[00:00:03]
LOOKS LIKE WE DO HAVE A QUORUM NOW.
AMANDA MACINO AND CAVA WHITE ARE ONLINE, AND THERE'S FOUR COMMISSIONERS AND ATTENDANCE.
I THINK AMANDA'S HAVING SOME WEBEX CHALLENGES, SO, OH, NO, SHE'S, SHE'S ONLINE, BUT, UH, YES, HER FACE IS NOT.
[CALL TO ORDER]
ALL RIGHT, COMMISSIONER C, THAT, UH, WE DO HAVE A CORE NOW I'D LIKE TO CALL A MEETING TO ORDER, AND I THINK WE SHOULD ALL HAVE A PACKET HERE THAT WAS PROVIDED BY STAFF.THIS IS PROBABLY A REALLY JUST STRAIGHTFORWARD MEETING.
THERE IS A COUPLE OF ITEMS THOUGH, THAT I DO WANT TO ADDRESS PRIOR TO ITEM NUMBER FOUR.
I'D LIKE TO DEFER THAT ITEM TO A FURTHER NOTICE, AND, UH, STAFF WILL NOTIFY US WHEN THAT'S ACTUALLY READY TO, TO BE PRESENTED.
SO, WOULD THAT BE OKAY WITH THIS COMMISSION? DO THAT.
ASIDE FROM THAT, WE CAN DO, LITERALLY JUST GO STRAIGHT DOWN THE, UH, THE AGENDA ITSELF.
UH, THE FIRST ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE APPROVAL OF THE SEPTEMBER 14TH MEETING MINUTES.
AND HOPEFULLY WE HAD A CHANCE TO GO OVER THOSE OR TO, TO READ THOSE IS, I BELIEVE I WAS NOT AN, AND SINCE THERE WILL BE AN ABSTENTION, WE'LL PROBABLY JUST HAVE TO DEFER THAT ITEM TILL LATER, SINCE WE WON'T HAVE THE SIX VOTES NECESSARY.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
IT'S ALRIGHT.THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES IS SEPTEMBER MINUTES WILL BE, UH, I GUESS DEFERRED ALSO SINCE JAN WAS NOT IN ATTENDANCE.
SO HE WOULD HAVE TO DEFER, THEREFORE, THERE WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH BOATS PRESENT, UH, TO PASS THAT.
SO WE CAN DEFER THAT AND BRING THAT BACK.
UH, I MEAN, IT, IT'S OF COURSE UP TO THE, THE MEMBER, BUT, UH, MEMBERS ARE ALLOWED TO VOTE ON MINUTES, EVEN IF THEY WERE NOT IN ATTEND THEM.
SO, AND JUST TEASING NONETHELESS, GUYS.
DEFER, DEFER OF THAT, DEFERMENT OF THAT ITEM.
AND LET'S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A VOTE ON THAT, IF YOU DON'T MIND.
I'LL MOVE, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
I'LL, I'LL MOVE TO ADOPT THE MEETINGS FROM LAST MOMENTS.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? I'LL SECOND THE ITEM.
SEEING THAT WE HAVE, UH, A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THIS, ANY DISCUSSION ON THE, UH, ON THE ACTUAL MEETING MINUTES? HEARING? NO DISCUSSION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.
[2. Trash in Creeks Presentation]
OH, RIGHT.THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS IS THE, UH, DISCUSSION OF, UH, DISCUSSION ITEM ON THE TRASH AND CREEKS.
AND I THINK, UH, GOSH, ANDREW, IS THAT RIGHT? I'M SORRY, ANDREW.
IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY, SO NO WORRIES.
UH, MY NAME IS ANDREW KLO AND I'M WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION, UH, DEPARTMENT.
UH, MY GROUP IS THE APPLIED WATERSHED RESEARCH GROUP.
WE'RE THE ONES THAT GO OUT AND TAKE THE WATER QUALITY SAMPLES FROM THE CREEKS, THE LAKES, AND, UH, BRING YOU SUCH FUN THINGS LIKE LOU GREEN, SIANO TOXINS AND, AND OTHER HORRIBLE, SCARY EMERGING CONTAMINANTS.
OR DO I CLICK THIS? UH, YOU KNOW, BEAUTIFUL.
UH, 2020, UM, THE CITY, UH, CITY COUNCIL HAD RECEIVING LOTS OF INPUT AND, UH, ANECDOTAL CONCERNS THAT TRASH WOULD BE GETTING WORSE AND WORSE AND WORSE.
AND, UH, WHEN I HEARD THIS AND, AND THEY SENT THE C I R TO ASK US TO PROVIDE, UH, DATA TRENDS AND MAPS AND SOURCES AND STUFF, LIKE WE, WE SENT IN A LOT OF INFORMATION, BUT THE TWO THINGS THAT THEY NEEDED THAT WERE NOT, THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE READILY AVAILABLE WAS TRENDS, BECAUSE WE HADN'T REALLY BEEN TRACKING SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN ANY KIND OF, UM, SCIENTIFIC WAY.
UH, AND I'VE BEEN GOING TO THESE SITES FOR 16 YEARS.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY 18 NOW.
I'VE BEEN GONNA THOSE SITES FOR 16 YEARS, AND I HAD NOT SEEN MM-HMM.
[00:05:01]
ACCUMULATION OR A CHANGE IN TRASH AT THESE SITES.AND I GO TO 160 SITES YEAR IN, YEAR OUT.
AND SO I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, PITCH POSH.
WE DID A COUPLE PILOT STUDIES AND IT JUST, WASN WASN'T WORKING BECAUSE TRASH WAS SO VARIABLE AND, AND PECULIAR IN THE WAY IT ACCUMULATES IN CERTAIN PLACES, BUT NOT OTHERS.
AND SO, UH, WE, UH, AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAD, UH, WE BROUGHT A, A COLLEAGUE OUT OF RETIREMENT LE LOOK OLINK, AND SHE DID A BENCHMARK REPORT TO US.
SO SHE LOOKED, UH, NOT JUST REGIONALLY, NOT JUST NATIONALLY, BUT GLOBALLY.
WHAT ARE OTHER CITIES DOING WITH THIS STRUGGLE? BECAUSE IT'S A VERY COMMON PROBLEM.
UM, SCIENTIFICALLY, I WOULD LOOK AT ANY KIND OF INPUT OF A CONTAMINANT THAT YOU DON'T WANT.
AND I WOULD, I WOULD ISOLATE A SOURCE AND I'D SAY, HERE IS A KNOWN SOURCE.
I'M GONNA GO UPSTREAM, AND I'M GONNA TAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN THE CONCENTRATION OF THOSE, OF THAT CONTAMINANTS.
WE TRIED BECAUSE THAT'S THE EASY BUTTON.
IT DID NOT WORK THAT WAY, WAY.
SO, UH, BASICALLY THAT BOILED DOWN TO TWO THINGS.
OUR STORMS ARE SO WEIRD IN CENTRAL TEXAS, BEING RIGHT ON THE BALCONIES OF SCARP.
WE'LL EITHER GET THESE LITTLE 10TH OF AN INCH DRIZZLES, OR WE'LL GET A SEVEN INCH, YOU KNOW, CLOUD BURST.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE KIND OF THINGS, ONE OF THOSE STORMS BRINGS ALL THE TRASH TO THE CREEKS OR JUST SCOOTS IT AROUND A LITTLE BIT, AND THE OTHER ONE CLEANS IT OUT ENTIRELY, OR IT HANGS UP IN HIGHER PLACES THAN FLOOD PLAINS.
SO THERE'S, OUR STORMS ARE VERY PROBLEMATIC.
WE'RE NOT LIKE SEATTLE IF THEY EXPERIENCE THE SAME PROBLEM.
IT'S A DIFFERENT PATTERN, THE VARIABILITY AND STREAM CHARACTER.
ALSO, IF YOU GO TO BULL CREEK OR LITTLE WALNUT CREEK WHERE YOU HAVE THESE BIG LIMESTONE OR AUSTIN CHALK FORMATIONS, YOU MIGHT NOT SEE ANY TRASH IN THE CREEK, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S GOING, MOVING THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
IT'S JUST MOVING ON DOWN TO WHERE IT GETS CAUGHT UP SOMEWHERE, UH, BARTON CREEK OR OTHER CREEKS, WE HAVE LOTS OF VEGETATION.
ALL THAT TRASH JUST DOESN'T MOVE.
SO, UH, AFTER TRYING THIS A COUPLE DIFFERENT WAYS AND FAILING AT ALL OF THEM, WE DECIDED TO GO WITH THIS BRUTE STRENGTH.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT AS MANY CREEKS AS WE CAN, TOP TO BOTTOM, FROM THE VERY TOP OF THE HEADWATERS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE, TO THE RIVER.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT, UH, EVERY 30 FEET, BECAUSE TRASH CAN CHANGE SO RAPIDLY IN JUST A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.
AND WE'RE NOT JUST GONNA LOOK IN THE CREEK.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK ON THE BANKS.
WE'RE GONNA LOOK IN THE, THE FLOOD PLANE ABOUT MAYBE THE, THE TWO TO 10 YEAR EVENT, NOT THE HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD PLANE, BECAUSE THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN FREQUENTLY ENOUGH.
UH, SO WE DID A VERY INTENSIVE SURVEY.
WE SPENT A LOT OF MAN HOURS IN THE, IN THE FIELD, UH, MAKING LOTS OF OBSERVATIONS.
WE WOUND UP HAVING 19,000 FOREIGN HUNDRED 67 DATA POINTS, WHICH, UH, WAS VERY EXCITING TO ME AS A, AS A MATH NERD, BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE THAT HIGH OF A NUMBER OF DATA POINTS, THEN ALL THE OTHER THINGS, UH, ANOMALIES JUST KIND OF, UH, GET WASHED AWAY.
FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OF THE WEAKNESSES OF THE STUDY WAS WE DID NOT INCORPORATE AN ASPECT OF CREEK CLEANUPS.
WE KNOW NEIGHBORHOODS GET TOGETHER IN CLEAN UP AREAS.
WE KNOW TOF GETS OUT IN CLEAN UP AREAS.
WE KNOW, WE KNOW THERE'S LOTS OF, SO I MAY HAVE WALKED THROUGH A CREEK AND IT LOOKED REALLY CLEAN, WHEN IN FACT IT'S CLEAN BECAUSE SOMEONE'S HOLDING TRASH OUT.
SO THERE WERE WEAKNESS IN THIS, IN THIS STUDY, BUT IF YOU GET 20,000 DATA POINTS, YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THOSE, THOSE LITTLE ANOMALIES.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS COUNCIL WAS CONCERNED AT THE TIME WAS SCOOTERS.
I'M NOT GONNA SPEND MUCH TIME ON THIS BECAUSE WE ONLY FOUND 21, WHICH IS A PRETTY SMALL NUMBER.
WE, WE FOUND FIVE TO 700 SHOPPING CARTS.
SO, I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING 110 MILES OF CREEKS HERE.
IF YOU ONLY FIND 21 OF, OF THOSE THINGS, IT'S REALLY NOT THAT MUCH.
AND TO MAKE THAT EVEN BETTER, BY THAT TIME, UH, UM, ATD TRANSPORTATION AND, UH, AUSTIN THREE 11 HAD GOT, HAD COLLABORATED AND MADE A NEW LITTLE FEATURE ON THEIR, UH, ON THEIR THREE 11 APP.
IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE THREE 11 APP ON YOUR PHONE, GET IT BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING.
AND YOU CAN JUST TAKE A PICTURE, CLICK A POINT AND SAY THERE'S A SCOOTER IN THE CREEK WITHIN 24 HOURS.
ATD IS GONNA CONTACT THE VENDOR.
THE VENDOR HAS A VERY SHORT TIME TO GET OUT THERE AND GET IT OUTTA THE CREEK THEMSELVES.
SO IT DOESN'T COST THE CITY, UH, MUCH OF ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR A PHONE CALL OR AN EMAIL.
AND THE VENDOR HAS TO TAKE CARE OF IT, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.
WISH WE COULD DO IT FOR SHOPPING CARTS, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S IMMEDIATELY POSSIBLE.
WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY HOW TO, HOW TO DEAL WITH THAT ONE.
EITHER WAY, 21, UH, CARTS IN THOSE 110 MILES OF CREEKS, AND THEY'RE GONE NOW.
SO, UH, IT IS BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
BUT I DO THINK THERE IS A FAST AND EFFICIENT PROCESS TO RESOLVE THAT.
THIS IS JUST A LOOK AT THE SCORECARD THAT WE USED, AND IT'S ZERO TO 20 ON A SCALE, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S, IT'S NOT JUST VOLUME OF TRASH.
