* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. I'M LESLIE POOLE, [00:00:01] THE CHAIR OF THE AUSTIN [CALL TO ORDER] AND AUSTIN ENERGY UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. I AM CONVENING OUR REGULAR MEETING. UH, IT'S TUESDAY, JUNE 7TH, 2022. THE TIME IS 2:10 PM. IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A FULL DYESS HERE. ALTHOUGH A COUPLE OF FOLKS MAY HAVE STEPPED OUT BRIEFLY THAT I EXPECT TO HAVE A FULL DIES HERE. UH, SO WELCOME EVERYONE. UM, I WANT TO TAKE [Public Communication: General] SPEAKERS UP FIRST. UM, WE HAVE FOUR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SPEAK TO US REMOTELY AND ONE PERSON IN PERSON. AND NORMALLY WE TAKE THE IN-PERSON PERSON FIRST, BUT I WANTED TO CHECK WITH MR. ROBBINS TO SEE IF HE WANTED TO GO FIRST. OR IF YOUR TIMING IS SUCH THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO, UH, BE FIFTH. SO IT'S UP TO YOU AND EVERYBODY WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. ALTHOUGH I WILL ALSO NOTE THAT WE HAVE SUCH A PACKED AGENDA TODAY. WE'LL BE GOING BACK TO OUR WORK SESSION. IF YOU'RE ABLE TO COMPLETE YOUR COMMENTS IN LESS THAN THREE MINUTES, THAT WOULD ALSO BE A LOVELY THING. MR. ROBBINS, DO YOU WANT TO LEAD OFF? ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD. WELCOME. WELCOME FOR BEING HERE. BE SURE TO TURN ON YOUR MIC AND THEN, UH, IF SOMEBODY COULD DO SOME TIME ORDERING FOR US AT THREE MINUTES, PLEASE. THANK YOU. UM, COUNSEL, I SPOKE TO YOU A MONTH AGO ABOUT THE CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS, CONTINUALLY POOR RECORD OF GIVING MONEY TO THE WRONG CUSTOMERS. SLIDE, SLIDE, SLIDE. YEAH. UH, THIS IS A MANSION WHOSE OWNER WAS RECEIVING CAP IN SEPTEMBER OF 2021 AND WAS CONTINUING TO RECEIVE IT IN 2020 A MONTH AGO. I SHOWED YOU STATISTICS, WHICH BEAR REPEATING BOTH SAN ANTONIO AND SACRAMENTO, UH, WHICH HAVE PUBLIC UTILITIES LARGER THAN AUSTIN ENERGY HAVE LOW-INCOME DISCOUNT PROGRAMS. AUSTIN'S FLAWED AUTO ENROLLMENT THAT CONTINUES TO ENROLL PEOPLE WHO OWN MANSIONS LIKE THIS. UH, AT LEAST THE LAST TIME I WAS ALLOWED TO SEE THE DATA, UH, THEY BOTH INCOME QUALIFY THEIR PARTICIPANTS SLIDE AND BOTH UTILITIES HAVE HIGHER NUMERICAL PARTICIPATION SLIDE AND BOTH UTILITIES HAVE A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS WHO ARE ENROLLED. SAN ANTONIO IS VERY SLIGHTLY, UH, SHE'S ME, BOTH UTILITIES HAVE A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS ENROLLED. SAN ANTONIO IS VERY SLIGHTLY LOWER BECAUSE THEY HAVE A THRESHOLD OF 100% OF THE POVERTY LEVEL. WHEREAS AUSTIN HAS 200% OF THE POVERTY LEVEL, BUT SACRAMENTO HAS TWICE THE PERTINENT PERCENTAGE OF PARTICIPATION AS AUSTIN SLIDE. I AM ASKING SLIDE SLIDE. I THINK WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TRAINING GOING ON, SO THAT COULD BE PATIENT VACATION TO HIT THE SLIDE WE'LL BE AT. OKAY. I'M ASKING AGAIN FOR YOU TO ASK THE CITY AUDITOR CHORE TO INVESTIGATE THIS SPECIFICALLY. THERE ARE THREE THINGS. FIRST CHECK MY MATH. ONCE YOU CONFIRM MY STATISTICS, ASK THE AUDITOR TO INVESTIGATE WHY THESE OTHER UTILITIES ARE DOING A BETTER JOB. THIRD INVESTIGATE. WHY AUSTIN ENERGY NEVER DID THEIR HOMEWORK WHEN THEY ESTABLISHED THIS FLAWED AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT MODEL IN 2013, IT IS COMMON PRACTICE IN MOST PROFESSIONS TO RESEARCH WHAT OTHER COMPANIES AND AGENCIES ARE DOING WHEN YOU CREATE A NEW PROGRAM. WHEN I ASKED FOR THIS UNDER OPEN RECORDS, NO INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED. COUNSEL AUSTIN ENERGY CONTINUES TO FAIL HERE AND THE POOR ARE LOSING MONEY BECAUSE OF IT. THANK YOU, MR. ROBBINS, THE NEXT FOUR SPEAKERS ARE ALL REMOTE. SO IF WE COULD QUEUE UP IN THIS ORDER, K EVA, WHITE SICILY, MONTGOMERY, JORDAN MIDDLEBROOKS, AND HANNAH HUGHES. SO FIRST IS COHIBA WELCOME. AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES TIMER PLEASE. [00:05:04] AND HOW I GUESS RUN THAT TIME ARE THERE AND HOW ARE WE BRINGING IN THE VIRTUALS? JUST A SECOND. SURE. SOUNDS LIKE WE HAVE SPEAKER. IS THIS KAI? IS IT KANYE? YEAH, THIS IS CABLE. WAIT, CURRENTLY HAVE FOR PUBLIC CITIZENS, TEXAS OFFICE. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YEAH, WE SURE CAN. YOU WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES. WE DO HAVE A TIMER RUNNING HERE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE IT, BUT YOU'LL HEAR THE BELL. OF COURSE. GO AHEAD, KAI, GO WELCOME. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, CHAIRWOMAN POOL AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY AND THANK YOU FOR HOLDING YOU HITTING FOCUSED ON ENERGY MATTERS. UM, I WANTED TO, UH, A COUPLE ISSUES, UH, TODAY, UH, FIRST, UH, AROUND THE CASE, UM, PUBLIC COULD HAVE SAID IS PARTICIPATING IN THE RATE PIGS AND WE ARE GRATEFUL THAT THERE IS A PROCESS WHO, UH, CERTAINLY EYES AND, UH, PARTICIPATE AND RETHINKING. I DO WANT TO JUST RAISE, UM, A COUPLE OF CONCERNS, WHICH I THINK THAT YOU, UH, HAVE ALSO RECEIVED IN WRITTEN FORM SNAP FROM SARAH TRADE WITH SIERRA CLUB. WE ARE JOINT WHEATON OR BABIES WITH SARAH CLUBS THAT WE SHARE THOSE CONCERNS. AND I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON, UM, FIRST THE TIMELINE TIMELINE HAS BEEN VERY CONDENSED AND, UH, HIS MADE IT A REAL CHALLENGE TO GET INFORMATION AND PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETINGS. SOME ADJUSTMENT HAS BEEN MADE THERE, BUT IT IS STILL A CHALLENGE. UM, NUMBER TWO, THERE IS AN ARTIFICIAL LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF QUESTIONS YOU PARTICIPATE IN TO ASK QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT ACTUALLY TRYING TO GET INFORMATION TO TRULY EVALUATE THE VALIDITY OF AUSTIN ENERGY'S PROPOSAL AND PERHAPS PUT FORWARD ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL. 50 QUESTIONS IS ACTUALLY NOT THAT MUCH AT ALL, AND WE ARE AT OUR LIMIT. AND SO WE NOW ARE FACED WITH NOT BEING ABLE TO ASK ANY MORE QUESTIONS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS. SO I DO ENCOURAGE COUNSEL TO, UM, TO ASK OFTEN THE OWNERS USED TO LOOPING UP SOME OF THOSE, UM, THOSE RICHER, UM, ALSO AROUND JUST THE SCOPE OF THE RATE CASE IN GENERAL, UM, IN THIS PROCEEDING, UNLIKE THE LAST ONE IN 2016, IT'S LIMITED TO JUST BASED RATES ON THE VALUE OF SOLAR TARIFF. AND SO THAT OFFERS, UH, NO OPPORTUNITY, AT LEAST IN THEORY, TO INCLUDE THE MANY PROGRAMS THAT ARE SO IMPORTANT TO CUSTOMERS IN TERMS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SUPPORT FOR KOHLER AND OTHER ENERGY SERVICES THAT IMPROVE RESILIENCE UH HOLDABILITY YOU KNOW, TO THE CITY COUNCIL ON ANY PARTICULAR, BECAUSE THERE IS VERY LITTLE PROCESS CURRENTLY. I'M SORRY. YEAH, CONTINUE. WE CAN, WE CAN MARRY HIM. YES. