[00:00:04]
[CALL TO ORDER ]
YOU FOR THE PATIENCE.UH, LET'S SEE GUYS, UH, GETTING THIS MEETING STARTED CALLING IT TO ORDER IT'S APPROXIMATELY WHAT TIME IS IT? UH, 6 0 8 ON A WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 14TH.
COMMISSIONERS, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED, UH, YOUR MEETING PACKET.
THE AGENDA LOOKS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD, AND IF IT BE THE WILL OF THIS COMMISSION, WE CAN JUST STICK WITH THAT AGENDA WAY AS LISTED HERE.
I THINK THERE IS SOME HOUSEKEEPING FUTURE HOUSEKEEPING THAT WILL GO THROUGH AS FAR AS THE AGENDAS CONCERNED AND SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, ITEMS THAT HAVE CHANGED RECENTLY BY, UH, THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE.
BUT WE'LL, UH, WE'LL ADDRESS THOSE LATER.
HAVING SAID THAT, UH, THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE, IS PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE HAS SIGNED UP.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
OF THE AUGUST.I WAS IN ATTENDANCE, BUT I'M NOT LISTED AS IN ATTENDANCE.
CAN WE NOTE THAT PLEASE? THANK YOU.
ANY OTHER NOTES ON THE, UH, MEETING MINUTES OF OC AUGUST 10TH HEARING? NO OTHER THOUGHTS, CONCERNS OR SUGGESTIONS? I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR GIVE THE MOTION TO APPROVE COMMISSIONER GTU.
SO MOSO SECOND MELISSA, UH, COMMISSIONERS HEARING, UH, NO DISCUSSION ON THIS.
UNANIMOUS SIX OH AND FOUR OR FIVE PEOPLE OFF THE DIE.
IS THERE ABSENT? I SHOULD SAY.
AND YOU WILL NOTE THOSE THAT APPROVAL WITH MELISSA'S.
[2. Approval of minutes of the ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING on June 8th, 2022.]
BUSINESS HERE.ITEM TWO IS THE APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 8TH MA UH, MEETING MINUTES.
AND I THINK WE HAD SOME CORRECTIONS ON THAT IS THAT, AND THEY HAVE BEEN MADE.
THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS ON THE JUNE 8TH MEETING MINUTES.
SO MY LAST NAME WAS MISSPELLED IN THE ATTENDANCE.
SO I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THAT
CAN WE NOTE, NOTE THAT NOTE, THAT CORRECTION? THANK YOU GUYS.
WE WILL MAKE THAT EDIT SOME NEW NOTES FOR THAT.
AND AMANDA, THE NEW NOTES THAT YOU HAD REQUESTED ON THAT, HAVE THEY BEEN YES.
IT LOOKS LIKE I WAS JUST REVIEWING THAT AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION NOTES ARE THERE.
UH, AGAIN, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE JUNE MINUTES.
ALBERT'S WONDER MOVES APPROVAL.
DO I HEAR A SECOND MELISSA SECONDS? DO I HEAR ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS HEARING? NO FURTHER DISCUSSION.
WE, WE DO HAVE, I GUESS, SAY THREE DISCUSSION
[3. Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) Budget Review Update – Victoria Rieger]
ACTION ITEMS OF WHICH NUMBER ONE OR NUMBER THREE OF THOSE ITEMS IS THE, UH, ARR BUDGET REVIEW UPDATE.I THINK, UH, STAFF VICTORIA RIGGER SET.
THANK YOU, VICTORIA, WHEN YOU, OKAY.
UH, AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
MY NAME IS VICTORIA RIEGER AND I'M THE FINANCE DIVISION MANAGER FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
[00:05:01]
UH, A SUMMARY OF THE RECENTLY APPROVED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 23.UH, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE, UH, ON THE SCREEN THERE.
AND BEFORE YOU, IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR, WE PRESENTED THE DEPARTMENT'S FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST.
AND IN THE FOLLOWING MONTHS, THE PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 23 WAS DEVELOPED AND SUBMITTED THE CITY'S FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL ON AUGUST 18TH OF THIS YEAR.
SO THE DOCUMENT BEFORE YOU IS A SUMMARY OF THE DEPARTMENT'S APPROVED BUDGET, UH, DIRECTING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE TABLE THAT CONTAINS THE REVENUE REQUIREMENTS OR EXPENSES ARE ENDING BALANCE, TOTAL FTE COUNT AND CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS.
UH, THE APPROXIMATELY 118 MILLION IN APPROVED REVENUE REFLECTS, UH, CHANGES IN OUR RATES, WHICH ARE REFLECTED IN THAT SECOND TABLE THAT YOU SEE THERE FOR FISCAL YEAR 23, WE ARE INCREASING THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE, UM, BY 15 CENTS FOR BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
AND THE SLIGHT INCREASE, UM, IS DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS, UM, FOR HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP ON CITY PARKLAND, THE BASE FEE FOR BOTH CATEGORIES OF CUSTOMERS, UH, RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL IS ALSO INCREASING IN FISCAL YEAR 23 BY 65 CENTS.
AND THIS IS DUE TO DEPARTMENTAL GROWTH CUSTOMER CUSTOMER GROWTH, AND TO FUND COST DRIVERS SUCH AS THOSE LISTED IN THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE SUMMARY THAT YOU SEE THERE.
SO AS NOTED, UH, IN THE TOP TWO PARAGRAPHS, UM, THE DEPARTMENT IS ADDING SEVEN NEW POSITIONS IN FISCAL YEAR 23.
AND THAT TOTAL THAT BRINGS OUR TOTAL FTE COUNT TO 521.
THESE POSITIONS INCLUDE, UH, AN ACCOUNTANT, A ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST, CUSTOMER SERVICE, REPRESENTATIVE CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS, COORDINATOR EQUIPMENT, TECHNICIAN, IT APPLICATION ANALYST, AND A MARKETING REP REPRESENTATIVE CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS.
UH, THAT LAST LINE IN THE, IN THE FIRST TABLE IN FISCAL YEAR 23 IS SLIGHTLY DECREASING BY ABOUT 131,000 FOR A TOTAL OF 14.1 MILLION.
THAT 14, UH, MILLION IS DUE IS, UH, TO FUND OUR FLEET, UH, REPLACEMENTS FOR THE COMING YEAR.
UM, AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SUMMARY, THE CITYWIDE COST DRIVERS AND DEPARTMENTAL COST DRIVERS ARE LISTED AND OUTLINED FOR YOU BY AMOUNT.
THESE AMOUNTS REPRESENT THE INCREMENTAL CHANGE, UH, IN THE BUDGET FOR THAT PARTICULAR LINE ITEM OR LINE ITEMS. UH, THE DEPARTMENT SAVINGS, UM, UNDER DEPARTMENTAL COST DRIVERS ARE VACANCY SAVINGS, UM, IS INCREASING.
AND THAT'S OBVIOUSLY, UH, SAVINGS THAT THE DEPARTMENT GENERATES FROM VACANT POSITIONS.
AND AS YOU ALL, UH, VERY WELL KNOW THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, YOU KNOW, STRUGGLES, UH, FILLING VACANT POSITIONS.
AND, UH, SO WE SAW AN INCREASED AMOUNT IN VACANCY SAVINGS OVER THE COURSE OF THIS PAST YEAR.
UM, AND A LOT OF THAT, UM, MONEY WAS USED TO, TO FUND OVERTIME AND TEMPORARY POSITIONS TO, TO FILL THAT, UM, TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO OPERATE, UH, VACANCY SAVINGS IS INCREASING AND WE EXPECT THE HIRING STRUGGLES TO CONTINUE INTO THE COMING YEAR.
UM, BACK DEBT IS BEGINNING TO NORMALIZE AFTER WE SAW SPIKE, UH, IN, UH, BAD DEBT EXPENSE, UH, DURING THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN, WHICH WAS PRECIPITATED BY THE PANDEMIC.
WE ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE, THE CAPITAL TRANSFER, UM, THAT IS, UH, DECREASING SLIGHTLY AS WELL.
UH, AS DEPARTMENTAL DEBT IS PAID OFF THE REQUIRED AMOUNT THAT WE, UH, NEED TO FUND DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS IS ALSO GOING DOWN.
SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE A DECREASE IN, UH, GEO DEBT SERVICE.
UH, THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS THAT I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER DUE TO THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP ON PARK CITY, PARKLAND, THAT ADDITIONAL INCREMENTAL AMOUNT REQUIRED WAS 900,000.
AND THAT BRINGS THE TOTAL FUNDING FOR HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP ON PARKLAND TO 1.2 MILLION AND LASTLY, UH, FLEET AND FUEL MAINTENANCE.
THAT'S ONE OF OUR BIGGEST COST DRIVERS.
UM, AND YOU'LL SEE THAT AMOUNT AT 3.8 MILLION FOR, UH, FISCAL YEAR 23.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE INCREMENTAL AMOUNTS.
IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS, I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE 'EM AT THIS TIME, OR WE COULD, UH, THAT, THERE'S ANOTHER
[00:10:01]
DOCUMENT THAT I WANTED TO, UM, PRESENT TO YOU ALL TO KIND OF TALK TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE BUDGET TIMELINE FOR THOSE OF, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE, ARE NEW AND JUST KIND OF AS A REFRESHER, UM, TO THE COMMISSION ON WHAT THE, THE CITY'S TIMELINE LOOKS LIKE.UM, NOT SURE IF WE HAD THAT, UM, DOCUMENT UP, BUT, UM, YEAH.
WERE YOU ABLE TO GET THAT DOCUMENT TO THE BUDGET TIMELINE DOCUMENT? THERE WE GO.
SO THIS IS JUST A, KIND OF A QUICK SUMMARY OF WHAT THE, THE FISCAL YEAR BUDGET PLANNING PROCESS LOOKS LIKE.
UM, YOU'LL NOTICE ON THE BOTTOM, THE, THE MONTHS, OCTOBER, UH, THROUGH DECEMBER IS WHEN THE DEPARTMENT STARTS THEIR BUSINESS PLANNING PROCESS.
AND IN FACT, WE JUST HELD A MEETING TODAY TO KIND OF ST KICK OFF THAT PROCESS FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
UH, WE PLAN TO, TO MEET LATER THIS FALL, UM, TO KIND OF STRATEGICALLY PLAN OUT, UM, THE, THE DEPARTMENT'S, UM, HORIZON ISSUES AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN RELATION TO SERVICES, SERVICE OFFERINGS, AND HOW THAT IMPACTS THE BUDGET.
SO THAT PROCESS TAKES PLACE AGAIN IN OCTOBER DECEM, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER TIMEFRAME, UH, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.
UM, OUR, OUR CRUCIAL TIME IS A CRUCIAL TIMEFRAME.
YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THE THINGS LISTED THERE.
UH, THAT'S WHEN WE RE WE RECEIVE DEPARTMENTS RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE BUDGET OFFICE, UM, ON, ON ESSENTIALLY WHAT, WHAT, UH, THE BUDGET'S GONNA LOOK LIKE, UH, FOR THIS COMING FISCAL YEAR.
SO THAT'S, UH, GIVEN TO US THROUGH A BUDGET MANUAL, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT HAS VARIOUS THINGS THAT ARE PRESCRIBED TO US.
UH, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT, THAT, THAT IS, UH, CRITICALLY IMPORTANT DURING THIS TIMEFRAME IS THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, SO THIS YEAR, UH, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 23 BUDGET, THE BUDGET OFFICE ISSUED A MEMO TO, TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
UM, AND I BELIEVE YOU ALL, WOULD'VE RECEIVED THAT IN YOUR, UM, IN YOUR EMAIL, UH, IN YOUR CITY EMAIL, UH, AND THAT THAT'S THE TRIGGER POINT FOR YOU ALL TO START THINKING ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET, UM, AND, UH, ENGAGING WITH THE DEPARTMENT TO SEE IF THERE'S ANYTHING, UM, THAT YOU WANT, UH, TO SUGGEST TO INCLUDE IN THE BUDGET.
UM, THE PROCESS FOR THAT THERE'S A WINDOW OF TIME WHERE THE BUDGET OFFICE WILL ACCEPT THOSE KINDS OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE GONE OUT TO IT'S AN ONLINE PORTAL WHERE YOU'RE ABLE TO, AS A COMMISSION, ASSIGN SOMEONE TO ENTER THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THOSE ARE THEN RELATED TO THE DEPARTMENT IN THE MARCH AND APRIL TIMEFRAME, OR ACTUALLY IN THE MAIN END JULY TIMEFRAME, ONCE THE BUDGET OFFICE HAS TIME TO KIND OF VET THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND, UH, UM, REACH OUT TO DEPARTMENTS TO SEE IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT IS FEASIBLE WITHIN THE BUDGET.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S ANYTHING FOR YOU ALL TO REMEMBER, IT'S THE JANUARY, FEBRUARY TIMEFRAME WHEN YOU, UH, TO BE ON THE LOOKOUT, UH, FOR, UH, ENGAGEMENT FROM THE BUDGET OFFICE ON RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE COMING FISCAL YEAR.
UM, THEN WE MOVE INTO THE SPRING AND THAT'S WHEN OUR FORECAST, UH, FIVE YEAR FINANCIAL FORECAST IS, IS PREPARED, SUBMITTED TO THE BUDGET OFFICE.
UM, THIS IS ALSO, UH, THE TIME WHEN THE CITY PRESENTS THE FIVE YEAR FORECAST TO, TO, TO COUNCIL.
AND THAT REALLY KIND OF FORMS THE BASIS FOR, FOR THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT IN THE FOLLOWING MONTHS, WHICH IS MAY, JUNE AND JULY, WHERE WE KIND OF, UM, TURN THE FINANCIAL FORECAST INTO, INTO FOCUS ON THE, THE COMING FISCAL YEAR AND OUR PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, IS SUBMITTED TO THE BUDGET OFFICE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, WARDS AND COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPEFULLY, UM, UM, I GUESS INCORPORATED INTO THE BUDGET, YOU KNOW, WHEN POSSIBLE.
UM, THEN THE POST BUDGET OBVIOUSLY IS PRESENTED TO COUNCIL, UH, AND, AND THE FUND BEGINS, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S WHEN THE, THE COUNCIL, UM, YOU KNOW, ENGAGES WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE HEAVILY TO GO OVER DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTAL BUDGETS, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, TOPICS VARY.
UM, THIS YEAR WE HAD SOME QUESTIONS FROM, UH, FROM COUNCIL RELATED TO, UH, CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE AND, AND, UH, HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS AND, UH, TRASH COLLECTIONS.
SO WE DO OUR BEST TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS, AND THEY HAVE AN ONLINE, UH, BUDGET, UH, COUNCIL BUDGET QUESTIONS, WHICH IS, UM, RESPONSES SUBMITTED FROM THE DEPARTMENTS TO ANSWER THOSE BUDGET QUESTIONS.
AND THAT'S A REALLY HELPFUL, UH, TOOL IF YOU'RE EVER INTERESTED IN, UH, SEEING WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE BUDGET AND WHAT KINDS OF
[00:15:01]
QUESTIONS COUNCIL IS ASKING OF US, UH, AND THEN AUGUST, UH, WHICH WE JUST PASSED, OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, UM, UH, THE DATE OR THE MONTH THAT, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL HAS TO APPROVE THE BUDGET.AND, UH, THEY'VE DONE SO, UH, AUGUST 18TH OF THIS YEAR.
AND SO HERE WE ARE, UM, JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU AGAIN, A, AN OVERVIEW OF THE BUDGET TIMELINE, UH, AND, AND, UH, JUST SO YOU'RE AWARE OF WHEN WE ARE ABLE TO KIND OF TAKE YOUR FEEDBACK.
I KNOW THAT THIS COMMISSION HAS, HAS SOME, UH, SOME GOOD FEEDBACK, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, JANUARY THROUGH FEBRUARY IS KIND OF WHEN WE, UH, ARE ALL OPEN TO, UM, TO, UM, MAKING THOSE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO IF YOU WANNA SWITCH BACK TO THE BUDGET SUMMARY, WE'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE.
UM, HOW ARE YOU DETERMINING THE AMOUNT OF INCREMENTAL MONEY YOU NEED FOR THE HOMELESS CAMP CLEANUPS? IT STILL SEEMS LIKE THAT'S KIND OF GROWING AND THERE SEEMS TO BE A LOT OF TRASH IN THOSE AREAS.