YOU NOTICE THERE'S FOUR BINS THERE, KIND OF, THERE'S ABOUT A GALLON OF TRASH, ABOUT A BUCKET OF TRASH, ABOUT A PARK, A CONTAINER WITH A TRASH, OR MAYBE A FULL BIN OR TWO OR THREE PLASTIC BINS WORTH OF TRASH.
UH, I THOUGHT THIS WAS ACTUALLY WORKED GREAT, BECAUSE WITHIN 30 FEET, HOW MUCH TRASH COULD YOU POSSIBLY FIND? I SHOULD HAVE HAD A FIFTH CATEGORY, CUZ THERE'S A COUPLE PLACES OUT THERE THAT WOULD HAVE LIKE DUMPSTERS FULL OF TRASH.
BUT THEY'RE VERY FOCUSED, UH, POINTS THAT NOW WE HAVE KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
WE CAN KIND OF ADDRESS THOSE ONE BY ONE, BUT IT'S ALSO EFFORT, LEVEL OF EFFORT.
YOU'LL SEE ON THE BOTTOM IT'S LIKE, WELL, THIS IS GONNA TAKE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES TO CLEAN UP.
IS THIS 10 MINUTES TO CLEAN UP? IS IT ONE BIG ITEM THAT COULD BE CLEANED UP RIGHT AWAY? UM, SO THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN USE THIS RUBRIC TO, UH, EVALUATE COST, EFFORT, TOTAL VOLUME, OR JUST AN AESTHETIC FEELING.
WE ALSO, AT THE SAME TIME, AT EACH ONE OF THESE 30, UH, FEET, FOOT POINTS, WE IDENTIFIED IF THERE WAS ANY SOURCES, ANY OBVIOUS SOURCE.
IT COULDN'T BE SPECULATION, BUT IF YOU HAD A DUMPSTER AND IT HAD TRASH GOING OVER THE SIDE AND IT WAS DRIBBLING DOWN TO THE CREEK, THAT'S
[00:10:01]
A SOURCE.SO WE WERE ABLE TO, UH, IDENTIFY WHERE THOSE ARE.
AND MY INTENTION WAS THAT WITH 20,000 DATA POINTS, I CAN MAKE SOME REALLY STRONG, STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS BETWEEN A SOURCE AND THE AMOUNT OF TRASH AND HOW MUCH DOWNSTREAM UPING, BUT IT WASN'T THAT WAY ENTIRELY.
UM, THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT RESULTS THAT COME OUT OF THIS STUDY, AND I WANT YOU TO TAKE EACH ONE IN CONTEXT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.
UM, ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF PIE CHART, THAT WAS KIND OF MY HOLY GRAIL, WAS TO PRESENT ALL BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WITH THE PIE CHART THAT SAYS, HERE'S THE PROBLEM, HERE'S THE SOLUTION, JOB DONE.
UM, IT'S NOT QUITE THAT SIMPLE BY LONG SHOT.
UH, THE BIGGEST WEDGE OF THIS PIE, YOU SEE THE TWO THIRDS, KIND OF THE YELLOW ONE.
THIS IS SOURCES BY OCCURRENCE.
IF WE ARE IN CREEKS AND GREEN BELTS, YOU'RE GONNA ASSUME YOU'RE GONNA SEE A LOT OF ENCAMPMENTS.
SO THERE IS A, A BIAS TO THE, THE CORRELATION BETWEEN WE'RE WALKING THROUGH CREEKS AND CULVERTS, AND THAT'S WHERE ENCAMPMENTS TYPICALLY ARE.
NOW, UH, WE ALSO SAW EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE SOURCES THAT WE ANTICIPATED SEEING.
WE DID SEE, AND ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, YOU'LL LOOK AT THE INTENSITY.
THOSE ARE CALLED BOX AND WHISKER GRAPHS.
THE, UH, LITTLE WHISKERS GOING UP AND DOWN THE VERTICAL PARTS.
THAT'S THE RANGE OF, OF, UH, INSTANCES, UH, SORRY, RANGE OF INTENSITY PER INSTANCE.
THE BOX ITSELF, THE COLORED BOX IS THE MOST OF THE DATA.
SO THE, THE TOP 75 AND THE BOTTOM IS THE 25, THAT MEAT OF THE DATA.
AND THEN THE HORIZONTAL LINE IN THE MIDDLE IS THE MEDIAN VALUE, NOT THE AVERAGE, BUT THE MEDIA AND THE MIDDLE VALUE.
AND YOU'LL NOTICE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF, UH, THE OUTFALL OR TRIBUTARY SOURCE, PRETTY MUCH ALL THE SOURCES WERE ABOUT THE SAME INTENSITY.
UM, ENCAMPMENT, UH, DID NOT HAVE THE HIGHEST, UH, AMOUNT ORDER TO HAVE THE HIGHEST MEAN.
IT WAS VERY SIMILAR TO THE, UM, RANGE OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT.
AND VERY SIMILAR TO THE, THE MEDIAN OF, OF DUMPING AND POINT SOURCE DUMPINGS DUMPING UNKNOWN, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHERE SOMEONE BACKS THE TRUCK UP, THROWS A BUNCH OF BAGS OF GARBAGE OR, OR A OR, OR COUCH OUT OF THE BACK OF THEIR TRUCK, AND THEY, THEY DRIVE AWAY.
AND THAT IS BASICALLY HAD THE SAME AMOUNT OF INTENSITY PER 30 FOOT TRACK THAT ENCAMPMENT DID.
SO, UH, THE NICE THING ABOUT HAVING ALL THESE DATA POINTS AND THE SOURCES IN THE SAME REPRODUCIBLE FORMAT IS THAT NOW YOU CAN GO BACK AND YOU SEE I'VE GOT HOTSPOT HERE, HERE AND HERE.
WHAT ARE THE HOT SPOTS NORMALLY ASSOCIATED WITH? AND IN THIS CASE, THIS IS UPPER SHO CREEK FROM ABOUT 180 3 DOWN TO ABOUT, OR MAYBE 22, 22, UM, YOU'LL NOTICE THERE IS A, A KIND OF A MAGENTA SQUARE WITH A X IN IT.
THAT'S THE ACTIVE OF ENCAMPMENTS.
WE SAW ONE UP THERE AT BY 180 3.
AND YES, IT WAS DEFINITELY ASSOCIATED WITH SOME VERY HIGH INTENSE TRAS.
BUT AS YOU GO DOWN THE CREEK, THERE ARE OTHER HOTSPOTS AND NONE OF THEM ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ENCAMPMENTS.
MANY OF THEM ARE ASSOCIATED WITH, UH, PROPERTY MANAGEMENT.
THIS IS WHERE A BUSINESS OR AN APARTMENT COMPLEX, THEY HAVE A PARKING LOT RIGHT NEXT TO THE CREEK, AND THEY TAKE A LEAFBLOWER AND THEY BLOW OTHER LEAVES OFF, UH, ALL THE TIME.
WELL, THEY'RE ALSO BLOWING TRASH OFF.
AND SO YOU, IF THEY'RE RIGHT NEXT TO THE CREEK, THAT JUST IS THERE PILES UP ON THE CREEK.
SO WE'VE GOT MANY DIFFERENT FINGERS POINTING AT MANY DIFFERENT PLACES, AND THEY'RE ALL VERY MUCH TO BLAME.
UM, OH, SORRY, I'M GONNA BACK UP ONE MORE.
ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, YOU'LL SEE IT KIND OF A HEAT MAP WHERE THE DARKER COLORS IS THE HIGHER INTENSITY TRASH.
THIS IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
WE'VE GIVEN IT TO OUR PARTNERS, UM, AT ARR, AT K, UM, TO, WE'VE, WE'VE GOT LOTS OF PEOPLE.
WE'RE EXPORTING THIS TOO BECAUSE THIS IS, SHOWS KIND OF SHOWS YOU WHERE WE NEED TO GO POTENTIALLY IF WE WANT TO GET THE MOST, UM, MOST BANG FOR OUR EFFORT.
I'M NOT GONNA SPEND MUCH TIME ON THIS, I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THAT DATA WAS NOT AN EASY DATA SET TO WORK WITH.
THIS SHOWS EACH WATERSHED IN ITS OWN LITTLE GRAPH FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, FROM UPSTREAM TO DOWNSTREAM.
HALF OF THESE WATERSHEDS DON'T CHANGE IN THEIR CHARACTER UPSTREAM TO DOWNSTREAM THE OTHER, SORRY, A THIRD OF THEM.
UH, THE OTHER THIRD INCREASE IN TRASH, WHICH MEANS AS YOU EXPECT MORE TRASH ACCUMULATES AS YOU GO DOWNSTREAM.
SOME OF THESE CREEKS HAVE MORE TRASH IN THE HEADWATERS THAN THEY DO IN THE TAILWATERS, WHICH DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO ME EITHER WAY.
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER WAY TO, TO INSTILL THAT TRASH OUT THERE IS EXTREMELY VARIABLE AND IT DOESN'T MAKE A WHOLE LOT OF SENSE.
WE TOOK, UH, THE POINTS AND WE AGGREGATED THEM IN LITTLE GROUPS OF 10, AND THEN WE LOOK, PUT BUFFERS AROUND THEM.
UH, A 300 FOOT BUFFER THINKING THE RIPARIAN STEWARDSHIP RIGHT THERE UP AGAINST THE CREEK, THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT.
ALL YOU, IF IT'S AN ENCAMPMENT, IT'S RIGHT THERE IN THE RIPARIAN STEWARDSHIP.
IF IT'S A HOMEOWNER JUST THROWING THEIR TRASH OVER THEIR FENCE, THAT'S RIPARIAN STEWARDSHIP.
UH, THEN WE ALSO THOUGHT, WELL, IT'S NOT JUST RIGHT THERE, BUT ALL THE STORM DRAINS EMPTY TO THESE CREEKS, SO WE NEED TO GO OUT WIDER AND LOOK AT A 3000 FOOT BUFFER.
AND THAT CAPTURES KIND OF THE LAND USE AROUND IT.
AND ONCE YOU DO THAT, THEN YOU CAN START TO MAKE THESE REALLY GREAT, WELL, YOU CAN TRY TO MAKE THESE REALLY GREAT CORRELATIONS BETWEEN POPULATION TRANSPORTATION, UH, PERCENT PARKS, TYPES OF LAND USE, MULTIFAMILY, SINGLE FAMILY, ANYTHING GIS HAS IN IT.
NOW YOU CAN SEE IF THERE'S ANY KIND OF CORRELATION.
THIS LEADS ME TO THE DEPRESSING THREE POINT NUMBER TAKEAWAY WAS THAT THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CORRELATIONS WITH NEW TRASH INTENSITY, NOT A SINGLE ONE.
YOU'LL NOTICE THAT SOME OF THESE TREND LINES, LIKE THESE TWO MAPS HERE, IT SHOWS IF, IF, IF YOU INCREASE THE SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENT, UH, LAND USE FROM NO SINGLE FAMILY TO 100% SINGLE
[00:15:01]
FAMILY, WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT TRASH IN THE CREEKS? IT GOES DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT IT'S NOT SIGNIFICANT.IT'S, IT'S THIS, YOU CAN'T, SOMETIMES YOU CAN LOOK AT A SCIENTIFIC MATH AND YOU CAN SEE A LINE.
YOU SAY, AHA, THAT LINE ONLY MEANS STUFF IF YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND THE MATH BEHIND IT.
BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT ALTHOUGH THERE WERE TINY LITTLE TRENDS HERE AND THERE, NOTHING WAS SIGNIFICANT.
I CAN'T POINT ANY FINGERS, AND I CAN'T SAY THAT SINGLE FAMILY IS ANY BETTER THAN MULTI-FAMILY.
IT'S WE'RE ALL TOGETHER IN THIS BIG MESS.
UM, SO WHAT ABOUT THE KINDS OF TRASH THAT'S FOUND OUT THERE? UM, I CAN SAY MOST DEFINITELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT, SINGLE USE PLASTICS WERE THE MOST COMMON FORM THEY FLOAT.
IT'S VERY EASY FOR THEM TO, ONCE THEY GET TO ANY PART IN THE CITY, TO GET TO A STORM DREAM, TO THE CREEK.
AND IN SOME CASES, THIS IS WHERE I WAS TALKING ABOUT NEEDING A FULL DUMPSTER TO CONTAIN JUST THE AMOUNT OF TRASH YOU MIGHT FIND IN 30 FEET.
THIS STUFF THOUGH TRAVELS AS YOU WOULD EXPECT ON THE SURFACE OF THE WATER.
SO ANYTIME THERE'S A BACKWATER EDDIE OR A CONSTRICTION OR A SWIRL OR A WHOLE BUNCH OF THING, UH, GRASSES OR SOMETHING, THEY MIGHT CATCH IT UP.