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE PRETTY CONCERNED ABOUT THE, UM, KIND OF, UH, I GUESS KIND OF MEDIUM AND LONGTERM HEALTH OF THOSE, UM, THOSE SEEDS THAT GOES TOWARDS THE PROGRAMS THAT I THINK ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO CUSTOMERS IN TERMS OF CONTROLLING THEIR BILLS. UM, SO SECOND TOPIC THAT I WANTED TO TOUCH ON IS, UH, THE PAY AT POWER PROJECT. UH, I REALIZED THAT THERE IS A LOT OF CHALLENGES AROUND WHAT TO DO WITH AI AND HOW TO, UH, MAINTAIN THE GOAL OF ACTUALLY SHUTTING DOWN HOXTON PORTION OF THAT. I REALIZED THERE'S NOT A SUPER BULLET SOLUTION, BUT MY REQUEST IS THAT [00:10:01] THIS COMMITTEE HAVE A STANDING ITEM FOR EACH MEETING THAT ADDRESSES AND UPDATES AND OFFERS OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AS WELL REGARDING THE FAT COAL PLANT. I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO BE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT BUDGETS, ABOUT EXPENDITURES, ASKING AUSTIN ENERGY TO BRING THOSE PROPOSED BUDGETS AND EXPENSES TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL, EVEN IF ALL THAT HAS TO HAPPEN IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION SO THAT YOU ALL CAN DO YOUR FULL JOB OF PROVIDING FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT TO THE UTILITY JUST AS YOU DO FOR, FOR ALL THE OTHER EXPENSES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND THAT'S NOT THE THING THAT AUSTIN ENERGY ISN'T TRYING TO GET OUT OF THE PLAN. IT'S JUST THAT IT IS COMPLICATED AND YOU ALL OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND WE'RE ASKING YOU TO REALLY STEP IN AND, UM, YOU KNOW, PUT IT, PUT IT ON THOSE AGENDAS EACH MONTH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THE NEXT SPEAKER FOR THREE MINUTES IS SESAME MONTGOMERY. IS SHE ON THE LINE? HEY THERE, CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? SURE. CAN GO AHEAD MS. MONTGOMERY, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. HI THERE. MY NAME IS MONTGOMERY AND I'M HERE WITH, UM, UH, SUNRISE, AUSTIN. WE'RE A LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. UM, I'M JUST HERE TO TALK REAL FAST ABOUT THE, UM, POWER PROJECT. UM, I KNOW THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, AN APP THAT CITY COUNCIL TAKES STEPS, YOU KNOW, TAKE ALL ACTIONS WITHIN THEIR POWER TO, UM, WORK, TO CLOSE THE PLANT. UM, I KNOW THAT THE AUSTIN ENERGY, UM, WAS SUPPOSED TO CEASE OPERATING THEIR PORTION OF THE PLANT LAST FALL. UM, BUT UNFORTUNATELY COULD NOT REACH AN AGREEMENT WITH THE LCRA. AND I AM CALLING TO ASK THAT THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, UM, USE THE, UM, USE THE POWER THAT THEY HAVE ON IN TERMS OF FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT OVER SAY IT, UM, TO, TO WORK TOWARDS CLOSING THE PLAN. UM, I KNOW THAT THE CITY COUNCIL'S APPROVAL, UM, NEEDS IS REQUIRED BEFORE AUSTIN ENERGY CAN SIGN OFF ON STATE BUDGET. AND I BELIEVE THAT COUNCIL SHOULD NOT APPROVE MOST EXPENSES FOR FAYETTE, UM, AS A MEANS OF HOLDING THE, UM, CITY TO THEIR COMMITMENT, TO SHUT DOWN THEIR PART OF THE PLANT. UM, AND, UM, THE REASONS I'M MAKING THIS REQUEST IS BECAUSE SAY IT IS ONE OF THESE ALREADY PLANTS IN, UH, ESPECIALLY COAL PLANTS IN THE UNITED STATES. UM, IT HAS A HIGH CARBON FOOTPRINT AND IS BEHIND A HUGE AMOUNT OF AUSTIN ENERGY'S EMISSIONS. UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT MY ORGANIZATION BELIEVES THAT CLOSING THIS PLANT WOULD BE A KEY STEP IN ORDER TO HELP AUSTIN ACHIEVE THEIR, UH, CLIMATE EQUITY PLANS. UM, THE, THIS PLANT HAS BEEN BEHIND A NUMBER OF EPA VIOLATIONS IN THE PAST, UM, AS WELL AS A WAVE OF DYING VEGETATION OUT IN HILL COUNTRY ON INCLUDING CROPS THAT PEOPLE SELL FOR MONEY SUCH AS THE COUNTRIES, UM, THAT WAS LINKED TO THE SULFUR DIOXIDE EMISSIONS FROM THE PLANT. UM, AND FURTHERMORE WATER UNDER THE POWER PLANT WAS FOUND TO CONTAIN UNSAFE LEVELS OF VARIOUS TOXINS, SUCH AS KOBE MAGNESIUM, NICKEL AND SULFATE. UM, SO YES IT IS. IT IS MY ASK THAT, UM, THAT COUNCIL USE THEIR POWER TO NOT APPROVE MOST EXPENSES FOR FAYETTE. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THAT SPEAKER IS JORDAN MIDDLEBROOKS IS MS. MIDDLEBROOKS ON THE LINE. HI, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME ALL RIGHT. I SURE CAN. MS. MIDDLEBROOKS, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME TODAY, COUNSEL. UH, MY NAME IS JORDAN. I ALSO AM WITH THE SUNRISE MOVEMENT OFTEN JUST LIKE SEXUALLY. UM, WE ARE HERE TO ASK FOR SPECIFIC ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN ON THE FAYETTE POWER PROJECTS LIKE SEXUALLY JUST MENTIONING THIS WHOLE PLANT IS 80% OF AUSTIN ENERGY'S EMISSIONS. AND IN ORDER TO MEET THE GOALS, THE AUSTIN ENERGY HAS COMMUNICATED TOWARDS THEIR 2035 CLIMATE GOALS, AS WELL AS TO ACHIEVE THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN THAT THE CITY AND OPPOSITE SUSTAINABILITY IS WORKING TOWARDS THIS PLANT MUST BE CLOSED, MAKE ANY OF THAT ACHIEVABLE. BUT BEYOND THAT, WE ARE ALSO HERE TO ASK FOR CITY TO WORK FORWARDS, ADJUST, TRANSITION FOR THE FAULT IN THE GRANGE. THAT IS A LONGER TERM GOAL AND STRATEGY. AND IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE PARTNERING WITH THE COMMUNITY [00:15:01] OF LAGRANGE WHERE HOSTED THEIR SOURCES OF JOBS AS INCOME ALSO COME FROM THE POWER PLANT. BUT THAT SAID MORE SPECIFICALLY WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR SPECIFIC ACTION ON AN IMMEDIATE TERM FROM YOU ALL IT'S REALLY HELPED US MAKE CLIMATE JUSTICE POSSIBLE IN AUSTIN. UM, THE SPECIFIC APP REGARDING SAY IT IS THAT THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO EXERCISE FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT OVER PAY IT AS IT DOES FOR OTHER CITY EXTENDED CHURCH. SO WE ARE ASKING THAT YOUR APPROVAL AS A CITY COUNCIL BE REQUIRED BEFORE AUSTIN ENERGY CAN SIGN OFF ON SAY IT BUDGETS AND ANY EXPENSES OVER THE LIMIT ESTABLISHED IN THE CITY CHARTER, WHICH IN THE CITY CHARTER ARTICLE SEVEN SECTION 15 SAYS THAT THE LIMIT IS $43,000 ANNUALLY, WHICH MOST EXPENSES FOR IT WOULD LIKELY EXCEED THIS AMOUNT. SO YOU SHOULD HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO TAKE ACTION AND OVERSEE THE BUDGET AND DECLINE ANY BUDGET REQUESTS THAT GO TOWARDS FURTHERING OPERATIONS OR MAINTAINING THE PLANT. MY ORGANIZATION THINKS THAT COUNCIL SHOULD NOT APPROVE THE EXPENSES FOR FANS GIVEN THAT THE CITY HAS COMMITTED TO SHUTTING DOWN THIS PLANT BY THE END OF THE YEAR. UM, THIS WAS CURRENTLY, THERE'S BEEN NO INFORMATION SHARED BY AUSTIN ENERGY. THERE'S BEEN NO INFORMATION SHARED BY THE CITY. AND WE'RE ALSO ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE RATE INCREASES, WHICH IS GOING TO DIRECTLY IMPACT PEOPLE'S ABILITY TO LIVE IN THE CITY AND ULTIMATELY DISPLACEMENT. SO IT IS URGENT THAT YOU ALL HAVE THE POWER TO TAKE CONTROL OVER THE BUDGET, OVERSEE THE BUDGET AND WORK WITH AUSTIN ENERGY TO HELP GET OUT OF THIS PLANT. AND ULTIMATELY TO ALSO HELP PROVIDE A, JUST TRANSITION FOR THE FOLKS IN THE GRANGE WHO WILL NEED A SOURCE OF INCOME. AND WE BELIEVE THAT THAT COULD COME FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY OR ANY GOOD GREEN JOBS THAT COULD BE CREATED IN THE AREA. SO THAT IS OUR SPECIFIC ASK OF YOU. UM, BUT ULTIMATELY WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU TO TAKE ACTION AND REALLY HELP US MAKE CLIMATE JUSTICE POSSIBLE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME AND I WILL WAIVE THE REST OF MY TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. MIDDLEBROOKS. THANKS FOR COMING. AND OUR LAST SPEAKER TODAY WITH THREE MINUTES IS HANNAH HUGHES. MS. HUGHES, ARE YOU ON THE LINE? HELLO? CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? WE SURE. CAN YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES? MS. HUGHES? WELCOME. AWESOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND HELLO COUNCIL, UH, I'M HANNAH QUEUES OF ORIGINAL FIELD COORDINATOR FOR AUSTIN WITH TEXAS RISING. UH, WE'RE A NON-PERSON NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT IS DEDICATED TO EMPOWERING YOUNG PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE, UH, SOMETHING, MYSELF AND MANY OF OUR TEXAS RISING STUDENTS LOVED LAST YEAR WAS THE PASSING OF THAT CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN THAT SO MANY FOLKS BEFORE ME HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT, AND THAT SIGNALS TO ME AND ALL THE STUDENTS IN OUR CHAPTERS AROUND AUSTIN, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL IS TRULY INVESTED IN THE FUTURE OF ALL AUTHORIZED RESIDENTS, ESPECIALLY US YOUNGSTERS. AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE COUNCIL SHOULD NOT APPROVE MOST OF THE EXPENSES FOR THE PHYSICAL PLANT. GIVE NOT Y'ALL BIG COMMIT TO SHUTTING PART OF IT DOWN LAST YEAR TO