ARE YOU, IS THAT ENOUGH MONEY, UM, TO FIX HELP WITH THAT PROBLEM? WELL, SO THAT THE NUMBER SPECIFICALLY, UM, WAS DERIVED IN COLLABORATION WITH THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
UM, THEY HAVE OBVIOUSLY CURRENT PURVIEW OVER HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP, AND SO THEY KIND OF DICTATED TO US WHAT THEY FELT THEY NEEDED.
UM, ALL THAT CAN KIND OF SPEAK TO THAT IF HE WISHES TO THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER DIRECTOR, KEN SNIPES.
SO AS VICTORIA SAID OR STATED, UM, IT'S A, IT IS A DEVELOPING PROCESS.
WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW IS SUPPORTING PART DEPARTMENT WITH SOME OF THE CLEANUPS, UH, THROUGH THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE.
UM, AND SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS AS WE GO OUT AND PERFORM THE CLEANUPS, WE'RE ASSESSING THE BUDGET, UH, AS YOU KNOW, THAT THIS IS A, YOU KNOW, A VERY FLUID BODY OF WORK, UH, WE'RE GROWING, UH, AND WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE'RE MINDFUL OF WHERE WE'RE SPENDING THE MONEY, WHAT THE COSTS ARE, UM, UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE BREAKDOWNS ARE FOR DISPOSAL, UH, STAFF TIME, UH, THE ACTUAL TIME EQUIPMENT TIME THAT WE'RE USING IN THOSE AREAS.
SO, UM, RIGHT NOW IT DOES APPEAR THAT FOR THE ASK IT'S MEETING THE NEEDS, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THAT WOULD BE THE CASE GOING FORWARD.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ELSE, MELISSA? GOOD.
HEATHER, I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UH, I'M NEW, SO I'M PROBABLY GONNA HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
UM, SO IN TERMS OF THE BUDGET, I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE STRUGGLES OF FILLING THE POSITIONS, ESPECIALLY DURING THE PANDEMIC.
SO I GUESS MY, MY FIRST QUESTION IS, IS THAT ALL POSITIONS ACROSS THE BOARD OR WAS THAT PRIMARILY POSITIONS THAT WERE NOT IN THE OFFICE? SO THE STRUGGLE WITH HIRING IS PRIMARILY FOR, UH, CDL DRIVERS.
MM-HMM
I THINK IT'S ALSO A SIMILAR STRUGGLE FOR, YOU KNOW, DEPARTMENTS THAT UTILIZE DRIVERS.
SO THEN YOU GUYS DON'T ANTICIPATE IT TO BE DIFFICULT TO FILL THE SEVEN NEW POSITIONS.
THO THOSE 70 POSITIONS ARE PRIMARILY IN SUPPORT SERVICES.
SO WE DON'T EXPECT TO HAVE A, A DIFFICULT TIME FILLING THOSE.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS YOU MAY KNOW, THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, HIRING IS, IS DIFFICULT ACROSS THE BOARD.
UM, THE JOB MARKET IS, IS PRETTY TIGHT RIGHT NOW.
SO YEAH, KEN LOOKS LIKE HE WANTS TO TALK
UM, I WOULD SAY THAT, UH, ACROSS THE BOARD HIRING IS DIFFICULT IN EVERY SECTOR.
UM, AND SO, UM, WHILE VICTORIA'S RIGHT, THE PRIMARY NEED RIGHT NOW IS, UH, IN OUR OPERATOR SERIES, WE ARE SEEING ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE, SOME DIFFICULTIES HIRING PEOPLE.
UM, WE, WE ARE SEEING SOME LEVEL OF TURNOVER.
UH, SO, UM, WE'RE STILL WORKING TO, TO, TO HIRE AS MANY AS WE CAN AND GET AS MANY PEOPLE THROUGH THE DOOR.
WE HOPE ON THE, UH, OPERATOR SIDE THAT THE RECENT, UH, BUMP IN PAY, UH, THE MINIMUM WAGE RAISED TO $20 AN HOUR, WE'LL HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT, UH, IT STILL EARLY IN, IN THAT PROCESS.
SO WE DON'T KNOW YET WHAT THE, UH, WHAT THE, UM, IMPACT WILL BE, BUT WE'RE PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THAT AS WELL.
SO DO YOU, HAVE YOU GOTTEN ANY FEEDBACK IN TERMS OF THE TURNOVER THAT YOU'RE EXPERIENCING IN THE SUPPORT SERVICES? UM, WELL, IT'S, IT'S NOT, AS, IT'S NOT AS IMPACTFUL AS WHAT WE'VE SEEN ON THE OPERATIONS SIDE.
UM, I WOULD SAY, AND WE, WE JUST RECENTLY LOST OUR GRAPHICS, UH, DESIGNER, RIGHT? SO, UM, BUT I'M ALSO HEARING THAT OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE HAVING, UH, TROUBLE IN THAT SAME TYPE OF SPACE.
SO, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, WHAT THE DIFFICULTY WILL BE GOING FORWARD, WE'RE GONNA ADVERTISE THE POSITION AND SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET SOMEONE HOPEFULLY NOT LONG.
UM, BUT OTHER DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY ARE SEEING SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES.
MM-HMM,
[00:20:01]
OF THE, UH, TECHNICAL, UH, UH, POSITIONS.SO THEN I, UH, DIFFERENT QUESTION ALTOGETHER THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE BUDGET.
UM, I KNOW THAT I HAD READ THAT YOU GUYS WERE GONNA BE ASKING COUNCIL FOR, UM, MORE BUDGET TO FURTHER THE MULTIFAMILY CART CONVERSION EXPANSION, BUT I DIDN'T SEE WHETHER OR NOT LIKE, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT IS THAT INCLUDED IN THIS BUDGET.
OH, AND THE UPCOMING UPCOMING BUDGET BOARD, IF YOU COULD BRING ME YOUR MICROPHONES TOWARDS YOU, IF YOU COULD BRING YOUR MICROPHONES TOWARDS YOU.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DUMPSTERS TO CARDS, RIGHT? MULTI-FAMILY MM-HMM
WE'RE WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING, OH, SORRY.
BRENT PAGE FINANCIAL MANAGER, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON OUR PLAN TO, UM, MOVE THOSE MULTIFAMILY OVER TO DUMPSTERS.
UM, WE HAVEN'T QUITE FULLY FLUSHED OUT THAT PLAN YET.
WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THE PILOT.
SO I, I THINK WE HAD, UH, MONEY IN THE BUDGET ORIGINALLY FOR A PILOT FOR A STUDY, BUT NOT FOR THE FULL CONVERSION.
SO, UH, THAT'S YET TO COME AND THAT'S GONNA BE A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT PROCESS.
I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT IT AT A COUPLE OTHER MEETINGS, UH, ASSESSING FOR EXAMPLE, UM, WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN A GIVEN NEIGHBORHOOD TO HAVE CARTS ON THE STREET WHERE THERE ARE LIMITED PARKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE.
UH, DO WE TAKE PARK AND SPACES FROM THE, UH, FACILITY ITSELF, THE APARTMENT COMPLEX, UH, WHICH FURTHER EXACERBATES THE ISSUE? UM, WE, WE, UH, WE KIND OF LOOKED AT EARLY ON, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, IF IN, IN A FOUR POD, UH, APARTMENT COMPLEX, UH, IF YOU OFFERED ALL OF THE SERVICES, UH, YOU COULD HAVE, UH, 12 CARTS JUST FOR ONE POD.
RIGHT? I THINK WE DID SOME EARLY NUMBERS ON THAT.
AND WE, WE HAD A COUPLE OF INSTANCES WHERE YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD UPWARDS OF 60 CARTS IN ONE STRETCH ON A STREET.
AND SO, UM, THAT'S GONNA TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO WORK THROUGH, UM, IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORKING WITH THE APARTMENT, THE FOLKS THAT LIVE IN THOSE FACILITIES, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO TRY TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE RUN INTO SOME DIFFICULTIES BECAUSE A LOT OF THOSE UNITS ARE OWNED BY DIFFERENT OWNERS.
UH, AND SO, UH, THAT'S POSED A, UH, A DIFFICULT PROBLEM JUST IN TERMS OF NOT BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH ONE APARTMENT MANAGER OR A COMPANY.
UH, AND SO THERE'S SOME, SOME THINGS ON, IN THAT SPACE THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH.
I'M GONNA FOLLOW BACK UP WITH THAT LATER.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MELISSA? HI.
SO I WAS WONDERING IF FOR THE FLEETS FOR INVESTING IN HAVING LEAD OF THE EV IS REPLACING EVS, IS THAT STILL ON THE TABLE, NOT REPLACING THE ENTIRE FLEET AT THIS POINT? UM, RICH'S GONNA BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT LATER TONIGHT, DIRECTOR MICHAELLE IS GONNA BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TRANSFER STATIONS, WHICH IS GONNA BE CRITICAL TO BEING ABLE TO MOVE OUR FLEET TOWARDS A MORE HOLISTIC, UM, EV UM, UM, PHASE IN, UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT SPECIFIC PIECES OF EQUIPMENT AND WE CAN COME BACK AND TALK ABOUT THOSE, UH, LATER.
UM, BUT, UM, TO, UM, TO REALLY MAKE THAT HAPPEN, WE NEED A TRANSFER STATION INSIDE OF THE CITY.
THE, THE LAST THING I WANT TO, IF I COULD JUST RE AS A REMINDER, JUST TALK A BIT ABOUT THE TIMELINE AND THE PURPOSE OF BRINGING THAT FORWARD IS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE BUDGET.
UM, I KNOW IN THE PAST THAT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING WHEN WE BRING THE BUDGET UPDATE, UH, THAT THE, THERE WAS A LITTLE CONFUSION ABOUT WHAT COULD HAPPEN WHEN, SO WE JUST WANTED TO LAY THAT OUT SO THAT THE COMMISSION UNDERSTANDS THAT THAT JANUARY, FEBRUARY TIMEFRAME, AS CORRECT VICTORIA HAS, UH, MADE YOU AWARE OF IS THE TIMEFRAME TO REALLY CHECK IN, UH, TO, UH, SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING AND TO, TO, TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT BUDGET UPDATE PROCESS.
SO BASICALLY THE, UH, JANUARY, FEBRUARY TIME PERIOD WOULD BE THE, UH, WONDERFUL OPPORTUNE TIME FOR US TO DISCUSS BUDGETING, BUDGETS AND, UH, FUTURE PROGRAM, UH, IMPLEMENTATIONS AND OR OKAY.
CAUSE AFTER THAT'S TOO LATE, RIGHT.
SO JANUARY, FEBRUARY IS THE WINDOW.
SO FAST FORWARD TO THE TRANSFER STATION HERE.
I MEAN, I'M, I'M LOOKING HERE AT THE, UH, CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS.
I'M GUESSING THAT'S GONNA PALE IN A, IN COMPARISON TO IMPLEMENTING A TRANSFER STATION, HAVING TO BUY THE DIRT AND, AND THEN SET IT UP AND ET CETERA.
BUT, UH, HAVING SAID THAT, WOULD THAT STILL FALL UNDER THE CAPITAL APPROPRIATIONS CATEGORY, THE TRANSFER STATION, THE PURCHASE OF THE, UH, DIRT, THE PURCHASE OF
[00:25:01]
THE, OR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BUILDING, IT WOULD, IT WOULD, YES.SO PURCHASING THE PROPERTY WOULD FALL UNDER MM-HMM
RICHARD I'LL BUG YOU AFTER YOUR PRESENTATION ON JUST PROPOSED, UH, COST, BUT THAT, THAT IS ABSOLUTELY VITAL.
THIS COMPONENT, THE TRANSFER STATION AND GETTING, GETTING THIS.
YEAH, I GUESS GETTING ALL OF US UP TO A MORE, UH, EFFICIENT COST, EFFECTIVE, UH, MANNER BASICALLY, BUT, UH, NONETHELESS, UH, COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS HERE? AND KEN, AS YOU STATED, THE, UH, THE NEW BUDGET DOES INCLUDE THAT $20 PER HOUR INCREASE, CORRECT? IT DOES.
AND DOES THAT, DOES THAT, UH, ADDRESS NEXT YEAR'S AND WAS THERE A GRADUAL INCREASE IN THAT HOURLY WAGE IT'S BEING TALKED ABOUT NOTHING'S BEEN SPECIFICALLY PROPOSED YET.
AND SO, UH, AS PART OF OUR BUDGET BUILDING PROCESS, WE WILL HAVE CONVERSATIONS INTERNALLY TO TRY TO BE PREPARED FOR ANY OTHER ADDITIONAL INCREASES AS WELL.
AND THE REASON I ASK IS I I'M GUARANTEE THAT THAT IS STILL A VERY CHALLENGING RATE WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE PRIVATE GUYS AND WHAT THEY'RE STARTING, THEIR DRIVERS AND THEIR FLEET FOLKS AT.
I MEAN, YOU'RE LOOKING AT 25 TO $28 AN HOUR, SO IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFICULT FOR US TO GO OUT AND, AND, AND RECRUIT.
ANYWAY, THANK YOU, KEN, ANY OTHER COM ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS.
[4. Transfer Station Presentation and Update – Richard McHale]
UH, NEXT ORDER BUSINESS IS THE, UH, WHAT IS THAT DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM FOUR, WHICH IS THE TRANSFER STATION PRESENTATION.I THINK RICHARD GOT TO GO TO SOME FUN PLACES.
GOOD MORNING, DEPUTY DIRECTOR.
UH, EVENING COMMISSIONERS, I'M RICHARD MACHA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
AND I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE YOU ALL A BRIEFING, UH, ABOUT SOME TRANSFER STATIONS.
UH, WE, AS A DEPARTMENT SENT SOME FOLKS OUT TO, UH, WASHINGTON STATE IN CALIFORNIA, UM, THAT WOULD INCLUDE MYSELF, UH, DONNA HARDY, ONE OF OUR, UH, DIVISION MANAGER OVER FACILITY, UH, DIVERSION FACILITIES AND, UH, BRENT PAGE, OUR FINANCIAL MANAGER, UM, PURPOSE OF THE TRIP WAS TO GO OUT AND, UH, BASICALLY EXPLORATORY TYPE, UH, UH, TRIP TO CHECK OUT SOME FACILITIES, SOME, UH, SOME VERY WELL RUN FACILITIES, FACILITIES THAT, UH, HAD SOME CHALLENGING, UH, ISSUES AND THEN, AND DEVELOPMENT.
UM, AND, UH, SO WE WENT OUT THERE AND, UH, WE'D LIKE TO JUST REPORT BACK ON, UH, KIND OF WHAT WE FOUND AND, UH, GIVE Y'ALL A BIT OF A BRIEFING.
UM, JUST BASICALLY, I DON'T KNOW, EVERYONE'S, UH, LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING OF, OF DIFFERENT SOLID WASTE, UH, TYPE OF FACILITIES, BUT, UH, LL START OFF AT A BASIC LEVEL TRANSFER STATION IS BASICALLY WHERE A, A TRUCK GOES TO UNLOAD ITS ITS CARGO TO BE PUT ONTO ANOTHER TRUCK, OR EVEN IT COULD EVEN BE RAIL.
IT COULD BE A BARGE, UH, BUT BASICALLY JUST TRANSFERRING THAT MATERIAL TO ANOTHER VEHICLE JUST TO, TO A MORE COST EFFICIENT WAY TO OPERATE A SYSTEM.
UM, YOU NOT HAVING TO DRIVE ALL THOSE TRUCKS DIRECTLY TO THE DISPOSAL SITE, WHETHER THAT BE A, YOU KNOW, A, A LANDFILL OR AN INCINERATOR, WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE IN THAT SYSTEM.
SO, UM, PUBLIC, UH, THERE'S DIFFERENT TYPES OF FACILITIES TRANSFER STATION.
SOME ARE PUBLICLY OWNED AND PUBLIC OPERATED.
SOME ARE PUBLICLY OWNED AND PRIVATELY OPERATED AND, AND, AND SOME ARE JUST PRIVATELY OWNED AND, AND OPERATED SO DIFFERENT, UH, DIFFERENT WAYS THAT THEY CAN BE SET UP.