THEY ACCUMULATE, THEY ACCUMULATE, ACCUMULATE TILL THERE'S A STORM BIG ENOUGH TO WIPE 'EM ALL OUT.
AND THEN THE, THE PROCESS GOES BACK AGAIN.
UH, AGAIN, 500 SHOPPING CARTS AT LEAST.
IT WAS PROBABLY MORE LIKE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN FIVE AND 700.
AND THAT'S JUST HALF THE CREEKS IN THIS TOWN.
SO THAT MEANS TO ME THAT THERE'S DEFINITELY MORE THAN A THOUSAND SHOPPING CARTS IN OUR CREEK.
ONCE A SHOPPING CART GETS THERE, YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW MUCH IT WOULD TAKE TO MOVE THAT CART.
SO PART OF THAT TELLS ME, YES, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY AN ACCUMULATION.
OUR POT, OUR CITY GROWS, WE HAVE MORE BUSINESSES, WE HAVE MORE CARTS, AND THEY'RE NOT GOING OUTTA THE CREEK UNLESS SOMEONE ACTIVELY PULLS THEM OUT, WHICH, UH, FIELD OPS DOES ROUTINELY IN WALL AND SOME OTHER CREEKS.
BUT THE, THEY'RE GETTING, THEY'RE GETTING CAUGHT UP IN THERE AND WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING.
THE, I'M SURE THE BUSINESSES AREN'T HAPPY ABOUT THAT EITHER.
THEY'RE LOSING MONEY BY LOSING CARTS.
UM, SO, BUT EVERYTHING, EVERY WALK OF LIFE, EVERY STORE IN THIS TOWN, ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK ABOUT, BEG, BORROWING, BUYING, OR STEALING IS IN OUR CREEKS.
UM, 76% OF THE TRASH, IF YOU WERE TO TAKE ALL THE TRASH VOLUMETRICALLY, 76, 70 6% OF ALL THE TRASH IS ONLY FOUND IN 10% OF THE CREEK.
SO OUT OF THE 110 MILES THAT WE WALKED, THERE'S, THERE'S 10 MILES OF THAT CREEK, OR 11, SORRY, 110 IS 11 MILES OF THAT CREEK HAS THREE QUARTERS OF ALL THE TRASH.
SO, UH, IT SEEMS LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY REALLY, IF YOU CAN FOCUS IN ON THESE PLACE, I CALL 'EM STRAINERS.
IT'S WHERE ALL THE TREES GET REALLY THICK AND THE, AND THE STREAM WIDENS OUT.
SO THE ENERGY DISSIPATES IN THE STORM EVENT.
THAT TRASH ACCUMULATES IN THOSE PLACES.
NOW, IN A LARGE STORM, THAT WILL BECOME MOBILE AGAIN AND PUSH ON.
BUT IF YOU CAN STRATEGICALLY GET THESE AREAS THAT ARE BASICALLY ACTING AS TRASH BOOMS AND WE CAN CLEAN IT OUT THERE, THEN THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT LESS EXPORT IN THE NEXT STORM EVENT.
THAT WAS PROBABLY MY MY FAVORITE THING OF THIS WHOLE STUDY THAT, THAT ACTUALLY WORKED OUT IN OUR FAVOR, I THINK.
SO THE FIELD REPORT, UH, PRESENTED LOTS OF RECOMMENDATIONS.
NONE OF THEM, I WOULD SAY ARE SOLUTIONS BECAUSE THERE'S, WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO ATTACK THIS FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT, UH, ASPECTS.
BUT IT RECOMMENDS SITE SPECIFIC AREAS SAYING, AHA, THIS PLACE IS NOT GETTING, WE NEED TO CLEAN THIS SPOT, THIS ONE SPOT, AND ALL THE WAY UP TO LARGE KIND OF GLOBAL THINGS LIKE WORKING WITH PARTNERS AND HAVING, UH, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH IN SPECIFIC AREAS, AND ALSO STRUCTURAL CONTROLS.
WE'VE GOT THESE WATER QUALITY PONDS ALL OVER TOWN, AND SOME OF 'EM GRAB TRASH, BUT NONE OF 'EM ARE DESIGNED TO GRAB TRASH.
AND THERE MAY BE SOME MISSED OPPORTUNITIES THERE BECAUSE AS IT'S NEVER REALLY BEEN A WATER QUALITY PROBLEM BECAUSE IT'S MORE OF AN AESTHETIC THING.
BUT NOW WE'RE FINDING OUT, YEAH, MICROPLASTICS, PFAS, THERE'S A LOT OF THESE THINGS, UH, FIRE RETARDANTS IN COUCHES.
YEAH, WHEN THEY START GROWING, THIS IS A PROBLEM.
SO WE DO NEED TO ADDRESS THIS, THE BENCHMARKING RESULT.
I'M GONNA SWITCH GEARS HERE AND LOOK AT ANOTHER REPORT, UH, THAT WAS GOING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY.
UM, BASICALLY LOOKING AT ALL THE OTHER CITIES AND, AND REGIONS AND, UH, ENTITIES, MUNICIPALITY OR STATE ENTITIES ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS.
YOU CAN BASICALLY FILTER ALL THE STRATEGIES IN THREE CATEGORIES.
PHYSICAL EXTRACTION, WHICH IS WHAT WE DO A LOT OF, UH, GOING INTO CREEKS OR PAYING PEOPLE TO GO INTO CREEKS AND PULL THE STUFF OUT MANUALLY, UH, INTERCEPTION, WHICH MEANS ONCE IT'S ON THE LANDSCAPE SOMEWHERE, IT'S GONNA BLOW BY WIND, IT'S GONNA GO DOWN THE STORM DRAIN.
HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE STOP IT THERE FROM GETTING TO THE CREEK? WE'RE STILL GONNA HAVE TO GET IT OUT MANUALLY.
AND THEN SOURCE REDUCTION, IF WE KNOW ALL THIS STUFF IS UBIQUITOUS IN OUR, IN OUR AREA, IF WE WERE TO ELIMINATE IT FLOWING INTO OUR CITY IN THE FIRST PLACE, IT COULD NEVER GET TO THAT PART WHERE WE HAVE TO INTERCEPT OR EXTRACT IT.
SO EXTRACTION, I'M GONNA START WITH THAT CATEGORY REAL QUICK.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT IN MANPOWER, BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS TO GO INTO THE CREEKS AND PHYSICALLY PULL A LOT OF THIS STUFF OUT.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY A LOT OF THE NEAT LITTLE NOVEL, UH, MECHANISMS OR TOOLS OR STRATEGIES THAT KIND OF LIKE, LIKE, UH, GRAB SOME OF THIS TRASH, UH, ISN'T GONNA WORK FOR AUSTIN.
IT MAY WORK FOR SOME OTHER PLACE, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA WORK FOR US.
PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE WAY OUR STORM EVENTS ARE.
AND PARTLY BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE GONNA GET IS 80% LEAVES, STICKS, TWIGS, DETRITUS, LOGS AND BRANCHES, THEN YOU'RE STILL GONNA HAVE TO SEPARATE THAT OUT.
SO YOU STILL HAVE SOMEONE SEPARATING OUT.
SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL SEPARATE OUT FIRST BECAUSE WE ACTUALLY WANNA KEEP A LOT OF THAT ORGANIC MATTER IN OUR CREEKS FOR THE AQUATIC LIFE.
SO A LOT OF THESE NOVEL THINGS, UH, HAVE NOT PROVED THEMSELVES TO BE WORTH IT.
UM, THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS WE COULD TRY.
WE DID HAVE A GUY FROM FRANCE BRING SOMETHING CALLED, UH, A JELLY BOT FISH,
[00:20:01]
AND HE PUT IT IN, UH, HE WAS GONNA PUT IT IN THE WATER AND HE THOUGHT IT WALL, AND IT WOULD GO AROUND AND IT WOULD GRAB SOME THINGS.HE WOULDN'T EVEN PUT IT IN LADY BIRD BECAUSE HE SAID, THIS THING'S GONNA GRAB TOO MUCH OF YOUR VEGETATION AND YOUR FISH AND YOUR BUGS AND STUFF.
I DON'T WANT IT TO FILL UP ON STUFF YOU WANT, SO HE WOULDN'T EVEN PUT IT IN THE LAKE.
UM, A LOT OF THESE GREAT IDEAS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, LIKE CHICAGO SAYS, WE'VE GOT A, A PURVEYORS WHO DO STANDUP PADDLE BOARDS AND KAYAKS.
WE'RE GONNA ENTER RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM WHERE THEY CAN GIVE AWAY FREE RENTALS IF PEOPLE BRING BACK A BAG OF TRASH.
I THOUGHT, WOW, THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
AND SOMEONE SAID, THAT'S AUSTIN ROWING DOCK ALREADY KIND OF DOES THAT.
SO SOME OF THESE STRATEGIES THAT ARE OUT THERE, WE ARE EMPLOYING THEM.
AND WE, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT.
UM, TRASH FISHING WAS A NEW ONE FOR ME.
ANOTHER ONE CALLED PLUGGING, UH, THE SWEDES CAME UP WITH AN IDEA CALLED A PLUGGING, WHICH IS YOU'RE PICKING UP LITTER WHILE YOU'RE JOGGING, AND NOW IT'S CUTTING, CATCHING ON NEW JERSEY AND OTHER, OTHER PLACES.
AND I THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE THAT THOUGH, THAT KIND OF LIKE SOCIETAL SHIFT TO WHERE WE BECOME MORE OF THE SOLUTION THAN, THAN THE PROBLEM.
OR AT LEAST START ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM AND BEING A PART OF THAT SOLUTION.
INTERCEPTION, IF YOU'VE GOT OVERFLOWING DUMPSTERS OR INADEQUATE, UM, PLACES WHERE TRASH PILES UP, UH, IF THAT'S GREAT, IF IT WORKS, YOU KNOW, EVERY WEEK IT GETS PICKED UP, BUT THE WIND BLOWS THINGS, UH, WATER CARRIES THINGS DOWNHILL.
SO, UM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IF WE CAN EVALUATE THAT PROBLEM OF TRASH ON THE LANDSCAPE.
AND THEN THERE'S ONE ON HERE, TELECOMMUNICATIONS CABLE REMOVAL.
UH, WHEN A SERVICE PROVIDER COMES UP TO YOUR HOUSE AND CHANGES YOU FROM ONE PROVIDER TO A NEXT, A LOT OF TIMES THEY'LL JUST CUT THE LINES AND LET IT FALL.
AND THEY'LL SAY, THAT'S NOT MY PROPERTY.
I CAN'T, I'M NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH IT.
WELL AS THE, AS THE OTHER COMPANY ACTUALLY TO COME BY AND PICK IT UP.
NO, AND A LOT IF IT HAPPENS IN YOUR YARD, YOU PROBABLY THROW IT IN THE BIN WHEN IT HAPPENS OVER A CREEK OR IN A CREEK, IT STAYS IN THE CREEK AND THOSE CABLES GET REALLY LONG.
SO WE, I'D LIKE TO TRY TO FIND OUT A SOLUTION ON HOW WE CAN GET THE CABLE PROVIDER WHO OWNS IT TO ACTUALLY TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT.
UM, UM, INTERCEPTION IS ALL ABOUT, UH, CAPACITY, PROXIMITY, AND ACCESSIBILITY.
UH, WALT DISNEY DID A STUDY WHEN, WHEN, UH, A LONG TIME AGO ABOUT HOW FAR DO YOU HAVE TO WALK BEFORE A PERSON WILL ACTUALLY THROW SOMETHING IN THE TRASH OTHER THAN JUST THROWING IT ON THE GROUND.
AND HE CAME UP WITH 30 FEET, HE SAID, IN DISNEYLAND, WE, OR DISNEY WORLD, ONE OF THE TWO, WE HAVE TO PUT A TRASH CAN EVERY 30 FEET IN THIS ENTIRE PARK IF WE WANT PEOPLE TO STOP THROWING IT ON THE GROUND.
K ACTUALLY DID ANOTHER STUDY AND FOUND THE, ALMOST THE EXACT SAME DISTANCE.
SO IT'S, IT'S A REAL HUMAN THING, NOT JUST DISNEY LAND GOERS.
IT'S LIKE HUMANS, OR AT LEAST OUR CURRENT HUMAN, UH, PARADIGM.
HOPEFULLY THAT CHANGES OVER TIME.
BUT IF YOU'RE NOT, THAT, IF YOU DON'T HAVE A WASTE RECEPTACLE THAT'S BIG ENOUGH OR CLOSE ENOUGH, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA GO ON THE GROUND.
SO THERE ARE THESE WEIRD PLACES LIKE, UH, LADYBIRD LAKE.