REACH THOSE CLIMATE EQUITY GOALS. UH, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT THAT PROCESS WILL WITH THE LCRA HAS BEEN LONG AND VERY TROUBLESOME, BUT AT LEAST WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO EXPECT THAT THE SAY IT EXPENSES ARE GIVEN THE SAME SCRUTINY AS OTHER EXPENSES BY THE CITY AS THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL, ALONG WITH BEING THE AUSTIN ENERGY UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE, Y'ALL HAVE NOT ONLY THE RESPONSIBILITY, BUT A VERY UNIQUE POWER TO EXERCISE FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT OVER AUSTIN INTERVIEW'S PORTION THAT THEY HAD CALLED. I HOPE TO SEE THE COUNCIL FURTHER COMMIT TO ADDRESSING THE TIES THAT OFF THE ENERGY HAS THE FAYETTE PLAN AND THUS RECOMMITTING TO A SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES NEEDED TO TRULY ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS LAID OUT FROM LAST YEAR'S CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. IT WAS HUGE. THANKS FOR COMING AND THANKS TO ALL OUR SPEAKERS TODAY. THAT IS ALL I BELIEVE THERE'S NO ONE ELSE TO SPEAK. ALL RIGHT. [1. Approve the minutes of the April 5, 2022 meeting of the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee] UM, THE NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS IS APPROVING THE MINUTES. COUNCIL MEMBER HARBOR MADISON. WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE THAT MOTION? THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND IS THERE A SECOND, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KELLY, UM, ANY COMMENTS ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. AND THAT LOOKS UNANIMOUS ACROSS THE BOARD. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. UH, GENERAL MANAGER [2. General Manager’s Report -Upcoming Recommendations for Council Action -Innovations, events, awards.] SERGEANT. I THINK YOU ARE NEXT TO GIVE US YOUR GENERAL MANAGERS REPORT. WELCOME. THANK YOU. AND GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, IN ADDITION TO MY REPORT TODAY AS THE GENERAL MANAGER, UM, OUR DIRECTOR OF BUDGET ACCOUNTING AND RISK, JOHN DAVIS IS GOING TO PROVIDE FOR YOU OUR FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE SECOND QUARTER, AND THEN DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER SYDNEY JACKSON WILL PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE SECOND QUARTER, UM, OPERATIONS BRIEFING. AND THEY WILL BE BRIEF IN THOSE OVERVIEW. SINCE THAT INFORMATION HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION ALREADY. AND THEN FINALLY OUR SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF REGULATORY COMPLIANCE AND COMMUNICATIONS, TAMMY COOPER WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE BASE RATE REVIEW PROCESS AND THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH THAT WE HAVE COMPLETED. [00:20:02] NEXT SLIDE, I'LL BE BEGIN TODAY WITH A BRIEFING ON FOUR UPCOMING ITEMS REQUESTS FOR COUNCIL ACTION. THE FIRST ITEM IS TO AUTHORIZE NEGOTIATION AND EXECUTION OF A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT, NOT TO EXCEED $6 MILLION FOR THE 2022 ROTATION LIST FOR INSPECTION AND ANALYSIS OF POWER GENERATION FACILITIES. THE TWO RECOMMENDED FIRMS AND OUR TECH AI AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING SERVICES WILL CONDUCT IN SPECIAL EXPECTIONS TESTING AND ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AT BOTH POWER PLANTS AND ALSO AT OUR DISTRICT COOLING FACILITIES. THE NEXT ITEM IS TO AUTHORIZE AN AMENDMENT AND INCREASE FUNDING BY $850,000 TO AN EXISTING CONTRACT WITH MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC POWER PRODUCTS FOR CONTINUED GAS, INSULATED SWITCHGEAR, AND RELATED SERVICES. THE REVISED TOTAL CONTRACT WOULD NOT EXCEED $7.65 MILLION. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT WILL PROVIDE AUSTIN ENERGY. ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUIRED DUE TO DELAYS OF THE RAINY STREET SUBSTATION PROJECT. THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC CAUSED A TEMPORARY HALTING CONSTRUCTION AND SUPPLY CHAIN. DISPARATE DISRUPTIONS HAVE AFFECTED THE TIMELINE. THE NEXT ITEM IS TO AUTHORIZE NEGOTIATION AND EXECUTION OF A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT FOR $3.8 MILLION WITH TECH LINE, INC, TO PROVIDE REMOTE STREETLIGHT MONITORING THE REMOTE OPERATIONS ASSET MANAGEMENT OR ROAM SYSTEM IMPROVES THE PERFORMANCE OF CITY STREETLIGHTS BY COMMUNICATING OUTAGES DIRECTLY TO AUSTIN ENERGY. THIS CONTRACT REPLENISHED STOCK FOR CONSTRUCTION, CRITICAL REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE. THE FINAL ITEM IS TO AUTHORIZE NEGOTIATION, NEGOTIATION, AND EXECUTION OF AN $18 MILLION FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT WITH ENGINEERING AND TEI CONSTRUCTION SERVICES FOR POWER PLANT AND DISTRICT COOLING, SPECIALIZED MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR SERVICES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. I'M PLEASED TO SHARE THAT AUSTIN ENERGY WAS AWARDED ENERGY STAR PARTNER OF THE YEAR FOR SUSTAINED EXCELLENCE IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM DELIVERY, AUSTIN ENERGY INCREASED PARTICIPATION IN HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR BY MORE THAN 10% OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR KEY 2021 ACCOMPLISHMENTS INCLUDE MORE THAN 1 MILLION IN REBATES FOR HOME PERFORMANCE, WITH ENERGY STAR CUSTOMERS AND INVESTING NEARLY 3 MILLION ON WEATHERIZATION PROJECTS FOR LOW TO MODERATE INCOME CUSTOMERS. I'M PROUD TO TELL YOU THAT HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR PROGRAM HAS NOW COMPLETED MORE THAN 25,000 PROJECTS TO DATE. AND I WANT TO CONGRATULATE OUR AUSTIN ENERGY TEAM FOR ALL OF THEIR HARD WORK AND FOCUS ON THIS NEXT. I'M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE PUBLICATION OF AUSTIN. ENERGY'S 2021 ANNUAL REPORT. IT INCLUDES OUR FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND SUMMARIZES OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN AREAS SUCH AS ENERGY RESOURCES, SYSTEM, RELIABILITY, CUSTOMER SERVICE, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT. COMPREHENSIVE REPORTING HELPS US TO MEET OUR GOAL OF BEING TRANSPARENT AND TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY FULLY INFORMED ALONG THOSE SAME LINES. I'M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE 2021 CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS PROGRESS REPORT IS PUBLISHED IN ONLINE AS WELL. IT'S AN ANALYSIS OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY, PROGRAMS, SAVINGS AND REBATES AVAILABLE TO OUR CUSTOMERS IN SUCH AREAS AS GREEN BUILDINGS, SOLAR VOLTAIC SYSTEMS, AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES. NEXT SLIDE. NOW I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE EIGHT AUSTIN ENERGY LINE WORKERS WHO TRAVELED TO KENYATTA ARIZONA LAST MONTH TO HELP BRING ELECTRICITY TO FAMILIES FOR THE FIRST TIME TRAVIS HELMETS, DANIEL MOWER, ROBERT BARTOSZ, DANIEL ALVAREZ, PAUL PETERSON, WILLIAM SATCHEL, RUBEN MENT MESA AND DANIEL BOUVIER. THESE AUSTIN ENERGY CREW MEMBERS WORKED ALONGSIDE THE NAVAJO TRIBAL UTILITY AUTHORITY TO LIGHT UP NAVAJO NATION HOMES. THEY ALSO HELPED CONSTRUCT AN EIGHT POLE LINE EXTENSION TO ADD NEEDED INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE AREA, THEIR WORK AS PART OF A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC POWER ASSOCIATION, THE NAVAJO TRIBAL UTILITY AUTHORITY AND UTILITIES FROM 10 OTHER STATES. AFTER OUR CREWS BROUGHT ONE HOME ONLINE, THE YOUNG SON WHO LIVED THERE EXCLAIMED TO HIS MOM, THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS GOING TO BE TO TAKE A HOT SHOWER. AND THE SECOND