UM, THE, ALL THE ONES THAT WE TOURED, WHICH I WILL GET INTO IN A LITTLE BIT, UH, WERE ALL, UH, PUBLICLY OWNED AND PUBLICLY OPERATED FACILITIES.
I'M GONNA MENTION A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE BENEFITS, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WITH ALL THAT WEAR AND TEAR ON OUR TRUCKS, UM, IF WE CAN REDUCE THE MILEAGE THAT THEY'RE HAVING TO DRIVE, UM, WE'D LIKE TO DO THAT.
UM, MAINTENANCE COSTS WILL GO DOWN, UM, WHEN WE DO MAINTENANCE ON VEHICLES, WE, THAT IS DONE BY MILEAGE.
SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO PUT LESS MILES ON THOSE VEHICLES, WE'RE ABLE TO SAVE THERE.
I CURRENTLY WE PAY ABOUT, UH, $4,000 PER YEAR FOR AN AUTOMATED TRUCK JUST TO, FOR OUR FLEET DEPARTMENT FOR, FOR JUST, THAT'S JUST FOR REGULAR, UH, MAINTENANCE SERVICE.
SO OIL CHANGES, UH, THINGS LIKE THAT INSPECTIONS.
SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO DELAY THE FREQUENCY THAT THOSE VEHICLES HAVE TO GO INTO THE SHOP,
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WE'RE ABLE TO SAVE SOME MONEY ON, ON THAT SIDE, OBVIOUSLY LESS TRUCKS ON THE ROAD'S GONNA MEAN LESS FUEL REDUCTION IN CARBON FOOTPRINT.IT'LL GET US A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE AUSTIN, UH, CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
UM, WE WANT THE GUYS TO BE THE GUYS IN GALS TO BE COLLECTING IN THE, IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND NOT HAVING TO SPEND A LOT OF WINDSHIELD TIME DRIVING BACK AND FORTH TO THE, TO THE, TO THE LANDFILL.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, A LOT OF BENEFITS, UH, THAT WE SEE MOVING THIS WAY.
UM, DIRECTOR SNIPES TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND, YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES, IT'S, IT'S LESS EFFICIENT WHEN THEY'RE ON THE HIGHWAYS.
THEY GET THEIR GATHER THEIR EFFICIENCIES IN STOP AND GO ENVIRONMENTS IN, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO, UM, WE WOULD DEFINITELY BE ABLE TO EXPEDITE OUR TRANSITION FROM OUR CURRENT FUELS THAT WE USE TO MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES IF WE DID HAVE A, A TRANSFER STATION IN OUR SYSTEM.
SO THAT IS ANOTHER BENEFIT TO HAVING THAT.
UM, CURRENTLY, YOU KNOW, WITH AUSTIN TRAFFIC, THE WAY IT IS, ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN, UH, BETTER OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE FOLKS GET BACK ON THE ROADS AND TRAFFIC LEVELS GET TO, UH, PRE PANDEMIC LEVELS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO UTILIZE TOLL ROADS, UH, AND THAT'S A COST TO THE CITY.
SO, UH, LAST YEAR WE SPENT ABOUT OVER $200,000 OF SOME TOLL FEES, UH, HAVING TO GET TO WHERE WE GO TO AVOID TRAFFIC.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE TRADE OFF IS IF WE DON'T TAKE THE TOLL ROADS AND WE'RE SITTING IN TRAFFIC AND, AND WE'RE USING UP FUEL AND WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, LABOR COST, UH, INCREASE.
UM, SO IF WE'RE ABLE TO PUT LESS TRUCKS ON THE ROAD, UM, WE OBVIOUSLY BE ABLE TO REDUCE THAT COST AS WELL.
SO, YEAH, WEAR AND TEAR ON THE ROADS, OBVIOUSLY AGAIN, ANOTHER BENEFIT TO, TO HAVING LESS, UH, VEHICLES THERE ALSO WITH A TRANSFER STATION, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY WHEN MATERIAL IS DUMPED TO ACTUALLY KIND OF SCREEN THROUGH IT AND SEE IF THERE ARE MATERIALS THAT CAN BE PULLED OUT AND DIVERTED, UH, TO BE PUT IN A RECYCLING, UH, SYSTEM.
UH, WE CAN PULL OUT ANY TYPE OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS THAT MAY BE IN THEIR PAINT.
LET THE MINE BATTERIES HAVE COST, UH, CONSIDERABLE AMOUNTS OF MONEY HAVE COST, UH, MERF OPERATORS, CONSIDERABLE AMOUNTS OF MONEY.
UH, SOME MERF OPERATORS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY FINDING INSURANCE, UH, TO, FOR COVERAGE FOR THEIR FACILITIES BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT BATTERIES ARE CAUSING.
AND IT'S, IT'S REALLY A THREAT TO, UH, THE RECYCLING PROGRAMS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES WHERE THOSE FOLKS ARE UNABLE TO ARE AT LEAST CHALLENGED TO, TO GET INSURANCE.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANNA PUT OUR MER OPERATORS IN THAT POSITION CUZ WE RELY ON THEM FOR, FOR OUR SYSTEM TO WORK.
SO IT IS DEFINITELY IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO KEEP THOSE BATTERIES AND STUFF OUT.
SO ANOTHER WAY THAT WE CAN DO THAT IS, IS, UM, IF WE'RE ABLE TO SEE THAT MATERIAL WHEN IT'S DUMPED.
UM, SO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, CONTEXT ABOUT TRANSFER STATIONS.
TEXAS HAS OVER A HUNDRED, UH, NOT ALL OF THEM DEAL WITH TRASH, SOME DEAL WITH MEDICAL WAY, SOME DEAL WITH JUST CONSTRUCTION, DEMOLITION WASTE, BUT IN GENERAL, THERE'S ABOUT A HUNDRED, UH, TRANSFER STATIONS.
NOW THE DATA I'M GIVING YOU IS A LITTLE OLD IT'S 2020 DATA ONLY CUZ TCQ PUTS THAT AN ANNUAL REPORT OF THEIR MSW FACILITIES.
AND THAT REPORT ACTUALLY COMES OUT ACTUALLY IT'LL BE ANY DAY NOW I THINK.
UM, BUT IT'S ALWAYS A COUPLE YEARS BEHIND.
SO THE REPORT THAT'LL COME OUT HERE IN THE NEXT PROBABLY WEEK OR SO WILL ACTUALLY BE 20, 21 DATA.
SO THE DATA ON THAT, THAT I HAVE HERE IS FOR 2020, UM, THE CAPCO REGION.
AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW, CAP COG IS A CAPILLARY PLANNING COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS.
THAT IS A, UH, KIND OF A STATE DESIGNATED PLANNING AGENCY.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A 10 COUNTY REGION AROUND, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, AND UH, THE GROUP, UH, BASICALLY WILL DO A REGIONAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE AREA.
SO THEY, THEY ARE, ARE INVOLVED IN, UH, SOLID WASTE ISSUES.
UM, THEY DO CONFORMANCE REVIEWS, THEY DO A LOT OF OTHER THINGS AND, AND UH, JS THINKING POSSIBLY MAYBE WE HAVE, CAN COME ONE DAY AND JUST KIND OF GIVE A LITTLE PRESENTATION ABOUT CAPCO AND WHAT, UH, WHAT SERVICE THEY DO FOR THE, FOR THE COMMISSIONERS AND OTHERS THAT MAY NOT KNOW, UM, THAT MUCH ABOUT IT.
SO, UM, HAVING SAID THAT WE HAVE ABOUT, THERE ARE SIX, UM, ACTIVE TRANSFER STATIONS IN THIS 10 COUNTY REGION AND I HAVE THREE PENDING FACILITIES, I BELIEVE.
UM, THERE'S THREE FACILITIES THAT I BELIEVE THEY RECEIVED A, EITHER A PERMIT OR REGISTRATION, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY OPERATING.
UM, AUSTIN IS THE LARGEST US CITY THAT DOESN'T UTILIZE A, A TRANSFER STATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, SOME CITIES, UH, YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO, THEY UTILIZE A TRANSFER STATION.
THEY ALSO DIRECT HAUL TO A LANDFILL.
UH, CITY OF HOUSTON HAS, UH, THREE TRANSFER STATIONS THAT THEY UTILIZE.
THEY'RE ABOUT TO BUILD A FOURTH, UH, IN THE NORTHEAST PART OF THE CITY, UH, CITY OF DALLAS, AGAIN, ANOTHER CITY THAT UTILIZES TRANSFER STATIONS.
SO WE, WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST WE REALLY HADN'T HAD TO TRAFFIC.
WASN'T ALL TERRIBLY BAD, BUT NOW AS THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE, THE
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NEED IS REALLY GROWING FOR US TO, TO KIND OF MOVE INTO THAT, UH, AREA.SO AGAIN, IT WAS REALLY JUST TO UNDERSTAND AND PLAN THE, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW WE WOULD GO ABOUT WHAT A TRANSFER STATION LOOKED AT, THE FINANCIAL ISSUES, UH, OPERATIONAL ASPECTS.
WE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT THE PUBLIC, UH, ENGAGEMENT AND HOW THEY ROLLED THESE PROGRAMS OUT.
ARE THESE FACILITIES OUT TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS? SO WE WENT TO FIVE FACILITIES, UH, TWO WERE IN SEATTLE, TWO WERE, WELL, TWO WERE IN THE, OR SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITY FACILITIES.
TWO WERE KING COUNTY FACILITIES, UM, VERY CLOSE, UH, IN THERE TO SEATTLE AND THEN ONE WAS IN LA COUNTY AT PUNTE HILLS.
UM, SO KIND OF WHAT WE, AS WE, WE KIND OF LISTENED TO FOLKS TALK, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF SAW SOME COMMON THINGS THAT A LOT OF THE FOLKS THERE MENTIONED, UH, THEY ALL WANTED MORE SPACE.
SO, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY IF WE HAD A WISHLIST OF WHAT WE WANT, WE WANT A SITE WHICH WOULD ALLOW FOR SOME GROWTH, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO BE IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA.
WE WANT TO BE IN A MORE INDUSTRIAL AREA.
UM, WE WANT TO HAVE EASY ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS. YOU KNOW, WE WANT A GOOD HIGHWAY IF, UH, IF THERE'S OTHER TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS THAT ARE NEARBY, THAT WOULD FACILITATE IT AS WELL.
WE, YOU KNOW, WE'D WANT TO BE NEAR THOSE AS WELL.
UM, ALL THE FACILITIES THAT WE LOOKED AT HANDLE MULTIPLE STREAMS, YOU KNOW, YOU GO TO A LOT OF TRANSPORTATIONS, UM, IN THE TEXAS AREA, A LOT SMALLER FACILITIES THAT I'VE, UH, WITNESSED.
THEY MAY HAVE A SMALL DROP OFF AREA FOR RECYCLING, BUT ALL OF THE FACILITIES THAT WE TOURED, UH, THEY HAD A, A TRASH STREAM.
THEY HAD A, THE RECYCLING STREAM AND THEY HAD A ORGANIC STREAM.
AND THEN THEY ALSO HAD DROPOFF FACILITIES FOR OTHER, OTHER MATERIALS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT, UH, YOU KNOW, A FACILITY THAT'S GONNA BE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT TO JUST FOR CITY.
AND WE WANT THE, UH, REGULAR PERSON WHO HAS MATERIAL THAT THEY WANT TO GET RID OF TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE IT.
AND, AND, UM, PRIVATE COMPANIES, IF THEY WANT TO UTILIZE IT, WHEN, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN TAKE MORE TRUCKS OFF THE ROAD AND WE SEE THAT AS A WIN FOR EVERYONE AND GOING TO THE FACILITIES THAT WE WENT TO, UM, WE SAW ONE OF 'EM WAS ACTUALLY A DESTINATION.
AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT ONE.
THAT'S GONNA BE SEATTLE NORTH.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT WAS A POPULAR PLACE.
YOU WOULDN'T THINK SO, BUT IT WAS, SO THIS IS SEATTLE NORTH.
UM, I'VE USED A RENDERING OF IT.
WE WERE THERE, WE TOOK PICTURES, BUT IT'S THE WAY THE, THE FACILITY IS SITUATED ON, ON THE PROPERTY THERE IT'S, IT'S, YOU REALLY HAVE TO BE UP ON IT TO REALIZE THERE'S EVEN A FACILITY THERE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE FACILITY OF THE NORTH HERE, THAT GREAT AREA AT THE VERY TOP, THOSE ARE ALL RESIDENTIAL HOMES THERE.
UH, JUST TO RIGHT OF THAT IS A PARK THAT WAS BUILT AS ONE OF THE AMENITIES THERE, BUT THAT IS KIND, THAT ELEVATION IS A LITTLE BIT HIGHER.
SO WHEN YOU'RE STANDING ON THAT SIDE LOOKING, I GUESS IT WOULD BE ACROSS THE BUILDING PARKING LOT THERE WHERE THOSE SCALES ARE IN THE MIDDLE.
UM, YOU'RE ACTUALLY KIND OF LOOKING DOWN AND THEN ALL YOU CAN SEE REALLY IS THE SOLAR PANELS ON THE ROOF.
AND THERE'S SOME, UH, GREEN ROOFS THERE, BUT VERY THERE THERE'S NO NOISE.
THERE WAS NO ODOR, THERE WAS NO LITTER AROUND THE FACILITY.
THERE WAS VERY, A VERY WELL RUN FACILITY.
SO I WENT, UH, IT'S A VERY AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOOD.
I THINK IT'S, UH, WALLINGFORD IS THE NAME OF THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD THERE.
UM, I DID A, A SEARCH OF HOMES OVER THERE AND THERE ARE TWO BLOCKS AWAY.
THERE WAS A ONE BEDROOM, ONE BATH FOR $400,000 THAT WAS FOR SALE.
THERE WAS A HOUSE THAT WAS 1.5 MILLION.
SO THESE ARE NOT, UH, YOUR TYPICAL, UM, SMALL, UH, HOUSES.
THESE WERE, THESE WERE LARGER HOUSES.
THESE WERE, UH, IT WAS AN AFFLUENT NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, BUT THE FACILITY WORKED, UM, THEY'VE TAKEN A LOT OF MEASURES TO MAKE IT WORK.
I MEAN, THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY WAS ON A SEVEN ACRE SITE.
UH, THEY SPENT ABOUT $108 MILLION ON THIS FACILITY.
UM, THEY USE BONDS AND CASH FINANCING, UH, TO DO THIS, THIS A 60, I THINK THIS ONE'S 60,000 SQUARE FEET, UH, FLAT TIPPING FLOOR.
UM, SOME OF THE FACILITIES WE LOOKED AT HAD THE FLAT FLOORS, UH, ON THE INSIDE, UM, WHICH KIND OF REDUCED ANY TYPE OF FALL HAZARDS.
UM, SOME OF THE OTHER FACILITIES HAD THE PITS IN THEM WHERE MATERIAL WAS PUSHED INTO, INTO OPEN TOP, UH, CONTAINERS OR TRUCKS.
UM, BUT THOSE HAD THE FALL HAZARDS.
UM, SO WE WERE AT ONE FACILITY AND THERE WAS, UH, SEVERAL OPERATORS THERE.
AND WE SAID, HEY GUYS, WHICH, WHICH YOU LIKE BETTER, YOU LIKE THE FLAT FOUR, IS THAT, IS THAT SAFER FOR YOU TO OPERATE IN OR DO YOU LIKE THE PITS? AND THEY WERE SPLIT? WELL, YOU KNOW, ONE GUY SAID THE PIT, ONE GUY SAID THE FLAT FOUR, THERE'S STILL THE DEBATE, EVEN AMONG FOLKS THAT ARE OPERATING IN THOSE SYSTEMS, WHICH ARE BETTER.
SO, BUT THESE ARE THE TYPE OF THINGS THAT WE KIND OF WENT TO LOOK AT, SO THAT WE'RE BETTER INFORMED WHEN WE MOVE, WHEN WE WANNA MOVE AHEAD TO KNOW WHAT TYPE OF OPERATION THAT, UH, THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
UM, THIS FACILITY DID, UH, LIKE THE OTHERS TRASH RECYCLING AND ORGANIC WASTE.