LOTS OF PEOPLE USE LADYBIRD LAKE AND THERE'S NO TRASHCANS ANYWHERE BECAUSE IT'S IN THE FLOOD PLAIN, WHO WOULD PICK 'EM UP? SO THERE ARE OTHER PLACES, UH, THAT ARE, ARE TRYING TO DEAL WITH THAT THEY'RE GIVING THESE LITTLE LITTER BOATS OR THERE HAVING DIFFERENT STRATEGIES WHERE IN TIMES OF HIGH USAGE, THERE'S AN OFFER OF A PLACE.
OR MAYBE EVEN IF THERE WAS JUST A, A MESH TRASH BAG ON THE SIDE OF EVERY KAYAK OR CANOE THAT WAS ALLOWED ON THE LAKE, PEOPLE WOULD HAVE A PLACE TO PUT THEIR TRASH INSTEAD OF FORGETTING ABOUT IT OR ACCIDENTALLY LETTING IT FALL IN.
SO, UH, STREET SWEEPING, AGAIN, I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE, UH, THE, NOT JUST THE EFFECTIVENESS, BUT STRATEGICALLY THE LOCATIONS OF THOSE.
UM, WE'D, I'D LOVE TO HAVE GUARDS ON EVERY GUTTER LIKE THIS ONE, BUT THEN IF YOU HAVE IT CLOGGED WITH A PLASTIC BAG, THEN YOU'RE GONNA CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING.
SO YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT, THAT QUICKLY AND ROUTINELY GETS THESE.
UH, THERE WAS AN IDEA FOR ADOPT A DRAIN INSTEAD OF ADOPT AN ENTIRE CREEK OR A SECTION OF CREEK OR SECTION OF HIGHWAY, ADOPT A DRAIN, A BUSINESS COULD SPONSOR THEIR DRAIN RIGHT IN FRONT AND JUST MAKE SURE IT'S CLEAN.
MAYBE YOU CAN HAVE A LITTLE GUTTER, A GUARD ON THAT AND MAKE SURE IT'S CLEAN.
UH, AGAIN, THIS GREAT IDEA CAME UP.
WE, WE SAID, HEY, WE SHOULD DO THIS.
AND OUR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, UH, LED BY JESSICA WILSON WAS LIKE, OH, WE'RE ALREADY, WE'RE ALREADY ON THAT.
UH, WE'RE GONNA ROLL THAT OUT THIS YEAR.
WE'VE GOT A PILOT THING GOING.
SO, UH, LOOK, LOOK FORWARD TO ADOPT A DRAIN.
UH, AS SOON AS THAT, AS SOON AS THAT HITS THE GROUND, UH, IN A, IN A LARGER FASHION, REALLY IT COMES DOWN TO SOURCE REDUCTION.
WE NEED TO GET A HANDLE OF THE STUFF OUT THERE, OUR ENTIRE SOCIETY, SINCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF STYROFOAMS AND PLASTICS, IT'S JUST, IF YOU LOOK AT HOW MUCH THEY'RE MAKING, YOU REALIZE THAT'S HOW MUCH WE'RE CONSUMING AND HOW MUCH IS GOING, YOU KNOW, THE RATIO OF WHICH IS GOING ON THE GROUND.
SO WE TRIED THE BAG BAN, BUT UH, TEXAS SAYS YOU CAN'T DO, UH, CONTAINERS.
THEY DID THE SAME THING IN FLORIDA, AND ACTUALLY FLORIDA IS A LITTLE AHEAD OF US ON THIS ONE.
SUPER EMBARRASSING TO SAY THAT.
UM, BUT STYROFOAM, THEY WANNA REGULATE IT NOT AS A CONTAINER BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT THE SAME KIND OF RESTRICTION.
THEY WANNA REGULATE IT AS A, AS A CHEMICAL POLLUTANT BECAUSE IT IS.
SO I THINK THERE ARE DIFFERENT ANGLES THAT WE CAN APPROACH.
PROBLEMS THAT WE'VE BEEN, UH, INCAPABLE OF, OF APPROACHING ON, ON A KIND OF A, A STRATOSPHERE LEVEL.
AND THEN OTHER, OF COURSE, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH AND, BUT JUST PARTNERING WITH PEOPLE.
HEB WAS A WONDERFUL PARTNER DURING THE BAGMAN.
I, WE HAVE OTHER WONDERFUL PARTNERS.
I THINK JUST GETTING WITH THEM WITH KIND OF VOLUNTARY COOPERATION AND AND COORDINATED STRATEGY IS, WOULD BE A A, AN IMPROVEMENT.
BOTTOM LINE IS HERE, AND I THINK I'VE PROBABLY ALREADY GONE WAY MORE THAN I'M SUPPOSED TO HAVE TALKED, BUT, UM, TRASH AND CREEKS, WE CAN'T POINT TO ONE THING.
IF I WERE TO FIX A PROBLEM SUCH AS ENCAMPMENTS, IF I WERE TO GO TOMORROW AND FIX THAT ENTIRE PROBLEM AND IT WASN'T A
[00:25:01]
PROBLEM, WE WOULD STILL HAVE TRASH AND CREEKS.WE WOULD STILL HAVE INCREASING AMOUNTS OF TRASH AND CREEKS.
IT COMES FROM ALL OF US, NOT JUST NOT JUST ONE, UH, SCAPEGOAT.
UH, I CAN SAY THAT THE COA AND PARTNERS ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE SOLUTION AND THERE'S LOTS OF NOVEL THINGS THAT ARE BEING TRIED.
BUT, UH, THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, UH, FOR EFFICIENCY AND INNOVATION.
UH, THE NEXT STEPS IS THE CITY IS WE'RE WORKING ON THESE THINGS.
UM, WE ARE GONNA GO BACK TO COUNCIL TO GIVE THEM A, A, A RESPONSE TO THEIR PREVIOUS QUESTION, WHICH WAS, OKAY, GREAT, ANDREW, THANKS.
THIS IS A LOT OF PAPER, A LOT OF READING.
IT'S A LOT OF STUFF, BUT WHAT DO WE NEED TO REALLY DO ABOUT THIS? SO WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR OTHER, UH, LEADERS IN MANAGEMENT AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE LOW HANGING FRUITS? WHAT ARE WE DOING NOW? WHAT COULD WE DO IN THE FUTURE? WHAT COULD COUNCIL DO ON A STRATOSPHERIC LEVEL THAT THE, THE CITY DEPARTMENTS THEMSELVES THAT VISUALLY CAN'T DO? SO WE WERE GOING BACK AND I BROUGHT A PEN AND A PAPER, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY INPUT, I WOULD LOVE TO RECORD IT.
AND, UH, BEFORE I DO THAT, BIG THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE THAT GOT IN THE CREEKS WITH ME AND WALKED AND PICKED AND, AND LOOKED AT THE STUFF.
WE PICKED UP A LOT OF TRASH ON THE WAY.
UM, AND THEN OF COURSE, ALL THE DATA PEOPLE AND ALL THE, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT COORDINATE, UH, THE, THE GIS, I MEAN, THERE WAS A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THIS.
AND AT NO STAGE IT WAS, I UNIMPRESSED WITH THE ABILITIES AND THE ENTHUSIASM OF MY FELLOW STAFF PEOPLE AS WELL AS ALL THE PARTNERS.
IT'S JUST THE FIRST FEW I CAME UP WITH.
THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE CLEANING UP TRASH AND, AND HELPING OUT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
UH, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANDREW? YEAH, YEAH, I JUST HAD A BRIEF QUESTION.
ONE OF THE SLIDES, THE FIELD REPORT, UH, SLIDE MENTIONS IMPROVED RULES FOR DUMPSTERS AS A SUGGESTION.
ANY GUIDANCE AS TO WHAT THAT COULD BE? YES.
SO, UH, ACTUALLY, SO AT THIS, AT THIS CURRENT TIME, PRETTY MUCH IF A APARTMENT OR A BUSINESS OR SOMEBODY NEEDS A DUMPSTER, THEY BASICALLY EVALUATE THEIR OWN NEED.
THEY EVALUATE HOW MANY DUMPSTERS THEY NEED, HOW OFTEN THEY WANT IT PICKED UP, AND THEN THEY, THEY REQUEST THAT SERVICE.
UH, AS FAR AS I KNOW, THERE ARE, THERE ARE, THERE IS VERY LITTLE IN THE WAYS OF, UH, THE MUNICIPALITY GETTING IN BETWEEN WHAT THEIR DESIRES ARE AND WHAT MAYBE THE APPARENT NEEDS ACTUALLY ARE.
BUT THE CITY REALLY DOESN'T HAVE A HAND IN THAT.
AND SO I THINK WE SHOULD LOOK AT THAT AND, AND MAKE SOME DECISIONS.
DO WE WANT TO INSERT OURSELVES INTO THAT PROCESS AND MAKE, MAKE SOME RULES THAT SAY PER SQUARE FOOT, PER UNITS OF MULTIFAMILY PER WHATEVER YOU'RE REQUIRED TO HAVE X NUMBER.
OR MAYBE IF YOU'RE FOUND TO BE OVERFLOWING X NUMBER OF TIMES YOU NEED TO GET ANOTHER DUMPSTER.
SO I MEAN, IT WOULD BE IMPOSING THAT COST ONTO THE LANDOWNER, WHICH IS PROBABLY APPROPRIATE.
BUT, UH, RIGHT NOW THAT PROCESS IS, IS NOT CLEAR AND IT'S, I DON'T THINK IT'S SET UP THAT THE CITY REALLY INTERFERES VERY MUCH.
AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, FROM MY LEVEL, I'M LIKE, MAYBE WE SHOULD, THERE, THERE IS A REQUIREMENT PER UNIT FOR MULTI-FAMILY SERVICE FOR, AND, AND AGAIN, LIKE I WAS KIND OF LED TO BELIEVE THAT THERE WASN'T MUCH INVOLVEMENT.
I DON'T IS IT JUST FOR RECYCLING OR IS THAT FOR TOTAL VOLUME? RECYCLING? RECYCLING? CORRECT.
THAT'S FOR OH, JUST FOR RECYCLING, NOT FOR LANDFILL TRASH.
NO IBLE WASTE, I DON'T BELIEVE.
NO, THERE'S NO, I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THAT AT, AT ONE TIME, A, UH, STANDARD AND UH, AND THE METRICS FOR LANDFILL WASTE AT APARTMENT COMPLEXES.
IS THERE ONE SET UP? THERE IS NOT TODAY, BUT I WANNA BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED THIS IN THE PAST AS A, UH, DEPARTMENT AND I, I DON'T HAVE STAFF WHILE THEY'RE COMING UP.
I'LL JUST SAY I LIKE THE IDEA OF IF YOU'RE LIKE REPORTED A FEW TIMES FOR OVER THAT YOU HAVE TO GET MORE
UM, YEAH, SO YOU'RE RIGHT, KAVA.
WE, WE DO HAVE IT FOR RECYCLING RIGHT NOW AT, UH, WE HAVE A LIMIT ON THAT FOR TRASH.
IT'S REALLY REGULATED BY OVERFLOWING.
IT DOES BECOME, IT'S A CODE COMPLIANCE AND WE DO DEFER TO THEM RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW WE DO NOT HAVE A, I'M GONNA CALL IT A NUMBER.
UM, IT'S, UH, WE DO, UM, REALLY LOOK TO KIND OF THE ECONOMICS OF IT.
WE TALK ABOUT RIGHT SIZING A LOT, UM, TO ADJUST THE SIZING AND CONTINUALLY WITH THEIR HAULERS.
WE LOOK TO OVERFLOWING AND IF THERE IS, WE DEFER TO, UH, CODE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I'M GONNA, IF I CAN TACK ON THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS I DID NOTICE THOUGH, AND MAYBE SOMETIMES OVERFLOWING DUMPSTERS HAPPEN WITH INFREQUENCY, BUT THEY DO HAPPEN, IS THAT SOME DUMPSTERS HAVE A, UH, A SECONDARY, I CALL IT SECONDARY CONTAINMENT, SOME KIND OF WALL AROUND IT.
I, I USED TO THINK IT WAS ALL AESTHETICS, BUT THOSE THAT DO HAVE THAT WALL AROUND IT, THAT
[00:30:01]
TRASH KIND OF STAYS NEARBY.AND THE TRASH, THE DUMPSTERS THAT ARE RIGHT UP NEXT TO A CREEK IN AN AREA THAT DOESN'T HAVE OLD WATER, YOU KNOW, WATER QUALITY CONTROL, AND THEY DON'T HAVE THAT CONTAINMENT, IT JUST DRIBBLES ON STRAIGHT TO THE CREEK.
