[00:00:03]
[CALL TO ORDER]
GOING TO SAY, WE SHOULD PROCEED.WE'VE GOT, UM, GUESTS THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING TO, UH, PRESENT TO US AND WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO, I'D LIKE TO SEE THEIR PRESENTATION.
SO IF MY, IF MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS DON'T MIND.
I MEAN, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE AN ACTION ITEM ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
SO, UM, THIS FOR MINIMALLY INFORMATION PURPOSES, IF THERE'S ANY CHALLENGE, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO ASK.
AS LONG AS WE'RE NOT TAKING ACTION, THAT COULD BE PROTESTED LATER, RIGHT.
SO SHOULD WE, WE SHOULD WAIT AND DO APPROVAL OF MINUTES NEXT TIME, BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY VOTING ACTION WE HAVE.
SO I'M GOING TO CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER NOW AT, UH, 6 32.
MY NAME IS DIANA WHEELER AND I AM THE CO-CHAIR OF THE JSC.
AND I'M PHYSICALLY HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE KAYLA COULDN'T BE, AND I'M GOING TO JUST GO DOWN THE AGENDA.
WE ARE GOING TO BYPASS THE, UM, APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND THEN WE HAVE A DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. THE ZACK, OH YES.
SO WE HAVE, WE HAVE TWO, UM, WE HAVE TWO GROUPS HERE TO PRESENT AND AT 7 45, WE ARE GOING TO LOSE QUORUM BECAUSE, UH, AT LEAST ONE MEMBER HAS A HARD STOP AT 7 45.
SO CAN I JUST MOVE TO THE FIRST PRESENTATION? LET ME JUST, SO WE'RE NOT FOLLOWING THE AGENDA.
WE'RE MOVING TO THE, THE FIRST PRESENTATION, WHICH IS, UM, IS THAT LAURA PITINO? OH, SORRY.
[2. Austin Water Implementation of the Climate Equity Plan – Sherri Kuhl, Austin Water (Discussion and/or possible action)]
WATER.WE WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR US AND WATER TO PRESENT.
WE, I MEAN OUR FAULT, NOT YOURS.
UM, SHERRY, WOULD YOU, UM, LIKE TO START THE PRESENTATION PLEASE? YEAH, I'D BE HAPPY TO JUST PICK IT OFF.
UM, OUR, UH, KEVIN CRITTENDON IS GOING TO BEGIN THE PRESENTATION TONIGHT AND HE'LL INTRODUCE ALL THE SPEAKERS THAT ARE HERE.
I'M THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE OFFICER FOR AUSTIN WATER.
SO I'M GOING TO QUICKLY JUST TURN IT OVER TO KEVIN.
AND, UM, I AM, MY NAME IS KEVIN CRITTENDON.
I'M ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH ALLSTON WATER.
I'M OVER OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PROGRAM AREA.
UM, WITH ME TONIGHT, IF I COULD JUST HAVE ALL OF THE AUSTIN WATER STAFF TURN ON THEIR CAMERAS BRIEFLY JUST FOR A QUICK INTRODUCTION AND THEN WE'LL GET INTO OUR PRESENTATION.
UM, WE HAVE, UH, OF COURSE SHERRY HAS ALREADY INTRODUCED HERSELF.
SHERRY IS ALSO AS ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE OFFICERS, SO GLAD TO HAVE SHERRY HERE.
UM, HEATHER DALRYMPLE IS IN THE AUDIENCE THAT ARE MY HEATHER.
HEATHER IS OUR, UH, FIRE PROTECTION, UM, UH, CONSULTANT AND WORKS ON CLIMATE PROTECTION WORK.
UH, WE'VE GOT KEVIN KLUGIE, WHO'S OUR DIVISION MANAGER FOR WATER CONSERVATION.
GONZALES IS OUR PROGRAM MANAGER AND A SUPERVISOR OVER OUR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING AREA.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TONIGHT.
UM, I THINK IF WE CAN JUST GO TO THE SLIDES, WE'LL TRY TO GET ON WITH BUSINESS AND TRY TO KEEP THINGS MOVING.
REALLY MY PART OF THE PRESENTATION IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF JUST, UM, UM, CONTEXT SETTING AND JUST A LITTLE BIT OF AN INTRODUCTION.
UM, OF COURSE ALSO WATER'S MISSION IS TO PROVIDE SAFE AND RELIABLE HIGH QUALITY, SUSTAINABLE, AND AFFORDABLE WATER SERVICES TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND ALL OUR COMMUNITY, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WATER NEEDS ARE MET OUR WATER SERVICE AREAS ABOUT FIVE HUNDRED AND FORTY EIGHT, FORTY EIGHT SQUARE MILES.
WE HAVE NEARLY A 1200 EMPLOYEES.
WE SERVE OVER A MILLION PEOPLE, UH, IN THE AUSTIN AREA AND WE PROVIDE, UH, WATER WASTEWATER AND RECLAIMED WATER SERVICES TO OUR COMMUNITY.
JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND, BUT, UH, TO OUR, UH, OUR WATER SOURCE, OF COURSE, WE GET OUR WATER SUPPLY FROM THE TEXAS COLORADO RIVER.
UM, THAT WATER SUPPLY IS REALLY IN TWO SEPARATE FORMS. ONE IS THROUGH SENIOR WATER RIGHTS THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS GRANTED BY THE STATE OF TEXAS.
THAT'S WHAT WE CALL OUR RUN OF THE RIVER WATER RIGHTS.
AND THOSE ARE BASICALLY OUR, UH, AUTHORIZATION BY THE STATE TO TAKE WATER FROM THE COLORADO RIVER WHEN, AND IF THAT WATER IS AVAILABLE.
UM, AND OF COURSE WHEN WE HAVE DROUGHTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, WE OFTEN RELY ON THE HIGHLAND LAKES.
AND OF COURSE WE HAVE A, UM, UH, THE KIND OF LAKES IS OPERATED AND MANAGED BY THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY.
WE HAVE A CONTRACT WITH LCRI FOR BACKUP WATER SUPPLY, UH, THAT WE USE IN ADDITION TO OUR RUN OF THE RIVER WATER RIGHTS, UH, COMBINED, UH, THE CITY HAS ACCESS TO ABOUT, UH, 325,000 ACRE FEET OF
[00:05:01]
WATER FOUR PER YEAR.UM, AND, UM, WE RESERVE, UM, WATER FROM THE LCRA, A PREPAID FOR THAT WATER BACK IN 1999.
UM, AND THERE'S A TRIGGER ON THAT CONTRACT WHERE WE, UM, USE THAT PREPAYMENT SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO PAY ADDITIONAL MONEY UNTIL WE USE OVER A 201,000 ACRE FEET.
SO THE REASON WE BRING THAT HERE IS NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A SUSTAINABILITY IMPERATIVE TO TRY TO DEVELOP, UM, AND USE OUR WATER SUPPLIES EFFICIENTLY, BUT ALSO THERE'S A FINANCIAL IMPERATIVE THAT WE TRY TO KEEP ALL OF THAT TRIGGER.
UM, SPECIFICALLY TONIGHT, WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT, UM, AUSTIN WATER'S ROLE IN THE, AN EQUITY PLAN, UH, GOALS SPECIFICALLY COLD FOR, UH, BY 2032, EQUABLY ACHIEVE A COMMUNITY-WIDE WATER DEMAND OF APPROXIMATELY ONE FOR THE 52,000 ACRE FEET.
I IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES IN THE WATERFALL FORWARD PLAN, AND THOSE STRATEGIES AT A HIGH LEVEL INVOLVE ENGAGING RESIDENTS IN WATER EFFICIENCY, TECHNOLOGICAL TRANSFORMATIONS, AND CONSERVATION PROGRAMS, UM, ALSO TO EVALUATE WATER CONSERVATION CUSTOMER SYSTEM, WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, PROGRAM PARTICIPATION CRITERIA, AND THEN TO REDUCE EMISSIONS AT THE WATER ENERGY NEXUS.
SO ALL OF THESE ITEMS ARE GOING TO BE ADDRESSED IN THE COMING SLIDES.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WATERFORD AND MEDUSA.
WE'LL SORT OF LEAD OFF ON THAT.
WE'LL TAKE A LITTLE DEEPER DIVE INTO OUR WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAMMING.
AND SO KEVIN FOODIE WILL STEP IN THERE.
UM, HEATHER WE'LL THEN TALK ABOUT SOME OTHER SUSTAINABILITY, UH, CLIMATE INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE GOING ON.
AND THEN SHERRY, WE'LL SORT OF ROUND OUT THE TALKING ABOUT SOME OF OUR, UM, WORK IN WITH, UM, OUR WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS AND ABOUT COATINGS CANYONLANDS, OUR WILDLANDS.
SO WITH THAT AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO NINE.
WE'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER QUESTIONS EITHER ALONG THE WAY OR AT THE END OF THE SLIDES.
AND WITH THAT, I THINK I'D JUST ASK SOMEBODY TO STEP IN AND TAKE IT FROM HERE.
SO YOU CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, HELLO, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AND SHARE SOME INFORMATION ABOUT OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CLIMATE, UM, EQUITY PLAN GOALS RELATED TO WATERFORD.
UM, AS KEVIN MENTIONED, MY NAME IS
UM, I'M GOING TO TELL YOU SOME MORE ABOUT OUR PLANTS.
WATERBOARD IS AUSTIN'S 100 YEAR INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLAN TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT DIVERSE AND ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES TO ADAPT TO GROWTH DROUGHT AND CLIMATE CHANGE, AND ENSURE A SUSTAINABLE, RESILIENT, AND AFFORDABLE WATER FUTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE NEXT 100 YEARS.
NEXT SLIDE, SINCE THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, AUSTIN WATER HAS MADE SOME SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN REDUCING OUR PER CAPITA WATER DEMAND OR WATER DEMAND PER PERSON GOING DOWN FROM HIGHS THAT YOU CAN SEE ON THIS GRAPH, UM, IN THE EARLY NINETIES TO TWO THOUSANDS, UM, FROM THE ONE NINETIES PER PERSON PER DAY, TO ABOUT 125 GALLONS PER PERSON PER DAY.
AND THE LAST SEVERAL FISCAL YEARS, WE'VE HAD EXPERIENCED AN UPTAKE IN DEMAND IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE CHART ON THE RIGHT, THIS GROWTH IN DEMAND, UM, ON A PER PERSON BASIS IS POTENTIALLY TIED TO WEATHER HOTTER AND DRIER WEATHER TENDS TO LEAD TO INCREASED OUTDOOR WATER USE WATER LOSS.
UM, ON THE UTILITY SIDE HAS ALSO INCREASED AND AUSTIN WATER IDENTIFYING STRATEGIES TO BRING THIS CLOSER IN LINE WITH OUR GOALS.
OVERALL DEMANDS ALSO TEND TO INCREASE AS POPULATION INCREASES, AND WE'LL BE ADDRESSING THAT AS WELL IN OUR UPDATE TO THE WATERFORD PLAN THAT WE'VE BEGUN EARLIER THIS YEAR.