PLAY VIDEO GAMES, ONE OF OUR LINE WORKERS, TRAVIS HELMICH SAID THIS ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE. WHAT I DIDN'T EXPECT WAS THE OVERALL SENSE OF GRATIFICATION THAT CAME FROM BRINGING ELECTRICITY TO PEOPLE WHO HAD NEVER HAD POWER BEFORE HAD NEVER BEEN ABLE TO TURN ON A LIGHT TURN ON A STOVE OR TAKE A HOT SHOWER. IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE. AND ONE I'LL ALWAYS REMEMBER NEXT SLIDE WITH THAT. I'LL PAUSE AND ANSWER ANY [00:25:01] QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR OUR GENERAL MANAGER? I WANTED TO JUST MENTION THE LIGHT UP NAVAJO REALLY TOUCHED MY HEART. AND, UM, I WILL NOTE THAT IT IS, UH, 21ST CENTURY AND IT'S 2022. UM, IN TEXAS, IT WAS THE RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AUTHORITY. AND, UM, I THINK IT WAS, UM, LYNDON JOHNSON'S EFFORTS IN THE THIRTIES, I THINK TO BRING, UM, LIGHT AND ELECTRICITY TO THOSE COMMUNITIES WHO ALSO DIDN'T HAVE IT, BUT THAT WAS ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. I'M GRATEFUL TO KNOW THAT ARIZONA IS MOVING FORWARD WITH ELECTRIFICATION FOR THE NAVAJO PEOPLE. AND I AM VERY GRATEFUL WITH THE, UM, THE WORK THAT AUSTIN ENERGY PARTICIPATED IN THAT IS, IT IS A SUPER IMPORTANT WORK. THANK YOU ALL. AND THANK YOU TO THE STAFF FOR THAT. ANYTHING ELSE FOR THE GENERAL MANAGER? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER TOGA. YEAH. I ALSO JUST WANTED TO EXTEND MY THANKS AND ASK THAT YOU DO SO WITH YOUR EMPLOYEES. AND I WONDERED, UM, AND I APPRECIATE, REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE STAFF MEMBER WHO WROTE ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE. I WONDERED IF IT MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE COLLEAGUES TO PROVIDE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISTINCTIVE SERVICE AWARDS. THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT I THINK WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE IN THAT FORMAT. I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA. WE SHALL DO THAT. THANK YOU. YEP. ANYTHING ELSE WE'LL MOVE ON NOW TO THE NEXT ITEM. UH, [3. Second Quarter Financial Briefing.] JOHN DAVIS IS OUR DIRECTOR OF FINANCE FOR AUSTIN ENERGY. MR. DAVIS, YOU ARE UP THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M JOHN DAVIS, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE FROST ENERGY, AND I'M HERE TO PRESENT THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR THE PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31ST, 2022. UM, THIS REPORT CONTAINS FORECASTED AS WELL AS UNAUDITED INFORMATION AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OUR AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR FISCAL YEAR 21 WERE PUBLISHED IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR AND CAN BE FOUND AT THE LINK NOTED. NEXT, IN ADDITION TO THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BEING DISCUSSED TODAY, THE RESIST REST OF THE PRESENTATION YOU HAVE IN YOUR MATERIALS CONTAINS FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT AUSTIN ENERGY'S FINANCIAL RESULTS YEAR TO DATE FOR THE PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31ST. THIS REPORT CONCLUDES WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS SECTION. AND FOR THIS QUARTER, WE CHOSE TO INCLUDE AN OVERVIEW OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN ENERGY'S OPERATIONS AND HIS CREDIT RATING AGENCIES, WHICH YOU CAN READ WHEN YOU HAVE A CHANCE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NEXT SLIDE. AT THE END OF THE SECOND QUARTER OF FISCAL YEAR 22, WE'RE GENERALLY COMPLIANT WITH ALL FINANCIAL POLICIES. ALTHOUGH OUR CONTINGENCY AND CAPITAL RESERVE BALANCES ARE STILL SITTING BELOW THE MINIMUMS. ONCE WE CONSIDER THE ADDITIONAL WORKING CAPITAL AVAILABLE IN THE FORM OF CASH, WE EXCEED THE MINIMUM REQUIRED RESERVES, A 480 MILLION. OUR OPERATING REVENUE THROUGH THE SECOND QUARTER WAS 707 MILLION OR 6% MORE THAN BUDGET. WHILE OUR OPERATING EXPENSES WITH TRANSFERS WERE 786 MILLION OR 7% MORE THAN BUDGET. THIS INCREASE IN REVENUES AND EXPENSES WAS MOSTLY DUE TO WEATHER DRIVEN INCREASES IN USAGE FOR THE SIX MONTH PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31ST INCLUDED IN THE 786 MILLION OF OPERATING EXPENSES ARE TRANSFERS TO SUPPORT OUR OPERATIONS AND TRANSFERS TO COVER DEBT SERVICE AS WELL AS THE FUND, THE CASH PORTION OF OUR CONSTRUCTION EXPENDITURES, ALL OF WHICH NETS TO AN ACTUAL DEFICIENCY OF 79 MILLION VERSUS A BUDGETED DEFICIENCY OF 69 MILLION. AT THE END OF MARCH, OUR CASH BALANCE WAS 234 MILLION, WHICH WAS A DECREASE OF 226 MILLION FROM A YEAR AGO, PRIMARILY DUE TO CIP FUNDING NEEDS DECREASED MARGINS AND THE POWER SUPPLY RATE REDUCTION ATTRIBUTABLE TO WINTER STORM URI AUSTIN ENERGY CONTINUES TO MEET THE TARGETED STANDARD AND POOR'S BOND RATING OF AA. HOWEVER, AS WE DISCUSSED IT LAST QUARTER, WE DO CONTINUE TO SEE DECLINES IN KEY METRICS, WHICH IS WHY THE UTILITY PROPOSED THE RATE CHANGE THAT IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSIDERATION. THIS WILL GIVE THE UTILITY THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THAT TEAM, THAT AA RATING, IF THE RATE CASE IS APPROVED, THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION. THANKS MR. DAVIS, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL? VERY GOOD. CINDY JACKSON IS NEXT TO, UH, THE, UH, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER TO GIVE US [4. Second Quarter Operations Briefing] THE SECOND QUARTER OPERATIONS BRIEFING. MR. JACKSON, ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. AGAIN, I AM SIDNEY JACKSON, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER AND CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER AT AUSTIN ENERGY. AND I WILL PRESENT THE Q2 PHYSICAL OPERATIONS REPORT. THE Q2 TIMEFRAME REPRESENTS OPERATIONS PERFORMANCE FOR THE MONTHS OF JANUARY, FEBRUARY, AND MARCH FROM A UTILITY OPERATIONS PERSPECTIVE. THESE MONTHS ARE VITAL AS WE TYPICALLY [00:30:01] EXPERIENCED WINTER PEAK LOADS DURING THIS TIMEFRAME, CAN WE MOVE TO SLIDE NUMBER THREE, PLEASE, IN AN EFFORT TO AID OUR EXPEDIENCY, I HAVE ADDED THIS ONE PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, WHICH CONVEYS THE KEY PERFORMANCE ATTRIBUTES ACROSS THE MAJOR OPERATIONAL AREAS. AND I WILL FOCUS ON THIS SINGULAR SUMMARY VERSUS GOING THROUGH THE SUBMITTED REPORT PAGE BY PAGE. UH, JUST LOOKING AT THE UPPER LEFT-HAND. UH, THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER GENERATION AVAILABILITY IS ON TARGET FOR THE QUARTER AT NEARLY A HUNDRED PERCENT FOR KEY GENERATION FACILITIES EXCEPT WHERE WE HAD PLANNED GENERATION OUTAGES, LOOKING AT THE LOWER LEFT KEY RELIABILITY MINCH BENCHMARKS WERE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED FOR THE QUARTER, UH, JUST DUE TO WINTER STORMS TO INCLUDE THE RECENT FEBRUARY WINTER STORM LANDON, AS YOU CAN RECALL, SLEET FREEZING RAIN, PRECIPITATION, ICE, AND ASSOCIATED TEMPERATURES IN THAT FEBRUARY WINTER STORM, BUT OVERALL, AND ON A YEARLY BASIS, RELIABILITY BENCHMARKS REMAIN STATISTICALLY CONSISTENT WITH TOP INDUSTRY CORE TILE BENCHMARKS, LOOKING AT THE TOP, RIGHT RENEWABLE PERFORMANCE AND RENEWABLE OUTPUT FOR THE QUARTER IS ON TARGET AT 59% FOR THE COLLECTIVE QUARTER OR 1.8, 7 MILLION MEGAWATT HOURS. AND THIS REPRESENTS THE SINGLE LARGEST GENERATION SEGMENT OF OUR PORTFOLIO AND AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT CARBON-FREE PRODUCTION FOR THE QUARTER REMAINS ON TARGET WITH THE MONTH OF MARCH APPROACHING A HUNDRED PERCENT AS A PERCENTAGE OF LOAD, MEANING A HUNDRED PERCENT CARBON-FREE PRODUCTION DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH AS A PERCENTAGE OF LOAD OR 88% CARBON-FREE PRODUCTION AS A PERCENTAGE OF LOAD FOR THE COLLECTIVE QUARTER. IN SUMMARY, THE AUSTIN ENERGY OPERATIONAL INDEXES ARE ON TRACK ON TRACK. AND WITH THAT HIGH-LEVEL SUMMARY, THAT CONCLUDES THE AUSTIN ENERGY Q2 OPERATIONS UPDATE. THANKS MR. JACKSON, ANY QUESTIONS? YES. MAYOR PRO TEM. UM, AT ONE POINT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A 62% TARGET FOR RENEWABLE WHAT NOW WE'RE SAYING WE'RE AT 59%. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT CARBON-FREE GOALS, 2035, THE A HUNDRED PERCENT GOAL, UH, 20, 30, 90 3% GOAL, 2025, UH, WITH BE 86% GOAL. THOSE ARE THE THREE GOALS THAT WE HAVE IN OUR, UH, GENERATION RESOURCE PLAY. UH, IF YOU LOOK AT PRODUCTION IN 2021, UH, THE STATISTICS WERE REPORTING FOR CARBON FREE PERFORMANCE DURING THE YEAR OF 2021, I BELIEVE IS 73%. I GUESS I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE RENEWABLE PRODUCTION BECAUSE IT SAYS 59%. THANK YOU. SO THIS IS ERIC . THERE WE GO. ERIC VICE PRESIDENT ENERGY MARKET OPERATIONS AND RESOURCE PLANNING. COULD YOU REPEAT YOUR QUESTION? UM, SO I HAD IN MY HEAD THAT WE WERE, WE WERE DOING 62% RENEWABLE, AND THIS IS SAYING 59%. AND I BELIEVE AT SOME POINT THAT WAS EITHER A INTERIM TARGET OR WHEN WE WERE DOING OUR POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENTS, THAT WAS THE NUMBER THAT WAS PROVIDED. AND I WAS JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT DEVIATION AND IT COULD HAVE BEEN FOR LAST YEAR. THAT WAS JUST NUMBER I HAD IN YOUR HEAD. YEAH, NO, AND THAT'S A, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION OR AT LEAST, UH, A POINT THAT YOU'RE, UH, MAKING. SO THE RENEWABLE GENERATION IS GONNA FLUCTUATE FROM YEAR TO YEAR. I THINK THAT'S EXPECTED. RIGHT. UM, IT DEPENDS, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH RENEWABLE GENERATION, HOW MUCH WIND IS BLOWING, UH, SUN IS SHINING. UM, WE ALSO HAVE, UM, A MARKET DESIGN THAT, UM, ALLOWS THESE, UM, RENEWABLE ASSETS, THESE INTERMITTENT ASSETS TO, UH, TO, TO GENERATE AS MUCH AS THEY CAN UNTIL THERE'S CONSTRAINTS ON THE GRID. SO LET ME JUST GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. UM, FOUR YEARS AGO, THREE, FOUR YEARS AGO, UM, WE USED TO HAVE, UM, TWO OR THREE, UM, GTCS, THESE ARE GENERATION TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS DUE TO INTERMITTENT RESOURCES. UM, AND NOW, UH, ERCOT HAS ON THE ORDER OF 12 OR 14 OF THOSE, UM, AS MORE ASSETS ARE ADDED TO THE GRID, UH, IT'S MORE OF A CHALLENGE FOR US TO MANAGE THOSE ASSETS. SO THERE ARE TIMES THAT, UM, OUR ASSETS ARE CONSTRAINED. UM, SO, UH, THE POINT OF THAT IS, IS THAT THE, THIS PERCENTAGE THAT YOU SEE WILL FLUCTUATE FROM YEAR TO YEAR, AND WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO BE ABLE TO IMPROVE THAT PERCENTAGE. UH, SO, UH, WE HAVE, UH, THOSE PERCENTAGES, THOSE GOALS AND TARGETS THAT ARE IN OUR RESOURCE PLAN. UM, WE ALSO HAVE A RENEWABLE PERCENTAGE OF 55%, UH, BY, UH, 2025 AND 65% BY 2027. UM, AND WE FEEL VERY CONFIDENT THAT WE'LL BE MEETING ALL OF THOSE GOALS. [00:35:01] THANK YOU. THANKS. ANYTHING ELSE? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER VELA. SO THE, THE, THE CONSTRAINTS ON THE INTERMITTENT GENERATION ARE THOSE STILL THE TRANSMISSION BOTTLENECKS FROM THE PANHANDLE IN WEST TEXAS TO, UH, THERE'S UH, SEVERAL OF THEM THROUGHOUT THE STATE. UM, RIGHT NOW THERE ARE TRANSMISSION UPGRADES THAT ARE OCCURRING IN THE VALLEY. SO A LOT OF THOSE ASSETS DOWN THERE, UH, ARE, UM, ARE EXHIBITING, UM, SOME, UH, UH, MITIGATION FLAGS. UM, AND SO THAT TRANSMISSION UPGRADE IS HAPPENING OVER THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS. AND IT'LL FREE UP A LOT OF THAT, UH, CAPACITY TO COME THROUGH TO LOAD CENTERS IT'S SO THAT THE COASTAL WIND FARMS, ESSENTIALLY THAT ARE GOING UP AT THE CAPACITY, THE GENERATION FROM THERE IS NOT BEING ABLE TO GET TO, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON, SAN ANTONIO. THERE ARE, SOME OF THEM ARE ON THE COAST, UM, AND A LOT OF THEM ARE SOUTH WEST. OKAY, THANK YOU. YES. GREAT. THANKS TO BOTH OF YOU, TAMMY COOPER [5. Base Rate Review Process and Community Outreach Update] IS UP FOR ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS OUR BASE RATE REVIEW PROCESS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH UPDATE. AND I THINK WE HAVE A HANDOUT FROM THIS COOPER. IT'S THIS HERE. YES. I WILL BE SPEAKING TO THAT GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M HERE TODAY TO PROVIDE YOU AN UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE IN THE BASE RATE REVIEW PROCESS AND SHARE SOME DETAILS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY OUTREACH THAT WE HAVE ENGAGED IN OVER THE LAST A MONTH OR SO NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO THIS SLIDE PROVIDES A MORE DETAILED TIMELINE OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE BASE RATE REVIEW PROCESS. FOLLOWING OUR LAST BRIEFING TO YOU IN APRIL, WE SUBMITTED THE BASE RATE FILING PACKAGE ON APRIL 18TH. WE ENGAGED IN COMMUNITY OUTREACH FOR THE NEXT MONTH, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF ACTIVITIES TAKING PLACE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, AS WE CONTINUE THE PROCESS, IT IS A BUSY TIME FOR AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE PARTICIPANTS. AND ALSO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE FORMAL PARTICIPANTS ARE ENGAGING IN DISCOVERY AND WILL BE FILING POSITION STATEMENTS IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. AND AN EXTENSION TO THE PROCEDURAL SCHEDULE WAS REQUESTED BY SEVERAL PARTICIPANTS AND A REVISED SCHEDULE WAS FILED ON JUNE 3RD. AND THAT IS THE HANDOUT THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU, AND I'M GOING TO SPEAK BRIEFLY TO THOSE UPDATES. THOSE UPDATES WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS SLIDE BECAUSE THIS SLIDE HAD TO BE POSTED, UH, PER THE OPEN MEETINGS REQUIREMENTS, UH, PRIOR TO, UH, THE CHANGES IN THE SCHEDULE THAT WERE JUST, UH, FILED ON THAT LAST FRIDAY. AND SO, UM, THE, THE KEY MESSAGES THAT THE INTEGRITY OF THE SCHEDULE AND THE KEY DATES BEGINNING WITH THE FINAL CONFERENCE, WHICH IS, UH, THE, THE HEARING ON THE MERITS HAVE NOT CHANGED. UH, MANY OF THE DATES CAN NOT BE MOVED, UH, DUE TO PREEXISTING CONFLICTS AND COMMITMENTS. AND THE SCHEDULE OF THE IMPARTIAL HEARING EXAMINER, UM, WAS, WAS SOMETHING THAT NEEDED TO BE CONSIDERED AS WELL. AND SO, UH, THIS, UH, SCHEDULE WAS, UH, DISCUSSED WITH THE PARTICIPANTS AND YOU WILL SEE THE KEY UPCOMING DATES, UH, INCLUDE THAT JUNE 22ND IS NOW THE DATE FOR PARTICIPANT POSITION STATEMENTS. UH, THEN, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONDUCT DISCOVERY ON THOSE POSITION STATEMENTS FROM JUNE 22ND TO JULY 1ST, AUSTIN ENERGY. THEN ON JULY 7TH, UH, WE'LL UH, FILE REBUTTAL. AND, UH, ON JULY 11TH, WE WILL, UH, HAVE A SETTLEMENT DISCUSSION CONFERENCE AND THEN JULY 13TH THROUGH THE 15TH, AGAIN, WE WILL HAVE THAT FINAL CONFERENCE OR THE HEARING ON THE MERITS PARTICIPANTS WILL FALL CLOSING BRIEFS JULY 22ND ON AUGUST 1ST, AUSTIN ENERGY WILL FILE ITS CLOSING BRIEF. AND BY AUGUST 31ST, THE IMPARTIAL HEARING EXAMINER WILL SUBMIT HIS RECOMMENDATION. AND THEN FINALLY THE AUC WILL CONSIDER THE HEARING EXAMINERS RECOMMENDATION IN OCTOBER AND IN EARLY NOVEMBER, COUNSEL WILL SET A PUBLIC HEARING FOR NOVEMBER 17TH. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. AND AS I MENTIONED, THERE ARE SEVERAL PARTICIPANTS IN THE RATE REVIEW. HERE'S A LIST OF THE FORMAL PARTICIPANTS IN THE PROCESS. NEXT SLIDE. AND I WANT TO SPEAK JUST BRIEFLY TO COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, UH, TO PROMOTE COMMUNITY AWARENESS, WE ENGAGED IN A SERIES OF COMMUNITY MEETINGS, AND WE SPECIFICALLY USED A VARIETY OF MEDIUMS TO COMMUNICATE TO CUSTOMERS ABOUT THESE UPCOMING MEETINGS. WE USE THE AUSTIN ENERGY WEBSITE, CUSTOMER EMAILS, SOCIAL MEDIA, LOCAL PRESS, AND OTHER MEANS TO ALERT THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE BASE RATE REVIEW AND THE OPPORTUNITIES TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK. WE ALSO POSTED FLYERS POSTERS AND PAPER FEEDBACK FORMS IN THE PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND IN OUR UTILITY CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTERS. WE ALSO RELIED ON BILL INSERTS AND ON-BILL MESSAGING. WE ISSUED NEWS RELEASES AND PROVIDED NEWS INTERVIEWS IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. NEXT [00:40:01] SLIDE, PLEASE. HERE'S A SAMPLE OF A RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER EMAIL. I REALIZED THIS IS A BIT DIFFICULT TO READ, BUT IT SHOWS THAT THE CUSTOMER OUTREACH, BOTH EDUCATED CUSTOMERS ABOUT THE BASE RATE REVIEW AND INFORM THEM ON HOW THEY COULD PARTICIPATE IN THE VIRTUAL COMMUNITY AND IN PERSON, COMMUNITY OUTREACH MEETINGS. NEXT SLIDE. AND HERE'S A SAMPLE OF THE ON-BILL MESSAGING AND THE UTILITIES NOW, BILL INSERT THAT WAS PROVIDED TO CUSTOMERS. THIS SLIDE ALSO SHOWS THE CITY CLERK'S WEBSITE WHERE THERE'S DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE BASE RATE REVIEW AND WHERE THE PUBLIC CAN ACCESS ALL FILINGS MADE BY AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE FORMAL PARTICIPANTS. NEXT SLIDE, WE ALSO ESTABLISHED A SPEAK UP AUSTIN PAGE, WHICH PROVIDED MULTIPLE LANGUAGE TRANSLATIONS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, INCLUDING ENGLISH, SPANISH, SIMPLIFIED CHINESE, ARABIC, VIETNAMESE, AND KOREAN. WE ALSO HAD INTERPRETERS AVAILABLE AT EACH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON COMMUNITY MEETING. NEXT SLIDE, WE HELD FIVE VIRTUAL AND THREE IN-PERSON COMMUNITY MEETINGS, 45% OF THE PEOPLE THAT REGISTERED, ATTENDED THOSE MEETINGS. WE VARIED THE TIMES AND LOCATIONS TO PROVIDE MULTIPLE OPTIONS FOR CUSTOMERS TO ATTEND. NEXT SLIDE. WE ARE ALSO STILL ACCEPTING CUSTOMER FEEDBACK THROUGH SPEAKUP AUSTIN. AS OF THE DATE OF THIS SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED FEEDBACK FROM 306 COMMENTERS. THIS FEEDBACK WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE IMPARTIAL HEARING EXAMINER AND THE INDEPENDENT CONSUMER ADVOCATE, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS BY FILING IT WITH THE CITY CLERK. NEXT SLIDE. IN ADDITION, COMMUNITY MEETINGS, WE CONDUCTED ADDITIONAL OUTREACH TO MANY DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, INCLUDING OFFICIALS IN SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. WE SERVE. WE ALSO ENGAGED IN OUTREACH TO OUR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, COMMUNITY PARTNERS, THE EQUITY OFFICE, AND ATTENDED OTHER COMMUNITY EVENTS. NEXT SLIDE, AND FOR CUSTOMERS AND ORGANIZATIONS WHO MAY NOT HAVE TIME FOR A FORMAL MEETING, THERE'S A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE, INCLUDING ON-DEMAND VIDEOS, EXPLAINING THE PROCESS AND THE PROPOSAL. NEXT SLIDE HERE, YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS WHERE CUSTOMERS CAN SUBMIT QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BASE RATE REVIEW, AND WE APPRECIATE ALL OF THE OUTREACH EFFORTS THAT YOUR OFFICES HAVE PROVIDED. UH, IF YOU NEED ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE LET US KNOW AND WE'LL BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT TO YOU. NEXT SLIDE. OH, THAT'S IT. AND I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS. THANKS MS. COOPER, REAL QUICK QUESTION. YOU MENTIONED, UM, A HEARING IN FRONT OF THE EEC IS THAT PART OF THE PUBLIC HEARINGS AT CITY HALL, IS THAT THE OCTOBER 27 TO NOVEMBER THREE TIMEFRAME? I JUST DON'T SEE EUC SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED IT MAY NOT BE ON THAT, UH, HANDOUT THAT WE PROVIDED, BUT YES, I BELIEVE IT'S SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 17TH IS THE EUC MEETING WHERE THEY WILL HAVE, UH, THE ABILITY TO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENT AND THEN ALSO HAVE THEIR, UH, DELIBERATION AND DISCUSSION AS THEY DEVELOP THEIR RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL. AND WILL YOU BE PRESENTING, UM, IS THAT A SPECIAL CALLED OR IS THAT A REGULAR SCHEDULED MEETING? OKAY. THANKS QUESTIONS FOR MS. COOPER. YES. MR. ENTRY, A COUNCIL MEMBER ENTER. YEAH, THANK YOU. AND MY QUESTION IS, UH, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU'RE GOING FOR A RATE INCREASE. AND, UH, I'M JUST WONDERING IF ALL THESE REBATES THAT ARE WE GIVEN TO THESE COMMERCIAL COMPANIES, YOU KNOW, FOR THEM FOR, TO INSTALL SOLAR, WOULD THEY HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THE REBATE? YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL HAVE TO CHECK ON WITH OUR, WITH OUR CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS TEAM. AND I WILL NOTE THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, ENERGY EFFICIENCY IS IT'S COVERED THROUGH A SEPARATE PROGRAM AND NOT NECESSARILY IN THE, IN THE BASE RATE REVIEW PROCESS, IT, IT IS A COST, BUT THEN, UM, I KNOW THAT IT IS ALSO BALANCED AGAINST ENERGY SAVINGS, UM, AS WELL, AND, AND KEEPS OUR DEMAND TO THE SYSTEM LOW AND CAN REDUCE SOME OF THE ERCOT FEES THAT WE PAY. YEAH. W THEN, AND THAT'S ANOTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WITH THAT INCENTIVE, WITHOUT THAT INCENTIVE, WOULD THEY HAVE DONE THAT ANYWAY? YOU KNOW, BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE SAVING MONEY ANYWAY, YOU'RE NOT PAYING A HUGE AMOUNT BECAUSE ALL THE BUILDINGS THAT ARE BEING BUILT NOW, I NEED YOUR ATTENTION AND I CAN JUST WALK ACROSS THE STREET. WE GOT A BIG, UH, HOTEL, APARTMENT COMPLEX, AND EVEN THE MAYOR SAID LAST YEAR, OR A COUPLE OF BINS SAY AT A COUPLE OF YEARS THAT HE PAYS A LOT LESS YOUR ENERGY BECAUSE OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IT HAS. SO IT'S REALLY A COST SAVING. AND I BELIEVE THESE BIG CORPORATION NOW KNOW THAT IF THE COST SAVING, BUT WE'RE STILL GIVING THEM REBATES. AND I HAVE A LOT OF PROBLEMS GIVING THESE BIG CORPORATIONS REBATE TO COMPANIES AND WHERE WE'RE HAVING TO PAY MORE FOR OUR BASE COSTS. GREAT. THANK YOU. YES, COUNCIL MEMBER POINTLESS. [00:45:01] THANK YOU. JUST WANT TO ASK ABOUT SOME OF THE, UH, COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION. I'M NOT SURE I CAUGHT THAT, BUT HOW, HOW DID THOSE MEETINGS GO? I KNOW YOU HELD THEM IN PERSON AT SOME OF OUR, WE HELD IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL, AND WE HAVE FOUND THAT I THINK, YOU KNOW, BASED ON PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCE DURING THE PANDEMIC, UH, THEY REALLY PREFER THE VIRTUAL OPTION. UH, THEY REALLY LIKE HAVING THE CONVENIENCE TO JUST BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE FROM EITHER THEIR HOME OR OFFICE. AND SO WE, WE SAW A MUCH GREATER PARTICIPATION ONLINE THAN WE DID IN PERSON. OKAY. AND HAS THERE BEEN ANY, UM, LIMITATIONS SET ON THE AMOUNT OF QUESTIONS THAT CAN BE ASKED? I THOUGHT I SAW SOMETHING COME ACROSS THAT THERE WAS AN AMENDMENT THAT LIMITED IT, THAT LIMITED THE QUESTIONS TO THE FIRST 55. SO YES, THERE IN THE, IN THE PROCEDURAL GUIDELINES THAT, THAT KIND OF GOVERN HOW THE PROCESS WILL BE CONDUCTED. THERE WAS A LIMIT OF 50 QUESTIONS INITIALLY, UH, BASED ON AN AMENDMENT WE JUST FILED, WE, UH, ADDED ADDITIONAL FIVE FOR THOSE QUESTIONS FOR A TOTAL OF 55. AND WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT WE DID HAVE THAT LIMITATION, BUT YET SOMETHING NEW THAT WE DID THIS YEAR WAS THAT WE HELD TWO TECHNICAL CONFERENCES WHERE WE PUT OUR EXPERTS UP IN A PANEL FORMAT FOR, UH, ALL OF THE PARTICIPANTS TO COME IN AND ASK QUESTIONS, ANY