SO THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY THAT THAT'S SOME TYPE WAY OF A CHAIN LINK FENCE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT WOULD CATCH IT.
THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY THAT, FOR REQUIRING A SECONDARY CONTAINMENT.
THE 10% OF THE TRASH THAT YOU FIND, IS THAT USUALLY FOUND DOWNSTREAM? NO, I MEAN, I MEAN THE HOTSPOTS, THE REALLY ONES THE HOT SPOT.
YEAH, THEY'RE UP MIDDLE AND DOWN.
IT REALLY, YOU WOULD ASSUME THEY'D ALL BE DOWNSTREAM, BUT IT'S, IT'S ALL ABOUT TRASH FLOWS THROUGH THE WHOLE SYSTEM FROM THE TOP TO BOTTOM AND IT STOPS AT SOME PLACES.
AND THAT PLACE IS TYPICALLY A PHYSICAL, UH, IMPEDIMENT.
SO WHETHER YOU'RE ON THE EAST SIDE, THE WEST SIDE, NORTH SIDE, HILLS, FLAT AREAS, IF THERE IS AN IMPEDIMENT TO THAT TRASH FLOWING, IT WILL ACCUMULATE AT THAT SPOT.
AND THE MOST PREVALENT ITEM, OBVIOUSLY IS PLASTICS.
I, YOU KNOW, KEN OR STAFF? I, I'VE GOT A QUESTION NOW.
I, ONE TIME WE DID, WE DID WORK WITH, UH, WHAT IS IT, UH, I GUESS PARKS AND WATERSHED PROTECTION IN PROVIDING SOME CLEANUP, UH, ASSISTANCE WITH THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS.
COMMISSIONER, IS THAT STILL ONGOING OR IS THAT YES, CHAIRMAN KINS SNIPS DIRECTOR AUSTIN RESOURCES RECOVERY.
UH, WE HAVE A FULLY STAFFED OUT TEAM NOW THAT, UH, WE CALL IT THE CLEAN CREEK'S CREW, AND THEY WORK THROUGHOUT THE WATERSHED SYSTEM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION, UH, TO REMOVE TRASH FROM THE CREEK.
SO THEY'RE OUT ON A REGULAR BASIS.
THEY EITHER RESPOND TO, UH, CALLS OR ISSUES AS THEY COME UP.
UH, WE ALSO, UH, WORK OFF OF A SCHEDULE, UH, THAT'S PUT TOGETHER, UH, WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION.
SO WE DO HAVE A CREW THAT IS OUT BASICALLY EVERY DAY, UH, WORKING IN THE CREEKS.
UH, FIRST I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, LOVE THAT THIS WORK HAS BEEN DONE.
UM, I AM WONDERING A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE, IN TERMS OF HOW YOU WERE LOOKING FOR SOURCES, HOW FAR FROM THE CREEK DID YOU GO? WE, WE, UH, SO IN ALL CASES IT WAS, IT WAS ONLY WHAT WE COULD SEE FROM THE CREEK ITSELF, AND WE ONLY WENT INTO THAT FLOOD PLAIN AREA.
SO IF, IF WE SAW SOMETHING THAT WAS WAY DOWN THE STREET, WE WOULDN'T COUNT IT, IT WOULD ONLY BE WITHIN THAT AREA OF THE STUDY.
AND THAT'S THE REASON I DID THAT, WAS BECAUSE IF YOU TREAT, UH, DIFFERENT SEGMENTS IN A STUDY DIFFERENTLY, THEN YOU'RE, YOU CAN'T REALLY COUNT ON THE, THE RIGHT.
SO YEAH, WE HAD TO PUT ON OUR BLINDERS AND SAY JUST PRETTY MUCH THE FLOOD PLAIN AREA.
AND WITH LUCK THOUGH, IF WE MAKE THAT ROUTINE IN A REPRODUCIBLE, WE, WE CALL IT IN SCIENTIFIC STUDY LAND.
IF YOU MAKE YOUR, UH, STUDY REPRODUCIBLE, THEN I CAN GO BACK FIVE, 10 YEARS FROM NOW AND DO THE SAME STUDY IN THE SAME MANNER AND REALLY KIND OF UNDERSTAND TRENDS.
ACCUMULATION RATES IS SOMETHING I'M EXCITED ABOUT ACTUALLY, WHICH IS, I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SAY THAT, BUT, UM, IF I GO TO A SITE AND I RATE IT A 10, 15, 20 OR WHATEVER, AND THEN, UH, SOMEBODY CLEANS IT UP AND IT'S WHISTLE CLEAN, I CAN COME BACK SIX MONTHS, NINE MONTHS, 10 MONTHS, 12 MONTHS LATER AND SEE WHAT IS THE ACCUMULATION RATE.
AND THAT GIVES ME SOME IDEA OF CHANGE OVER TIME TOO.
SO I THINK THIS, I WISH WE'D HAD THIS STUDY DONE YEARS AGO, BUT, UM, I DO THINK IT'S, IT'S KIND OF OUR, OUR STARTING POINT FROM UNDERSTANDING BETTER.
BETTER, BETTER NOW THAN, THAN LATER.
UM, I GUESS I'M ASKING CUZ I, I'M, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A DEFINITE BENEFIT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE INTERCEPTION, OBVIOUSLY SOURCE REDUCTION BEING THE BEST, THEN INTERCEPTION AND THEN LIKE, OR LIKE INTERCEPTION BEFORE IT'S IN THE CREEK.
UM, AND THEN LIKE CLEANING OUT OUT OF THE CREEK, I GUESS BEING, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE THE THING THAT YOU DO BECAUSE YOU'VE FAILED AT THE OTHER STRATEGIES AND, AND BY THE TIME THINGS ARE IN THE CREEK, THEY, SOME OF THOSE PLASTICS I KNOW START BREAKING DOWN PRETTY QUICKLY AND, UM, AND, AND YOU JUST, YOU CAN'T GET IT ALL OUT AND YOU DO HAVE HAVE THAT, THAT MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION OCCURRING.
THAT'S, THAT'S PARTIALLY COMMENT.
BUT THEN I GUESS A QUESTION OF, YOU MENTIONED THAT THERE'S ALL THESE DIFFERENT, UM, STRATEGIES THAT ARE BEING DEPLOYED AND, AND SOME OF THEM I WAS AWARE OF AND THERE WERE A COUPLE THAT I WASN'T.
UM, I'M, I'M WONDERING, AND I HAVEN'T READ THE FULL REPORT, I APOLOGIZE.
DO YOU QUANTIFY LIKE THOSE VARIOUS EFFORTS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE, HOW MANY DOLLARS, HOW MANY, HOW MUCH TRASH IS BEING REMOVED FROM, HOW MANY SITES, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING LIKE THAT? SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAD, UH, INTENDED TO DO WITH THE BENCHMARK REPORT WAS TO PRESENT A SOLUTION LIKE ADOPT A DRAIN OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND SAY, HOW MUCH IS THIS GONNA COST AND HOW MUCH WILL THIS ACTUALLY HELP THE PROBLEM? AND FROM THAT YOU CAN, LIKE A MENU, YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE OF
[00:35:01]
THINGS AND HAVE A BUDGET FOR IT.UNFORTUNATELY, IT ALL HAS TO DO ABOUT SCALE.
FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU WERE TO ADOPT A DRAIN PROGRAM AND YOU HAD 15 PEOPLE DO IT, YEAH, IT'S NOT GONNA DO ANYTHING IF YOU HAD ALL DRAINS ADOPTED, IT WOULD, SO IT, TRYING TO IDENTIFY A WAY ON A PER UNIT BASIS TO COMPARE THEM, WE, WE JUST COULDN'T FIGURE OUT A GOOD WAY TO DO THAT.
THERE IS IN THE REPORT KIND OF A LITTLE DOLLAR SIGN THING.
LIKE IF YOU GO TO A HOTEL, YOU CAN SEE HOW MANY, HOW MANY, HOW MANY START OR HOW MANY DOLLAR SIGNS AND GET A GENERAL IDEA FOR THE TOTAL COST.
BUT SOME OF THE COSTS ARE SO INSIDIOUS.
UH, SOME OF THESE THINGS LIKE A, A WATER WHEEL OR SOME OF THESE BIG ROBOTS YOU'D HAVE ON THE LAKE TO DO SOMETHING.
THE UPFRONT COST IS ONE THING.
THE MAINTENANCE OVER TIME IS ANOTHER COST THAT'S HARD TO GET A HANDLE ON.
AND SO WE DECIDED TO KIND OF STEP BACK FROM TRYING TO, TO NAIL THAT DOWN AND KIND OF KEPT IT LOOSE.
UM, SO NO, I I WAS NOT ABLE TO HAVE A VERY, A VERY CONCISE WAY TO, UH, TO, TO DO THIS.
BUT THE REPORT DOES HAVE SOME GENERAL, GENERAL FEELINGS FOR THAT.
WELL, THAT, THAT WAS, THAT WAS HELPFUL.
BUT, UM, I WAS ACTUALLY TRYING TO DETERMINE IF YOU QUANTIFY
UH, AND I, I CAN, I CAN SEND IT TO THE, THE, UH, COUNCIL, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT HAD, UH, DIFFERENT SISTER CITIES, FORT WORTH AND OTHERS AND HOW MUCH THEY SPEND ON EVERYTHING.
BUT SOME OF THESE COSTS ARE KIND OF HIDDEN IN STAFF EFFORT AND, AND OTHER THINGS.
UM, SO I DIDN'T DO THAT, BUT THERE WAS A REPORT THAT WAS RECENTLY, I SAY RECENT IN THE LAST FIVE, 10 YEARS I THINK THAT DID SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THAT.
AND I CAN FORWARD THAT TO Y'ALL.
HI, AMY SEGEL, ALSO RESOURCE RECOVERY.
I WANTED TO, UH, BRING IN SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE CLEAN CRE CREW.
UH, THEY JUST COMPLETED THEIR FIRST YEAR IN OPERATION, UH, THAT, UH, PROGRAM OFFICIALLY KICKED OFF, UH, ABOUT OCTOBER, NOVEMBER OF 21.
UH, THEY, UH, MANAGED TO COLLECT ABOUT 143 TONS IN THEIR FIRST YEAR.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A REALLY AN IMPRESSIVE AMOUNT.
WE DO, UH, ASSIST A LOT WITH ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS.
WE HAD A BIG CLEANUP, UH, OVER JULY, UH, THAT BROUGHT A LOT OF TONNAGE OUT OF THE CREEK, KIND OF AROUND THE CRA FIELD AREA.
SO, UH, THEY ARE ACTIVE AS KEN MENTIONED, THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE DOING, UH, DAILY.
SO, UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER 'EM.
IS THAT STAFF OKAY? PEOPLE? OH, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.
NOW IS THAT ACTUALLY, UH, ARR STAFF WHO'S DOING THAT? OR VOLUNTEERS OR, IT'S ALL ARR STAFF.
WE HAVE A STAFF ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN PEOPLE THAT, THAT DO ALL THAT BY HAND AND WITH SOME EQUIPMENT AS WELL.
KABA, WELL, SHE ANSWERED MY QUESTION ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE, SIX OR SEVEN PEOPLE, AND, AND WHAT'S THE BUDGET FOR THAT PROJECT OR THAT STAFF? I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION WITH ME THIS EVENING, BUT WE CAN GET THAT FOR YOU.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I TACK ONTO THAT, THAT IN THE STUDIES AND THE LITERATURE, WE DID FIND THAT THE MOST EXPENSIVE STRATEGY IS THE EXTRACTION PART.
ONCE IT'S IN THE CREEK, IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO GET IT OUT MM-HMM.
AND SO OUT OF ALL THE DIFFERENT STRATEGIES THAT ARE THERE, ANYTHING IN THAT EXTRACTION CATEGORY IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE.
SO WE DEFINITELY DON'T WANNA LOOK AT A WATER WHEEL.
WELL, NO, I, I THINK THAT YOU'RE NOT BEING SILLY ABOUT YEAH.
AMANDA, I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL SET OF REPORTS AND, AND YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY.
UM, I WANTED TO ASK A BIT ABOUT SAN MARCUS AND IF YOU COULD TALK A BIT MORE ABOUT THE SINGLE USE PLASTIC, YOU KNOW, BANNING CONTAINERS, BANNING SINGLE USE PLASTIC.
I SAW A NOTE IN THE REPORT THAT SAID THAT THERE, THERE MIGHT BE SOME, UH, PUSHBACK AT THE STATE LEVEL, BUT SO FAR IN SAN MARCO THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED AND THEY HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO KEEP THEIR RESTRICTION ON THE PARTICULAR TYPES OF CONTAINERS.