UM, ALSO SOME OF THE KEY WATERFORD STRATEGIES ARE STILL IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS.
FOR EXAMPLE, OUR, MY ATX WATER ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT, THAT'S INTENDED TO REPLACE 250,000 ANALOG WATER METERS ACROSS THE CITY WITH DIGITAL WATER METERS, THAT WILL PROVIDE MORE REAL TIME INFORMATION TO CUSTOMERS ABOUT THEIR WATER USAGE, AS WELL AS CONTINUOUS USAGE ALERTS AND OTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO SAVE WATER AT HOME.
UM, IT'S STILL IN THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE AS OF LAST WEEK, WE'VE REPLACED APPROXIMATELY 63,000 OUT OF THOSE 250,000 METERS.
OUR STAFF ESTIMATES, UM, THAT WE'VE ALREADY SAVED APPROXIMATELY 33 MILLION GALLONS THROUGH OUR LEAK ALERT SYSTEM.
UM, HOWEVER, WE HOPE THAT AS IMPLEMENTATION PROCEEDS
[00:10:01]
AND WE'RE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE REPLACEMENT OF ALL OF THOSE METERS, WE'LL SEE EVEN FURTHER SAVINGS, UM, DO THAT STRATEGY.I'LL TALK ABOUT SOME ADDITIONAL CODE CHANGES AND INCENTIVES THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IMPLEMENTING IN THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO IF YOU CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SETTING, UM, SINCE WATERBOARD WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN NOVEMBER OF 2018, ASTON WATER HAS BEEN WORKING TO IMPLEMENT SOME OF THE NEAR TERM PLAN STRATEGIES.
REMEMBER IT'S A HUNDRED YEAR PLAN, BUT WE DO HAVE STRATEGIES THAT WERE TARGETED FOR IMPLEMENTATION IN THE VERY EARLY YEARS.
UM, IT, THIS SLIDE SHOWS SOME OF OUR PROGRESS OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS IN 2020, AS I MENTIONED, WE INITIATED THE, MY ATX WATER ADVANCED METERING INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT.
WE ALSO TOOK BEFORE COUNCIL AND RECEIVED COUNCIL APPROVAL OF A NEW ONSITE WATER REUSE SYSTEM, REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR NEW ONSITE SYSTEMS IN COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY DEVELOPMENTS.
AND WHEN I SAY ONSITE SYSTEMS, THOSE ARE, UM, ONSITE RESISTANCE THAT CAN COLLECT RAINWATER, GRAY WATER, A STORMWATER, OR AC CONDENSATE, AND REUSE THAT WATER ONSITE.
UM, WE ALSO IN 2020 EXECUTED A CONTRACT, BUT A CONSULTANT TO BEGIN IDENTIFYING LOCATIONS FOR AN AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY PILOT PROJECT.
THAT'S A KEY DROUGHT STRATEGY WITHIN OUR WATERFORD PLAN IN 2021.
AND THE VERY NEXT YEAR WE TOOK BEFORE COUNCIL AND RECEIVED COUNCIL APPROVAL OF CODE CHANGES TO REQUIRE SUBMITTAL OF WATER BENCHMARKING APPLICATIONS, UM, FOR NEW, UH, DEVELOPMENTS REQUIRING THE SITE PLAN.
UH, WE ALSO RECEIVED COUNCIL APPROVAL OF ONSITE WATER REUSE, UM, ONSITE WATER REUSE MANDATE THAT WILL REQUIRE THAT NEW DEVELOPMENTS GRATER THAT WITH A GROSS FLOOR AREA GREATER THAN 250,000 SQUARE FEET, WE'LL HAVE TO INSTALL ONSITE WATER REUSE SYSTEM INTO THEIR BUILDING AND USE THAT FOR NON-POTABLE PURPOSES WITH AN EFFECTIVE DATE OF DECEMBER 1ST, 2023.
UM, WE ALSO RECEIVED COUNCIL APPROVAL OF EXTENSION OF OUR RECLAIMED WATER CONNECTION REQUIREMENTS REQUIRING THE BUILDINGS GREATER THAN 250,000 SQUARE FEET, WHERE WITHIN 500 FEET OF A RECLAIM MAIN CONNECT TO THAT RECLAIMING AND USE THAT WITH WATER FOR A SIGNIFICANT INDOOR AND OUTDOOR NON-POTABLE PURPOSES.
THAT'S BUILDING ON OUR PREVIOUS CODE REQUIREMENT, THAT BUILDINGS THAT ARE WITHIN 250 FEET OF A RECLAIM MAY CONNECT TO THAT SYSTEM AND USE THAT WATER FOR NON-POTABLE PURPOSES.
AUSTIN WATER ALSO DEVELOPED A NEW INCENTIVE IN 2021, UM, UH, OPERATING UP TO $100,000 TO HELP WITH COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH VOLUNTARILY CONNECTING TO OUR RECLAIMED WATER SYSTEM.
THAT WORK WAS LED BY
AND IN 2022, UM, WE NARROWED DOWN OUR ASR, UM, STORAGE ZONE SCREENING GARIA TO ABOUT THREE COUNTIES.
AND THEN, UM, ON THE, MY HEX WATERFRONT, LIKE I MENTIONED, UM, WE'VE MADE IT TO REPLACEMENT OF APPROXIMATELY 62,000 METERS ACROSS THE CITY.
AND LIKE I ALSO MENTIONED EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE BEGAN THE PROCESS TO UPDATE OUR WATERFORD, UM, PLAN WITH ANTICIPATED PROJECT COMPLETION IN 2024, YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SITE.
UM, SO WE ARE UPDATING THE WATERFORD PLAN USING AN EQUITY LENS AND BUILDING ON THE PLANNING EFFORTS OF OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, LIKE THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY WITH THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
UM, WE'RE ALSO BUILDING ON CONCEPTS RELATED TO, UM, PROCEDURAL AND DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE, PROCEDURAL JUSTICE, MEANING HOW EQUITABLE IS THE PROCESS BY WHICH A DISTRIBUTIVE DECISION IS REACHED AND DISTRIBUTED JUSTICE MEAN THE EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF BENEFITS AND BURDENS WITHIN A SOCIETY.
UM, AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO ALIGN WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN EQUITY OFFICES, DEFINITION OF EQUITY, AND, UM, BUILDING ON THE EFFORTS OF OTHER CITY PLANNING PROCESSES.
WE'RE USING AN EQUITY LENS IN THE PLANNING AND EXECUTION OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES.
WE'RE STILL ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT PLAN, AND WE'VE CONDUCTED A VIRTUAL THREE DAY EQUITY TRAINING FOR AUSTIN WATER STAFF.
WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A THREE SESSION EQUITY GROUNDING SERIES FOR OUR WATERFORD TASK FORCE MEMBERS AND OUR COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS GROUP.
THAT'S ASSISTING US WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN AND WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY, ROADMAP AND TOOL FOR THE PLAN, HOW YOU CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SIDE.
LIKE I MENTIONED, WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS GROUP AS WELL AS WITH THE WATERFORD TASK FORCE TO DEVELOP THAT EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY ROADMAP THAT ROADMAP WILL CONTAIN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT PLAN AND HOW TO CREATE A MORE EQUITABLE PLAN DEVELOPMENT
[00:15:01]
PROCESS.AND THE ROAD MAP WILL ALSO LAY OUT A FRAMEWORK QUESTIONS AS WELL AS 0.2 DATA SETS THAT WE'LL USE TO CREATE AN EQUITY AND AFFORDABILITY TOOL.
WE USE THIS TOOL TO EVALUATE THE DISTRIBUTION OF BENEFITS AND BURDENS FROM PLAN OUTCOMES, ESPECIALLY ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES.
UM, WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT THIS WORK, ALTHOUGH, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN IS A LEADER IN THIS AREA AND LOTS OF CITY DEPARTMENTS ARE ADOPTING THIS TYPE OF APPROACH AS A BEST PRACTICE.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S VERY NEW FOR WATER RESOURCES PLANNING.
SO WE'RE EXCITED TO ENGAGE IN THIS FOR INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLAN UPDATE, AND TO ALSO, UM, HAVE INFORMATION FROM THIS PLANNING PROCESS TO SHARE WITH OUR COLLEAGUES IN THE WATER SECTOR.
UM, AND I THINK AT THIS POINT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO KEVIN KRUGIE, UM, TO CARRY US FORWARD WITH A CONSERVATION PROGRAMS INFORMATION.
UM, I'LL NEVERTHELESS, I'LL GET STARTED.
AND THEN WE'LL, WE'LL SLIDE TO THIS NEXT SLIDE, UM, WHEN WE'D GET THAT WORK.
SO AUSTIN WATER HAS A LONG SUCCESSFUL HISTORY OF WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. AND IN GENERAL, A LOT OF RESIDENTS KNOW WHAT WE OFFER.
HOWEVER, THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT ILLUSTRATES THAT THE PARTICIPATION IN THESE WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS IS, IS NOT EQUAL ACROSS THE CITY.
IN THAT IMAGE, THE RED AREAS REPRESENT AREAS WHERE WE HAVE THE LOWEST PERCENTAGE OF PARTICIPATION, AND THEN IT GOES ORANGE AND THEN GRAY AND THEN BLUE.
SO AT VARIANCE ACROSS THE CITY, HOW OFTEN PEOPLE PARTICIPATE IN THESE PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS THIS, WE HAVE UNDERTAKEN A NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO TO ENHANCE THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ACROSS THE CITY.
FIRST STOP BACK IN 2021 CONSERVATION REBATE FORMS WERE TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH, WHICH PLUGS IN WELL TO OUR OUTREACH, BEING A SPANISH LANGUAGE, MEDIA LETTERS, RADIO, OR PRINT IN 2022 STAFF INITIATED FOCUS, CONSERVATION OUTREACH EFFORTS USING CUSTOMER WATER, USE DATA, USER ATTRIBUTES.
AND THEN MY ATEX WATER PROFILE INFORMATION OUTREACH MESSAGES HAVE GONE OUT TO OVER 10,000 CUSTOMERS AND UTILIZE A RANGE OF TYPES OF MEDIA, INCLUDING EMAILS, POSTCARDS, LETTERS, NEIGHBORHOOD, SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS, ET CETERA.
THE OUTREACH HAS PROMOTED PARTICULARLY IRRIGATION VALUATIONS TO SAVE ON THAT HOUSE OUTDOOR WATER USE, BUT ALSO RANGE OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF REBATES THAT WE OFFER.
AND FINALLY, WE JUST RECENTLY LAUNCHED A POST REBATE SURVEY, A REBATE APPLICANTS, CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE UTILIZED SOME REBATES.
THIS, THIS FIRST ONE HAS ONLY HAD IT HAD A 30% RESPONSE RATE, BUT ALL OF THOSE CAME BACK WITHIN 24 HOURS.
SO THOSE WHO WANTED TO RESPOND REALLY RESPONDED, BUT WE INTEND TO HAVE THIS REBATE ON REGULAR BASIS TO HEAR FROM OUR CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE REBATE PROGRAMS, WHAT THEY NEED FROM US, WHAT THEY LIKE, WHAT THEY DON'T LIKE, WHAT HAVE YOU OVERALL, THE SATISFACTION WAS VERY HIGH AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT INCLUDE COMMUNICATION, PARTICULARLY THE STATUS OF THE REBATES.