IT DID NOT ACCEPT HH W AT THIS FACILITY, BUT SOME OF THE OTHER FACILITIES DID ALSO ACCEPT HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE.
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FACILITY.THEY HAD A LOT OF, UH, ENHANCEMENTS.
THERE WAS A RAINWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM, UH, THAT THEY USED TO USE WATER TO, UH, CLEAN THE TIPPING FLOORS, UM, AND FOR A WHEEL WASH THAT THEY HAD THERE.
UH, AND FOR THE, UH, THE VEGETATION, UM, THIS WAS TY, THIS ACTUAL FACILITY HERE HAD WON SEVERAL ARCHITECTURAL AND TECHNICAL AWARDS, UM, OF PREMISE DESIGN, UH, ALONG THAT BACKSIDE THERE, JUST ALONG THE KIND OF, I'M LOOKING AT THAT MIDDLE FRAME HERE, BUT THERE'S A GREEN LINE OF, UH, VEGETATION THERE AND A GRAY WALL.
THAT WALL WAS KIND OF ANGLED TO KIND OF PREVENT NOISE FROM KIND OF, UH, REVERBERATING BACK INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO A LOT OF THOUGHT HAD GONE INTO IT.
UH, THE DOORS ON THE FACILITY ARE ACTUALLY HIGH SPEED DOORS THAT THEY OPEN.
AND AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE GOES IN, THEY SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY BEHIND IT VERY QUICKLY, UH, JUST, UH, FOR SEVERAL REASONS TO KEEP NOISE OUT.
CAN THEY KEEP ANY ODORS, ANY EMISSIONS THAT MIGHT ESCAPE, UH, AND ALSO TO KEEP ANY TYPE OF, UH, OF, UH, VECTORS OUT ANY BIRDS OR ANY, UH, CRITTERS THAT MIGHT TRY TO, TO GET IN THERE.
SO IT'S A VERY WELL RUN FACILITY.
THERE'S ACTUALLY, WE, WE KINDA LAUGHED CUZ WE WALKED AROUND THE FACILITY AS WELL.
WE ACTUALLY NOTICED MORE TRASH KIND OF ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE FACILITY THAN INSIDE THE FACILITY.
SO IT'S LIKE THE, THE STAFF ACTUALLY DID A BETTER JOB CLEANING THE, THE, THE TRANSFER STATION THAN THE NEIGHBORS DID UP THEIR OWN YARD.
SO, UM, BUT THEY HAD A LITTER CONTROL PLAN.
IT WAS A VERY, IT WAS VERY WELL THOUGHT OUT, UH, OPERATION, UH, AND IT HAS AN EDUCATION CENTER, UH, THAT WAS IN THE, THE FACILITY.
AND I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ALSO, UH, EMULATE, UH, IN ANY FACILITY THAT, THAT, UH, WE WOULD BE PART OF.
UM, IT HAD A, A MODEL THERE OF THE, THE LAYOUT AND, AND THIS IS WHEN I SAY, YOU KNOW, THIS BECAME A DESTINATION, THERE WAS, UH, UH, MOTHERS THAT WOULD COME IN WITH CHILDREN AND STROLLERS AND THEY WOULD COME INTO THIS ROOM AND YOU HAVE A GOOD VIEW.
YOU CAN SEE THE GLASS THERE IN THE BACK WHERE THEY COULD ACTUALLY WATCH THE OPERATIONS.
AND THERE WAS LOTS OF EDUCATIONAL, UH, ITEMS IN THAT ROOM.
UH, THERE WAS EVEN A, UH, VIDEO RECORDING THAT, UH, HAD THE, UM, THE FORMER DIRECTOR FOR THE CITY, UH, PUBLIC UTILITIES GIVE A, UH, A, UH, KIND OF A WELCOME AND, UH, DESCRIPTION OF THE, THE OPERATION.
BUT APPARENTLY THEY COULDN'T FIND THE, THE PASSWORD TO CHANGE IT CUZ THEY IT'S STILL THERE AND THEY, THEY, THEY HAVEN'T CHANGED IT YET.
SO, UM, BUT AGAIN, IT WAS A VERY NICE FACILITY.
IT WAS A DIS IT WAS DESTINATION.
I MEAN, PEOPLE CAME THERE AND IT, IT, IT, IT IMPROVED.
UH, I DON'T SEE IT IMPROVED THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT IT, IT BECAME ANOTHER AMENITY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT, UH, FOLKS COULD UTILIZE, UM, SEATTLE SOUTH.
THE SECOND ONE WE HAD GONE TO, UM, THAT, UH, THAT DAY, THIS WAS IN A MORE INDUSTRIAL AREA.
UM, AGAIN, ANOTHER WONDERFUL FACILITY.
UH, THIS ONE, UM, WAS PERMITTED TO ACCEPT ABOUT 750 TONS PER DAY.
AND, AND ONE THING I'LL NOTE IS ALL THESE FACILITIES WERE DI UH, DESIGNED WITH A, UM, KIND OF FORWARD THINKING OF 50 YEAR LIFESPAN.
SO THEY PROJECTED THE SIZE OF THESE FACILITIES BASED ON WHAT THEY FELT, THE, UH, THE AMOUNT OF WASTE THAT THEY WOULD, UH, MATERIALS THAT THEY WOULD BE DEALING WITH IN 50 YEARS.
AND WE, AND WE ASKED THEM, YOU KNOW, HOW ACCURATE WERE THEY? AND THEY SAID, PRETTY CLOSE.
SO THEY WERE, THEY GOT CLOSE TO THEIR ESTIMATES OF, OF WHERE THEY'RE TRACKING.
UM, AGAIN, THIS ONE, UH, THIS FACILITY HERE KIND OF I'LL SHOW THE INSIDE HERE.
YOU CAN SEE THE MISSING SYSTEMS ON THE TOP.
THAT'S OPERATING TO REDUCE ANY ODORS THAT ARE IN THERE.
UH, SEVERAL OF THE FACILITIES HAD, UM, UH, YEAH, KINDA ADDITIVES TO THE MISSING SYSTEM TO MAKE THE SMELLS A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, PLEASANT, UM, KIND OF FRUITIER SMELLS, UM, AT, I, I KNOW IN SEATTLE, NORTH, UH, WHEN WE WENT OUTSIDE, RIGHT, WHEN WE PARKED, YOU COULD HAD, YOU HAD THIS FAINT SMELL OF KIND OF A, YOU KNOW, CHERRY TYPE SMELL OR SOMETHING.
SO WE KIND OF KNEW WE WERE IN THE RIGHT PLACE.
UH, CUZ OTHERWISE YOU REALLY DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS A TRANSFER STATION THERE OTHER THAN, YOU KNOW, A TRUCK COMING IN PERIODICALLY, CUZ IT WAS SO WELL DESIGNED AND WELL, UH, INTO THE, TO THE, THE FOOTPRINT OF THAT PROPERTY.
UM, SO THIS, UH, SEATTLE SOUTH AND I BELIEVE SEATTLE NORTH, UH, THEY BOTH, UH, MATERIAL ENDS UP GOING ON RAIL CARS.
UH, AND THAT MATERIAL ENDS UP IN, UH, ARLINGTON OREGON, WHICH IS ABOUT 250 MILES SOUTH OF UH, SOUTH OF SEATTLE.
SO YOU'RE ABLE TO, ESPECIALLY WITH RAIL ABLE TO TRANSPORT MATERIALS A LOT FARTHER, UH, AT SIMILAR COST, UM, AS YOU WOULD TO JUST TAKING A TRUCK A LITTLE BIT CLOSER, UM, BO LAKE, THIS WAS ONE OF THE, UH, KING COUNTY FACILITIES.
UM, THIS ONE WAS ACTUALLY HAD A FANTASTIC VIEW KIND OF OFF BEHIND US THERE OF, OF MOUNT RAINIER.
UM, AND ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS, YOU KNOW, WE ASKED HIM WHAT KIND OF COMPLAINTS YOU GET.
AND WE WERE EXPECTING STUFF ABOUT, YOU KNOW, LITTER AND STUFF LIKE THAT OR ODOR.
AND THEY SAID THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT WAS THERE ARE NEIGHBORS THAT LIVE HIGHER UP, UM, FROM THIS SITE
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AND THEY HAVE TO LOOK DOWN AT THE ROOF OF THE TRANSFER STATION AND THEY DIDN'T LIKE GIVE US DIRTY.SO THEY WOULD ASK THE TRANSFER STATION TO WASH THEIR ROOF ABOUT ONCE A YEAR.
SO THEY DIDN'T WANT IT KIND OF, UH, DULLING THEIR VIEW OF, OF MOUNT RAINIER.
BUT AGAIN, ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL FACILITY, THIS ONE WAS COMPLETED IN 2013.
UM, AND THEN IT DOES ABOUT SEVEN TO 800 TONS PER DAY.
AGAIN, THIS IS TRASH RECYCLING AND YARD TRIMMING, BUT JUST TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF PERSPECTIVE, UH, WE CURRENTLY, OR AT LEAST LAST YEAR WE DID ABOUT 530 TONS PER DAY OF TRASH.
SO, UM, IF YOU ADDED IN RECYCLING IN OUR ORGANICS PROGRAM TO THAT, WE'D BE DOING ABOUT A THOUSAND TONS PER DAY.
SO EVEN A FACILITY, THIS SIZE PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE BIG ENOUGH FOR US IF WE WERE TAKING ALL OF OUR MATERIAL THROUGH IT.
UM, NOW IF, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHERE THE, THE FACILITY WERE TO BE CITED, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE SOME ROUTES THAT WOULD BE CLOSER TO A LANDFILL.
SO MAYBE NOT ALL THE MATERIAL WOULD NEED TO GO THROUGH AND SOME COULD BE DIRECT HAUL.
UM, THIS ONE AGAIN HAD ALL, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, OFFSET SETS, RAINWATER COLLECTION AND SOLAR, UH, AGAIN, UM, GREAT FACILITY.
THIS ONE ACTUALLY ALSO HAD A BIKE COLLECTION PROGRAM WHERE THEY WOULD, UH, THEY HAD DROP OFF CENTER WHERE THEY WOULD PULL OFF BIKES AND THEY WOULD WORK WITHIN A NONPROFIT AND THAT NONPROFIT WOULD COME AND GET THOSE BIKES AND REFURBISH THEM AND THEN PUT THOSE BIKES BACK OUT AND JUST SERVICE.
SO IT DOES, THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA.
WE ACTUALLY PICKED UP A LOT OF, UH, A LOT OF GOOD IDEAS, UM, THROUGH THIS NOT ALL WERE JUST STRICTLY RELATED TRANSFER STATIONS.
UH, ONE OF THE FACILITIES ACTUALLY HAD A VENDING MACHINE FOR SAFETY SUPPLIES AND WE THOUGHT THAT WAS A GREAT WAY TO HANDLE IT, UH, WHERE FOLKS COULD EASILY GET THEIR PPE THAT THEY NEEDED FOR OPERATIONS.
AS, AS YOU WOULD TO GO TO A VENDING MACHINE, TO GET A COKE, THEY COULD GET PAIR GLOVES OUT, UM, LITTLE THINGS LIKE THAT, SOME OF THE COMMUNICATIONS THAT THEY DO WITH THEIR STAFF TO KIND OF BRIEF THEM ON SAFETY, UH, INITIATIVES AND MEETINGS.
UM, WE, UH, WE LIKE THOSE, SOME OF THOSE IDEAS AND WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE IF WE CAN TAKE SOME OF THOSE IDEAS BACK AND IMPLEMENT 'EM, UH, HERE, UH, VICTORIA, THIS, UH, THIS WAS ON A 15 ACRE SITE.
THIS WAS A 80,000 SQUARE FOOT BUILDING AND IT DID ABOUT 400 TONS PER DAY AS WELL.
THIS ONE COST ABOUT 93 MILLION, UH, TO BUILD AGAIN, IT HAD A 50 YEAR LIFE AND THIS WAS ONE OF THE FLAT FLOOR FACILITIES.
UM, UH, THESE FACILITIES ALL DID HAVE GENERATOR BACKUP POWER, BUT IT WAS, IT WAS INTERESTING CUZ THE, UH, UH, THE STAFF MENTIONED THAT THE, THE BACKUP POWER WORKED FOR EVERYTHING EXCEPT THE GEN, THE, THE COMPACTORS THAT COMPACTED THE TRASH.
SO, UH, IF THE POWER WENT OUT, THEY COULD RUN ALL THE COMPUTERS, BUT THEY WROTE AND COULDN'T RUN THE COMPACTORS.
SO THEY REALLY CAN'T RUN THE FACILITY.
SO, UM, BUT THEY DO HAVE, UH, THEY DO MAKE SPACE FOR STORAGE ON THE FLOOR.
UM, THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY HAD THREE DAYS OF STORAGE.
UM, SO IF THEY WERE DOWN FOR WHATEVER REASON, THEY STILL COULD OP UM, CONTINUE OPERATING FOR THREE DAYS.
UH, BUT ONE THING ABOUT TRANSFER STATIONS AND AS A RULE OF THUMB, YOU WANT TO PRETTY MUCH GET THAT MATERIAL, UH, IN AND OUT THE SAME DAY.
YOU DON'T WANT THAT MATERIAL, UH, BEING, UH, HANGING AROUND, CUZ IT'S JUST GONNA CREATE ISSUES FOR YOU.
UM, IF IT IS, UM, THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY, IT WAS A SEVEN YEAR PROCESS FROM WHEN THEY STARTED THE INITIAL PUBLIC OUTREACH TO WHEN THEY ACTUALLY, UH, COMPLETED THE BUILDING.
UM, THE ONE THING ABOUT THESE FACILITIES THAT, UH, WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT TOO, IS, UM, CUZ WE WERE REALLY INTERESTED IN, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE GONNA DO A FACILITY, WE THERE'S NOT ONE HERE CURRENTLY.
SO WE'D BE EITHER LOOKING AT A, MAYBE POTENTIALLY AN EXISTING SITE OR MAYBE A SITE THAT DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING ON IT OR SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES.
ALL OF THESE SITES ACTUALLY HAD A PREVIOUS TYPE OF FACILITY THERE BEFOREHAND.
SO WHEN IT CAME TO THE PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROCESS, THERE WASN'T QUITE AS MUCH PUSHBACK ONLY BECAUSE THOSE FACILITIES WERE ALREADY THERE.
BUT UM, SEVERAL OF THE FACILITIES AND SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS DID, UH, IN SOME OF THE, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND COUNTIES THEY DID WORK WITH IN THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS ON AMENITIES, UH, SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, SEATTLE NORTH, UM, HAVING THAT PLAYGROUND AREA OUT THERE.
I MEAN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT DIDN'T HAVE TO DO.
I BELIEVE THAT MAY, MAY HAVE BEEN A PARKING LOT AT ONE POINT.
AND SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE AMENITIES THAT WERE OFFERED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, THIS FACILITY HERE IS PUNTA HILLS.
UM, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE ARE SOME, UH, LIQUID TANKS.
SO FOOD WASTE IS BROUGHT IN AND BASICALLY, UM, MACERATED UP INTO A PULP, A LIQUID.
AND THAT, THAT IS THEN PUMPED INTO THAT, UH, TANKER TRUCK THERE AND THEN HAULED TO A, UH, A DIGESTER, UM, UH, TO BE PUT INTO THERE FOR A GAS PRODUCTION, UM, HUGE FACILITY.
UM, THIS NEXT SLIDE HERE, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE SPAN AND THAT IS A CLEAR SPAN BUILDING.
AND THAT THIS BUILDING IS, UH, WAS 210,000 SQUARE FEET.
UM, AND A LOT OF, LOT OF ROOM IN THERE
[00:50:01]
TO GET STUFF DONE IS IT SITS ON 25 ACRES.AND THIS FACILITY IS ACTUALLY PERMITTED TO ACCEPT ABOUT 4,400 TONS PER DAY.
SO NOW THIS FACILITY WAS A BIT UNIQUE AND THAT IT HAD A TRANSFER STATION ON ONE SIDE AND IT HAD A MURF ON THE OTHER SIDE.
