATING THAT IT WAS NO LONGER COSTLY TO CONTINUE OPERATING FAYETTE, BUT BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE CONTRACT AND THE FACT THAT, UM, CO-OP CUSTOMERS HAVE CONTRACTS THAT ARE MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR EACH OF THE INDIVIDUAL CO-OPS, UH, TO REALLY CONTROL THE ENERGY, UM, PURCHASED BY THE LCRA OR OPERATED BY LCRA.
WE DON'T HAVE MUCH PURCHASE ON THIS.
UM, AND WE'RE FURTHER HAMPERED BY THE REALIZATION THAT IF WE SOMEHOW SELL, UH, OUR SHERIFF AT BACKED LCRA, THAT CONTINUED TO BE OPERATED, UM, AND THE, THAT REALITY IS COMPOUNDED BY, UM, THE IMPACT OF THE WINTER STORM AND THE DEMAND FOR, UM, FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY THAT HAS RESULTED FROM THAT, UM, AND ARE RELATIVELY GOOD PERFORMANCE DURING THE STORM.
SO WE'RE GOING TO PICKLE FOLKS, UM, AND, UH, MAKE THE TENOR OF THIS RESOLUTION THAT ASKS AUSTIN ENERGY TO REDOUBLE THEIR EFFORTS TOWARDS SHUTTING THAT DOWN IS GOOD, BUT WITHOUT HAVING A FULL BRIEFING BY AUSTIN ENERGY IN EXECUTIVE SESSION OF OUR COMMITTEE, OUR COMMISSION BY TO OUR COMMISSION AND, UM, THE, UM, HE, YOU SEE, UH, I DON'T THINK WE REALLY CAN UNDERSTAND FULLY WHAT
[03:05:01]
THE SITUATION WE'RE IN IS LIKE, AND HAVE THAT FULL APPRAISAL, UM, UH, UH, BE ABLE TO GUIDE OUR SUGGESTED ACTIONS TO AUSTIN ENERGY AND TO REALLY INFORM THIS RESOLUTION.AND THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT ONE OF THE PROVISIONS IN HERE THAT BASICALLY SAYS WE OUGHT TO HAVE A BRIEFING WITH AN EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, WHICH IS OUR RIGHT AND PRIVILEGE UNDER THE CITY CHARGER CHARTER.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT THING FOR US TO URGE AND ASK FOR AND WENT BACK THAT BACK TO YOU.
I WILL SAY THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THE GREATEST DISAPPOINTMENTS IN MY SERVICE AS ON THIS COMMISSION OR IN MANY OF THE GENERATING PLANNING GROUPS THAT I'VE BEEN ON THERE, AUSTIN ENERGY OVER THE LAST DECADES.
UH, WE HAVE GIVEN WHERE WE ARE WITH CLIMATE.
THIS IS AN ENORMOUS FAILURE OF, UH, OUR CREATIVITY AND LEADERSHIP OR AN ADVOCATION OF OUR RESPONSIBILITIES TO PRESERVE THE PLANET FOR OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN.
UH, AND WE'VE, WE'VE GOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY OUT OF THIS MESS.
THANKS FOR THOSE THOUGHTS, UH, SHARE, SHARE THOSE SENTIMENTS.
UM, UH, I DID JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, I DON'T THINK THAT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, INCLUDE SOMETHING ABOUT, UH, GETTING BRIEFED IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, BUT I, I DO THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE, UH, YOU KNOW, A GOOD THING TO HAVE HAPPEN.
AND WE COULD, WE COULD CERTAINLY, I SUPPOSE, ADD SOMETHING IN HERE, ALTHOUGH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALL DIRECTED TOWARDS, UH, CITY COUNCIL.
SO I DON'T KNOW, WE COULD PROBABLY WORD IT APPROPRIATELY.
SO WE CAN MAKE A SEPARATE MOTION TO DO THAT.
AND WHENEVER IT'S APPROPRIATE, I CAN, OR YOU CAN'T, BUT LET'S, THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO.
I DON'T THINK IT NEEDS TO BE PART OF THIS PARTICULAR RESOLUTION.
AND I THOUGHT IT WAS AT SOME POINT THERE'LL BE A BRIEFING, BUT WHATEVER LET'S JUST SAY COULD SEPARATE MY APOLOGIES FOR MISREADING IT LI LISA, DID YOU WANT TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS OR IT SEEMS LIKE WE CAN JUST SHARE HERE.
UM, YEAH, JUST ECHOING, UH, VICE-CHAIR WHITES, UM, COMMENTS ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR PROPOSAL, NOT BEING A PART OF THIS RESOLUTION.