AND WHEN THEY'LL BE COMING, THAT MONEY WILL BE COMING BACK TO THEM AS WELL AS SOME CLARIFICATION ON PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS AND GUIDANCE.
SO WE'LL BE WORKING ON THOSE DIFFERENT AREAS IN THE FUTURE.
IN ADDITION, WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE ACCESS TO OUR PROGRAMS IS MORE EQUITABLE REGARDING THE REBATES.
SOMETIMES THEY CAN, REBASE CAN BE A BARRIER TO SOME AUSTIN WATER RESIDENTS PUTTING OUT THAT MONEY AND THEN WAITING SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS FOR IT TO COME BACK.
SO IN FEBRUARY, WE PILOTED A PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN ENERGY'S INSTANT SAVINGS PROGRAM IN WHICH WE PROVIDE $5 SAVINGS TO HOLD
[00:20:01]
THOSE WATER TIMERS IN FIVE HOME DEPOTS WELL WITHIN AUSTIN AREA.AND THIS IS JUST A PILOT TO SEE WHAT IT TAKES TO OFFER THOSE INSTANCE SAVING REBATES, AS WELL AS THE RESPONSE FROM CONSUMERS IN LOOKING AT THE RESPONSES BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND JULY, THE NUMBER OF HOSE TIMERS WITH THE INCENTIVE, THE $5 INCENTIVE WAS DOUBLED THE PROJECTION.
WE'RE STILL WAITING TO SEE IF WE CAN TEASE OUT HOW MUCH OF THAT IS FROM JUST REALLY BEING REALLY HOT AND DRY, OR HOW MUCH OF THAT WAS WITH THE INSTANT SAVINGS.
IN ADDITION, IN 2019, AUSTIN WATER CONTRIBUTED $350,000 TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENTS GO REPAIR PROGRAM, WHICH ASSISTS LOW-INCOME AUSTINITES WITH REPAIRS TO THEIR HOMES.
AND THEY FOUND THE MONEY FOR REPAIRS TO PLUMBING SYSTEMS. THE IMAGE ON THE FAR RIGHT NOW LET'S TRACE THE LOCATION OF HOUSES WITHIN AUSTIN THAT HAVE RECEIVED SUCH PLUMBING RELATED REPAIRS.
HOWEVER, DUE TO SOMEWHAT SLUGGISH EXPENDITURES OF AUSTIN WATER FUNDS IN THE GO REPAIR PROGRAM, IT WAS PROPOSED TO INSTEAD CREATE A NEW SPECIFIC PLUMBING PROGRAM.
THE NEW PROGRAM WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL IN JANUARY AND LIKE GO REPAIR.
THE PROGRAM IS ADMINISTERED BY THE HOUSING PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND FUNDED BY AUSTIN WATER BETWEEN JANUARY AND JULY.
WE HAD 20 RECIPIENTS AROUND THE CITY THAT HAVE RECEIVED FUNDING FOR THIS.
THE AVERAGE IS ABOUT $8,000 FOR EACH RECIPIENT.
AND THE TYPES OF REPAIRS HAVE REALLY RANGED FROM REPLACING A WATERLINE TO FIXING SHOWERS AND BATHS AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN FAUCETS AND FIXTURES TO HELP THESE HOUSEHOLDS SAVE WATER AS WELL AS MONEY TO BILL.
AND FINALLY, IN 2021, OUR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM WAS EXTENDED TO QUALIFY.
LOW-INCOME RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS IN THE AUSTIN WATER SERVICE AREA.
EXTENSION PROVIDES ELECTRIC BILL DISCOUNTS TO US AND ENERGY CAP OR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
CUSTOMERS SERVED BY AUSTIN WATER MASTER METERS PHASE TWO OF THAT EXPANSION IS UNDERWAY AND WILL ASSIST CUSTOMERS OUTSIDE OF AUSTIN ENERGY SERVICE AREA.
WE'RE ALSO SERVED BY AUSTIN MATER, MASTER METERS.
NEXT SLIDE, THE CONSERVATION OF WATER, NOT ONLY BENEFITS US AND RESIDENTS DIRECTLY THROUGH THEIR WATER USE AND THROUGH, THROUGH THEIR BILLS, BUT THE PRODUCTION OF WATER AND ENERGY ARE INTERTWINED IN MANY ENERGY GENERATION FACILITIES AROUND THE STATE.
IT TAKES WORK, IT TAKES WATER TO PRODUCE ENERGY, AND IT CERTAINLY TAKES ENERGY TO FEED OUR WATER, PUMP OUR WATER AND CLEAN OUR WATER.
AFTER WE USE IT, IF WE REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF WATER THAT WE USE, WE REDUCE THE ELECTRICITY REQUIRED TO TREAT PUMP AND CLEAN IT.
AND CALENDAR YEAR 2021 CONSERVATION EFFORTS SAVED 8.8 BILLION GALLONS.
THE VAST MAJORITY OF THIS WAS FROM THE INSTITUTION OF THE ONE DAY PER WEEK.
WATERING SCHEDULE, AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION, I'D SAY, I MEAN 6 MILLION GALLONS.
AND THAT CORRESPONDS TO ROUGHLY 15,000 MEGAWATTS, THE OTHER WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES, INCLUDING COMMERCIAL FACILITY, CONSERVATION RESTRICTIONS, AS WELL AS OUR OTHER REBATE PROGRAMS SAVED ABOUT 256 MILLION GALLONS OR ABOUT 463 MEGAWATTS.
SO CLEARLY THE BENEFITS, UH, SAVING WATER.
IT GOES BEYOND THE INDIVIDUAL TAPS AND THE INDIVIDUAL BILLS TO PROVIDE BENEFITS TO ALL OF US.
I WILL TURN IT BACK TO KEVIN ART TO SHARE IT.
AND I THINK THAT WOULD, WOULD ACTUALLY GO TO ME SO ALLOW, THIS IS HEATHER DOUR, PAULA, AND AS KEVIN MENTIONED EARLIER, I DO WORK ON OUR CLIMATE PROTECTION INITIATIVES, INCLUDING THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.
SO TONIGHT I'M GOING TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT WE'RE USING TO ENHANCE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN OUR WASTEWATER OPERATIONS, AND ALSO IN OUR BUILDING FACILITIES.
UH, ONE OF THESE IS A PROCESS OF ROADMAP PROJECT THAT'S CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AT THE WALNUT CREEK WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.
[00:25:01]
THIS PROJECT WAS EXECUTED TO REPLACE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE PLANTS SECONDARY TREATMENT TRAINS.IT CONVERTS THE PLANT FROM USING A TRADITIONAL CONVENTIONAL ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS TO A DIFFERENT PROCESS.
THAT'S EXPECTED TO REDUCE ENERGY AND CHEMICAL USAGE AS WELL AS SLUDGE PRODUCTION FALL.
THE DATA'S STILL VERY LIMITED SINCE THE PROJECT IS A COMPLETE INITIAL ESTIMATE.
SO PROUD TO HAVE ENERGY SAVINGS OF ABOUT 1.9 MILLION KILOWATT HOURS PER YEAR.
ADDITIONALLY, PER WASTEWATER, WE'RE COMING TO THE END OF OUR FIRST YEAR OF PARTICIPATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, SUSTAINABLE WASTEWATER INFRASTRUCTURE ACCELERATOR, OR SWIFT INITIATIVE SPLIT DOES A THREE FREE THERAPY OR VOLUNTARY PARTNERSHIP THAT OFFERS PARTICIPATING UTILITIES, A CUSTOMIZED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING IN AREAS LIKE WASTE BLOGGER, ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND DATA ANALYSIS OF FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES FOR HELP US STRUCTURE UPGRADES AND ALSO HELP WITH DEVELOPING ENERGY MANAGEMENT PLANS.
IT ALSO PROVIDES A REALLY GOOD NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY WITH THE OTHER PARTICIPATING UTILITIES, UH, FOR OUR BUILDING SITES, OUR FACILITIES MANAGEMENT TEAM IS A VALUATING ENERGY USAGE ACROSS OUR LOCATIONS AND DEVELOPING A PLAN TO REDUCE YES, SUCH SPIKES IN DECREE, DECREASE ENERGY TO MAN.
ONE WAY THAT THEY'RE DOING THIS IS BY EXPANDING BUILDING AUTOMATION SYSTEM OR BAS AT WALLER CREEK CENTER DOWNTOWN, THE BAS ALLOWS FOR CENTRALIZED CONTROL OF A BUILDINGS, HVAC LIGHTING, AND OTHER ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. IT CAN ALSO MONITOR THE PERFORMANCE OF THESE SYSTEMS THAT HELP WITH REDUCING TAKE ENERGY DEMANDS.
IF AUSTIN ENERGY NEEDS TO ASK US FOR CUTBACKS AND ELECTRICITY USE DURING HIGH DEMAND TIMES, THIS BAS CAN WORK AUTOMATICALLY TO MAKE THOSE REDUCTIONS.
SO IN THE UPCOMING YEAR, FACILITIES HAS A PROJECT IN PLACE TO HAVE MORE SITES TO THE BAS AND ADDITION TO EFFORTS TO INCREASE ENERGY EFFICIENCY OF WALLER CREEK.
OUR FACILITY PAYS THE TAM IS WORKING WITH A CONTRACTOR, A CONSULTANT SAR TO BEGIN USING RAY CLAY WATER FOR COOLING TOWERS AND TOILET FLUSHING, WHICH WILL HELP THE LOCATION'S WATER EFFICIENCY.
UM, ALONG WITH EFFORTS TO BECOME MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT.
WE'RE ALSO CONSIDERING, UH, WAYS TO BETTER INCORPORATE RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONS.
AND ADDITION TO BEING A MEMBER OF AUSTIN ENERGY'S GREEN CHOICE PROGRAM, WHICH OFFSETS OUR ELECTRICITY USE WITH TEXAS WIND ENERGY.
AUSTIN WATER HAS A SOLAR ARRAY ON THE ROOF OF THE GLEN BELL SERVICE CENTER IN SOUTHEAST AUSTIN.
THE SYSTEM, WHICH IS INSTALLED BACK IN 2010 YEARS IS A THIN FILM SOLAR MODULE THAT ARE ATTACHED DIRECTLY TO THE ROOF INSTEAD OF THE MORE TRADITIONAL RACK MOUNTED SYSTEMS AT THE TIME, THIS WAS NEW TECHNOLOGY, BUT NOW IT'S CONSIDERED OUTDATED AND SOLAR PRODUCTION AT THE SITE HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED SINCE THE INSTALLATION IS REACHING THE END OF ITS USEFUL LIFE.
THIS OPERA IS A REALLY GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO WORK WITH AUSTIN ENERGY, TO EXPLORE OUR SOLAR OPTIONS.
OKAY, YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO NOW I'M GOING TO SHIFT TO BULLHORN SPEED BED BIOSOLIDS MANAGEMENT PLANS TO TALK ABOUT A FEW INITIATIVES THAT PLAY A ROLE IN SUSTAINING AUSTIN'S ENVIRONMENT.