SO, UH, THEY, THEY ALSO, THEY COMBINED ALL THAT AND THIS PARTICULAR FACILITY, THEY EVEN BUILT A DEDICATED ROAD FROM THIS FACILITY TO A RAIL, UH, INTERMODAL FACILITY.
SO THEY'RE ABLE TO SHIP MATERIAL OUT ON RAIL.
SO LA ALSO SHIPS MATERIAL OUT ON RAIL PUENTE HILLS USED TO BE A LANDFILL AND I BELIEVE IT CLOSED IN 20, 20 10 OR 2013 EARLIER.
UM, I, I BELIEVE IT WAS PROBABLY LIKE THE SECOND LARGEST LANDFILL AT ONE POINT.
UM, SO A HUGE FACILITY, UM, BUT NOW LA COUNTY IS, UH, RUNNING THIS FACILITY AND SHIPPING ALL THAT MATERIAL, UH, FARTHER EAST BY RAIL.
UM, SO NEXT STEPS, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR PROPERTY TO PUT THIS ON.
UM, EVEN IF WE FIND SOMETHING, UM, JUST THE PROCESS THE CITY GOES THROUGH TO KIND OF LOOK AT THE PROPERTY BY THE TIME WE START THAT PROCESS, THE IT'S USUALLY SOMETHING'S ALREADY UNDER MARKET AND, AND GONE.
SO, UH, WE'RE STILL LOOKING FOR PROPERTY, YOU KNOW, IDEALLY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVEN'T REALLY PICKED A SPECIFIC LOCATION, BUT YOU KNOW, GENERALLY OUR, THE LANDFILL IS SOUTHEAST OF, UH, OF US.
UM, SO WE PROBABLY WOULD LOOK NORTHWEST FOR A FACILITY TO, TO MAXIMIZE THE EFFICIENCY THAT WE WOULD SEE, UH, THE DISTANCE, UM, FROM AVERY RANCH TO THE LANDFILL, WHICH IS WHERE PRETTY MUCH OUR FARTHEST NORTHERN ROUTE.
AND MOST OF THOSE GUYS, THEY AND GALS WILL THEY'LL MAKE ABOUT TWO LOADS A DAY.
SO YOU'RE SPENDING A GOOD, UH, GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME ON THE ROAD.
UM, SO IF WE DID HAVE SOMETHING IN THE NORTH AREA, IT'D BE MUCH EASIER.
UM, CUZ WE WANT OUR FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO GET HOME TOO.
UM, THEY'VE BEEN WORKING A LOT OF HOURS, UM, BECAUSE OF THE EMPLOYEE SHORTAGES STAFF ARE, ARE PUTTING IN EXTRA TIME AND, AND WE WANT TO TRY AS WELL AND, AND LET THEM, UH, EXCUSE ME.
UM, SO WE DO, WE, WE, WE'RE ASKING FOR INPUT AS WELL FROM, FROM YOU ALL, WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
UM, SO WE'LL BE WORKING WITH SWAG, UM, THE DIFFERENT INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS, UH, IN THE COMMUNITY TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT ALL YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND UM, AND WE'LL WORK WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, STAKEHOLDERS AND UH, MOVE THIS FORWARD.
UM, AND WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.
NOW I DID STUMBLE INTO THE, UH, POINT TO HILL SITE, TOOK THE WRONG TURN, TRYING TO GO NORTH TO THE WINE COUNTRY AND ENDED UP AT A TRANSFER STATION AND OH MY GOD, IT IS MASSIVE, EXTREMELY LARGE.
AND I DIDN'T KNOW, IT WAS AN OLD LANDFILL AT ONE TIME.
WHICH IS A GOOD THING TO KNOW, I GUESS, BUT UH, NONETHELESS COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS THAT, UH, YOU HAVE FOR RICHARD CUZ THIS IS OUR FUTURE.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT FOR MANY YEARS, MELISSA.
JUST TO CLARIFY, THE TRANSFER STATION IS, IS FOR HOLDING ONLY LANDFILL WASTE AND NOT FOR HOLDING ANY COMPOST OR RECYCLING.
UH, YOU KNOW, IT, IT COULD BE, I MEAN, TYPICALLY IN TEXAS YOU SEE MOSTLY TRANSFER STATIONS THAT JUST HANDLE TRASH.
UM, BUT ALL THE FACILITIES THAT WE, UH, VISITED AND, AND GOING FORWARD, WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE WOULD BE A FACILITY THAT HANDLED ALL THE, THE, THE MATERIAL STREAM.
SO WE WOULD HAVE A SEPARATE LINE FOR TRASH, A SEPARATE, UH, AREA FOR RECYCLABLES, SEPARATE AREA FOR ORGANICS.
UM, CUZ YOU KNOW, WHILE OUR, OUR TRAVEL TIMES TO OUR RECYCLING FACILITIES, AREN'T CURRENTLY THAT BAD SINCE WE HAVE TWO FACILITIES, WE DO SPEND A LOT OF WINDSHIELD TIME FOR OUR ORGANICS DRIVING THAT MATERIAL OUT TO ORGANICS BY GOSH.
SO THAT WOULD DEFINITELY BE ANOTHER AREA THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO, TO CAPITALIZE ON.
SO WE WOULD'VE MULTIPLE, UH, MATERIAL STREAMS TO BE ABLE TO, TO DEPOSIT THERE.
AND AS YOU WERE GOING THROUGH ALL THE DIFFERENT EXAMPLES FROM THE SEATTLE TRANSFER STATIONS THAT YOU WERE SHOWING IN YOUR SLIDESHOW, IT JUST MADE ME THINK, WOW, THOSE, THE TRANSFER STATION IS GONNA BE A NICE, SHINY NEW BUILDING WHILE WE HAVE LITERAL SHEDS REPRESENTING OUR RECYCLE REUSE CENTER DROP OFF CENTER, THE BS MERF, WHICH HANDLES THE SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF OUR CITY'S RECYCLING.
AND IT JUST SEEMS WEIRD TO THINK THAT WE'RE GOING TO BE HANDLING OUR MAJORITY OF OUR LANDFILL WASTE IN A BRAND NEW SHINY AIR CONDITIONED, POTENTIALLY BUILDING THAT'S GONNA COST
[00:55:01]
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WHILE WE HAVE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF OUR ZERO WAYS FOCUS AND A BIG GIANT SHED AND THEN MANAGE DOWN SOUTH BY A SHED.IT JUST SEEMS, I DON'T KNOW, JUST, IT FEELS WEIRD TO ME.
I, I THINK WE ORIGINALLY, AND I, I ORIGINALLY WAS TALKING ABOUT A MULTISTREAM FACILITY AND AGAIN, THAT WOULD ANSWER YOUR QUESTION THERE, YOU NEED A MULTISTREAM FACILITY IN ORDER, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION IN ORDER TO, TO GAIN THE OPTIMAL OPTIMUM, UH, EFFICIENCIES AND, AND JUST EFFECTIVENESS, ESPECIALLY IN THE COMMUNITY.
I MEAN THAT, THAT WOULD BE, I HOPE MY GOAL OR STAFF'S GOAL, BUT NONETHELESS, I'M SORRY.
ANY OTHER KENT, GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER.
SO, UM, I THINK TO, TO MAXIMIZE THE OPPORTUNITY OR THE BENEFITS OF THE FACILITY, UM, I THINK THAT WE WOULD WANT TO BUILD A MULTISTREAM FACILITY, RIGHT? SO WE WOULD WANT TO HANDLE, UH, COMPOST WE'D HANDLE RECYCLING WE'D HANDLE, YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD HH W UH, AS WELL AS A MUNICIPAL WASTE.
SO, UM, BUT TO BE CLEAR, SO THE TRANSFER STATION IS NOT FOR HOLDING WASTE IT'S FOR THE COLLECTION TRUCKS TO COME AND DEPOSIT THEIR WASTE.
THAT WASTE IS THEN TRANSFERRED INTO LARGER TRUCKS, TRACK TO TRAILERS, AND THEN THE SINGLE TRACK TO TRAILERS WOULD DRIVE TO THE DISPOSAL SITE.
SO YOU'RE BASICALLY TAKING, LET'S SAY FOR EXAMPLE, 3, 4, 5, UH, ROUTE COLLECTION TRUCKS CONSOLIDATING THAT MATERIAL INTO ONE TRUCK THAT THEN DRIVES THE LONG DISTANCE.
AND SO AS RICHARD, AS DIRECTOR MICHALE POINTED OUT, UH, INSTEAD OF HAVING OUR COLLECTION TRUCKS DRIVING THE LONGER DISTANCES, YOU HAVE A TRUCK THAT'S DESIGNED TO DRIVE THE LONGER DISTANCES MAKING THAT TRIP.
UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROCESSES THAT THEY WENT THROUGH WITH THE COMMUNITY IN TRYING TO IDENTIFY THE SITES? SO YOU, YOU THANK YOU FOR SHARING THE INFORMATION ABOUT LIKE, KIND OF THE COMMUNITY RESPONSE AND WHERE THEY WERE LOCATED, BUT BEFORE THEY EVEN STARTED THESE FACILITIES AND HAD TO CHOOSE LOCATIONS, WHAT INFORMATION DID THEY USE? DID THEY HAVE A, A STAKEHOLDER PROCESS FOR SELECTION OF SITE, OR WAS IT PRIMARILY DETERMINED BY LAND AVAILABILITY, PRICE AND LOCATION? WELL, I CAN SPEAK TO THE FACILITIES, UH, IN, UH, SEATTLE.
UH, THOSE SITES WERE, THE NORTH SITE WAS BUILT ON THE EXISTING SITE.
SO WE, UH, THEY DEMOLISHED THE ORIGINAL BUILDING AND REBUILT ON THE EXACT SAME ST UH, SITE.
UH, THAT PROCESS FOR REBUILDING A NEW FACILITY WAS ABOUT AN EIGHT YEAR PROCESS THAT INCLUDED, UH, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, UH, AS, UH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR MCKAY ALSO ALLUDED TO COMMUNITY AMENITIES WERE A, UH, HOT TOPIC, RIGHT? SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS ADDED TO THE COMMUNITY WAS THE, UH, A PLAYGROUND, UH, THE EDUCATION ROOM WAS A, WAS A BIG HIT, UH, ANOTHER FEATURE OF THE SITE THAT THE COMMUNITY WANTED WAS NOT TO SEE COLLECTION TRUCKS.
SO, UH, AS AGAIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR MICHAELLE, UH, MENTIONED IF YOU'RE AT THE SITE, IF IT WASN'T FORESEEING TRUCKS DRIVE DOWN THE TUNNEL OR INTO THE BUILDING, YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW WHAT THE FACILITY WAS.
SO ALL OF THE TRAILER, UH, STORAGE AND MANEUVERING AND FULL SCALE STORAGE OF, OF ALL OF THOSE ASSETS ARE UNDERNEATH THE BUILDING.
SO THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT LED TO THE COST THOUGH.
SO, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S, UH, THAT PIECE OF IT.
SO, UH, YOU COULD, YOU COULD, YOU KNOW, BALANCE THOSE THINGS ON THE SCALE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, UM, THE MORE FEATURE RICH, THE FACILITY, UH, THE HIGHER THE COST, UM, AS FAR AS, UH, PRINTER HILLS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE HAVE FROM, YEAH.
SO KING COUNTY, SAME ISSUE, VERY EXTENSIVE PUBLIC, UM, INVOLVEMENT PROCESS.
BUT AGAIN, THOSE SITES WERE ALREADY EXISTING SOLIDLY SITES.
SO THERE WASN'T THAT BIG OF, UH, CHANGE, I GUESS, FOR THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THEY JUST WANTED TO SEE SOME IMPROVED CONDITIONS.
SO, BUT IT WAS A VERY EXTENSIVE PROCESS.
AND JUST, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE LEARNED REGULATORY, UH, FRAMEWORK IN WASHINGTON STATE IS A LOT MORE STRINGENT THAN IT IS HERE IN TEXAS.
SO, UH, THEY HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH A LOT MORE HOOPS, UM, NOT JUST FROM, FROM THE STATE LEVEL, BUT ALSO FROM, UH, THE COUNTY LEVEL.
UM, AND, AND, AND THAT'S THE COUNTY, THE KING COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH, YOU KNOW, DEALING WITH THE KING COUNTY, UH, SOLID WASTE FOLKS.
AND SO THERE'S NO BREAKS THERE.
SO, UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE CPA PROJECT, THE WHAT'S IT STATE ENVIRONMENTAL, UM THAT PROCESS.
RIGHT? SO THE, THE CPA PROCESS IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, UM, SITE, UH, HAS ALL THE MITIGATIONS NECESSARY, UH, TO PREVENT HARM TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
SO IT LOOKS AT EVERYTHING THAT FROM, FROM THE TRAFFIC THAT THE SITE WOULD, UH, PRODUCE OR, OR THAT WOULD BE, UM, YOU KNOW, LEAVING
[01:00:01]
THE FACILITY, UM, IT LOOKS AT THE, UH, HOW, HOW ARE YOU STORING YOUR STORM WATER? UM, IT LOOKS AT OPPORTUNITIES TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, UH, TAP WATER OR, OR DRINKING WATER THAT'S USED ON THE SITE.SO, UH, ONE OF THE MAIN FEATURES IS A WATER STORAGE, UH, FACILITY OR FEATURE THAT IS USED TO WASH THE FACILITY DOWN TO IRRIGATE THE SITE AND ALSO TO, UM, TO, UH, WASH THE TRUCK TIRES AS THEY LEAVE THE, UH, FACILITY.
SO, UH, IF YOU COULD, COULD YOU PULL THE PRESENTATION BACK UP AND THEN GO TO THE, UM, SOUTH STATION, UH, FOR SEATTLE PLEASE? UH, AND ALSO AS FAR AS THE, UM, THE PRE THE, UM, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, UH, IS VERY EXTENSIVE.
UH, WE GET, WE HAD, I WANNA SAY 10 OR 12 DIFFERENT CHARETTES, UH, UH, UH, SCENARIOS WHERE WE GAVE PEOPLE A CHANCE TO COME IN BACK TO THE OUTSIDE.
UM, AND SO, UH, ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS, IF YOU LOOK, UH, WHAT YOU SEE ON THE WALL, THERE WAS, UH, THROUGH AN ENGAGEMENT PROCESS WITH THE, UH, ORIGINAL NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE FOR THE AREA CALLED THE DUWAMISH TRIBE.
AND SO THAT GREEN LINE, THERE IS ACTUALLY A MAP OF THE ORIGINAL DUWAMISH RIVER THAT RIVER NOW HAS BEEN CHANNELIZED AND IT'S STRAIGHT.
SO, UH, THIS WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, THROUGH STAKEHOLDER, UH, UH, THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT PROCESS, UH, THE COMMUNITY DECIDED THAT THAT WAS A GOOD, UH, PUBLIC, UH, ART PROJECT AS PART OF THE PROJECT.
SO, UH, IS IF YOU DRIVE BY, YOU MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT IS, BUT IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO THE, UH, TO THE PEOPLE THAT ORIGINALLY SETTLED THAT AREA OR LIVED IN THAT AREA, WHICH WAS, UH, AGAIN, THE DUWAMISH TRIBE.
SO, UM, THAT WAS DONE THROUGH STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.
UH, THERE'S A, UM, AS PART OF THE, UH, COMMUNITY AMENITIES THERE, ONE OF THE THINGS THE NEIGHBORHOOD WANTED WAS TREES.
AND SO AS PART OF THE, UH, PROJECT THERE, UH, WE PLANTED TREES THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, PART OF A BEAUTIFICATION PROCESS.
AND ALSO WE, UH, CONNECTED A, UM, DEFUNCT, UH, BIKE PATH.
IT ENDED AT THE INTERSTATE AND, UH, HAD BEEN, UH, A DEAD END FOREVER.
AND SO, UH, WE, UH, CONNECTED THE, UH, PATH THERE SO THAT, UH, PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THAT AREA COULD, UH, SAFELY TRANSFER OR TRANSFER, UH, TRANSFER THE INTERSTATE FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER.
AND, AND THANK YOU ALSO FOR MENTIONING THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS THAT WERE DONE.