SO COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT, UM, AND WHAT YOU MIGHT FORESEE IF WE DID TRY TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT HERE IN AUSTIN? YOU KNOW, MAYBE NOT FOR ALL OF OUR BODIES OF WATER, BUT FOR SOME, YEAH, SO, UH, MOST OF THEIRS IS OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, THERE A CITY AROUND A RIVER THERE, THEIR JEWEL IS THEIR RIVER AND THAT I BELIEVE THAT THEIR STRATEGY IS PRIMARILY FOCUSED TO THAT.
AND SO THEY, THEY, THEY'RE OUTLAWING SOME, UH, TYPES OF CONTAINERS.
THE, THE LEX CAN PROGRAMS UP NEW BROS AS WELL.
UM, THESE KIND OF BOILS DOWN TO, IN ENFORCEMENT, I THINK IS THE, IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF THAT.
IF YOU HAVE A SMALL, IF YOU HAVE A SMALL CITY IN A SMALL AREA, IT'S MUCH EASIER TO ENFORCE IN, IN, IN A LARGE CITY LIKE OURS.
I'M, I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT WOULD WORK.
I, I THINK IT CAN, IT'S JUST GONNA TAKE, UH, A A LOT OF BUY-IN AND A LOT OF POLITICAL, UM, COLLATERAL TO, TO DO THAT BECAUSE OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, IN TEXAS YOU START TO TAKE AWAY PEOPLE'S FREEDOMS. MM-HMM.
BUT YEAH, NO, THEY'RE PROGRAMS I THINK ARE TEMPLATES, THEY'RE MODELS FOR US TO FOLLOW.
[00:40:01]
AND, UH, AGAIN, IT'S MORE ABOUT SCALE.CAN WE DO WHAT THEY'RE DOING ON OUR SCALE? AND, AND WOULD THAT CAUSE SOME KIND OF POLITICAL, UM, LASHBACK, DO YOU, UH, DID THEY HAVE AN ISSUE OR, OR WERE THEY BEING KIND OF PROACTIVE IN INSTITUTING THEIR, THEIR POLICIES THERE IN SAN MARCO? I, I THINK THEY'VE EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING WE HAVE OVER TIME, WHETHER IT'S INCREASE IN POPULATION OR JUST POPULARITY OF RECREATION, OR THE INCREASING DEPENDENCE AND PERVASIVENESS OF SINGLE USE PLASTICS, BEER CANS AND ALL THIS STUFF.
I THINK THEY STARTED TO REALIZE REALLY QUICKLY THEY'VE GOT CLEAR WATER, THEY CAN SEE IT
I THINK IT'S, UH, THEY NOTICE THE SAME THING WE DID IN A FIGHT WITH A FINER FOCUS, AND THEY DID BECOME PROACTIVE ABOUT IT.
AND I'M, I ADMIRE WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH AND, UH, KIND OF PIONEER THE WAY FOR, FOR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES.
UM, THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT WAS THIS HISTORIC DUMPING, UM, AS ONE OF THE SOURCES YEAH.
UH, SO THIS IS REALLY INTRIGUING TO ME.
SO THESE ARE, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, LOCATIONS WHERE MAYBE PREVIOUSLY MATERIALS WERE DUMPED AND THEY EVEN MAY HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY BURIED AND THEN NOW THEY'RE BEING EXPOSED, WASHED AWAY, AND THEN THEY END UP IN, IN THE CREEKS AND, AND IN OUR BODIES OF WATER.
IS THAT GENERALLY LIKE THEY'RE JUST, IT'S BURIED TRASH CLOSE TO THE CREEKS THAT THAT CREATES THIS HISTORIC DUMPING SOURCE? THAT IS EXACTLY RIGHT.
AND MOST OF IT IS IN THE VERY OLDER PARTS OF TOWN.
AND, YOU KNOW, AS CREEKS MOVE AROUND BACK AND FORTH, THE FLOOD PLAIN ITSELF IS, YOU REALLY CAN'T DO WITH IT MUCH WITH, WITH FARMING OR BUILDING OR HOUSING.
SO A LOT OF TIMES YOU GET A TRACTOR, YOU DIG A BIG PIT, YOU THROW ALL THE TRASH IN THERE, YOU COVER IT, AND YOU FORGET ABOUT IT.
AND OVER TIME AS THAT, AS THE CREEK MOVES, IT STARTS TO UNCOVER SOME OF THAT STUFF.
IN OTHER CASES IT WAS FILL MATERIAL.
SO IN A, LIKE IN THE BOGGY CREEK OR IN THESE OTHER AREAS WHERE YOU HAVE LONG WIDE FLOOD PLAINS, UH, A LOT OF HISTORICALLY PEOPLE WOULD FILL IN THE FLOOD PLAIN TO HAVE USABLE AREA AND THEY WOULD JUST SAY, HEY, LET'S FILL IT WITH TRASH, WHY NOT? AND CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT, STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND THEN THAT STARTS TO BE EXPOSED WHEN THE, WHEN THE CREEK BANKS WIDEN.
IS, IS, ARE THERE, UH, SO IS THERE VALUE IN CLEANING THOSE UP AND WHAT WOULD THAT MAYBE BRING IN DIFFERENT TYPES OF FUNDING MECHANISMS? IT'S NOT QUITE A BROWNFIELD, BUT LIKE YOU'RE SAYING, I MEAN, HAVING TRASH IS PART OF YOUR INFIELD IS A LITTLE GROSS.
SO IS ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE COULD LEVERAGE FUNDING TO GET THOSE LIKE REHABILITATED SO THEY'RE NOT DUMPING TRASH OUT INTO OUR CREEKS? I'M SURE.
I'M SURE YOU COULD, BUT I DON'T THINK, UH, BASED ON WHAT I'VE, ON ALL THE OTHER SOURCES THAT I'VE SEEN, THAT IS NOT WHERE I WOULD DIRECT ANY OF THE RESOURCES AT THAT MOST OF THE, THE, THE REALLY OBNOXIOUS STUFF HAS GONE AND IT'S RUSTY AND BACK THEN THEY REALLY DIDN'T HAVE TOO MANY PLASTICS.
SO REALLY YOU'RE JUST LOOKING AT A BUNCH OF, UH, OF BUILDING MATERIALS AND, AND METAL, WHICH IS NOT IDEAL.
BUT THEN THINK OF RIPPING THAT, DRIPPING THE BANK BACK AND MESSING THE FLOOD PLAIN.
NOW YOU'VE OPENED IT CAUSE IT'S A LITTLE MORE VULNERABLE TO EROSION.
THERE'S A LOT OTHER SLEW AND PERMITTING AS, AS, AS BMS TWO AND THEN RESTORATION, THAT WOULD BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE FOR A VERY, UH, SMALL AMOUNT OF, UH, TRASH COMPARED TO THE OTHER ISSUES.
SO I WOULDN'T SPEND MUCH TIME ON THAT.
SO MORE ON THE, THE PLASTICS IS PRIMARILY SHOULD, PRIMARILY OUR FOCUS.
WELL I DO THINK OUR FOCUS SHOULD BE, AGAIN, EXTRACTION, INTERCEPTION AND SOURCE REDUCTION.
BUT WITH, UH, FUNDS TO GET IN THERE AND MOVE AND CLEAN IT OUT, I THINK THAT WE'VE GOT A BETTER, AS A RESOLUTION ON LOCATIONS THAT WILL HELP THE WHOLE CREEK AND, AND NOT JUST KIND OF PUTTING OUT FIRES WHERE THEY, WHERE THEY POP UP.
SO I HAVE QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONER.
SO ANDREW, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS REPORT.
UM, SO GOING BACK TO SOURCE, UM, REDUCTION ON THE WATER STATIONS, UH, HOW MANY DO WE HAVE OF THOSE? AND ARE THERE ANY, ARE THERE PLANS TO PUT MORE OR, SO AUSTIN WATER, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AUSTIN WATER.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU BUY THESE WATER BOTTLES EVERYWHERE AND DURING A A CRISIS, WATER BOTTLES ARE HANDED OUT ALL OVER THE PLACE AND WE JUST HAVE ALL THESE WATER BOTTLES.
AND PEOPLE HAVE THEIR OWN WATER BOTTLES.
WE NEED TO KIND OF MEET THEM HALFWAY AND PROVIDE PLACES WHERE THEY PUT IT UP.
UM, AUSTIN WATER, I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBER, BUT I KNOW THEY ARE INCREASING, UH, OVER TIME I WOULD, I WOULD ASK YOU CONTACT.
I DON'T HAVE A GOOD, DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHO WOULD BE A GOOD CONTACT FOR AUSTIN WATER ON THEIR PROGRAM? BECAUSE THEY, WE, YEAH, WE CAN PROVIDE YOU A NAME.
UH, THEY COULD TELL YOU THEIR CURRENT NUMBER AND MAYBE THEIR VISION FOR HOW MANY THEY WANT TO OVER TIME, BUT I DUNNO, THAT INFORMATION, WOULD THEY PUT THESE IN PARKS OR WHERE WOULD THEY PUT THEM? I AGAIN, WILL HAVE TO ASK THEM WHERE, WHERE, WHERE THE MOST FOOT TRAFFIC WOULD BE.
I THINK TOURISM, I THINK HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED IN MANY, IN MANY, UM, IN MANY REPORTS THAT TOURISM PEOPLE COME, THEY DON'T BRING THEIR STUFF, SO THEY'RE GONNA BE USING A LOT OF THESE THINGS.
MAYBE WE SHOULD FOCUS IN ON, UH, HIGH, HIGH FOOT TRAFFIC TOURISMS. OKAY.
ALSO ON THE, UH, THE, UH, VOLUNTEER PARTNERSHIPS LIKE HEB AND WHAT
[00:45:01]
HAVE YOU.AND SINCE WE DON'T HAVE THE BAG BAND ANYMORE, I'M WONDERING IF ANY A AR R STAFF HAS GONE BACK TO SOME OF THESE, UH, BIGGER, UH, BOX STORES AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT THEIR COOPERATION AND, AND REMIND THEM HOW MUCH THE CITY HAS PUT MONEY AND ENERGY INTO OUR, THE FAILED BAG COMMISSIONER.
NOT SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE BAGS OR THE BAG BAN, BUT THE TEAM IS CONSTANTLY WORKING WITH, UH, MANY OF THE BOX STORES OR, UH, MANUFACTURERS OR PRODUCTS IN THE INDUSTRY IN GENERAL.
UM, IN FACT, I JUST CAME BACK FROM A CONFERENCE WHERE, UH, THE INDUSTRY IS WORKING WITH MANY OF THE LARGE AND, UH, LARGER, UM, MANUFACTURERS TO REDESIGN PACKAGING, UH, AND, AND ALL THOSE TYPES OF EFFORTS.
SO THOSE THINGS ARE GOING ON CONSTANTLY.
AND I'M ALSO WONDERING IS, UM, MAYBE PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN IN THE CITY THAT THIS MOVEMENT THAT WE HAD FOR THE BAG BANDS AND ALSO THE, THE ENERGY AND THE MONEY THAT, THAT THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN PUT INTO THIS.
SO I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S EVER A CHANCE TO HAVE SOME PUBLIC, UM, SOME PR OUT THERE, PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE THE BAG BAND ANYMORE, BUT HERE'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO THAT.
OR, UH, IT'S BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM US.
UH, PLEASE BE MINDFUL OF THAT.
YOU THINK THERE'S A POSSIBILITY FOR ANY OF THAT? SURE.
THERE, THERE'S ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY FOR THAT.
AND THE TEAM IS ALREADY DOING A LOT OF THAT WORK.
WE'RE CONSTANTLY PUTTING OUT MESSAGING, UH, AND LOOKING TO, UH, PARTNER WITH, UH, OTHER AGENCIES WHO ARE ALSO WORKING IN THAT SPACE ALREADY.
UM, WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE CONNECT WITH THE VARIOUS, YOU KNOW, GENERATIONS WHERE THERE'S THE, THE GEN XERS OR THE MILLENNIALS AND, AND HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT IS THE RIGHT DELIVERY METHOD FOR GETTING THAT MESSAGE TO PEOPLE, UM, REGARDLESS OF, YOU KNOW, WHO THEY ARE, WHERE THEY ARE.
UM, SO WE WE'RE CONSTANTLY DOING THAT, THAT THAT WORK IS HAPPENING ON AN ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF OUR HOUSE, USUALLY THROUGH STRATEGIC INITIATIVES.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THIS IS, THIS IS A, A VERY LARGE ISSUE AND NOT JUST SPECIFIC TO AUSTIN.