THIS PLANT WAS ESTABLISHED BACK IN THE 1950S AS A SERIES OF STABILIZATION PONDS USED TO TREAT WASTEWATER SLUDGE OR BIOSOLIDS COMING FROM THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS AND THE 1980S ANAEROBIC DIGESTERS FOR ADDED AND A COMBINED HEAT AND POWER OR CHP SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED TO UTILIZE THE BIO GAS FROM THE ANAEROBIC DIGESTION DUE PROCESS IN 2012, AND USING HP SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED TO OFFSET POWER CONSUMPTION AT THE PLANT AND REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF DIGESTER GAS BEING FLARED ABOUT ONE THIRD OF THE BIO GAS BEING PRODUCED BY THE PLANT PROCESS IS UTILIZED IN THE CHP SYSTEM.
THIS LARGELY OFFSETS THE PLANT'S ENERGY USE.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A STUDY UNDERWAY TO DETERMINE BEST APPROACHES FOR FUTURE EFFORTS TO REDUCE FLARING AND UTILIZE THE BIO GAS.
AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THE PLANT OPERATIONS FOR ITS ME AS ALSO HONED AGRICULTURAL LANDS FOR HAY HAS GROWN A FARMER HAS A CONTRACT TO ALLOW THEM TO CUT AND SELL THIS HAY AT SETS.
HORNS IS A NO DISCHARGE PLANT.
THESE HAYFIELDS OFFER A WAY TO USE THE BIOSOLIDS FROM THE PLANT ON THE SITE AND OTHER INITIATIVE AT HORNSBY AS AN ON-SITE COMPOSTING PROGRAM WITH THIS CHAIN OF BIOSOLIDS OF MIXED WITH BRUSH AND YARD TRIMMINGS TO CREATE COMPOST, WHICH IS MARKETED UNDER THE NAME OF DILLO DIRT.
THE PROGRAM WAS BEGUN IN 18 AND 1989, SORRY, 1989.
[00:30:01]
AND WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN TEXAS.IT WAS INITIALLY CITY RUN, BUT NOW A CONTRACTOR HANDLES THE PROCESSING AND SELLING OF THE COMPOST US SINCE 2010 UNTIL OTHER PROGRAM HAS KEPT ABOUT 370,000 TONS OF BRUSH OUT OF A LANDFILL.
THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT 1100 OLYMPIC SIZE SWIMMING POOLS.
DELIGHTS ARE MEETS TCEQ AND EPA REQUIREMENTS, FRONTLINE RESTRICTED USE, AND CAN REPLACE THE USE OF SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER ON LAWNS.
IT ALSO QUALIFIES FOR ALSO WATERS, LANDSCAPES, SURVIVAL TOOLS REBATE, WHICH PROVIDES RESIDENTS WITH UP TO $120 IN REBATE MONEY FOR ADDING ROACH COMPOST AND DOING CORE AERATION SURFACE IN THEIR YARDS.
SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
I'M GOING TO TURN THE MIC OVER TO SHERRY COLE TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF OUR OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVES.
YOU HAD THERE, IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, SO ALSO IN 1989, UM, AT HORNSBY BEND, WE CREATED WHAT'S CALLED THE CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH.
UM, AND THERE'S A FACEBOOK SIDE AND A WEBSITE.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THAT WHERE YOU CAN GO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT.
AND KEVIN ANDERSON IS THE ONE WHO'S BEEN RUNNING THAT CENTER AND IT WAS SET ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO DO RESEARCH WITH UT AND ANM.
AND NOW WE, WE DO RESEARCH WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER, UM, UNIVERSITIES AS WELL.
UM, HYDROLOGICAL RESEARCH ON THE RIVER.
UM, INTERESTING RESEARCH REGARDING HOW THE RIVER HYDROLOGY WORKS BECAUSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, DISCHARGE RELEASED FROM A DAM, A SERIES OF DAMS. AND SO IT'S CHANGED THAT, UM, HYDRODYNAMICS OF THE COLORADO RIVER.
SO WE HAVE A LOT OF INTERESTING LONG-TERM RESEARCH ON THAT.
UM, WE HAVE OTHER ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH, WE HAVE ABOUT A 1200 ACRE SITE.
UM, THERE THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH TO STUDENTS.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE A LECTURE SERIES THAT KEVIN DOES, UM, SOME OF THEM FOR CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES AND ALSO FOR THE PUBLIC.
AND THEN ALSO HORNSBY BIN HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A, UM, INTERNATIONALLY AS A BIRDING SITE FOR OVER 60 YEARS.
UM, THAT STARTED SHORTLY AFTER THOSE PONDS WERE CREATED BACK IN THE FIFTIES.
SOME BIRDERS, UH, DISCOVERED THOSE PONDS AND STARTED BEING, UH, UH, LOOKED AT AS A VERY POPULAR BIRDING SITE.
AND SO IT'S OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
UM, IT'S VERY POPULAR WITH THE BIRDERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD THAT GO TO SEE SOME OF THE SHOREBIRDS AND WATERFOWL IN PARTICULAR THAT USE THE SITE.
AND SO THIS SITE HELPS TO MEET SOME OF THE NATURAL SYSTEMS, UH, THE OVERARCHING NATURAL SYSTEMS STRATEGY AND THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, AND THEN A NUMBER OF THE GOALS AND STRATEGIES WITHIN THE NATURAL SYSTEMS AREA.
UM, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS WE, WE HAVE, UM, AT HORNBY AS WE HAVE SOME HOMES THERE THAT AUSTIN WATER WASN'T UTILIZING.
AND SO THEY'VE BEEN LEASED TO NONPROFITS FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS.
ONE OF THEM IS AUSTIN YOUTH RIVER WATCH, WHICH OFFERS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO DISADVANTAGED YOUTH, UM, BETTER ABLE TO GO AND DO RESEARCH AND LEARN ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ABOUT THE RIVER.
AND THEN ALSO TREE FOLKS, UM, HAS BEEN A LONG STANDING TENANT THERE AND THEY HELPED ME IF THE COMMUNITY TREE PLANNING GOAL FROM THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, AND THEY'RE LOOKING TO EXPAND SOME OF THEIR OPERATIONS.
SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THEM TO TRY TO HELP, UM, WITH THE EXPANSION OF WHAT THEY'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF TREE PLANNING AND ALSO, UM, OUTREACH AND EDUCATION.
THE OTHER LARGE AREA THAT'S IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE OFFICE IS THE WILD LAND CONSERVATION DIVISION.
UM, AND THIS IS A DIVISION IN AWESOME WATER THAT INCLUDES THE BACONIAN CANYONLANDS PRESERVE AND THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS.
UM, IT MEETS A LOT OF THE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE GOALS, UH, PROTECTING NATURAL LANDS GOALS, BUILDING RESILIENCY INTO OUR NATURAL LANDS, CARBON SEQUESTRATION, UM, AND THEN JUST OVERALL LAND MANAGEMENT AND PUBLIC ACCESS AND, AND EDUCATION.
UM, OF COURSE MY DOGS ARE GOING TO START BARKING NOW, UH, WE'VE MANAGED THESE CONSERVATION LANDS TO BENEFIT WATER, WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE.
UM, WE ACTIVELY MANAGE OVER 26,000 ACRES OF THE PLANS DIRECTLY.
WE OWN THINGS SIMPLE AND WE ACTIVELY MANAGE THE LAND.
[00:35:01]
WE HAVE ANOTHER 22,000 ACRES.THEY WHERE THE CITY JUST PURCHASED THE CONSERVATION EASEMENT ON THE PROPERTY AND THIS, UM, REMOVES THE DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS.
WE BASICALLY PURCHASED THE DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS.
AND SO THESE ARE PERMANENT CONSERVATION EASEMENTS WHERE WE HAVE STIPULATIONS THAT PROTECT WATER QUALITY AND PROTECT THE LAND, UM, BUT ALLOW THE, A LANDOWNER TO KEEP MANAGING THE LAND AND RANCHING OR WHATEVER THEY WERE ORIGINALLY DOING ON THE LAND.
SO IT'S A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO PROTECT WATER QUALITY AND PROTECT THOSE LANDS.
UM, BUT ALSO AT THE SAME TIME ALLOW TO, UH, PROTECT THE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THOSE RANCHING ACTIVITIES.
SO THE JUST BRIEFLY, I KNOW WE'RE GETTING TOWARDS THE END OF OUR TIME.
UM, BUT BRIEFLY ABOUT CONEYS CANYON LANDS PRESERVE, UM, WAS ESTABLISHED BACK ALSO IN THE LATE EIGHTIES, EARLY NINETIES TO PROTECT, UM, HABITAT FOR TWO AND DANGEROUS BIRDS AND SIX ENDANGERED CAVE-IN VERTEBRAS.
AND THAT WAS ALSO A LOCAL COMMUNITY INITIATIVE.
OUR LEADERS AT THE TIME, UM, NEEDED A SOLUTION WHERE THEY COULD ALLOW FOR THE PROTECTION, UH, OR PROVIDE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THESE SPECIES, BUT ALSO ALLOW FOR DEVELOPMENT IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND SO IT'S A MITIGATION BANK OF SORTS, IF YOU WILL, WE ESTABLISH THE PRESERVE SYSTEM.
AND AT THE SAME TIME, IT MITIGATES FOR DEVELOPMENT IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
SO TRAVIS COUNTY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN HOLD THAT PERMIT, TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, DOES ALL THE MITIGATION AND PERMITTING FOR DEVELOPMENT.
AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN DOES THE PERMITTING FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.
SO IT'S ALSO BEEN VERY VALUABLE FOR LARGE CITY OF AUSTIN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO MITIGATE THROUGH THIS, FOR INSTANCE, WATER TREATMENT PLANT FOR NOW HANCOCK'S WATER TREATMENT PLANTS THAT IF WE'D HAD TO GO THROUGH THE FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE THAT CAN TAKE, UM, NUMEROUS YEARS TO GET THOSE PERMITS.
AND IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN OUT, UM, TO MOUNT BRUNEL OR BARTON CREEK OR BULL CREEK, THEN YOU'VE BEEN ON A PART OF THE BOCCONI CANYONLANDS PRESERVE.
THERE WERE SOME PARKLANDS THAT WERE ALREADY PARKED AND THEN THEY WERE ALSO COMMITTED TO THE CLINICS, CAME ON, LAND PRESERVE.
AND SO WE CO-MANAGE THEM WITH OUR PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
UM, THE BCP RECENTLY WON AN APA RESTORATION AWARD, AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING REALLY DILIGENTLY TO TRY TO PREPARE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE BY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT METHODS THAT WE MIGHT KEEP WATER ON THE LANDSCAPE AND RESTORE SOME OF THE WOODLANDS.
AND THAT'S WHAT THAT AWARD WAS FOR NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UH, THE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS WERE ALSO ESTABLISHED BACK IN 1988 AND THEY, THOSE LANDS WERE ESTABLISHED WHEN THE CITY REALIZED THAT THEY COULDN'T PROTECT BARTON SPRINGS JUST BY REGULATING THE AREA RIGHT AROUND THE SPRINGS.