UM, I'M CURIOUS IF, IF YOU HAPPEN TO REMEMBER, DO YOU KNOW IF PARTICULATE MON MONITORING WAS PUT INTO PLACE AROUND THESE FACILITIES, LIKE, UH, PM 2.5, UM, I WAS INTRIGUED, BUT ALSO DISTURBED BY YOUR MENTION OF THE, LIKE THE CHERRY SMELL OR THE RASPBERRY SMELL.
AND IT MADE ME THINK ABOUT OTHER MONITORING THAT MIGHT NEED TO BE IN PLACE AROUND A FACILITY.
UM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE HAVING THIS DUAL PURPOSE AS A COMMUNITY CENTER AND A TRANSFER STATION.
UH, AND ALSO FOR STAFF, RIGHT.
SO, UH, HIGHLY IMPORTANT FOR THE FOLKS THAT WORK AT THESE FACILITIES EVERY SINGLE DAY MM-HMM
UM, THERE WAS A PARTICULAR MONITORING, UH, PARTICULARLY, UH, FOR THE NORTH TRANSFER STATION BECAUSE IT SAT IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, AND ALSO, UH, NOISE MONITORS AS WELL, UH, ON THE OUTSIDE OF FACILITY, UH, TO GIVE US A CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE, UH, NOISE IMPACTS WERE FROM THE FACILITY TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, THERE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR MICHAELLE MENTIONED, UH, ON ONE OF THE WALLS THERE, UH, IT WAS CALLED THE, UH, THE BAT WING, BUT THERE'S THIS ANGLED WALL THAT DEFLECTS, UH, SOUND FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, FROM THE SITE BACK OVER AWAY FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO, UH, ALL THOSE MITIGATIONS DEFINITELY ARE CONSIDERATIONS AND, AND THINGS THAT WE WOULD, UH, LOOK AT AS PART OF ANY FACILITY THAT WE BUILT HERE.
I HAVE A FEELING OUR REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT HERE IN TEXAS MIGHT BE DIFFERENT, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T MEET THE SEATTLE STANDARD, RIGHT? ABSOLUTELY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS COMMISSIONERS? YOU KNOW, MELISSA, GO AHEAD.
UH, I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
UM, SO WHICH FACILITY THAT YOU VISITED WOULD BE MOST REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SIZE OF THE FACILITY THAT WE WOULD WANT? WELL, YOU KNOW, IF WE, IF WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL, UH, MATERIAL STREAMS, IT WOULD PROBABLY, UH, BE ON THE LARGER SIDE.
I THINK WE'D PROBABLY LOOKING AT A FACILITY GREATER THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FEET.
UM, SO I THINK THAT WOULD PROBABLY PUT IT CLOSER TO THE EFFECT AND BOW LAKE.
I THINK POINTE HILLS IS, UH, VERY BIG.
I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NEEDING SOMETHING THAT QUITE THAT LARGE, UM, CUZ I DON'T, WE'RE NOT REALLY LOOKING AT THIS POINT AT A, AT A MURF.
UM, WE'RE REALLY JUST LOOKING AT A TRANSFER STATION AT THIS POINT.
[01:05:02]
DID ANY OF THESE STATIONS UTILIZE SOLAR? I, I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT RAIN WATER, BUT WERE THEY USING SOLAR? THEY DID, UH, BOTH KING COUNTY AND SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES.I DON'T RECALL, UM, PUNTE HILLS IF THEY DID OR NOT.
UM, IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD BE LOOKING INTO OUR OWN FACILITY? ABSOLUTELY.
SO THE CITY HAS A MINIMUM THAT WHENEVER WE ARE DOING CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS FOR FACILITIES, THAT WE, UH, GO FOR A SILVER LEAD AS A MINIMUM.
UM, BUT WE WOULD ALSO, UM, WE ALSO SET GOALS HIGHER.
SO TYPICALLY MOST BUILDING PROJECTS ARE GOLD LEAD IS THE GOAL.
UM, BUT IF, UH, THEY HAVE TO AT LEAST MEET A MINIMUM, SO SOLAR IS USUALLY A PART OF THAT.
UM, SO, UH, WE WOULD DEFINITELY HAVE THAT.
WE WOULD DEFINITELY BE LOOKING AT A WATER COLLECTION, RAINWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM.
UH, WE LEARNED SOME LESSONS WITH WINTER STORM UY AS FAR AS REDUNDANCY OF BUILDING SYSTEMS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE ALSO LOOK AT BUILDING A NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER FOR OUR, AS A SECOND OPERATIONAL BASE FOR OUR TRUCKS, UH, IN THAT BUILDING, WE'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO HARDEN THAT FACILITY.
SO WE DON'T GO THROUGH WHAT WE WENT THROUGH WITH YURI BECAUSE WHEN WE DID GO THROUGH YURI, UH, OUR ONE FACILITY THAT WE DID HAVE, WE DID LOSE WATER, UH, TO THAT BUILDING.
UM, A LOT OF OUR SYSTEMS WERE DOWN AND IT WAS DIFFICULT OPERATING OUTTA THAT ENVIRONMENT.
SO, UH, WE'RE LOOKING TO, TO CHANGE THAT UP.
UM, AND, UH, PERHAPS AT A FUTURE SWAG MEETING, WE CAN HAVE A DISCUSSION ABOUT, UH, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FOR THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER.
SO, UM, ALL OF THESE WERE INSIGHTS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY ALREADY FACILITIES, BUT WHEN THOSE FACILITIES WERE ORIGINALLY PUT IN, DO YOU KNOW IF THEY WERE DROPPED INTO RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS OR THE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD BUILT UP AROUND IT? UM, WELL THERE WAS REALLY ONLY ONE.
I THINK THAT WAS REALLY IN A TRUE RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD AND THAT WAS SEATTLE NORTH.
UM, AND I THINK THAT WAS, HAD BEEN RESIDENTIAL FOR A WHILE.
SO THAT WAS, UH, ALWAYS A RESIDENTIAL NOW THAT THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD DEFINITELY CHANGED OBVIOUSLY, UH, OVER THE YEARS.
BUT, UM, I WOULD SAY JUST THAT ONE FACILITY WAS REALLY THE RESIDENTIAL ONE, ALL THE OTHER ONES.
UM, A LOT OF THEM WERE FARTHER OUT AND JUST HAD A LOT OF COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL BUILDUP AROUND THEM.
SO IT REALLY HASN'T BEEN AS MUCH OF AN ISSUE FOR THOSE FACILITIES.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION
YOU KNOW, WE START LOOKING AT, UH, RETIRING VEHICLES, UM, USUALLY HEAVY VEHICLES, UH, AT AROUND 200,000 MILES.
UM, SO, UM, THAT WE'VE BEEN ON A, UH, SO WE'RE, WE WILL PROBABLY HIT THAT IN ABOUT SIX TO EIGHT YEARS.
UM, SO WE PUT A LOT OF MILES ON THOSE VEHICLES AND OBVIOUSLY THEY'LL KEEP GREAT KEEP, UH, FUEL ECONOMY.
SO, AND IS IT COMPARABLE FOR THE ELECTRONIC, FOR THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS FAR AS THE MILEAGE? UM, I THINK WE'LL, WE'LL SEE A GREATER RETURN.
UM, WHEN WE DO GO TO ELECTRIC, UM, THE, I GUESS YOU WOULD CALL THE DIESEL GALLON EQUIVALENT, UM, IS FAR GREATER WITH AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE.
UM, NOW THE TECHNOLOGY IS STILL KIND OF IN PROGRESS.
WE'RE ACTUALLY, UH, DEMOING A, UH, ELECTRIC MAC AUTOMATED TRASH TRUCK TOMORROW.
UM, SO WE'VE BEEN ACTIVELY LOOKING AT THESE TRUCKS AND WE WE'RE REALLY READY TO MOVE INTO THAT SPACE, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO, WE WERE KIND OF AN EARLY, UH, UH, I WOULDN'T SAY AN ADOPTER, BUT WE PILOTED THE EARLY HYBRID TRUCKS THAT CAME OUT THAT AUTO CAR HAD, UH, PUT OUT AND, UH, WHILE THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, THEY WORKED WELL AND, UM, THERE WAS STILL SOME, SOME ISSUES BEHIND THEM.
AND, UH, SO, UH, THOSE TRUCKS ARE NO LONGER IN SERVICE.
UH, I DON'T BELIEVE, I THINK WE'VE, THOSE HAVE PROBABLY ALL BEEN SOLD AT THIS POINT, BUT, UM, WE DON'T WANT TO JUMP INTO SOMETHING THAT'S, UH, THAT WE HAVEN'T REALLY PROVEN AND TESTED.
SO, UH, A LOT OF CITIES ARE DEMOING TRUCKS AROUND THE CITY, AROUND THE COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.
UM, ALL ELECTRIC TRUCKS, I THINK, UH, NEW YORK MAY HAVE, UH, PURCHASED SOME AND SOME OTHER CITIES AS WELL.
SO, UM, WE'RE KIND OF WATCHING THOSE CITIES AND HOW THEY'RE PERFORMING.
UM, AND WE'RE ALSO KIND OF LOOKING AT HOW WE CAN STRUCTURE OUR ROUTES HERE TO MAYBE EXPEDITE BRINGING THEM HERE, CUZ THE ISSUE RIGHT NOW IS THAT THE, THE DISTANCES THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO TRAVEL AND, AND NOT HAVING THE RANGE THAT WE NEED AT THIS POINT TO ALSO HAVE A PAYLOAD ON THEM AS WELL.
ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, RICHARD? THANK YOU GUYS.
WONDER THE PRESENTATION AND AGAIN, WE'LL TALK MONEY LATER ON THE PROJECTED COST, BUT UH, THANK YOU.
[5. URO Multifamily Composting Pilot Study Update – Elizabeth Nelson ]
RIGHT, COMMISSIONERS MOVING, UH, MOVING RIGHT ALONG.THE NEXT ITEM IS THE, UH, U MULTI-FAMILY COMPOSTING PILOT STEADY UPDATES AND I FEEL BAD WITH ELIZABETH HAVING TO LIMP UP HERE, HER
[01:10:01]
ASSISTANT GINA.MY NAME'S ELIZABETH NELSON WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY AND I WILL BE GOING OVER THE MULTI-FAMILY ORGANICS PILOT.
ALL RIGHT, I'LL START WITH SOME BACKGROUND.
SO THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE REQUIRES COMMERCIAL AND MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO RECYCLING FOR RESIDENTS AND EMPLOYEES, AND ALSO REQUIRES ORGANICS DIVERSION FOR FOOD PERMITTED BUSINESSES AND MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROPERTIES WITH GREATER THAN FOUR UNITS AND THEY USE A PRIVATE SERVICE PROVIDERS, NOT ARR SERVICE MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES IN AUSTIN ARE ABOUT 55% OF HOUSEHOLDS.
AND ALMOST ALL OF THOSE ARE RENTERS.
COUNCIL PASSED A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT ADDING ORGANICS DIVERSION REQUIREMENTS TO THE FOLLOWING, A PILOT AND FEEDBACK FROM STAKEHOLDERS.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROPERTIES AND THAT INCLUDES APARTMENTS, CONDOS, TOWN HOMES, STUDENT DORMS, NURSING, AND ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES AND MOBILE HOMES.
THERE ARE OVER 1800 OF THESE PROPERTIES IN AUSTIN AND THAT MAKES UP OVER 150,000 UNITS OF HOUSING.
WHILE ORGANICS DIVERSION IS NOT REQUIRED AT MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES.
THERE ARE A FEW OPTIONS THAT CURRENTLY EXIST FOR RESIDENTS THAT WOULD LIKE TO COMPOST COMMUNITY GARDENS AND FARMER'S MARKETS OFFER FREE DROP OFF FOR COMPOST.
A LOT OF PEOPLE USE THEIR NEIGHBORS OR FRIENDS, AR CURBSIDE CARTS, BACKYARD COMPOSTING CAN BE AN OPTION FOR SOME OF THOSE PROPERTIES THAT DO HAVE SOME SMALL YARDS.
THERE ARE SOME SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT PROVIDE, UH, CURBSIDE COLLECTION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND THEN PROPERTY MANAGERS CAN CHOOSE TO HAVE A FULL SET, FULL SERVICE COMPOST COLLECTION AS PART OF THEIR TRASH AND RECYCLING SERVICE THAT THEY OFFER TO ALL RESIDENTS.
BEFORE WE STARTED THIS PILOT, WE DID SOME ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND LOOKED AT CITIES THAT HAD ORGANICS COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS FOR MULTI-FAMILY AND CITIES THAT HAD ROBUST DROP OFF PROGRAMS. WE LOOKED ONLINE, REVIEWED THEIR POLICIES AND THEIR PROGRAMS AND INTERVIEWED SOME CITY OFFICIALS WHO RAN THOSE PROGRAMS. WE LOOKED AT BOULDER, COLORADO, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, AND NEW YORK CITY THAT ALL HAVE MANDATORY COLLECTION AND WASHINGTON DC, CHARLOTTE, VIRGINIA, AND NEW YORK CITY ALL HAVE REALLY GOOD DROP OFF PROGRAMS. WE LOOKED FOR OTHER PILOTS THAT ALREADY HAPPENED LOOKING AT MULTI-FAMILY ORGANICS AND FOUND ONE IN SAN FRANCISCO.
WE INVESTIGATED PROPERTIES IN AUSTIN THAT WERE ALREADY OFFERING COMPOST SERVICE, TALKED TO THOSE MANAGERS ABOUT WHAT THEY WERE OFFERING LEARNED FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES.
AND WE ALSO LOOKED AT THE COMMERCIAL ORGANICS PILOT THAT ARR DID IN 2012 TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING WE COULD LEARN FROM THAT PROJECT.
NONE OF THIS ALONE WAS ENOUGH TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS OR MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AUSTIN, BUT IT DID INFORM OUR PILOT.
THE CITIES THAT WE LOOKED AT THAT ALREADY REQUIRE COMPOST COLLECTION, ALL EITHER HAVE CITY SERVICE AT THOSE MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES OR HAVE AN EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT WITH A SINGLE SERVICE PROVIDER.
AND SO THAT MADE IT HARD TO COMPARE WHAT THEY WERE DOING WITH AUSTIN THAT HAS AN OPEN MARKET FOR COMMERCIAL.
AND MULTI-FAMILY AFTER SHARING ALL THIS EXISTING RESEARCH WITH THE U COMMITTEE, WE ASKED COMMISSIONERS FOR FEEDBACK ABOUT HOW TO FOCUS THIS PILOT.
SOME OF THE FEEDBACK WE GOT WAS THAT WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON ONSITE COLLECTION SYSTEMS RATHER THAN DROP OFF.
WE WANTED TO SEE A LARGE SAMPLE SIZE THAT WAS AS REPRESENTATIVE AS POSSIBLE OF AUSTIN AND INCLUDED GEOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION.
WE ALSO WANTED TO SEE A SIX MONTH PILOT SO THAT WE COULD SEE ANY SEASONAL VARIATION.
STAFF FILLED A FEW MEETINGS IN 2019 AND 2020 TO GATHER ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING ORGANICS HAULERS, MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTY MANAGERS AND THE AUSTIN APARTMENT ASSOCIATION.
THE GOALS OF THE PILOT WERE TO IDENTIFY CHALLENGES, BEST PRACTICES AT MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES, DOING ORGANICS DIVERSION.
WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE COST IMPACTS WOULD BE FOR AUSTIN APARTMENTS AND ALL OF THIS WOULD INFORM FUTURE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS.
[01:15:01]
PROPERTIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS VOLUNTARY PROGRAM.IN 2019, WE REACHED OUT THROUGH EMAILS, NEWSLETTERS, SOCIAL MEDIA, LOTS OF PHONE CALLS TO PROPERTY MANAGERS.
AND WE GOT ABOUT 10 PROPERTIES AGREEING TO PARTICIPATE AND WE WERE READY TO LAUNCH.
I THINK IT WAS ON LIKE MARCH 20TH, 2020 WAS THE DAY WE WERE SUPPOSED TO START THIS.
AND OF COURSE THAT DID NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.
WE HAD TO PUT BASICALLY EVERYTHING ON HOLD.
SO WE PUT A LITTLE PAUSE ON IT.
WE WERE READY TO RESTART IN WINTER OF 2020.
I THINK WE WERE GOING TO START LIKE THE DAY AFTER WINTER STORM YEAR HIT.