SO ANY SOLUTIONS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE ON A GRAND SCALE WHERE WE'RE CONSTANTLY REACHING OUT AND UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S HAPPENED IN THE WAY STREAM, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE NEW, UH, ITEMS THAT ARE IN THE WAY STREAM THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO RECYCLE? SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND, UM, YEAH, I CAN KEEP YOU INFORMED ON ANY NEW DEVELOPMENTS, BUT THOSE THINGS ARE HAPPENING.
WELL, THAT WOULD BE GREAT SOMETIME MAYBE IN THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT TO LET US KNOW SOME THINGS THAT ARE, ARE GOING ON.
AND I KNOW FOR MYSELF, EVERY TIME I GO TO TARGET, UH, WHICH I'M TRYING TO BOYCOTT NOW BECAUSE THEY'RE HANDING OUT PLASTIC LIKE CRAZY.
AND SO I, I TALKED TO A LOT OF THE MANAGERS AND SOME OF THEM SAY THEY'RE, THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO JUST PUT THE PAPER BAGS THERE AND NOT THE PLASTIC, AND THEN I'LL GO TO ANOTHER ONE AND, AND THEY WON'T DO THAT.
DO YOU, DO YOU FEEL LIKE SOMETIMES IT'S THAT WAY WHERE SOME LOCALES AND JUST ONE PARTICULAR STORE WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN THE OTHER? IS IT COMING DOWN FROM THE TOP? YOU KNOW, I HAVEN'T SEEN THAT.
I, I KNOW, UH, A LOT OF THOSE LARGE RETAILERS ARE MOVING TOWARDS, YOU KNOW, ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING AND PRODUCTS AND, UH, THEIR BAGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AS IT RELATES TO, UH, TARGET, UM, I CAN CONNECT WITH THEM TO, TO KIND OF SEE WHAT THEY'RE DOING HERE LOCALLY.
UM, BUT I DO KNOW ON A NATIONAL LEVEL, THEY'VE BEEN PART OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HA HAVING, UM, WITH THE NATIONAL, UH, WITH THE PACKAGING INSTITUTE, UH, AND OTHER GROUPS ON THAT LEVEL.
SO THEY'RE DEFINITELY ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? KABA? OKAY, YOU CAN GO, AMANDA.
I THINK, UM, ONE, ONE OF THESE ITEMS THAT APPEALS TO ME IS, UH, WORKING WITH THE, THE LAKESIDE CONCESSIONS, YOU KNOW, THOSE VENDORS TO HAND OUT THE, THE MESH BAGS.
UM, AT LEAST FOR LADY BIRD LAKE, BECAUSE MY SENSE IS THAT THERE IS A PRETTY, UH, STRONG RELATIONSHIP THERE BETWEEN PAR AND THOSE VENDORS.
AND, UM, I, I WOULD THINK THAT THAT COULD BE A VERY ATTRACTIVE, LIKE, AREA TO, TO TRY THIS OUT IS AND SEE HOW IT WORKS ON LADYBIRD LAKE, AND THEN POTENTIALLY THINK ABOUT EXPANDING BEYOND JUST THOSE LIKE LICENSED CONCESSIONS.
UM, SO WANTED TO OFFER THAT PIECE OF FEEDBACK ABOUT THE, THE MANY ITEMS HERE ON THE LIST THAT I THINK THAT ONE SEEMS VERY, VERY ATTRACTIVE.
THOSE CONVERSATIONS WILL HAPPEN.
UM, I, SO I THINK I'VE BROUGHT THIS UP BEFORE, BUT, UM, SINCE YOU MENTIONED, UH, AUSTIN THREE 11, WHICH I ALSO LOVE THE APP.
I, I HAVE BROUGHT IT UP AGAIN AND
[00:50:01]
THERE'S STILL NO OPTION OTHER THAN YES, YOU CAN, YOU CAN REPORT A SCOOTER, BUT THERE IS NO OPTION TO JUST REPORT A TRASH ISSUE.YOU CAN REPORT THAT THERE'S TRASH IN THE STREET FOR STREET CLEANING, BUT IF IT'S OFF THE STREET, THERE'S, THERE'S NO PLACE IN THE APP.
SO MY QUESTION IS LIKE, CAN WE, CAN WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN? BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S AN EFFORT HERE AND IT, AND THEN WE, UH, COLLECTIVELY COULD BE PART OF GATHERING ADDITIONAL DATA, ESPECIALLY THE PLACES THAT ARE MAYBE NOT WITHIN VIEW OF THE CREEK, BUT THAT ARE GONNA ULTIMATELY GET WASHED INTO THE CREEK AS PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING IS.
COMMISSIONER WT, WE HAD, UH, TAKEN THAT INFORMATION TO AUSTIN THREE 11, UH, A FEW MONTHS AGO, AND THEY HAD CONCERNS ABOUT, UH, THE REPETITIVE NATURE THAT THEY COULD BRING AROUND WITH THAT, AS WELL AS PEOPLE MAYBE REPORTING ENCAMPMENTS.
SO IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN GO BACK AND TAKE A LOOK AT AGAIN, BUT I KNOW THAT THEY DEFINITELY HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE VOLUME OF, OF SERVICE REQUEST THAT COULD GENERATE.
SO, BUT, UH, LET US TALK INTERNALLY AND SEE WHAT WE CAN, UH, WHAT WE CAN BRING FORWARD.
UM, IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE A GOOD, GOOD START HERE, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I'LL JUST SAY LIKE, I THINK JUST LIKE IT VARIES, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE HOT SPOTS ALONG THE CREEK.
WE ALSO HAVE HOT SPOTS NOT IN THE CREEK.
AND I JUST SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, IN, IN MY OWN KIND OF PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND, AND OTHER PLACES, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENCE.
LIKE, YOU'LL, YOU'LL SEE LIKE AN AREA THAT IS JUST LIKE, WOW, THERE IS CONSISTENTLY TRASH RIGHT HERE.
AND, UM, WE COULD, I THINK, DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT BEFORE IT GETS IN THE CREEK.
IF, IF PEOPLE COULD, YOU KNOW, TAG IT AND MAYBE IT'S LIKE A DIFFERENT PROCESS THAN LIKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU DON'T NEED A RESPONSE.
MAYBE IT'S LIKE A TAG AND WE HAVE A CREW TO GO DO THAT.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THIS OR IF YOU SEE THIS IN YOUR PARTS OF, OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT I, I DO.
AND IT JUST, UM, SEEMS LIKE A MISSING KIND OF LINK.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, ANDREW? WONDERFUL.
THANK YOU GUYS FOR PARTICIPATING AND HELPING OUT AND HOPEFULLY KEEPING, UH, AUSTIN BEAUTIFUL.
BUT, UH, ANYWAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
[3. URO Update and Proposed Implementation]
NEXT ITEM IS ITEM THREE, WHICH IS THE, UH, UPDATE AND PROPOSED, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE JASON.UH, JASON MCCOMBS, ALSO RESOURCE RECOVERY STRATEGIC INITIATIVES.
I KNOW MOST OF YOU, UM, SO, UH, ON THIS AGENDA ITEM, UM, I DO THINK THERE WAS MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF, OOPS, I'M GETTING THE BUTTONS FUSION, I THINK MAYBE ABOUT PUTTING ON THE, BUT WHAT I, I THINK IT'S KIND OF A, THIS IS A GOOD TIME ANYWAY WITH OUR FISCAL YEAR STARTING IN OCTOBER, UM, STARTING EVERY OCTOBER.
AND, UM, AND THEN WE'RE ENDING, SO WE'RE ENDING UP ONE YEAR AND STARTING ANOTHER ONE.
SO I WANTED TO PAUSE FOR A LITTLE BIT, PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, KIND OF OVERVIEW OF THIS.
LOOK BACK AT THIS LAST YEAR, UM, AT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, HOW THE WENT LAST YEAR AND TALK ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON.
TALK ABOUT SOME THINGS THAT WE'RE WORKING ON IN THIS UPCOMING YEAR.
AND SO, UM, I THINK MOST OF YOU KNOW THIS, BUT, UM, UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ARTS IS AN IMPORTANT POLICY OF, OF LEVER THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE CITY.
UM, I THINK YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD THE STAT AS WELL IS THAT THE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY, UM, OF THE TOTAL WASTE DEVELOPED BY THE CITY, CITY CONTROLS ONLY ABOUT 15%.
THE OTHER 85% IS PRIVATE HAULERS.
AND SO WE USE POLICY LIKE THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE TO HELP SET MINIMUM STANDARDS, ENSURE CERTAIN LEVEL OF ACCESS TO THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO IT DOES SET, UH, STANDARDS AS FAR AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, RECYCLING CAPACITY THAT WE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE.
UM, SIGNAGE AND EDUCATION AND DUMPSTER PLACEMENT, THINGS LIKE THAT.
UH, ONE OF THE BIG REQUIREMENTS THAT WE HAVE EVERY YEAR THAT WE MEASURE INTERNALLY IS, UM, ONLINE SUBMISSION OF AN, OF A PLAN EVERY YEAR.
UM, BUSINESS, ALL BUSINESSES, MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES AND FOOD PERMIT HOLDERS ARE REQUIRED TO SUBMIT AN ONLINE PLAN TO THE CITY, UM, TELLING US HOW THEY'RE, UH, MEETING ORDINANCE REQUIREMENTS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ANYWHERE, IT KIND OF FLUCTUATES, BUT IT'S USUALLY RECOVERING AROUND THE 15,000, UH, MARK ABOUT PROPERTIES AND FOOD PERMIT HOLDERS THAT WE ARE, UH, TOUCHING BASE WITH EVERY YEAR TO SUBMIT THIS PLAN.
IT'S A HUGE PUSH BETWEEN OCTOBER, UM, IN FEBRUARY EVERY YEAR TO GET THESE IN.
UM, AND IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT TOOL, I THINK, AS FAR AS EDUCATION ENFORCEMENT.
AND SO, UM, THIS YEAR WAS, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST YEAR POST PANDEMIC, WE STARTED SEEING A LOT OF OUR NUMBERS RECOVERED FROM WHERE THEY WERE BEFORE, BACK TO, UH, GOOD LEVELS.
[00:55:01]
SO LIKE I SAID, LOOKING BACK, WE HAD AN 85% SUBMISSION RATE OF OUR, UH, FOR RECYCLING ANNUAL PLAN, WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT.THAT'S, THAT'S OUR GOAL EVERY YEAR, UM, WHICH WAS GREAT.
UM, OUR ORGANICS PLAN, UM, WAS AT 70%, WHICH WAS AN ALL TIME HIGH.
WE CONTINUE TO SEE THAT RISE, THAT'S FOOD RECOVERY, COMPOSTING, THINGS LIKE THAT FOR FOOD PERMIT HOLDERS.
UM, I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE JUST TO KNOW TOO, THAT, UH, ORGANICS WAS, UH, COMING IN A LITTLE BIT LATER THAN THE RECYCLING COMPONENT.
IT WAS FULLY IMPLEMENTED IN 2018.
SO WE ARE GROWING, WE'RE GROWING RAPIDLY HERE, SO WE'RE SEEING REALLY GOOD PROGRESS ON THAT FRONT.
UM, COMPLIANCE, THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR TOO.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS FOR YEARS ABOUT HAVING A COMPLIANCE TEAM HERE WITH OUR, OUR ARR TEAM, AND WE DO HAVE THAT IN PLACE LAST YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME.
UM, AND WE HAVE SEEN GREAT SUCCESS WITH HAVING AN EDUCATION TEAM AND A COMPLIANCE TEAM ABLE TO FOLLOW UP ON THESE.
WE'RE SEEING, BUT WE SAW, LIKE, I THINK ABOUT A 15% INCREASE RESPONSE TO SOME OF THESE FIRST EFFICIENCY LETTERS BASED OFF JUST OUR EDUCATION STAFF ALONE.
WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO GROW THAT GROUP AND THAT TEAM.
UM, BUT IT'S, UH, REALLY GOOD FIRST YEAR SUCCESS.
UM, WE ARE CONTINUING TO, UM, I THINK AS FAR AS THE ORGANICS COMPONENT, I THINK WE'RE DOING PRETTY WELL, SEEING OUR BRICK AND MORTAR, UM, YOU KNOW, RESTAURANTS, GROCERY STORES, FOR EXAMPLE, SUBMITTING AT A PRETTY HIGH RATE.
WE CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE, I THINK WITH THE MOBILE FOOD VENDOR SIDE OF THINGS.
IT'S AN AREA THAT, UH, THEY'RE JUST, THEY'RE MOBILE IN NATURE AND A LOT OF TIMES WHERE IT'S TRACKED BY FOOD PERMIT AND SOMETIMES THE FOOD PERMITS ARE TEMPORARY IN NATURE.
SO LIKE WHEN WE PULL THE DATA, SOMETIMES BY THE TIME WE EVEN GET TO 'EM, THEY'RE DON'T EXIST ANYMORE.