UH, THERE WERE SOME HYDRO STUDIES DONE THAT DETERMINED THAT, UH, 30% OF THE RECHARGE WAS COMING FROM ANINE CREEK DOWN IN HAYES COUNTY BY NICO HOWARD.
WHO'S NOW OUR BCP PROGRAM MANAGER.
UM, AND SO, AND OTHER, UH, SCIENTISTS AS WELL.
AND SO WE STARTED THE CITY, STARTED PURCHASING THOSE LANDS AND, AND THAT'S WHY YOU'LL SEE ON THE MAP.
THEY GO ALL THE WAY DOWN INTO HAYES COUNTY.
UM, AGAIN, IT HELPS PROTECT THE WATER QUALITY AND BARTON SPRINGS ALSO PROTECTS GROUNDWATER FOR ABOUT 50,000 RESIDENTS THAT USE THAT GROUNDWATER LARGELY IN HAYES COUNTY.
UM, AND THEN ALSO WOULD JUST GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE PUBLIC OUT AND DO TEACH COMMUNITIES ABOUT VOLUNTEER OR OUR VOLUNTEERS ABOUT LAND STEWARDSHIP.
WE ALSO DO PRESCRIBED BURNING AND OTHER, UH, WILDFIRE MITIGATION ON ALL OF THESE LANDS.
AND THESE LANDS IS PROGRAMS HAVE ALSO WON AWARDS FROM THE SOCIETY OF ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION.
SO THESE LANDS, I KNOW YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH ALL THESE THINGS THAT ARE BENEFITS OF OPEN SPACE.
UM, CARBON SEQUESTRATION IS CERTAINLY ONE THAT APPLIES TO THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
WE HAVE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT DOING WILDFIRE MITIGATION, BIODIVERSITY, CULTURAL HERITAGE, UH, DARK SKIES IN OUR AREA, ALSO FLOOD MITIGATION, AND THEN JUST OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND, UM, RESEARCH.
OUR VOLUNTEER LAND STEWARDS PROGRAM IS ONE OF THE PROGRAMS THAT KIND OF USES AN EXAMPLE OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, STEWARDSHIP THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE IN THE COMMUNITY, UH, IN THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
AND SOME OF THESE, A LOT OF THESE LANDS ARE IN THE WESTERN SIDE OF TRAVIS COUNTY BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THE AQUIFER RECHARGE ZONE IS.
AND IT'S ALSO WHERE THE, UH, ENDANGERED SPECIES OCCUR THAT WE TRY
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TO DO OUR OUTREACH THROUGHOUT, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY AND HAYS COUNTY.UM, WE'RE TRYING TO EXPAND INTO, UM, OTHER, WE TRY TO TRANSLATE SOME OF OUR TALKS.
WE DO SOME, SOME TALKS IN SPANISH AND OTHER TRYING TO DO OTHER LANGUAGES.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO REACH A MORE DIVERSE, UH, AUDIENCE WITH ALL THESE PROGRAMS. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
AND I BELIEVE THAT'S OUR FINAL SLIDE AND THE END OF OUR PRESENTATION.
SO WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS, UM, FOR ANY OF OUR TEAM HERE TODAY, TONIGHT.
AND WE APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TELL YOU, UM, SOME MORE ABOUT OUR AUSTIN WATER PROGRAMS THAT RELATE TO THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
THAT WAS REALLY AN EXCELLENT PRESENTATION, AND I'M SURE WE CAN MAKE THAT AVAILABLE, UM, VIA EMAIL.
AND I'M AFRAID I'M ALSO GOING TO HAVE TO ASK THE COMMISSIONERS TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL, BECAUSE WE DO HAVE ONE MORE PRESENTATION TONIGHT THAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED FOR 7 45.
AND I WANTED TO GIVE THAT, UM, THAT GROUP TIME TO PRESENT, BUT AUSTIN WATER.
SO THAT WAS NUMBER TWO ON OUR AGENDA WAS THE AUSTIN WATER PRESENTATION.
AND NOW IT'S MOVED TO ITEM NUMBER
[3. Resilient Austin – Laura Patino, Chief Resilience Officer (Discussion and/or possible action)]
THREE ON THE AGENDA, WHICH IS THE, UM, RESILIENT AUSTIN PRESENTATION BY LAURA PITINO.WHO'S THE CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YEAH, WE GOT YA.
I'M THE CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE WITH YOU THIS EVENING.
SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHAT RESILIENCE EFFORTS HAD ARE TAKING ON OR TAKING PLACE.
AND BEFORE WE BEGIN, I WANTED TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF.
UM, I HAVE NOW BEEN IN THE ROLE OF CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER FOR ABOUT FOUR MONTHS.
UM, AND BEFORE ARRIVING TO AUSTIN, I WANTED TO SHARE, UM, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW I SERVED AS DEPUTY CHIEF RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WHERE I IMPLEMENTED HOUSTON RESILIENCE STRATEGY AND THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN.
I WAS BORN IN CUDDY, COLUMBIA, BUT I'VE CALLED TEXAS MY HOME FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
AND I'M REALLY THRILLED TO BE HERE IN AUSTIN, EMBARKING ON A JOURNEY WITH YOU ALL, TO FOCUS ON RESILIENCE AND FOCUSING ON ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING TODAY AND FOCUSING ON THE WORK TOWARDS THE OPPORTUNITIES WE HAVE FOR THE FUTURE.
SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND START, UM, WITH THE SLIDES AND AS THEY POP UP, UM, IF WE GO TO THE SECOND SLIDE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN OVERVIEW OF, UH, RESILIENCE OVERALL AND HOW WE START FRAMING, HOW WE START THINKING ABOUT RESILIENCE IN AUSTIN, UM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO DELIVER IN THE LONGTERM AND WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW.
AND FINALLY, WE'LL CONCLUDE WITH SOME NEXT STEPS AND SOME TIME FOR QUESTIONS.
IF WE DO HAVE SOME, UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, THAT'S A PROPERLY TALK ABOUT WHERE WE'RE HEADED IN AUSTIN.
WE MUST COME FIRST TO A CONSENSUS ON A DEFINITION OF RESILIENCE.
AND CURRENTLY WE ALL DEFINE RESILIENCE VERY DIFFERENTLY.
THE CITY'S RESILIENCE NETWORK USES A DEFINITION FOR RESILIENCE OR URBAN RESILIENCE IS A CAPACITY OF INDIVIDUALS, COMMUNITIES, INSTITUTIONS, BUSINESSES, AND SYSTEMS WITHIN THE CITY TO SURVIVE, ADAPT, AND GROW NO MATTER WHAT KINDS OF CHRONIC STRESSES AND ACUTE SHOCKS THEY EXPERIENCE.
BUT IN AUSTIN, WE'VE ALSO USED DEFINITION THROUGH STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS, 2023, WHERE RESILIENCY IS A CAPACITY OF OUR INDIVIDUAL COMMUNITIES, INSTITUTIONS, AND BUSINESSES TO SURVIVE, ADAPT, AND GROW TO DIFFICULT TIMES IN AUSTIN.
SO THE QUESTION IS, WHAT DO WE BOUNCE BACK FROM? WHAT ARE CUTE SHOCKS AND WHAT ARE CHRONIC STRESSES? AND HERE'S A LIST OF EXAMPLE OF THINGS THAT WE MAY EXPERIENCE A SHOCK IS AN ACUTE DISRUPTION LIKE, UM, AND SOME OF THESE DON'T NECESSARILY APPLY TO AUSTIN AND SOME OF THESE DO SO A SHOCK CAN BE EXTREME TEMPERATURES LIKE THE EXTREME HEAT, UH, THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING THIS SUMMER OR EXTREME COLD, LIKE WE
[00:45:01]
EXPERIENCED DURING WINTER STORM URI, BUT THEY COULD ALSO BE, UM, THUNDERSTORMS, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE FAILURE, UH, CIVIL UNREST, UH, TERRORISM AND EVEN WATER QUALITY CHALLENGES.CHRONIC STRESSES ON THE OTHER HAND ARE THE LONG-TERM SYMPTOMS, UM, OR THE CHRONIC CHALLENGES THAT OUR COMMUNITIES FACE.
AND SOME OF THE EXAMPLES ARE CRIME AND VIOLENCE, THE CHANGING DEMOGRAPHIC, FOOD SHORTAGES, UM, ECONOMIC INSECURITY, UM, LACK OF HEALTHCARE, UNEMPLOYMENT HOMELESSNESS.
SO JUST LOOKING AT THIS BROAD LIST OF, OF SHOCKS AND BROAD LIST DISTRESSES, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE ARE ALREADY A LOT OF THESE THAT APPLY TO AUSTIN, APPLY TO US HERE ON OUR DATE DAY.
SO RESILIENCE PROVIDES A SYSTEMS THINKING APPROACH THAT ALLOWS US TO LOOK AT ELEMENTS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER MAJOR INCIDENTS.
AND IT ALLOWS US TO UNDERSTAND HOW DIFFERENT ELEMENTS CONNECT WE CAN THINK ABOUT LONG-TERM PLANNING AND CONTINUITY AND LEVERAGE RESOURCES AROUND THE CITY, ANY OF THE PREVIOUS SHOCKS AND OF THE PREVIOUS STRESSES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT CAN BE CONSIDERED THAT MAIN INCIDENT.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY IS HOW DO WE PREVENT AND PREPARE BEFORE THE INCIDENT? HOW DO WE PROGRAM AND PLAN FOR LONGTERM RECOVERY AND CONTINUITY AND REALLY HOW THESE ALL INTERCONNECT NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO INCIDENTS DO NOT HAPPEN IN SILOS, WHETHER THEY ARE, WHETHER THEY CAN BE A TRIGGERING DISRUPTION OR A LONG-TERM STRESSOR, UH, THEY ALSO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT RESILIENCE, WE MUST STOP ADDRESSING OUR CHALLENGES IN SILOS AND UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATIONS THAT EACH SHOCK AND EACH STRESSOR MAY HAVE ON EACH OTHER.
ON ONE END, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT HEALTH AND WELLBEING, AND ON ANOTHER END WE HAVE THE ECONOMY AND THE SOCIETY, AND IT'S MEANT TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN ENABLE URBAN AREAS TO LIVE PEACEFULLY AND ACTIVE COLLECTIVELY ON ANOTHER BUCKET, WE HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH IS A KEY ELEMENT OF RESILIENCE THAT SERVES, PROTECTS AND CONNECTS ALL OF THE URBAN CITIZENS.
SO THINK ABOUT OUR ROWS, OUR TRAILS, OUR, OUR CREEKS AND OUR HOUSING.
AND FINALLY, ON THE LAST BUCKET, WE HAVE LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND HOW WE BRING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER.
SO TO BUILD RESILIENCE, AS WE THINK ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION, WE MUST USE A MULTI SCALER APPROACH.