WE JUST GOT SOME REALLY TERRIBLE TIMING.
SO WE HAD TO PUT THE PROJECT ON HOLD AGAIN.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, DUE TO ALL THESE REALLY, REALLY BIG CHALLENGES, WE HAD A COUPLE PROPERTIES DROP OUT DUE TO CHANGE IN MANAGEMENT OR BECAUSE SOME PROPERTIES HAD TO MAKE SOME PRETTY HEAVY REPAIRS CUZ STORM DAMAGE.
SO WE HAD TO START RECRUITING AGAIN AND ULTIMATELY WE GOT EIGHT PROPERTIES TO AGREE TO PARTICIPATE.
WE ALLOWED PROPERTIES TO CHOOSE THEIR OWN SERVICE PROVIDER, CHOOSE THEIR OWN TYPE OF SERVICE, CHOOSE THEIR OWN SERVICE LEVEL WITH INPUT FROM STAFF AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
THEY COULD CHOOSE EITHER A COMMUNITY CART BASED SERVICE OR A VALET STYLE SERVICE AND COMMUNITY CART BASED SERVICE IS JUST SERVICE THAT LOOKS JUST LIKE TRASH AND RECYCLING NORMALLY LOOKS AT A MULTIFAMILY PROPERTY WHERE THERE'S ONE OR A COUPLE OF CARTS THAT ARE IN SOME SORT OF COMMUNAL SPACE IN THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT CART IS SHARED BY LOTS OF RESIDENTS.
AND THEN BALLET STYLE SERVICE IS MORE OF A DOOR TO DOOR COLLECTION WHERE EACH RESIDENT GETS A BIN OR A BUCKET THAT'S COLLECTED CURBSIDE OR AT THE DOOR.
SOME PROPERTIES CHOSE TO USE CONTAINERS WITH COMBINATION LOCKS TO REDUCE ILLEGAL DUMPING.
AND THE REASON THAT WE ALLOW PROPERTIES TO CONTRACT DIRECTLY WITH SERVICE PROVIDERS IS BECAUSE WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT OUR REAL WORLD PICTURE WOULD LOOK LIKE.
WE WANTED TO SEE WHAT THIS WOULD LOOK LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN REAL LIFE.
SO THEY COULD COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDERS OF THEIR CHOICE.
AND THAT WOULD ALSO ALLOW US TO SEE WHAT REAL WORLD SERVICES WERE AVAILABLE AND WHAT THOSE COSTS WOULD REALISTICALLY LOOK LIKE STAFF PROVIDED EDUCATION FOR RESIDENTS THROUGH SEVERAL CHANNELS.
WE PROVIDED A VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSION FOR EACH PROPERTY AND OFFERED LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION SERVICES.
WE OFFERED RESIDENTS, KITCHEN COLLECTORS, JUST LIKE YOU SEE ON THE SLIDE THERE WITH SOME REALLY NICELY DESIGNED PICTURE LABELS, SHOWING RESIDENTS EXACTLY WHAT THEY COULD COMPOST.
WE CREATED SOME BILINGUAL HOW-TO GUIDES.
WE WROTE LETTERS THAT WERE DELIVERED TO EACH RESIDENT INFORMING THEM OF THE PROGRAM.
AND WE CREATED A WEBSITE THAT HAD ALL THE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO USE THE SERVICE.
AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE PILOT WAS DATA COLLECTION.
WE REQUIRED EACH PROPERTY TO HAVE SOMEONE CHECK THE BINS EACH WEEK.
THE DAY BEFORE COLLECTION BASICALLY JUST ASKED THEM TO POP, OPEN THE LID, SEE WHAT THEY COULD SEE, WHAT MATERIALS WERE VISIBLE, IF THERE WAS ANY CONTAMINATION AND ABOUT HOW FULL THE CONTAINERS WERE.
SO WE COULD GET AN IDEA OF HOW THEY WERE BEING USED AND THEY FILLED OUT A QUICK SURVEY FOR US.
SO WE COULD COLLECT THAT DATA.
WE SENT SURVEYS TO MANAGEMENT AT THE HALFWAY POINT TO CHECK IN AND SEE IF THEY WERE EXPERIENCING ANY CHALLENGES OR NEEDED TO MAKE ANY CHANGES.
AND THEN AGAIN, AT THE END TO GET THEIR OVERALL IMPRESSIONS, WE SENT SURVEYS TO RESIDENTS AT THE END OF THE PILOT TO GATHER THEIR FEEDBACK AS WELL.
AND LASTLY, WE GOT INVOICES FROM EACH PROPERTY SO THAT WE COULD PROVIDE A REBATE FOR THE SERVICE AND ALSO TO COLLECT DATA ON THE COSTS RESULTS.
BEFORE WE JUMP INTO RESULTS, I WANNA MENTION SOME IMPORTANT CAVEATS WHEN INTERPRETING THESE DATA, THE PILOT INCLUDED AID PROPERTIES, WHICH INCLUDED 830 TOTAL UNITS.
THE CITY HAS OVER 150,000 UNITS OF MULTIFAMILY HOUSING.
SO THIS PILOT IS A LITTLE SNAPSHOT, NOT REPRESENTATIVE DATA OR STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
THAT JUST MEANS WE CAN'T CONCLUDE THAT EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE PILOT WOULD HAPPENED THE SAME WAY ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY.
SO WE JUST NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND WHEN LOOKING AT THESE NUMBERS, ADDITIONALLY, THERE'S ALWAYS BIAS WHEN USING VOLUNTARILY COLLECTED SURVEY DATA, WE DID NOT MAKE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE 830 RESIDENTS FILL OUT A SURVEY, BUT WE DID GET 76 OF THEM TO RESPOND.
AND THAT'S A PRETTY STANDARD STATE OF, UH, RATE OF RESPONSE FOR THIS TYPE OF SURVEY.
BUT THOSE WHO DO RESPOND, TEND TO SKEW TOWARDS THOSE WHO ARE A LITTLE MORE ENTHUSIASTIC MM-HMM
THE AVERAGE ACROSS ALL THE PROPERTIES WAS ABOUT 30%.
AND THAT'S VERY SIMILAR TO ARRS CURBSIDE COMPOST SET OUT RATE,
[01:20:01]
WHICH IS ALSO ABOUT 30%.NOW THIS WAS THE ACCORDING TO MANAGEMENT.
THIS WAS, WAS THE SURVEY WE SENT TO MANAGEMENT, BUT IT WASN'T JUST LITERALLY PROPERTY MANAGERS THAT WE SENT THIS TO.
WE SENT THIS SURVEY TO ANY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PROPERTY THAT WE HAD COMMUNICATIONS WITH AND THAT INCLUDED HOA BOARD MEMBERS, MANY OF WHOM WERE RESIDENTS, THEMSELVES, COMMUNITY EDUCATORS, SUSTAINABILITY PEOPLE, STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES FROM SOME OF THE STUDENT HOUSING THAT WE WORKED WITH.
SO FOR THOSE WHO HAD MULTIPLE PEOPLE RESPONDING TO THIS SURVEY FROM ONE PROPERTY, WE SHOWED THE AVERAGE OF THOSE PEOPLE'S RESPONSES.
SINCE IT WAS AN ESTIMATE, BASED ON THEIR OBSERVATIONS PROPERTIES WERE GIVEN THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE THEIR SERVICE LEVEL AND ADJUST THAT LEVEL THROUGHOUT THE PILOT TO FIND WHAT WORKED BEST FOR THEM.
THIS CHART HERE REPRESENTS THE FINAL SERVICE LEVEL AT EACH PROPERTY, ALL PROPERTIES, EXCEPT FOR ONE ENDED UP USING 64 65 GALLON CARTS AND HAD BETWEEN ONE AND FOUR OF THOSE CARTS ON THE PROPERTY.
ONE PROPERTY CHOSE A VALET STYLE SERVICE THAT PROVIDED A FIVE GALLON BUCKET TO EACH RESIDENT.
AND THE COLUMN ON THE RIGHT THERE BREAKS ALL OF THAT DOWN BY THE NUMBER OF GALLONS PER UNIT PER WEEK THAT WERE PROVIDED.
SO WE ASKED PEOPLE TO DO THOSE WEEKLY AUDITS, LIFTING THOSE LIDS AND SEEING WHAT WAS IN THERE.
AND THIS, THIS IS THE RESULTS OF THOSE AUDITS, LOOKING AT HOW FULL THE CONTAINERS WERE.
UH, THE WEEKLY AUDITS SHOWED THAT MOST OF THE TIME CONTAINERS WERE ABOUT HALF OR 75% FULL, WHICH TELLS US THAT FOR THE MOST PART, THE SERVICE LEVEL PROVIDED WAS ADEQUATE FOR RESIDENTS.
WE DON'T WANNA SEE CONTAINERS THAT ARE ALWAYS A HUNDRED PERCENT FULL.
AND THERE WERE A HANDFUL OF TIMES WHERE A CONTAINER MIGHT HAVE BEEN OVERFLOWING.
AND IN ONE CASE, A PROPERTY CHOSE TO INCREASE THEIR SERVICE AFTER SEEING OVERFLOWING CONTAINERS.
SO IF YOU GO BACK TO THIS SLIDE HERE AGAIN, THAT'S WHY I SAY THIS IS THE FINAL LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT WAS PROVIDED BECAUSE SOME DID INCREASE THEIR SERVICE.
THIS GRAPH IS FROM THE RESIDENT SURVEY.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS REPRESENTING THE RESPONSES FROM THOSE 76 RESIDENTS WHO RESPONDED TO OUR SURVEYS.
SO THIS IS WHERE WE REMIND OURSELVES OF THAT CAVEAT AT THE BEGINNING THERE OF THOSE WHO DID RESPOND 47% REPORTED ONLY, UH, REPORTED USING THE SERVICE ALWAYS 26% VERY OFTEN.
AND THEN AT THE OTHER END OF THE SPECTRUM, 11% REPORTED USING IT, NEVER.
WE ALSO ASKED RESIDENTS WHAT RESOURCES WE PROVIDED WERE THE MOST HELPFUL FROM THE LIST I TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
UM, AND WE FOUND INTERESTINGLY THAT THE PHYSICAL SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS LIKE THE KITCHEN COLLECTORS AND THE COMPOSTABLE BAGS AND THE PRINTED GUIDES WERE THE MOST HELPFUL WITH THE DIGITAL MATERIALS RANKING LOWER.
AS FAR AS CHALLENGES WE HEARD FROM ABOUT HALF OF THE MANAGERS THAT RESIDENT PARTICIPATION WAS LOW AND IT WAS A CHALLENGE TO MAINTAIN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE PROGRAM, ONE PROPERTY, EVEN INCENTIVIZED PARTICIPATION WITH THE GIVEAWAY OF GIFT CARDS.
AND DIDN'T FIND A LOT OF SUCCESS WITH THAT.
TACTIC MANAGERS ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERNS WITH CONTAMINATION AND SAW BINS BEING USED FOR TRASH AND RECYCLING INSTEAD OF COMPOST.
AND A LOT OF THOSE PROPERTIES, AS I MENTIONED, DID USE COMBINATION LOCKS AND THEY PROVIDE THE COMBINATION TO RESIDENTS SO THAT NON-RESIDENTS, CAN'T GET INTO THOSE CONTAINERS TO PREVENT ILLEGAL DUMPING.
IN LOOKING AT THE INVOICES SUBMITTED TO US, WE FOUND THAT COSTS REALLY VARIED BASED ON THE SERVICE LEVEL PROVIDED AND THE NUMBER OF CONTAINERS AT EACH PROPERTY PROPERTIES THAT HAD MORE UNITS AND THEREFORE HAD MORE CARTS SAW A LOWER PER CART FEE BECAUSE THEY GOT A BIT OF A VOLUME DISCOUNT FOR HAVING MULTIPLE CARTS COLLECTED.
AND SO THAT TRANSLATES TO A LOWER PER UNIT FEE.
AND THEN THE SMALLER PROPERTIES THAT MIGHT ONLY HAVE ONE CART DON'T GET THAT BENEFIT OF THE VOLUME.
SO THEY DON'T SEE, UM, AS LOW A CART PER CART FEE.
AND THAT TRANSLATES TO A HIGHER PER UNIT B THE VALET SERVICE PROVIDED AT THE ONE PROPERTY THAT CHOSE THAT SERVICE COST ABOUT $50 PER UNIT PER MONTH.
AND FOR COMMUNITY CART BASED SERVICE, THE RANGE WAS BETWEEN 51 AND $112 PER CART PER MONTH.
AND THAT TRANSLATED TO A UNIT PER UNIT COST BETWEEN 80 CENTS AND $2 AND 95 CENTS PER UNIT.
[01:25:02]
THE NEXT STEPS WE HAVE PLANNED WILL BE TO BEGIN STAKEHOLDER PROCESS.WE HAVE A U COMMITTEE MEETING SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 6TH, WHERE WE WILL INCLUDE STAKEHOLDERS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL RESOLUTION.
AND THAT INCLUDES MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTY OWNERS AND MANAGERS, ZERO WASTE ADVOCATES, THE AUSTIN APARTMENT ASSOCIATION, THE BUILDING OWNERS AND MANAGERS ASSOCIATION, ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATES, AUSTIN TENANTS, COUNCIL, AND RESIDENTS FROM MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES.
AFTER A STAKEHOLDER PROCESS, STAFF CAN COMPILE COMPILE FEEDBACK AND RECOMMENDATIONS CAN BE DEVELOPED FOR COUNCIL AND THAT'S.
WELL, WHAT I HAVE, IS THERE ANY QUESTION? THANK YOU, ELIZABETH.
OH, I, I DO WANNA GIVE A QUICK SHOUT OUT TO ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS FROM, SORRY, CAITLIN.
ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS FROM THE PILOT IS HERE WITH US, SO I WANNA THANK HER VERY MUCH.
OH, THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING AND PARTICIPATING IN OUR PILOT.
WE COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT OUR, OUR MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES THAT CHOSE TO PARTICIPATE.
THIS WAS THE LAST ITEM ON THE AGENDA.
UM, WELL MAYBE THIS IS NOT AS INTERESTING TO SOME PEOPLE, BUT I DO THINK ASKING RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT, UM, WHAT THEY FOUND THE MOST HELPFUL AS FAR AS EDUCATION WAS INTERESTING, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT IS WHAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOOKING FOR BEST PRACTICES.
EDUCATION IS ALWAYS THE BEST PRACTICE AND EVERYTHING'S MOVING TOWARDS DIGITAL THESE DAYS.
SO I DID FIND IT INTERESTING THAT PEOPLE WERE NOT AS INTERESTED IN THE DIGITAL MATERIALS WE PROVIDED AND WERE MORE INTERESTED IN THE REAL PHYSICAL THINGS WE HANDED THEM.
UM, AND AS FAR AS NOT SURPRISING, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UM, THE DISTRIBUTION OF, YOU KNOW, WHO WAS INTERESTED AND, AND REPORTED USING THE SERVICE VERSUS NOT, WE SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE REPORTING THAT THEY DID USE THE SERVICE AND WHICH IS NOT TOO SURPRISING SINCE THESE WERE PROPERTIES THAT ALL OPTED INTO THIS PROGRAM.
AND SO WE, WE WERE EXPECTING TO SEE PEOPLE WHO WERE PRETTY ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT USING IT.
UM, SO WHEN YOU COMPARE THE CITY OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS, UH, HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK THEY PAY FOR, FOR THE COMPOSTING SERVICE COMPARED TO WHAT YOU FOUND IN THE PILOT? YOU MEAN ARR CURBSIDE? YES.
A R BRENT IS GOING TO HELP US WITH THAT ONE.
YOU, YOU DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE GONNA BE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOR THIS PRESENTATION, DID YOU
UH, HELLO COMMISSIONERS, BRENT PAGE FINANCIAL MANAGER, BUDGET AND CONTRACT DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THE QUESTION WAS MONTHLY COST, UH, FOR THE CURBSIDE COMPOST COLLECTION PROGRAM.
UM, I WOULD HAVE TO GET BACK WITH YOU ON THE SPECIFIC NUMBER, BUT IT WOULD BE, UM, INCLUDED IN THE BASE BASE CUSTOMER CHARGE, UM, THAT WE CHARGED ALL THE RESIDENTS.