QUESTIONS THEY HAD, AND THAT WAS NOT COUNTED AGAINST THE LIMIT. SO PARTICIPANTS ACTUALLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ASK A LOT OF ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND MANY PARTIES DID COME PREPARED TO DO THAT. AND THESE TECHNICAL SESSIONS HAVE ALREADY BEEN HELD. THEY HAVE WE HELD THEM IN MAY. YES. WE HELD TWO OF THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING QUESTION AND A POINT, AND I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP WITH ASKING IF IT'S THE TECHNICAL PIECE, IS THAT PHASE OVER OR COULD A SIMILAR KIND OF SESSION ALSO BE SCHEDULED CURRENTLY THAT, UH, WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE OF THOSE SCHEDULED AT THIS POINT? UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK OUR, OUR GOAL WAS TO TRY TO DO IT, UM, EARLIER IN THE PROCESS SO THAT THE PARTIES WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, EARLIER, RATHER THAN LATER. AND, AND YOU SAID YOU HAD GOOD, UM, GOOD SIGN-UPS GOOD PARTICIPATION BY THE VARIOUS GROUPS KNOW. YEAH. CAUSE THERE, THERE WERE SEVERAL, I WOULD SAY MOST OF THE PARTIES DID ATTEND, BUT THERE WERE SEVERAL PARTIES WHO DID COME WELL-PREPARED AND, AND ASK, UH, QUITE A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS WAS AN OPPORTUNITY THAT HAD NO LIMITS ON THE AMOUNT OF DIALOGUE AND QUESTIONING. YES, WE DID COMMUNICATE THAT. THE PARTIES. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. ANYBODY ELSE? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER TACOMA. YEAH. I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT WE HAVE SOME TIME AS A COUNCIL TO GO OVER SOME ELEMENTS OF THE RATE REVIEW OF THE RATE PROPOSAL. UM, SOME OF THE, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'D REALLY LIKE TO TALK ABOUT AS A GROUP, BECAUSE I THINK THEY'RE IMPORTANT POLICY CONSIDERATIONS IS THE INCREASE TO THE BASE RATE THAT'S BEING PROPOSED ALSO THE COLLAPSING OF THE TIERS. I THINK THAT'S, THOSE ARE TWO ELEMENTS THAT GIVE ME PAUSE. I THINK THEY, THEY TEND TO SHIFT A LOT MORE OF THE BURDEN TO OUR LOWER USE CUSTOMERS. I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT REALLY ALIGNS WITH OUR GOALS OF ENCOURAGING, ENCOURAGING CONSERVATION. UM, AND THEN I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN TALKING IN PARTICULAR ABOUT, ABOUT, UH, SOME OF WHAT'S CONTEMPLATED FOR OUR HIGHEST USE CUSTOMERS, WHICH I THINK IS, IS GOING TO RESULT IN A DECREASE FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR BILLS. SO, UM, WHAT I, WHAT I DON'T WANT TO DO IS WAIT UNTIL THE VERY END TO START HAVING SOME OF THESE CONVERSATIONS. AS I MENTIONED LAST TIME. I THINK THESE ARE, THESE ARE IMPORTANT POLICY CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE CITY COUNCIL. AND I, IT DOES, IT DOES REQUIRE SOME TIME AS A GROUP GOING THROUGH JUST THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF HOW, UM, WHAT THE TEST, YOUR MEANS AND WHAT'S BEEN EXCLUDED AND, AND WHY, YOU KNOW, HAVING A, A REALLY FULLER CONVERSATION ABOUT, ESPECIALLY THOSE ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL, WHICH I THINK ARE, ARE THE ONES THAT AT THIS POINT ARE THE ONES THAT CONCERN ME AND THAT I'M HEARING CONCERNS ABOUT AMONG OUR CONSUMER ADVOCATES, SOME OF WHOM MAY OR MAY NOT BE INVOLVED AS FORMAL PARTICIPANTS. I'M NOT SURE I DON'T NECESSARILY RECOGNIZE SOME OF THOSE ON THERE. I THINK WE COULD PROBABLY HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH THE GENERAL MANAGER, UM, AND THE VICE CHAIR. AND WE JUST SEE IF THERE'S SPACE IN THE SCHEDULE AND HOW THAT MIGHT PLAY OUT TO SEE WHAT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE. YEAH. I WOULD REQUEST THAT IT BE EITHER AT A COUNCIL WORK SESSION WHEN WE'RE BACK FROM OUR BREAK OR AT AUSTIN ENERGY MEETING AUGUST. SO AUGUST 28TH, I THINK, YEAH. AUGUST 28TH IS, WOULD BE A LITTLE LATER THAN I MIGHT SUGGEST HAVING THAT PULLED INTO ONE OF OUR WORK SESSION DAYS. RIGHT. IT'S GOING TO TAKE A COUPLE OF CONVERSATIONS ABOUT IT. I THINK WE CAN, I WOULD SAY, I THINK WE CAN WORK OUT A DATE. OKAY. BUT IN MY REQUEST IS THAT IT BE EARLIER IN THE MONTH IN AUGUST WHEN I WAS ACTUALLY THINKING JULY, BUT I WANT TO TALK WITH THE STAFF WHO WOULD BE INVOLVED, WHO WOULD BE MAKING THOSE PRESENTATIONS TO FIND OUT WHAT THEIR AVAILABILITY IS, BUT [00:50:01] I UNDERSTAND THE NEED TO DO IT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER, THAT'S, THAT'S VERY APPARENT. AND I THINK WE WILL ALL WORK TOWARD THAT END VERY INDIVIDUAL. I THINK, UH, THE PDV INTO THAT DEPENDS ON WHAT THIS IS. IS THIS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO TALK ABOUT ISSUES THAT ARE ARISING IN THE, IN THE, THE NEGOTIATIONS OR THE PROCESS? UM, IT COULD BE BOTH, BUT I THINK WE, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE A PUBLIC CONVERSATION ABOUT THE STAFF'S PROPOSAL, ESPECIALLY ON THOSE TWO FRONTS, THE COLLAPSING OF THE TEARS FROM FIVE TO THREE. AND THEN, AND THEN THE INCREASE IN THE BASE RATE. I THINK THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE IN PUBLIC THERE FOR 10. THANK YOU. UM, SO I AGREE WITH THE NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION EARLIER, AND I KNOW THAT, UM, I CAN, COUNCIL MEMBER TTO HAS BEEN THROUGH THIS SEVERAL PROCESS. UH, SEVERAL TIMES THIS WILL BE MY FIRST, I THINK IT'S MY SECOND REAL RAPE CASE. SO I KNOW THAT THOSE OF US WHO ARE GOING THROUGH IT FOR THE FIRST TIME WOULD BENEFIT FROM SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS. I WOULD ALSO ASK STAFF THOUGH THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WERE SOME CHANGES MADE BY COUNCIL TOWARDS THE END OF THE PROCESS LAST TIME, WHICH ARE LEADING TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE OUT OF WHACK AT THIS POINT IN TIME. AND I THINK WE NEED, WE NEED SOME, SOME SORT OF ANALYSIS OF, OF THAT, BECAUSE CHOICES THAT GET MADE AT THE LAST MINUTE DO HAVE AN IMPACT ON RATES AND DO COMPOUND OVER TIME. UM, AND I DON'T FULLY, I'D LIKE TO BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW THOSE CHOICES PLAYED OUT AND WHAT THEIR IMPACT WAS. UM, WHICH IS ANOTHER REASON WHY I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS EARLIER, SO THAT IF WE ARE GOING TO BE PROPOSING CHANGES, THAT WE HAVE CLEAR ANALYSIS OF WHAT ANY IMPLICATIONS MIGHT BE. I AGREE WITH THAT. AND I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU WERE, HOW YOU WERE CHARACTERIZING MAKING CHANGES AT THE LAST MINUTE THAT DOES THEN TEND TO THROW THINGS SORT OF OUT OF KILTER. THIS'LL BE MY SECOND RATE, UM, CASE, UH, EXPERIENCE. AND IT IS A LOT OF INFORMATION. UM, I'M PREFERRING THAT WE TRY TO FIND SOME TIME IN JULY, MAYBE EARLY AUGUST TO DO THIS. WE WILL GET OUR HEADS TOGETHER AND LOOK AT CALENDARS, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, UM, AND I, I GUESS PEOPLE CAN, UH, PARTICIPATE REMOTELY AS WELL. UM, SO WE WILL SEE WHAT WE CAN PUT TOGETHER, MAYOR. YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL JUST BECAUSE IT DOES HAVE THAT IMPACT AND, UH, UNDERSTANDING NOT ONLY THE COST OF SERVICE AND THAT CONTACT, BUT THE, BUT THE INCIDENTS, I MEAN, HOW THAT IS IMPACTING PEOPLE'S BILLS ACROSS INCOME CLASSES, I THINK WOULD BE HELPFUL TOO. YEAH. AND I JUST WANT TO ADD, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, THE IMPACT ON THE BILLS, THERE ARE MULTIPLE PIECES THAT IMPACT PEOPLE. AND SO WE HAVE TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE ON THE LOWER INCOME SCALES, WHAT AMOUNT OF ENERGY THEY'RE USING, BECAUSE THE RATE CHANGE AFFECTS BOTH PIECES AND IT'S THE COMBINATION AND THE INTERACTION OF THEM, WHICH IS THE TAKE-HOME BILL. AND IT GIVES YOU THE FINAL, THE FINAL IMPACT. AND HOPEFULLY THAT CAN ALSO, IT'S NOT JUST THE BASE RATE PIECE THAT WE NEED TO