AND BY DOING THAT, WE PLACE PEOPLE AT THE CENTER STARTING WITH ACTIONS AND INITIATIVES THAT WE CAN TAKE AS INDIVIDUALS, ACTIONS THAT WE CAN TAKE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND ACTIONS THAT THE CITY CAN TAKE AND ULTIMATELY ACTIONS THAT THE REGION CAN TAKE.
SO AUSTIN'S VISION, AND THIS WAS INCLUDED IN, IMAGINE AUSTIN, UM, HAS BEEN, HAS BEEN SET TO THIS.
THIS IS WHERE WE ASPIRE TO BE, BUT THIS WAS ALSO, UM, A WHILE AGO, RIGHT? 10 YEARS AGO.
SO ARE WE THERE, DO WE NEED TO RETHINK WHAT OUR VISION IS? DO WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT IT AND, AND FRAME IT IN TERMS OF RESILIENCE, DOES THIS VISION STILL STAND AND HOW DO WE ENSURE THAT THIS VISION APPLIES TO ALL OUR REQUESTS THAT WE GO THROUGH AND WE'RE GOING TO NAVIGATE AND EXPLORE IN THIS JOURNEY.
SO LET'S LOOK VERY BRIEFLY AND QUICKLY AT THE HISTORY OF AUSTIN IN 200 YEARS, WE'VE GROWN TO ALMOST A MILLION IN POPULATION.
UM, AND OVER THAT IN THE METRO AREA, WE'VE EXPERIENCED THE MAJOR MILESTONES AND HAVE LED THE WAY, BUT WE HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED SOME RAPID CHANGES AND TOP WITH CLIMATE HAZARDS AND OTHER SHOCKS AND STRESSES, WHICH ARE BECOMING MORE AND MORE COMMON, I THINK, AS WE'RE ABLE TO SEE ON THE GRAPH AND HOW HEAVY THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE GRAPHIC IS IN TERMS OF THE SHOCKS THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING.
UM, IT IS SHOWING US THAT WE MUST TAKE ACTION.
SO WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT NOT EVERYONE IS IMPACTED IN THE SAME WAY.
UM, THE FLOODS THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED, WINTER STORM URI, THE PANDEMIC EXTREME HEAT INFLATION, AND SO FORTH HAVE COMPOUNDING EFFECTS, WHICH IMPACT THE MOST VULNERABLE, MORE SO THAN OTHERS AND IMPACT OF THE DISRUPTIONS,
[00:50:01]
EITHER EXACT EXACERBATED WITHIN THESE COMMUNITIES.SO FOR THAT REASON, WE MUST DEVELOP A FRAMEWORK THAT ALLOWS US TO ALIGN EFFORTS ACROSS ALL DEPARTMENTS, AS WELL AS EXTERNAL PARTNERS AND LEVERAGE RESOURCES TO MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS FOR ALL.
AUSTINITES NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO ALL OF THAT, TO SAY THAT IN 2020 COUNCIL PASSED A TO CREATE THE CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER POSITION AND THE DIRECTIVE WAS TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY, IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS FOR THAT ADVANCED RESILIENCE, FORMALIZED PARTNERSHIPS WITH INTERNAL DEPARTMENTS, EXTERNAL PARTNERS, COMMUNITY, AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR, AND REPLICATE THE PROCESS THAT HAS BEEN DONE IN OVER 100 DIFFERENT CITIES.
SO IN 2020, WE'RE IN 2022, HERE I AM.
WHAT IS A CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER? WHAT DOES A CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER DO IN A NUTSHELL, UH, CRO IS A CONVENER INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY IS A PLANNER, A PROBLEM SOLVER TO BRING A WIDE ARRAY OF STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER, AN IMPLEMENTER, AND ULTIMATELY A CRO LEADS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RESILIENCE STRATEGY AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE RESILIENCE EFFORTS.
BUT RESILIENCE, ISN'T NEW TO AUSTIN.
UH, WE ARE NOT STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
AND SO HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES OF REVOLUTIONS THAT HAVEN'T PASSED OVER THE YEARS, UH, THAT ADDRESS DIFFERENT SHOCKS, DIFFERENT STRESSORS, AND PRIMARILY RELATE TO CLIMATE RESILIENCE.
AND THERE ARE COUNTLESS OF OTHER PROGRAMS UNDERWAY, UH, FOR ECONOMIC RESILIENCE, BUILT INFRASTRUCTURE, CLIMATE RESILIENCE, WATER RESILIENCE, LIKE WE HEARD TODAY THAT ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR AUSTIN AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGY? NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD IN OUR PROCESS, WE NEED TO COME TO A SHARED DEFINITION AND UNDERSTANDING OF RESILIENCE.
AND WHILE WE HAVE STILL NOT YET CONVENED TO CREATE A SHARED DEFINITION, UM, AND WE HAVE NOT YET COME TO A CONSENSUS OF THE SHOCKS AND STRESSES THAT WE FACE AS A CITY OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, WE ARE EMBARKING ON THAT JOURNEY.
WE ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PRE STRATEGY PHASE OF THE RESILIENCE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
WE'VE KICKED OFF THE CHIEF RESILIENCE OFFICER POSITION AND IT'S BORN, IT'S BEEN FOUR MONTHS, LIKE I MENTIONED.
AND, UM, WE'VE HAD STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, WE'VE IDENTIFIED STAKEHOLDERS AND WE'VE, UH, COMPLETED AN UNDERSTANDING OF EXISTING CITY EFFORTS, BUT ALSO, UM, INITIATED THE MAPPING OF RESILIENCE INTERDEPENDENCIES ACROSS ANY DEPARTMENTS.
BUT VERY SOON WE'LL MOVE INTO THE RAPID PHASE, WHICH IS A FIRST PHASE OF THE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.
RAPID STANDS FOR RESILIENT, AUSTIN PLANNING AND INFORMED DESIGN, WHICH WILL CULMINATE IN THE RESILIENCE BLUEPRINT THAT WILL TAKE A FOCUS ON HEAT AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCE AS THE TWO MAIN CHALLENGES WE FACE.
AND THOSE AS A MODEL TO CREATE THE INTERVENTIONS AND THE STRATEGIES THAT WE NEED FOR RESILIENCE WITHIN THAT PROCESS MEANT TO BE A COMMUNITY DRIVEN PROCESS.
WE WILL INCLUDE WORKSHOPS AND ASSESSMENT, AND, UH, IT WILL LEAD US TO CREATE A SHARED VISION AND SHARED STRATEGIES.
WE WILL ALSO BE UTILIZING TOOLS TO EVALUATE, ORGANIZE, INVESTIGATE THE CITY'S CAPACITY TO WITHSTAND THE DIFFERENT DISRUPTIONS AND, UH, WITHIN THE DIFFERENT THEMES.
SO UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT DISRUPTIONS OF THEIR IMPACTS TOWARDS THE ECONOMY AND SOCIETY INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT, LEADERSHIP AND STRATEGY AND HEALTH AND WELLBEING.
ONCE THIS PHASE IS COMPLETED, THE FIRST PHASE, WE WILL MOVE TO THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE, WHICH IS A PHASE TWO.
AND WITHIN THAT PHASE, UH, WE WILL FURTHER REFINE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, IDENTIFY FUNDING AND LAUNCH THE STRATEGY AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STRATEGY.
SO WE JUST WENT OVER WHAT WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING ON AND ACHIEVING OVER THE LONG-TERM, BUT WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW? AND WE CAN SPEND ALL OF OUR TIME PLANNING, BUT THERE ARE EFFORTS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE NOW THAT WE CAN ALSO LEVERAGE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
SO THE FIRST STEP IS TO ESTABLISH GUIDING PRINCIPLES.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND OTHER DISRUPTIONS HIT
[00:55:01]
LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR WORST.WE RECOGNIZED THAT AUSTIN'S INFRASTRUCTURE, PAUL AND POLICIES AND INVESTMENTS HAVE HISTORICALLY AND SYSTEMICALLY NEGLECTED AND HARMED THESE COMMUNITIES.
AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT THESE INJUSTICES AND THE NEED TO WRITE THESE WRONGS AND WE HAVE A NEED TO RIGHT, THESE WRONGS BY CHANGING, UM, ARE THE INSTITUTIONS WITHIN AUSTIN AND CREATING A CULTURE OF EQUITY.
SO WE NEED TO APPLY AN EQUITY LENS.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF EFFORTS THAT HAVE THAT CONSERVE AS A GUIDELINE, UM, AND HAVE INCLUDED, UH, EQUITY GUIDING PRINCIPLES THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM.
UM, THE CITY HAS INCORPORATED THEM WITHIN, UH, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN STEERING COMMITTEE AND THE CLIMATE, THE CREATION OF THE CLIMATE EQUITY, UH, PLAN, UM, CAP METRO'S EQUITABLE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT, UM, GUIDING PRINCIPLES AS WELL.
AND THOSE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OUT OF MANY DIFFERENT, UM, UH, TOOLS THAT WE CAN UTILIZE TO INTEGRATE THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES WITHIN THE RESILIENCE STRATEGY.
THESE, UH, THEMES ARE BEING DISCUSSED, UM, IN THE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE MEETINGS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCE HUBS, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A FEW MINUTES.
UH, BUT THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING JUST FOR ONE PROJECT CAN ALSO, UH, AND ARE ALSO RELEVANT FOR THE OVERALL RESILIENCE PROCESS.
AND SO I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AGAIN, THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A COMMUNITY DRIVEN PROCESS AND THAT PEOPLE ARE AT THE CENTER OF THE RESILIENCE STRATEGY.
ANOTHER ELEMENT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IS THE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS.
AND THIS IS JUST A VERY QUICK AND BRIEF EXAMPLE OF THE VARIOUS PLANS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN PLACE OR ARE IN DEVELOPMENT.
UH, WE HAVE WHAT WE CAN SEE FROM THE SLIDE AND MATCHING OFF AUSTIN, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN WE HEARD ABOUT TODAY ABOUT WATER FORWARD, UH, THE STRATEGIC HOUSING BLUEPRINT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN, FOOD RESILIENCE PLAN, STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS, 23, UM, OUR PARKS OR FUTURE OR LONG RANGE PLAN AND SO FORTH.
UM, SO WE WILL BE CONDUCTING AN EVALUATION TO UNDERSTAND HOW RESILIENCE IS REFLECTED WITHIN EACH OF THESE PLANS AND HOW THEY ALIGN WITH EACH OTHER.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HOW THESE PLANS CAN BE LEVERAGED SO THAT THE GOALS, ACTIONS, AND RESOURCES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED FOR IMPLEMENTATION WITHIN CAN HELP ACHIEVE OUR LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES.
SO ONE, UM, SPECIFIC PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION, UM, AND IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PROGRAMS IN TERMS OF RESILIENCE, BECAUSE THEY DO HIGHLIGHT THE, UM, THE CONCEPT OF RESILIENCE BEING CO-LOCATED WITHIN A STRUCTURE WITHIN AN INDIVIDUAL AND WITH COMMUNITY ARE, IS THE AUSTIN RESILIENCE HAVE NETWORK AND FOLLOWING AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL DIRECTION, THE CITY HAS BEEN WORKING WITH AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT AND TRAVIS COUNTY AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO PILOT SIX DIFFERENT HUBS, UM, IN AUSTIN EASTERN CRESCENT.