DO YOU THINK IT'S ANYWHERE NEAR WHAT, WHAT THE COST WAS FOR THE, IN THE PILOT? UM, I, IF I WERE TO BALLPARK A NUMBER, IT WOULD BE SOMEWHERE AROUND THE FOUR, $4 RANGE.
UM, IT CAME IN SIMILAR TO WHAT WE HAD PROPOSED, UM, WHEN WE, UM, DISCUSSED ROLLING OUT THE PROGRAM, UM, THE CURBSIDE COMPOST PROGRAM.
UM, SO I WAS, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, FOOTBALL PARKING FOR FOUR TO $5 RANGE ON A MONTHLY BASIS.
SO ELIZABETH, AFTER THE, UM, AFTER YOU DID ALL THIS AND LOOKED AT ALL THE DATA, WHAT, UM, CAN YOU TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT THINGS YOU, UH, WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY IF IT WAS CITYWIDE? IF, IF THE, SO IF IT WASN'T A PILOT, RIGHT? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YEAH.
UM, WELL, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE PRACTICAL TO PROVIDE QUITE AS MUCH EDUCATION AS WE DID FOR THE PILOT, SINCE THERE WERE ONLY EIGHT, YOU KNOW, WE DID A PRESENTATION AT EACH INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY THAT IS NOT REALISTIC AT EVERY SINGLE PROPERTY IN AUSTIN, SO THAT EDUCATION WOULD OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO BE ADAPTED.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF? I, I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE.
SO I'M WONDERING IF SOME OF THESE PEOPLE THAT WERE SO ENTHUSIASTIC WOULD ACTUALLY DO MORE VOLUNTEER WORK WITHIN THE, THEIR COMMUNITY.
DO YOU THINK WE CAN CERTAINLY RECRUIT THEM TO BE BLOCK LEADERS, RIGHT.
BUT ALSO TO HELP PEOPLE COMPOST MORE, TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT, MAYBE THAT COULD BE IN THE FUTURE.
WE COULD WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT PRESENT THEMSELVES IS VERY
[01:30:01]
INTERESTED.SO WHEN DID WE, EXCUSE ME? WHEN DID WE FINISH? SORRY.
WHEN WAS IT COMPLETED? THE, THE, UH, PILOT FEBRUARY OF 22 OF THIS YEAR, FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR.
SO, SO WE, THE FIRST SECOND SLIDE WAS THAT THIS WAS THE CITY MANAGER WAS GOING TO REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
THE END OF THE PILOT WAS APRIL.
APRIL OF LAST YEAR OF, OF THIS YEAR OF 22 OF THIS YEAR, OF THIS YEAR.
SORRY TO INTERJECT GINA MCKINLEY'S STRATEGIC INITIATIVES.
SO YES, THE, THE PILOT WRAPPED UP IN THE SPRING AND THEN WE TOOK THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS TO DO THE ANALYSIS, RIGHT.
AND DEVELOP THE REPORT AND COMPILE THE REPORT.
UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS WAS THE SPONSOR OF THIS RESOLUTION.
WE HAVE SINCE CHECKED IN WITH HER OFFICE TO SHARE THE FINDINGS JUST AS WE'RE SHARING WITH YOU ALL TONIGHT.
AND WHEN WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION, IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT, UM, TO ENSURE THAT WE HAD THAT EXTENSIVE STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATION, THIS STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS IDENTIFIED IN THE RESOLUTION AND HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH HER OFFICE, UM, WHICH LED LEADS US TO THE TIMELINE, THE FOLLOW UP, HAVING THE U R COMMITTEE MEETING IN OCTOBER, ANTICIPATING A FEW MORE MEETINGS.
UM, STAFF'S ALREADY LOOKING AT A SCHEDULE TO ENSURE THAT WE GET THAT ROBUST STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATION, UM, FOR TIMELINES, SO THAT WE CAN THEN SUBMIT THAT REPORT BACK TO CITY COUNCIL.
WE ARE HOPING TO HAVE EVERYTHING WRAPPED UP BY NOVEMBER, DECEMBER.
IT'S REALLY GOING TO DEPEND WHEN WE HAVE THOSE STAKE STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATIONS, WE'RE GOING TO DO OUR VERY BEST TO GET EVERYBODY TO THE TABLE, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT ALL THOSE VOICES REPRESENTED.
SO LOOKING AT PROPERTY MANAGERS, LOOKING AT TENANTS, UM, THE, THE HAULERS AND PRIVATE, UH, SERVICE PROVIDERS THAT WOULD WORK WITH THOSE MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES.
UM, SO IT'S REALLY DEPENDENT UPON THOSE CONVERSATIONS, BUT WE'RE HOPING THAT WE CAN HAVE TWO OR THREE MEETINGS AND WRAP IT UP SO THAT WE CAN INCLUDE THAT STAKEHOLDER COMMENT COMMENTARY ALONG WITH OUR REPORT FINDINGS, THE INPUT FROM SWT TO DELIVER THAT TO COUNCIL WITH A RECOMMENDATION, SORRY TO INTERRUPT REAL QUICK COMMISSIONERS.
UH, WE DON'T HAVE A QUORUM ANYMORE RIGHT NOW.
I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO BE ABLE TO, TO AT LEAST COMPLETE THE DISCUSSION.
WE DO NOT HAVE A QUORUM, SO THANK YOU.
SO MUCH PATIENCE THAT YOU HAD TO SHOW THE STOP START.
AM, AM I ALLOWED TO CONTINUE TO ASK A QUESTION OR, OH, AB ABSOLUTELY.
WE JUST ARE NOT ABLE TO TAKE ANY ACTION WHATSOEVER.
UM, I, I HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS IF THAT'S ALL RIGHT.
UM, SO FROM THE SLIDE PRESENTATION, I WAS LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE PROPERTIES THAT WERE LESS PARTICIPATORY AND ONE OF THEM IS THE SASSY LANE CONDOMINIUMS. AND THEN I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THEIR LEVEL OF PARTICIPATION, BUT THEY WERE THE, A UNIQUE PROPERTY.
IT LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE THEY WERE GIVEN 104 CONTAINERS OF THE FIVE GALLON SIZED BENDS.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS THE CULPRIT, BUT I DO KNOW FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS THAT WITH THE PILOT, Y'ALL HAD A, A MIDTERM CHECK IN WITH YOUR PROPERTIES TO SEE HOW EVERYTHING WAS GOING.
AND I, I'M JUST CURIOUS, LIKE HOW, HOW THAT MIDTERM CHECK-IN WENT WITH YOUR, WITH THE PILOT.
AND WHENEVER YOU WOULD SEE LIKE SASSAY LANE CONDOMINIUMS, IF THERE, IF THE, IF THESE LIKE 104 BINS WEREN'T WORKING FOR THEM, WAS THIS A CONVERSATION WAS, UM, THE CONTAMINATION ISSUE, WAS THAT DISCUSS OR HOW DID THAT CONVERSATION GO WITHIN THE, THE MIDPOINT OF YOUR PILOT? SURE.
SO STASSY WAS A UNIQUE PROPERTY BECAUSE THEY DID, THEY WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO CHOSE A BALLET STYLE SERVICE.
SO THE REASON THEY HAD 104 CONTAINERS IS BECAUSE EACH UNIT GOT THEIR OWN CONTAINER AND THAT CONTAINER WAS STORED INSIDE EACH PERSON'S HOME.
AND THIS WAS THE SERVICE THAT THEY CHOSE AS FAR AS PARTICIPATION.
THE WAY THAT THAT ONE WORKED WAS THAT EACH UNIT WAS GIVEN A CONTAINER AND THERE WERE 140
[01:35:01]
UNITS.AND THE PEOPLE THAT DID NOT WANT TO PARTICIPATE RETURNED TO THEIR BUCKET, BASICALLY THEY WERE ASKED.
SO THAT'S WHY THERE ARE FEWER BUCKETS THAN THERE ARE UNITS, BUT I, I DON'T THINK THAT THEY WERE LESS PARTICIPATORY THAN ANY OF THE OTHER PROPERTIES.
UM, ONE ANOTHER UNIQUE THING ABOUT THAT.
I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED THAT THAT ONE WAS ABOUT $50 PER UNIT PER MONTH, COMPARED TO THE OTHERS THAT WERE MORE BETWEEN LIKE ONE AND $3 PER MONTH.
SO, BECAUSE THAT WAS SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE AND THE CITY WAS REIMBURSING THOSE COSTS.
WE COULD ONLY AFFORD TO FUND THAT PROPERTY FOR THREE MONTHS.
SO WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A THREE MONTH CHECK-IN BECAUSE THEY ONLY PARTICIPATED FOR THREE MONTHS, BUT WE DID DO THREE MONTH CHECK-INS FOR EVERYONE ELSE.
AND MOST OF THE FEEDBACK WE GOT WAS PRETTY POSITIVE.
THERE WERE A FEW THAT ASKED FOR SOME SPECIFIC EDUCATION, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY WANTED TO HELP WITH CERTAIN MESSAGING ABOUT CONTAMINATION OR JUST MESSAGING TO HELP IMPROVE PARTICIPATION.
UM, AND THAT'S WHY THE SASSY LANE IS SHOWING 20% PERCENT OF RESIDENTS FOR POVERTY THAT USE THE SYSTEM MM-HMM
SO AS FAR AS THAT WE DID GET FEEDBACK ABOUT, WE DID ASK FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS FOR PEOPLE WHO REPORTED THAT THEY EITHER WERE NOT USING THE SERVICE, OR BASICALLY ANSWERED SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS IN A NEGATIVE AND ASKED THEM TO ELABORATE ON WHY.
AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE FROM THAT PROPERTY SPECIFICALLY DID RESPOND THAT THEY WERE CONCERNED OR SAW INCREASED PEST RODENT ISSUES.
AND I, I THINK PART OF THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY WERE STORING THOSE BUCKETS INSIDE THEIR HOUSES, WHICH WAS DIFFERENT THAN ALL THE OTHER PROPERTIES THAT HAD A COMMUNITY CONTAINER THAT WAS SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WITH YOUR EDUCATION THAT YOU DID FOR EACH OF THE PRESENTATION, I'M KIND OF CURIOUS ABOUT THAT EDUCATION.
WAS IT JUST ABOUT HOW TO LITERALLY USE THE SERVICE OR, OR DID IT ALSO INCLUDE THE BENEFITS OF USING THE SERVICE AND THE BENEFITS OF COMPOSTING FOR THE CITY AND HOW IT BENEFITS THE CITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT AND ALL THAT STUFF? LIKE HOW, HOW DEEP DID Y'ALL GO INTO IT? YEAH.
WE STARTED WITH INFORMATION JUST ABOUT GENERALLY WHY SUSTAINABILITY IS IMPORTANT.
WE TALKED ABOUT WHY COMPOSTING IS IMPORTANT.
WE TALKED ABOUT WHY ORGANICS DIVERSION IS IMPORTANT.
I'M HAPPY TO SHARE A COPY OF THAT PRESENTATION AS WELL.
UM, WE WANTED TO MAKE, YEAH, I LOVE IT.
WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE CONVEYING INFORMATION TO PEOPLE NO MATTER WHAT LEVEL OF PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE THEY ALREADY HAD, WHETHER THEY KNEW NOTHING OR KNEW EVERYTHING WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE WOULD GET SOMETHING OUT OF IT AND KNOW NOT ONLY HOW TO USE THE SERVICE, BUT WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.
AND WE ALSO OFFERED, YOU KNOW, THESE WERE ON ZOOM.
SO WE ALSO OFFERED LIVE Q AND A AT THE END AND HAD SOME REALLY GOOD DISCUSSIONS WITH RESIDENTS WHO HAD QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, MELISSA?
UM, IT'S MAKING ME REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE OTHER PILOT DATA THAT SHOULD BE COMING FORTH THROUGH ALL THE OTHER VARIOUS PILOTS THAT ARE HAPPENING FOR MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING.
UM, MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING AND DISTRICT FOUR IS A REALLY BIG ISSUE AND WE REALLY WANT TRASH EQUITY IN OUR DISTRICT.
AND SO ALL OF THESE PILOTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
UM, I WENT THROUGH THE REPORT THAT YOU SENT ME AND I LOOKED AT THE DATA AND I RANKED ALL OF THE PROPERTIES THAT PARTICIPATED.
AND I LOOKED AT THE AVERAGE RENT THAT YOU SENT THAT THEY PAY.
AND THERE ISN'T A CORRELATION BETWEEN THE AMOUNT OF RENT THAT'S BEING PAID AND THE PARTICIPATION, AND ACTUALLY THE LOWEST PARTICIPATION WAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST RENT.
SO FOR MY DISTRICT, THAT'S REALLY GOOD DATA TO KNOW, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THERE IS A BIAS TOWARDS LOWER INCOME PROPERTIES AND WHAT THEY ARE WILLING AND ABLE TO DO WHENEVER IT COMES TO TRASH SERVICES.
AND I THINK THIS IS A REALLY GOOD DATA POINT TO SHOW THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE THE EDUCATION, PEOPLE ARE WILLING AND ABLE, AND IT'S JUST A MATTER OF US OFFERING THOSE SERVICES.
YES, NO, THAT, THAT'S A GOOD COMMENT, ACTUALLY.
I'LL ALSO POINT OUT TOO, THAT I THINK OF THE TWO OF THE THREE OR ACTUALLY TWO, THE TWO LOW PROPERTIES THAT HAVE THE LOWEST AVERAGE RENT.
I'LL JUST POINT OUT THAT THOSE ARE BOTH STUDENT HOUSING.
SO I, I, AND AGAIN, THIS IS A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, SO WE CAN'T DRAW LIKE INCREDIBLY STRONG CONCLUSIONS AND STUDENT HOUSING IS NOT REALLY COMPARABLE.
SO THOSE STUDENTS ARE, WERE PARTICULARLY ENTHUSIASTIC, BUT THAT'S GREAT THAT BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE, A LOT OF THEM, YOU KNOW,
[01:40:01]
MOVE OUT OF STUDENT HOUSING AND STAY IN AUSTIN INTO, INTO OTHER HOUSING.THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LUMPING ON UP HERE AND DOING THIS GREAT PRESENTATION.
COMMISSIONERS, WE DO NOT HAVE A QUORUM.
SO AS A RESULT, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO END IT HERE.
UH, BOY, LET'S SEE, UH, COMMISSIONERS.
I THINK AMANDA IS TRYING TO GET BACK ON.
SHE WAS HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
SO SHE, UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, SINCE WE HAVE INCLUDED THE PRESENTATION, WE CANNOT TAKE ANY, ANY, UH, ACTION ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS. I THINK WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO ADJOURN ADJOURN, THIS MEETING AND COMMISSION
[DIRECTOR’S REPORT]
AS WE CLOSE.UH, I WAS JUST GONNA, UH, GIVE A QUICK QUESTION TO THE COMMISSION ABOUT THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT, THREE ITEMS, PLEASE, PLEASE.
UH, VEHICLE WRAP, UPDATE, UH, AIR CONDITIONER RETROFIT, AND THE, UH, THERE WAS A QUESTION FROM THE KEY AUSTIN BEAUTIFUL PRESENTATION.
AND I JUST WANTED TO VERIFY THAT THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE THREE ITEMS. YEAH, I THINK IT WAS AMANDA WHO ACTUALLY HAD SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND ASKED SOME OF THE, UH, SOME OF THE QUESTIONS AND SHE HAD TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
SHE'S NO LONGER WITH US, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, KEN, I'LL TELL YOU, LET ME, LET ME BRING THAT UP WITH HER.
UH, SCENE THAT WE DON'T HAVE, UH, A QUORUM TO TAKE A, A, THE GERMAN VOTE MOTION.
COMMISSIONER TU, SO MOVES A GERMAN, WHICH AGAIN IS JUST A FORMAL HERE.
AND MELISSA, I'M GONNA SAY YOU'RE SECONDING THIS.
SEE MELISSA, SECOND, THIS AND, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR.
THANK YOU FOR THE PATIENCE AND, UH, THE GREAT PRESENTATIONS.
TO THAT'S ONE, BRING BACK MY LIMB AND THE WAY THAT IT ROLLS.