SEE TEASED OUT, UM, FOR THE DIFFERENT ANALYSIS SPECIFICALLY, THOUGH, OF COURSE, THIS IS LOOKING AT THE BASE RATE, BUT THAT WOULD BE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WOULD INFORM HOW WE DEAL WITH THE BASE RATE IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. RIGHT, RIGHT. BUT THERE, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER WHEN I HAD MY BRIEFING AND I DON'T HAVE ALL THE DETAILS HERE CAUSE I WASN'T PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT THE BASE RATE TODAY, BUT THERE, THERE IS AN INTERACTIVE PROCESS. OBVIOUSLY WE DON'T SET THE PRICES IN ADVANCE FOR THE ENERGY. UM, BUT THERE IS AN INTERACTIVE EFFECT THAT WE'RE TRYING TO, TRYING TO ADJUST FOR WITH THESE DIFFERENT CHARGES. AND YES, THIS IS A CHANGE TO THE BASE RATE. AND ARE YOU TALKING ONLY ABOUT ELECTRIC UTILITY OR FEES OR OTHER FEES? I'M GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT MY NOTES, BUT I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THERE'S AN INTERACTIVE EFFECT ABOUT HOW THESE THINGS COME TOGETHER AND THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT WE MAKE. UM, IT IS NOT ALWAYS TRUE THAT THOSE WHO ARE LOWEST INCOME USE THE LEAST AMOUNT OF ENERGY BECAUSE THEY ARE ALSO LIVING IN BUILDINGS THAT ARE NOT, UM, EFFICIENT. AND SO WE HAVE TO TAKE, WHEN WE TRY TO ASSESS HOW THE OVERALL IMPACT PLAYS OUT, WE HAVE TO FIGURE FACTOR ALL OF THAT. RIGHT. AND TO THAT. AND WE WENT OVER THAT A LOT THE LAST TIME. SO I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO REINVENT THE FORMS BECAUSE WE DIDN'T QUITE HIT IT THE FIRST COUPLE OF TIMES, AS I RECALL, THERE WERE SEVERAL EFFORTS AT THAT, BUT WE ENDED UP WITH EXACTLY WHAT THE MAYOR PRO [00:55:01] TEM IS DESCRIBING. SO IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND FIND THAT PRESENTATION, I THINK THAT THAT BROKE THAT OUT AND IT WAS DYNAMIC AND IT ADDRESSED THE QUESTION THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW IS WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ENERGY USAGE AND INCOME, BECAUSE WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT, BUT THEY BROUGHT A DATA BACK TO DISCUSS THAT QUESTION AS WELL. AND THAT COULD BE UPDATED, UM, WITH NEW INFORMATION. SO WE'RE NOT MAKING ANY ASSUMPTIONS ON, ON WHO'S USING THE MOST AND WHO'S USING THE LEAST, YES. ANYTHING ELSE? UH, COUNCILMEMBER TOPO. I SAID THIS, BUT I JUST WANT TO BE SURE THAT IT GOT CAPTURED. THAT IS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION, HOW THIS IS IMPACTING OUR LOW INCOME USERS. IT'S ALSO A QUESTION OF HOW IT'S, HOW THE RATE PROPOSAL IS IMPACTING OUR LOWEST USE CUSTOMERS AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE TIER. SO I JUST WANT TO BE SURE. WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT THE BASE RATE, UM, AND THE CUSTOMER OR THE BASE CUSTOMER CHARGE. I SHOULD SAY. WE'RE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE TIERS AND HOW THAT IMPACTS DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT LEVELS, LEVELS OF USERS. AND WITH ALL OF THAT IN MIND THAT SOMETIMES THERE'S A CORRESPONDENCE WITH LOW-INCOME CUSTOMERS. AND SOMETIMES THERE ISN'T BECAUSE OF THE REASONS YOU SAID, BUT I THINK WE NEED, THOSE ARE ALL THE CONVERSATIONS I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE. I THINK THIS MIGHT BE THE CLOSEST THAT COUNCIL GETS TO THREE-DIMENSIONAL CHESS. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE FROM MS. COOPER? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS. THERE YOU ARE. AND I, THAT THANK YOU. I'M REALLY GLAD COUNCIL MEMBER TOVA BROUGHT THAT UP BECAUSE I JUST BEEN THINKING ABOUT WANTING MORE INFORMATION ON INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE TAKEN STEPS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO CONSERVE ENERGY, UM, WHETHER THAT'S PHYSICALLY, UM, MAKING IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR HOME OR THEIR OFFICE, OR JUST YOUR USAGE. AND I REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WHO HAVE TAKEN THAT STEP AND BEEN PROACTIVE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE REALLY EFFICIENT CUSTOMERS WITH LOW USAGE, UM, THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT FEELING LIKE THAT WAS FOR NOTHING. YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU CHANGE RATES LATER ON, THERE HAS TO BE THE INCENTIVE TO CONSERVE ENERGY. I THINK THIS IS TRUE OF ENERGY UTILITY AND WATER UTILITIES, UM, THAT WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT FOLKS WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, DOING THE RIGHT THING AND MODIFYING THEIR BEHAVIOR TO BE RESPONSIBLE USERS ARE AREN'T BEING DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED DOWN THE LINE LATER ON. UH, I THINK THAT'S GREAT. TOTALLY AGREE. ANYTHING ELSE? ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. COOPER, THAT BRINGS US TO OUR LAST [6. Identify items to discuss at future meetings.] ITEM, WHICH IS FUTURE ITEMS. WE KNOW THAT WE WILL HAVE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, UH, COMING FORWARD, UH, AND LIKELY A SPECIAL CALLED MEETINGS SOMETIME LATE JULY, EARLY AUGUST IN ORDER TO TAKE UP AN OVERVIEW OF BASE RATE PROCESS AND THE IMPACTS AND ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT COUNCIL MAY NEED TO HAVE THAT WILL INFORM THAT DECISION MAKING AND ALSO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC. I THINK IT WOULD BE USEFUL IF Y'ALL ARE THINKING ABOUT THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS WERE INFORMATION YOU'D LIKE TO SEE. UM, PLEASE DO SEND THAT OVER TO OUR GENERAL MANAGER AND THE STAFF THERE SO THAT THEY CAN PULL TOGETHER THE BEST PRESENTATION POSSIBLE. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER VELA, AND JERRY, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION AN ISSUE THAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DAYLIGHT A BIT, WHICH AS PART OF THE PROJECT CONNECT INVESTMENT, THE LIGHT RAIL, UH, ALONG NORTH LAMAR, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO LOOK AT THE POTENTIAL FOR BEARING THE ELECTRIC LINES THAT ARE BASICALLY BETWEEN 51ST STREET AND 180 3 ON THE NORTH LAMAR CORRIDOR THERE, UH, VERY LARGE, UH, ELECTRIC LINES. I THINK OUR TRANSMISSIONS LINES AS A HUNDRED FOOT KIND OF METAL POLES, AGAIN, I'M A LAY PERSON PERSPECTIVE. YOUR, I DON'T KNOW THEIR ACTUAL HEIDER OR PURPOSE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE DEVELOP THAT PROJECT, THERE'S GOING TO BE, UH, TWO LIGHT RAIL TRACKS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CORRIDOR AND THEN FOUR LANES OF AUTOMOBILE TRAFFIC, UH, BIKE LANES AND SIDEWALKS ALONG THE NORTH LAMAR AVENUE. AND WE'RE GOING TO REALLY NEED EVERY INCH OF A RIGHT OF WAY. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT ITEM ON OUR AGENDA TO HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT. UM, I, I UNDERSTAND YOU WANT TO HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM WITH AUSTIN ENERGY TO TALK ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF BURYING, UM, THE TRANSMISSION LINES IN A, IN A SEGMENT OF, UH, THE PROJECT CONNECT AREA. I WOULD SUGGEST EXPANDING THAT SO THAT IT'S NOT JUST THE AREA ON NORTH LAMAR THAT IS IN YOUR DISTRICT. THERE MAY BE OTHER DISTRICTS WHO WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT SAME, UM, ATTENTION ADDRESS. SO THAT WILL BE AN ITEM WE CAN HAVE ON A FUTURE AGENDA. AND I SEE THE GENERAL MANAGER NODDING HER HEAD. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING THAT UP. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? ALL RIGHT. I THINK WE'RE DONE HERE. UM, I WILL CALL THIS MEETING ADJOURNED AT [01:00:01] THREE 10. THANK YOU SO MUCH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.