AND THE GOAL IS TO INITIATE THE PROGRAM WITH SIX HUBS WITH, UH, WITH PLANS TO BUILD A FUTURE NETWORK OF HUBS ACROSS THE CITY TO SERVE THE GREATER COMMUNITY, BUILDING A COMPREHENSIVE RESILIENCE HUB NETWORK IN AUSTIN REQUIRES EXTENSIVE COORDINATION, IMPLEMENTATION AND EDUCATION ACROSS VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS.
AND SO WHAT IS A RESILIENCE HUB OR A RESILIENCE HUB NETWORK OR RESILIENCE HUB NETWORK IS A SERIES OF COMMUNITY FOCUSED PHYSICAL FACILITIES THAT OFFER DAY-TO-DAY SERVICES AND SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A DISASTER RESILIENCE HUBS ARE INTENDED TO COMPLIMENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND OPERATIONS NOT REPLACE THEM.
SO, SO WHILE SOME HUBS CAN OFFER INFORMATION, ACCESSIBLE BATHROOMS, CELL PHONE CHARGING, OTHERS CAN SHELTER RESIDENTS PROVIDE FOOD AND WATER DURING THE, DURING AN EMERGENCY, AS WELL AS SERVE AS HEATING OR COOLING SHELTERS.
UM, IF NEEDED IN AUSTIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT THREE DIFFERENT MODELS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT AGENCY OWNED SITES AND COMMUNITY OWNED SITES WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROGRAMMING WITHIN EACH, WHETHER THEY ARE AGENCY PROGRAMS, COMMUNITY PROGRAMS, OR A COMBINATION OF BOTH, UM, THE RESULT WOULD BE A COMPREHENSIVE NETWORK TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO COMMUNITIES DURING, BEFORE AND AFTER DISRUPTIONS.
AND CURRENTLY WE'RE IN THE PILOT PHASE, DEVELOPING
[01:00:01]
THE SIX SITES IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT, BUT STARTING THIS FALL, WE WILL BEGIN IDENTIFYING AND DEVELOPING RESOURCES FOR PRIVATELY OWNED SITES TO SERVE AS RESILIENCE HUBS AS WELL.AND I'VE INCLUDED THE LINK TO THE WEBSITE TO FOLLOW THIS PROJECT AND GET MORE INFORMATION, UM, ON, ON EVENTS AS WELL AS THE STATUS OF THE RESILIENCE HUB NETWORK.
UM, AND SO WE'RE ALL LIVING AT THE SUMMER AND TO TACKLE HEAT THUS FAR, UH, WITH THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY.
AND BEFORE I ARRIVED, WE'VE MEASURED, WE'VE ENGAGED AND NOW PLAN, UH, TO DEVELOP PARTNERSHIPS AND PULLING INTERVENTIONS TO ADAPT.
I'VE INCLUDED SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS SLIDE FOR RESOURCES AND SOME DOCUMENTS ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR HEAT IN THE DATA THAT HAS BEEN COLLECTED THE HEAT.
AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THIS IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE RESILIENCE BLUEPRINT BECAUSE HOW WE TACKLE CLIMATE HAZARDS AND HOW WE ADDRESS CLIMATE HAZARDS LIKE HEAT, UM, ALSO SERVE AS A MODEL FOR HOW WE ADDRESS THE CLIMATE HAZARD, LIKE EXTREME COLD, LIKE FLOODING LIKE WILDFIRES AND THE SERVICES THAT THE CITY NEEDS TO PROVIDE DURING THE DISRUPTIONS THAT OUR COMMUNITIES FACE.
SO, UM, I DO WANT TO, UM, THESE ARE THE LAST TWO SLIDES THAT I HAVE.
UM, SO I DO WANT TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, THE CLIMATE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT IN 2014, THE CITY WORKED TO GET CLIMATE PROJECTIONS AND THE CLIMATE PROJECTIONS FOR CENTRAL TEXAS DATE.
IF WE ARE GETTING HOTTER AND RAIN EVENTS ARE GETTING MORE INTENSE.
AND SO TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, PARTICULARLY AS IT RELATES TO THE CITY ASSETS AND OPERATIONS IN 2018, THE CITY PUT FORWARD A CLIMATE RESILIENCE ACTION PLAN.
NOW WE'VE STARTED WORKING TO DEVELOP AN UPDATE TO A SECOND, SECOND VOLUME OF THIS PLAN AND THE LEARNINGS FROM THESE CAN BE EXTRAPOLATED CITYWIDE.
AND SO AS THESE INTERNAL WORKSHOPS MOVE FORWARD TO CONDUCT AN UPDATE OF THE CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, WE'LL ALSO BE ALIGNING WITH OTHER COMMUNITY, UH, RESILIENCE EFFORTS, INCLUDING TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY RESILIENCE EFFORTS TO ENSURE THAT OUR ASSETS, UM, ARE, ARE PREPARED TO AND TO ADAPT.
AND THAT THOSE LEARNINGS ARE SHARED BOTH WITH COMMUNITY AS WELL AS PRIVATE SECTOR.
UM, BUT STATING THAT THE LAST ELEMENT THAT WE'RE WORKING ON THAT IS A CRUCIAL STEP IN RE RESILIENCE BUILDING IS HOW WE PURSUE PARTNERSHIPS AND HOW WE DEVELOP AND STRENGTHEN EXISTING PARTNERSHIPS.
UM, WE ARE ESTABLISHING WORK WITH LOCAL AGENCIES LIKE TRAVIS COUNTY AND AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, NOT ONLY FOR SERVICES AND PROGRAMMING DURING BLUE SKY DAYS, BUT ALSO TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE THE RELATIONSHIPS, UH, ESTABLISHED TO PROVIDE SERVICES DURING DISASTERS.
AND WE CONTINUE TO PARTNER WITH ACADEMIA AND EXPLORING NEW PARTNERSHIPS THAT WILL TAKE AUSTIN TO A REGIONAL NATIONAL AND GLOBAL SCALE.
UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT, UM, WHAT OTHER, UH, WHAT SPECIFICALLY IS THE ROLE OF BUSINESSES WITHIN, UH, WITHIN THE STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, AS WELL AS A STRATEGY, UM, IMPLEMENTATION NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO THE NEXT STEPS, AND WE'VE GONE THROUGH MANY SLIDES TO HIGHLIGHT A NEW AND EVOLVING PROGRAM THAT WE'LL BE TRANSFORMING OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT YEAR.
THE NEXT STEPS ARE TO CONTINUE TO ADVANCE AND EXPEDITE THE DELIVERY OF ONGOING PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE MENTIONED WHILE ALSO SETTING THE BUILDING BLOCKS TO DEVELOP A STRATEGY ABOVE ALL, TAKE THE TIME TO DEVELOP THE PARTNERSHIPS AND IDENTIFY THE TRUE NEEDS OF COMMUNITIES.
AND THEY START WITH CONVERSATIONS LIKE THESE.
UM, I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF WE HAVE TIME, IF NOT, HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS VIA EMAIL, AND MY EMAIL IS LISTED HERE ON THE SLIDE.
AND ACTUALLY, I BELIEVE WE DO HAVE A QUORUM FOR A FEW MORE MINUTES.
UM, ARE THERE ANY COMMISSIONERS
[01:05:01]
OR ANYONE ELSE WITH QUESTIONS? I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A QUESTION.I JUST TO SAY THANK YOU FOR, FOR COMING AND GIVING US THIS PRESENTATION ABOUT ALL THE GOOD WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING AND HAVE PLANS AND YEAH.
LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU.
UM, SO FOR THESE LIKE RESILIENCE HUBS, YOU KNOW, UM, HAVE WE THOUGHT ABOUT MAYBE HAVING LIKE SOME KIND OF MEDICAL FACILITIES THAT WOULD BE LIKE RAN BY THE CITY AS WELL? CAUSE I REMEMBER LIKE MY MOM USED TO WORK AT THE, UH, THE CITY FACILITY IN THE OH FOUR.
I FORGET WHERE IT'S OFF, I THINK, OR WHAT IT'S CALLED IT'S OFF OF FIRST AND, UH, OLD TURF, I THINK.
UM, AND I'D REMEMBERED THAT HAD LIKE A, SOME KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, MEDICAL STAFF THERE.
UH, MAYBE YOU COULD HAVE LIKE A PROGRAM THAT, YOU KNOW, UT AUSTIN'S MEDICAL SCHOOL SPONSORS OR WORKS WITH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW.
I'M JUST KIND OF SPIT BALLING.
UM, I THINK RIGHT NOW WITH THE SIX PILOT PROGRAMS, THE MAIN FOCUS HAS BEEN TO ENSURE THAT THESE LOCATIONS ARE SET UP FOR, UH, FOR DISASTERS, UM, AND ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE SERVICES, UM, WHETHER IT'S INFORMATION, WHETHER IT'S FOOD AND WATER ACCESS AND DISTRIBUTION, UM, WHETHER IT'S THE HEATING AND COOLING CENTER OR WHETHER IT'S A FULL SCALE SHELTER, UM, THAT HAS BEEN THE PRIORITY.
AND THAT REALLY IS WHERE THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCE CONVERSATIONS IS, UH, HAS STARTED NOW.
UM, I'LL SAY THAT THERE'S, THERE'S TWO THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN I'M BUILDING OUT THE PROGRAM AND THE NETWORK.
AND FIRST IS HOW DID THESE, UH, HOW THESE RESILIENCE HUBS ARE GOING, GOING TO TIE INTO THE CITY-WIDE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN, BECAUSE THEY'RE MEANT TO COMPLIMENT THE PLAN AND COMPLIMENT THE SHELTER THAT DO GET ACTIVATED AND COMPLIMENT THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS AT THE HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE ALREADY LEADS.
AND THE SECOND IS WHAT SPECIFICALLY THESE FACILITIES ARE GOING TO DO WHEN THERE IS NO DISASTERS AND IN THE NORMAL DAY TO DAY.
AND, UM, THERE ARE MANY OF THESE LOCATIONS LIKE MULTI-SERVICE CENTERS, LIBRARIES, CHURCHES, UM, AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT ALREADY PROVIDE HALF SERVICES OF CO LOCATED.
SO EXPLORING THE OPPORTUNITY OF HAVING, UH, MEDICAL, UH, SERVICES ON SITE IS SOMETHING THAT WE HOPE TO DISCUSS AS WE MOVE FORWARD IN OUR COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS.
UM, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION AND WHY, WELL FIRST THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THIS INFORMATION UP IN PUBLIC.
AND SO PEOPLE COULD GO FIND AND ACCESS IT, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT ATTENDING TONIGHT'S CALL.
SO THANK YOU FOR, FOR YOU AND ALSO FOR EARLIER SPEAKERS, BUT THE QUESTION IS WHEN'S THE DELIVERABLE, AS FAR AS DOING THE ANALYSIS OF ALL THE VARIOUS REPORTS YOU IMAGINE AUSTIN TO, I SAW MY PARKS, PARKS DEPARTMENTS, THAT LONG RANGE PLAN, UM, AS WELL, AND ALL OF THAT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND WHO'S IT BEING DELIVERED TO? SO WE'RE, UM, EMBARKING ON A JOURNEY.