HOWEVER, UM, WE DO HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OUT TO AUSTIN ENERGY THAT WE EXPECT WILL BE ANSWERED LATER THIS WEEK.
UH, I DO THINK, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT AND SOME OTHER MOVING PARTS THAT WE'LL HAVE, I'LL CERTAINLY HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, THAT ARE FORTHCOMING AND, AND WE CAN INCORPORATE, YOU KNOW, IDEAS OF THE COMMISSION.
I'M GOING TO ECHO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS SAID ABOUT THE DISAPPOINTMENT.
AND AT LEAST MY GOAL WITH, UM, LOOKING AT THE MATERIALS AND PUTTING TOGETHER THE RESOLUTION, YOU KNOW, MY GOAL WOULD BE TO, TO MOTIVATE AUSTIN ENERGY AND TO REMIND THEM THAT THEIR CUSTOMERS WANT TO SEE A CHANGE HERE.
UM, MY SENSE OF THINGS IS THAT THEY MIGHT, MAYBE THEY'RE A LITTLE DISCOURAGED ABOUT THE SITUATION, I DON'T KNOW, BUT I DO THINK THAT THEY NEED A LITTLE BIT MORE MOTIVATION TO GET US TO WHERE WE, I THINK WE ALL WANT TO BE.
SO THAT WAS REALLY THE MOTIVATION, AT LEAST FOR ME IN, IN PUTTING TOGETHER, UM, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I CONTRIBUTED.
THANK YOU, ALYSSA, UM, COMMISSIONERS, UH, ANY, ANY OTHER, UH, THOUGHTS ON THIS ITEM WE ARE POSTED FOR ACTION HERE.
SO THIS IS DANA, JUST TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND THE KIND OF REQUESTS BEFORE US ARE ON THE TABLE.
THIS SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS CAME FROM THE WORKING GROUP, THE RMC YOU SEE WORKING GROUP.
UM, WE COULD, YOU KNOW, PASS AS A RESOLUTION, THE SOUTHERN OF EIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS HERE.
AND MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT THERE'S MORE INFORMATION COMING AND THERE COULD BE ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COME FROM THE WORKING
[03:10:01]
GROUP GOING FORWARD.SO I'D LIKE THE BUDGET, UM, ITEM WE WERE JUST DISCUSSING.
THERE ISN'T NECESSARILY A SPECIFIC PROCESS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FALL IN LINE WITH OTHER THAN TO CONVEY A SENSE OF URGENCY, UM, TO, TO TAKE ACTION REGARDING FAYETTE.
IS THAT CORRECT? I W I WOULD SAY IT'S, IT'S SORT OF, SORT OF CORRECT.
UM, BUT, BUT THERE ARE SOME, UM, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, TIME CONSTRAINTS, UH, THAT, THAT ARE RELATIVE OR RELEVANT TO THESE, UH, SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, SPECIFICALLY THE, THE FAYETTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE AND, UH, THOSE ANNUAL BUDGETS, UH, THE, THE LCRA, UH, RUNS ON A, UM, A FISCAL YEAR THAT STARTS ON, UH, JULY 1ST.
AND, UH, WE'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE FAYETTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE, WHICH IS MADE UP OF LCRA 50 50 WITH AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, THAT THEY VOTE ON THOSE ANNUAL BUDGETS IN EITHER MAY OR JUNE, UH, IN, IN THE THIRD, THIRD, THE THIRD WEEK OF THE MONTH IS WHEN THEY, THEY MEET.
AND ONE OF THOSE TWO MEETINGS THEY WOULD, WOULD ADOPT THE BUDGET.
SO, UM, IN THAT SENSE THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE THERE'S, UM, I GUESS A TIME CONSTRAINT OF SORTS THERE.
AND, AND SO IT DOES SOUND LIKE BASED ON THE, THE WORK THAT THE WORKING GROUP PUT INTO THIS, IT DOES FEEL LIKE THIS, YOU KNOW, THAT THE RECOMMENDATION TO RECORD REJECT ALL ANNUAL BUDGET AND EXPENSES, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, THE EXCEPTIONS NOTED THAT THAT'S WHAT MY RATE IS.
THE WORKING GROUP SEES AS A, YOU KNOW, A POWERFUL TOOL OR MESSAGE TO SAY, HEY, LOOK, WE, WE WILL NOT CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THIS.
UM, AND, AND WE'D LIKE TO GO AHEAD AND COMMUNICATE THAT MESSAGE.
WE WOULD ALSO THE, I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE WORKING GROUP WOULD CONTINUE.
AND SO THIS ISN'T, THIS, ISN'T THE END OF THIS, UM, DISCUSSION, SO TO SPEAK.