UM, CURRENTLY, UH, WE'VE EXPLORED THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE SOME FUNDING FROM A PART NONPROFIT PARTNER.
UM, WE'RE ABLE TO DISCLOSE WHETHER THAT PARTNERSHIP IS, UM, MOVING FORWARD IN OCTOBER, WHICH WOULD GIVE US, UM, ONE YEAR TO INITIATE THE, UH, PRELIMINARY RESILIENCE ASSESSMENT AND THE ALIGNMENT OF THE DIFFERENT PLANS.
UM, ULTIMATELY, UM, AFTER THAT ONE YEAR, IT WILL CULMINATE IN THE RESILIENCE BLUEPRINT.
UM, AND SO THAT'S THE TIMELINE THAT WE'RE GOING BY RIGHT NOW, UM, ON THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE FROM, UM, OUR, OUR POTENTIAL PARTNERSHIP.
NOW, WOULD THAT WORK BEING DONE BY YOURSELF OR INTERNAL STAFF, OR WOULD IT BE BRINGING ON A CONSULTANT AT COMBINATION? UM, SO RIGHT NOW I AM AN OFFICE OF ONE.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING TO, TO EXPAND THROUGH, UH, PARTNERSHIPS WITH EXISTING OFFICES, LIKE THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY, UM, AS WELL AS THE OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, UM, WHICH ARE, UH, UH, TWO POSITIONS HAVE BEEN RECLASSIFIED FROM, UM, FYI 22 BUDGET.
UM, AND IN THE APPROVED BUDGET, THERE
[01:10:01]
HAVE BEEN THREE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS WITHINUM, AND THAT IS THE INITIAL TEAM AT SAY, A RESILIENCE THAT IS LOCATED WITHIN DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT OFFICES IN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS.
UM, THIS WORK IS NOT DONE IN SILOS.
AND SO, UM, I'M LOOKING TO CREATE AN INTERNAL STEERING TEAM AND COMMITTEE THAT WILL INCLUDE FOLKS FROM OTHER DEPARTMENTS AS WELL.
AND, UM, IF WE ARE SUCCESSFUL WITH THE FUNDING AND WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD IN OCTOBER AS INTENDED, UM, THEN THAT WILL ALLOW US TO BRING ADDITIONAL PARTNERS FROM THE NONPROFIT SECTOR TO BE ABLE TO ASSIST US IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STRATEGY.
AND WAS THERE ONE MORE QUESTION? I HAD A QUESTION AND I THINK ALBERTA IS, WELL, YEAH, I HAD A QUESTION, BUT THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE TIME FOR IT.
SO LET'S, LET'S START WITH YOU PLEASE.
UM, ONE QUESTION I HAVE IS WILL THERE BE, I'M HOPING THAT THERE WILL BE BUSES THAT ALSO GO OUT DURING TIMES, UM, EVENTS THAT WHERE RESILIENCE EFFORTS ARE NEEDED, WHETHER IT'S EXTREME HEAT OR COLD, THAT MIGHT BE ABLE TO DELIVER A BREAK FOR A TIME WHERE PEOPLE COULD COME ON BOARD TO EITHER WARM UP OR COOL OFF AND CHARGE PHONES, MAYBE GET SOME WATER DELIVERED TO THE DOOR RATHER THAN TRYING TO GET EVERY BODY IN ONE PLACE.
I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S GOING TO BE PART OF THE PICTURE TOO, BECAUSE I THINK THAT COULD BE HELPFUL.
I THINK THAT EVERY INTERVENTION AND EVERY ACTION THAT WE CAN TAKE TO BRING OPTIONS TO FOLKS, UM, SHOULD BE LOOKED AT.
UM, I DO KNOW THAT, WELL, I'LL JUST SAY THAT NEIGHBORHOOD RESILIENCE HUBS ARE, YOU KNOW, A TOOL, ANOTHER TOOL THAT WE HAVE IN OUR TOOLKIT TO BUILD RESILIENCE WITHIN COMMUNITIES, BUT, UH, ARE NOT THE ANSWER TO ALL OF OUR SERVICE NEEDS THAT WE'LL NEED DURING THE DISASTER.
AND THAT BEING SAID, I DO KNOW.
UM, AND I CAN CERTAINLY GET BACK WITH YOU, UH, TO PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION ON THE BUSES THAT HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED ALREADY TO SERVE AS COOLING, UH, UH, UM, BOWLING CENTERS, ESSENTIALLY MOBILE COOLING UNITS.
UM, I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION WITH ME AT THE MOMENT, UH, BUT WE CAN PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE COMMITTEE.
AND ALBERTA, PLEASE ASK YOUR QUESTION AND I'LL BE THE LAST ONE.
SO I HEARD YOU TALK, UM, A FEW TIMES ABOUT SILOS AND NOT OPERATING IN SILOS.
AND THIS IS A CITY THAT OPERATES IN SILOS, UM, BIG TIME.
SO WHAT IS THE STRATEGY ASIDE FROM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO COLLECT PEOPLE INTERNALLY, WE HEARD A NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS TONIGHT FROM VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS.
SOME OF THEM THAT TOUCHED ON RESILIENCY.
UM, WE HAVE OUR OWN, YOU KNOW, WE PLAN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
SO WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE STRATEGY TO, TO BREAK DOWN THE SILOS AND WORK ACROSS, NOT JUST DEPARTMENTS, BUT COMMUNITIES AND, AND, UM, PLATFORMS IN ORDER TO BREAK UP THE SILOS, BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE TEND TO OPERATE HERE IN AUSTIN.
AND, YOU KNOW, VERY SIMILAR TO MY EXPERIENCE IN HOUSTON.
UM, WE TEND TO, UM, GO INTO, UH, THE PROGRAMS INTO THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE EXPERTISE THAT WE FEEL MORE, MOST COMFORTABLE WITH.
UM, SO TO DO THAT, THERE'S MULTIPLE STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE, UH, IMPLEMENTED.
AND THE FIRST STARTS WITH REALLY CREATING THAT SHARED DEFINITION AND COMING TO A CONSENSUS WITH THE OVERALL OBJECTIVES AND WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH WITHIN THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
WE OFTEN FIND THAT WE ARE MORE ALIGNED THAN WE THINK, AND SO THAT THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO LEVERAGE OUR EFFORTS TO, UM, MAXIMIZE THE BENEFITS, UM, AND LEVERAGE YOUR RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO SOLVE FOR MULTIPLE THINGS AT ONCE, UM, TO DO, TO DO THAT.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT HOW WE LOOK AT HOW WE'RE ACHIEVING THOSE GOALS AND HOW WE'RE, HOW WE'RE SETTING THOSE GOALS AND ULTIMATELY HOW WE'RE MEASURING THE ACHIEVEMENT
[01:15:01]
OF THOSE GOALS AND, UM, TRANSPARENCY IN HOW WE'RE MOVING, HOW, HOW WE'RE MEASURING AND HOW WE'RE MOVING FORWARD IS GOING TO BE A CENTRAL IN TERMS OF, UM, UH, BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE, UH, OUR PROGRESS AND BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WHERE WE'RE MISSING THE MARK.UM, I THINK THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT TOOL, A VERY IMPORTANT STEP IN RESILIENCE BUILDING AND BEING ABLE TO SHOWCASE WHERE, UM, THERE'S AREAS THAT, UM, WE NEED IMPROVEMENT AND CELEBRATE THE WINS, UM, AND REALLY FOCUSING ON, UM, THE ALIGNMENT BETWEEN, BETWEEN EACH OTHER, WITH THE DATA AND THE METRICS THAT WILL ALLOW US TO BETTER COMMUNICATE BOTH FROM A CITY STANDPOINT AS WELL, UH, FROM AN INTERNAL CITY STANDPOINT, AS WELL AS FROM A CITY AS A WHOLE.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A SUGGESTION ON MAYBE ONE ADDITIONAL THING.
UM, AND I DON'T HAVE IT TOTALLY FLESHED OUT, BUT THE SILO ISSUE IS A BIG ONE.
UH, AND IF YOU'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT, YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO BE MARGINALLY SUCCESSFUL AT THE OTHER.
UM, SO, UH, PERHAPS DEVELOPING A TOOLKIT, SOMETHING THAT CAN BENCHMARK, UM, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE, YOU KNOW, ACROSS DEPARTMENTS ACROSS SO THAT YOU HAVE SOME, UH, SOME KIND OF TOOL THAT, THAT DOES KEEP TRACK OF IT, SOME KIND OF TOOL THAT YOU CAN USE FOR ACCOUNTABILITY PURPOSES.
AND OF COURSE IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING FROM THE TOP DOWN IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, UM, PEOPLE, UM, EMBRACING IT.
THERE HAS TO BE BUY-IN FROM THE CITY MANAGER, NOT JUST FROM YOUR OFFICE, UM, BUT THERE HAS TO BE BUY-IN FROM ALL DEPARTMENTS.
SO I WOULD RECOMMEND A TOOLKIT.
WE USE THAT IN OUR, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DELIBERATIONS AND HOW WE WERE ABLE TO DEVELOP THE CLIMATE PLAN THAT WE DEVELOPED AND I WOULD, AND, AND IT WAS AN EQUITY AND EQUITY TOOLKIT, AND IT WAS VERY EFFECTIVE.
SO I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU PURSUE SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
WELL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND BOTH PRESENTATIONS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL THE COMMISSIONERS SENT OUT VIA EMAIL FOR YOU TO PERUSE AND FOLLOW UP WITH QUESTIONS.
[4. Commission members report back on any relevant discussions from their respective boards and commissions – (Discussion and/or possible action)]
NUMBER FOUR, WAS THE COMMISSIONER MEMBERS REPORT BACK.ARE WE ALLOWED TO DO THAT WITHOUT A QUORUM SINCE IT'S JUST INFORMATIONAL? OR DO WE WAIT UNTIL NEXT MONTH? CUT OUR CUT OUR EVENING KIND OF EVENING.
I WILL JUST NOTE THAT THE FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AS LISTED ON THE, UM, THE MEETING AGENDA IS JUST ONGOING UPDATES FROM THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND, UH, ONGOING UPDATES ON COMMUNITY AND CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND THEN ZACK.
IN TERMS OF FUTURE ITEMS AS WELL.
UH, WE HAVE NEXT MONTH WE HAVE A HOUSING AND PLANNING DEPARTMENT LINED UP AND AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO GIVE US UPDATES RELATED TO THE TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE SECTION OF THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
SO, SO DEFINITELY DON'T MISS IT.
THAT WILL BE SEPTEMBER THE TWIN CITY, UH, SEPTEMBER THE 28TH, SEPTEMBER 3RD, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH.
UM, AND IT WILL BE HERE IN CITY HALL FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BE IN PERSON AT 6:00 PM.
WELL, I'M GOING TO CALL THE MEETING ADJOURN THEN AT 7 51.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR EVERYBODY WHO ATTENDED Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD ONE.