SO AS WE GET MORE DATA, WE CAN CONTINUE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO COUNCIL FOR HOW THE DEAL WITH FAYETTE GOING FORWARD.
IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, I DON'T, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THE, THE ISSUE WILL REMAIN AN UNRESOLVED, UH, WELL PASS TONIGHT.
SO I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY THE, UM, THE WORKING GROUP WHEN STAND AND BE ABLE TO CONTINUE, UH, MEETING, GATHERING MORE INFORMATION AND YEAH, PERHAPS AT LEAST REPORTING BACK TO THIS FULL COMMISSION, UH, AND PERHAPS MAKING ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS.
THANK YOU POTENTIALLY WITH THE, UM, EXECUTIVE BRIEFING THAT SPINNY WAS RECOMMENDING, UM, AND, AND TO, TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO IT'S THE NEXT STEP THAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR KIBBEH OR I GUESS, TO THE MEMBERS OF THE WORKING GROUP, IS IT A MOTION TO ADOPT THESE RECOMMENDATIONS? I, YES.
SECOND THAT WE HAVE A MOTION BY SHANE A SECOND BY CHARLOTTE, ANY ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION BEFORE WE VOTE.
UM, UH, NATASHA, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'M TAKING THIS OFF THE SCREEN, SO, UH, WE CAN SEE FOLKS VOTING.
UH, EVERY EVERYONE, UH, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE VOTING IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
UH, LOUIS, ARE YOU BIDDING, UH, AGAINST OR ABSTAINING? ABSTAINING, BECAUSE I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE.
OKAY, SO WE HAVE A, UH, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, UH, VOTES IN FAVOR WITH ONE ABSTENTION.
THE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ADOPTED.
BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I JUST ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO JUST PASS THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND KIND OF THROW THEM INTO THE VOID FOR, YOU KNOW, WHOEVER TO READ THEM.
UH, WE REALLY WANT TO GET TRACTION WITH THESE RECOMMENDATIONS WITH CITY COUNCIL,
[03:15:01]
NOTING THAT WE ARE AN ADVISORY COMMISSION, UH, BUT LET'S SEE COUNCIL ARE, IS REALLY THE BODY THAT HAS THE AUTHORITY TO ACT.AND, UH, YOU KNOW, I KIND OF RELATE THIS TO A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, OUR RESOLUTION ON CENTERPOINT, WE GOT DIRECT, UH, UH, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL ON THAT, UH, WHICH WAS INCORPORATED IN THEIR FINAL ACTION, BUT THAT HAPPENED BECAUSE SEVERAL OF US, UH, KIND OF EXPRESSLY REACHED OUT TO OUR RESPECTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, POINTING OUT THE, THE ISSUE.
AND I THINK IT'S, IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT ON THIS, UH, TO, TO DO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO, TO MAKE SURE WE ARE RAISING AWARENESS OF, UH, THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE AND THESE RECOMMENDATIONS DIRECTLY TO OUR RESPECTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
UM, PERSONALLY, WHAT I PLAN TO DO IS SEND AN EMAIL TO, UH, MY COUNCIL MEMBER AND, UH, THE ONE OF, UH, HER STAFF MEMBERS, UH, KIND OF SUMMARIZING THE ISSUE, UH, AND ATTACHING THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S HELPFUL TO HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, UH, I THINK SOME OF US ON THE WORKING GROUP COULD PROBABLY PASS THAT ALONG.
YEAH, I WOULD, I WOULD, UM, THIS IS REBECCA.
AND I THINK THAT, UH, WE COULD COLLECTIVELY, UH, SIGNIFICANTLY ELEVATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS COMMISSION.
IF, IF WE ALL JUST ROUTINELY DID THAT WITH, WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, I THINK, I THINK WE WOULD BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WITH, UH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE ADDITIONAL ATTENTION THAT IT WOULD BRING TO THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE PUTTING THE WORK IN ON.
UH, OUR LAST ITEM IS HIS FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. I KNOW WE HAVE ONE ALREADY FROM, FROM SMITTY, UH, AND OF COURSE WE CAN ALWAYS, UH, EMAIL CHAIR, BLACKBURN AND NATASHA WITH RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT, UM, DOES ANYBODY ELSE WANT TO BRING ANYTHING UP HERE BEFORE WE ADJOURN? ALL RIGHT.
I KNOW I'M, I'M READY FOR DINNER.
HAS ANYBODY WANT TO MOVE ADJOURNMENT? ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU ALL A LONG MEETING, BUT I THINK WE COVERED SOME GOOD GROUND HERE.
AND THANK YOU TO THE STAFF FOR, UH, FOR STOPPING THIS LENGTHY MEETING.
HAVE A GOOD NIGHT COMMISSIONERS.