SO EITHER WAY, IT'S JUST SOMETHING, UH, LIKE A INTERESTING DATA POINT.
UM, ANOTHER INTERESTING ONE IS THAT, UM, JUST LOOKING THROUGH THE DATA OVER THIS LAST YEAR, WE ARE FINDING THAT A MAJORITY OF PROPERTIES ARE MEETING DUMPSTER REQUIREMENTS ON THE OUTSIDE.
SO THEY'VE GOT THE RIGHT SIZE DUMPSTER, TRASH, DUMPSTER, THEY'VE GOT THE RIGHT SIZE RECYCLING.
UM, BUT IT TENDS TO BE THE SECONDARY ASPECTS, THE SIGNAGE, THE EDUCATION, UM, THAT ARE, ARE KIND OF LAGGING BEHIND.
AND SO ONE OF THE BIG THINGS THAT WE'RE PUSHING FOR THIS YEAR IS PROACTIVE OUTREACH ON THAT.
WE, WE KNOW WHO, UM, YOU KNOW, IS MISSING THE SIGNAGE AND STUFF RIGHT NOW.
AND SO WE ARE ACTIVELY REACHING OUT TO THEM UPFRONT WITH SIGNAGE, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, ANNUAL EDUCATION TEMPLATES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND SO WE HOPE TO SEE, UM, IMPROVEMENT I THINK IN THAT AREA.
UM, THERE IS A LOT GOING ON WITH THIS TEAM.
UM, I THINK BEHIND BOTH ON THE POLICY FRONT, BUT ALSO, UH, KIND OF BEHIND THE SCENES AS WELL.
THERE'S A TON OF ADMINISTRATIVE THINGS GOING ON RIGHT NOW TO IMPROVE OUR EFFICIENCY, KIND OF ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF THINGS.
IT'S, THIS IS KIND OF THE NUTS AND BOLTS IN THE ENGINE.
UM, AND WE ARE WORKING ON, UH, TWO VERY LARGE SOFTWARE PROJECTS RIGHT NOW.
UM, ONE BEING, UM, THE ONLINE REPORTING SYSTEM AND THE SUPPORTING DATABASE THAT WE HOPE WILL HELP, UM, KIND OF MAKE A SMOOTHER ONLINE REPORTING PROCESS, BUT ALSO THE SUPPORTING DATA AND BE ABLE TO DO, UH, HOPEFULLY MORE SOPHISTICATED DATA ANALYSIS AS WELL.
ALSO GOT SOFTWARE HAPPENING UP FOR OUR COMPLIANCE SIDE TO BE ABLE TO BUILD THEIR DATABASES TO HELP BUILD THAT COMPLIANCE TEAM MOVING FORWARD.
UH, WE WERE SPEAKING ABOUT THREE 11 EARLIER.
THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE TRYING TO INTEGRATE OUR TEAM INTO AS WELL, INTO THE BROADER SYSTEM FOR THE UNIVERSITY RECYCLING ORDINANCE TO BE ABLE TO CALL IN THROUGH THE THREE 11 RATHER THAN DIRECTLY TO RIGHT NOW.
PHONE CALLS GO A LOT OF TIMES JUST TO OUR BUSINESS HOUR TEAM.
IT GOES TO A STAFF'S DESK, AND WE WERE WANTING TO, UM, HOPEFULLY FREE UP SOME OF THEIR TIME TO GET THEM OUT EDUCATING, UM, AND RELIEVE SOME OF THIS BURDENS.
WE HOPE THIS TRIAGE SYSTEM WILL HELP.
UM, AND, UH, ANOTHER THING WE'VE GOT IS JUST AN INTERESTING, I THINK, NUANCE THAT WE'VE LEARNED OVER THIS PAST YEAR.
LIKE LOOKING THROUGH THE DATA AS WE WERE NOTICING A LARGE NUMBER ON THE OF FOOD PERMIT HOLDERS.
UM, WHEN YOU'RE SUBMITTING WHY YOU SHOULD, UM, OR HOW YOU'RE, UM, COMPLYING WITH THE ORDINANCE EVERY YEAR.
THERE'S LIKE FOOD, YOU KNOW, DONATING, FOOD, COMPOSTING.
ONE OF THOSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN, UM, SOURCE REDUCTION.
WE DID NOTICE A TREND OF SOME, UM, JUST REPORTING SOURCE REDUCTION WITHOUT COMPOSTING YOUR DONATION, WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN FROM A ORGANIC, WE'RE TALKING ORGANICS FRONT ONLY, NOT PLASTICS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
YOU KNOW, USING FOOD TO, UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW, YOU'RE USING THE FOOD GOING INTO SOUP OR SOMETHING THAT ORDERING TOMATOES FROM A FACTORY THAT DON'T HAVE, HAVE THE ENDS OF THE TOMATOES CUT OFF, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, AND SO WE'RE MO WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE AWAY FROM THAT ADMINISTRATIVELY WITH SIDE.
THERE IS NO, UH, CODE BARRIER FOR THIS.
AND SO HOPEFULLY PUSH PEOPLE INCREASINGLY TOWARDS, UH, FOOD DONATION AND THEN COMPOSTING.
UM, WE SEE THAT AS A HUGE OPPORTUNITY AREA.
UM, AND THEN, LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE PROACTIVE OUTREACH IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALSO WORKING ON AS WELL.
THAT OF, YOU KNOW, GETTING IN FRONT OF SIGN OF UHS EDUCATION AND SIGNAGE.
UM, THERE IS TWO ACTIVE ONGOING, UM, POLICY GROUPS.
I THINK ONE, UM, WE'VE GOT COMMISSIONERS, UH, TUO HERE ON THAT WORKING GROUP, UM, WORKING ON, UM, IT'S RELATED TO A, UH, COUNCIL RESOLUTION, UM, RELATED TO MULTIFAMILY COMPOSTING.
[01:00:02]
UM, THOSE ARE ACTIVELY GOING ON.I THINK THERE'S A, A MEETING MONDAY, UM, IN FACT FOLLOWING UP ON THAT.
UM, AND WE CONTINUE AS STAFF TO WORK TOWARDS, UM, THE, THE RESOLUTION, UM, GOAL OF PROVIDING A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL, UM, HERE VERY SOON.
AND, UM, THE ONE I DID WANT TO JUST, UH, FLAG I THINK FOR YOU TO BE AWARE OF IS THE, UH, AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD HAS RECENTLY REFORMED A WORKING GROUP, UM, REALLY FOCUSED ON FOOD RECOVERY, UM, AND WAYS TO, UM, IMPROVE FOOD RECOVERY WITHIN AUSTIN.
UM, IT HAS, UH, JUST STARTED MEETING, UM, JUST VERY RECENTLY.
UM, I THINK THEIR FIRST, OR ONE OF THEIR EARLY MEETINGS IS ACTUALLY ON THE 16TH NEXT WEEK.
BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TOO, CAUSE THERE COULD POTENTIALLY BE CROSSOVER, UH, WITH THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE HERE.
SO, UM, JUST FLAG THAT I'D PUT THE WEB ADDRESS UP THERE TOO, UM, TO LOOK AT IF WE'RE INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED AND WE CAN HELP OUT AS WELL WITH THAT.
UM, AND THOUGH IT'S NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE ORDINANCE, UM, JUST DID WANNA HIGHLIGHT, UM, THE ZERO WASTE BUSINESS REBATE.
UM, IT IS SOMETHING, WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT SOURCE REDUCTION EARLIER, IT IS ONE OF THOSE TOOLS WE HAVE TO HELP PROMOTE THAT.
UM, WE, WE WERE ABLE TO HAND OUT $18,000 IN REBATES.
THESE REBATES ARE GIVEN TO BUSINESSES THAT GO ABOVE AND BEYOND ORDINANCE STANDARDS TO HELP, YOU KNOW, UM, INCREASE CIRCULAR ECONOMY TYPE OPPORTUNITIES HERE.
UM, LIKE I SAID, WE HAD ABOUT $18,000 LAST YEAR IN REBATES.
UM, NUMBERS WISE, JUST, UM, WE WENT A LOT TOWARDS, UH, REFRIGERATION AND FREEZER AND, UM, FOOD RESCUE GROUPS.
UM, KIND OF SOME HIGH PROFILE BUSINESSES THAT PARTICIPATED WERE LIKE BOOK PEOPLE, WHICH SWITCHED FROM, UM, HANDING OUT WATER BOTTLES AT THEIR CAFE OVER TO REUSABLE GLASSES.
UM, FRANKLIN'S BARBECUE WAS ANOTHER PARTICIPANT THAT, UH, PURCHASED SOME, UM, UH, REUSABLE SEALABLE BAGS TO HELP WITH FOOD DONATION AT THE END OF EVERY NIGHT THAT THEY HELP, UH, YOU KNOW, HELP TRANSPORT THAT.
SO IT'S A REALLY COOL OPPORTUNITY, UM, AND IT'S A GOOD TOOL I THINK THAT WE HAVE KIND OF IN OUR ARS AND ALL THE HELP, UH, ENCOURAGE THAT.
SO THAT'S IT, THAT'S THE UPDATE, SO, SURE.
COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS? I, UH, COMMISSIONER WHITE AND TU SO YOU WANNA LEAD US IN THIS, WELL, I ACTUALLY DID HAVE A, A COUPLE QUESTIONS, UM, BEFORE WE JUMP INTO THE, WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON.
UM, ONE WAS, ED, COULD YOU JUST SAY AGAIN, WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO DO IN TERMS OF THE, LIKE THE SOURCE REDUCTIONS STRATEGY? LIKE, WERE YOU TRYING TO, UM, REMOVE THAT AS A, AS AN OPTION LIKE THAT YOU HAD TO ALSO DO COMPOSTING? OR CAN YOU JUST STATE THAT AGAIN, I DIDN'T YEAH, SURE.
RIGHT, RIGHT NOW IT IS A, ON THE ONLINE PLAN THAT WE HAVE, YOU, YOU CAN CHECK A, B OR C OR D AND WHAT WE'RE WANTING TO MOVE TOWARDS IS IF YOU'RE DOING SOURCE REDUCTION, YOU NEED TO BE DOING, UM, YOU KNOW, DONATING, FOOD COMPOSTING AS WELL, THAT IT CAN'T JUST BE THAT FOOD REDUCTION ARE THE SOURCE REDUCTION ALONE IN AN ORGANIC SENSE.
SO, UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE, UM, KIND OF WORKING ON MOVING ADMINISTRATIVELY TOWARDS THAT.
IS THERE A REASON, I MEAN, I, I'M FULLY SUPPORTIVE, OBVIOUSLY, OF DONATING, UH, FOOD, BUT THAT ONE ALSO STRIKES ME AS LIKE AN INCOMPLETE SOLUTION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU DONATE THINGS THAT ARE STILL EDIBLE.
THERE'S OBVIOUSLY A BUNCH OF STUFF THAT DOES NOT FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY AND THINGS THAT LIKE, AREN'T EVEN FOOD, BUT ARE ORGANICS, LIKE SOIL PAPER AND CARDBOARDS.
SO YEAH, JUST WONDERING IF, LIKE, IS THERE A REASON NOT TO TREAT THAT STRATEGY IN THE SAME WAY? LIKE, IT'S A GREAT THING YOU HAVE TO ALSO PROVIDE COMPOSTING.
YEAH, I THINK THAT'S THE, I HOPE THAT'S THE INTENT THAT WE'RE GOING FOR.
UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THOSE.
SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT FOR A, I'M GONNA SAY IT A CALL IT A, UH, A RESTAURANT FOR EXAMPLE, YOU WOULD WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET SOURCE REDUCTION CREDIT FOR REDUCING PACKAGING OF LIKE A CARDBOARD THAT COULD HAVE BEEN COMPOSTED.
AM I HEARING THAT RIGHT? I MAY BE HEARING THAT WRONG.
NO, I GUESS I WAS SUGGESTING THAT EVEN IF YOU ARE JUST LIKE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE BASICALLY SAYING IF YOU'RE DOING SOURCE REDUCTION, YOU STILL HAVE TO ALSO DO EITHER COMPOSTING OR DONATION MM-HMM.
AND I GUESS I'M SAYING I FEEL LIKE DONATION HAS THAT SAME LIMITATION.
LIKE IF WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP ALL THE ORGANICS OUT OF THE LANDFILL, I'M OBVIOUSLY FOR DONATING FOOD, I DON'T KNOW WHO WOULDN'T BE, BUT LIKE, THAT, THAT DOESN'T, IN,
[01:05:01]
THAT'S NOT GONNA, THAT'S NOT GONNA LIKE, RESULT IN THAT, THAT GOAL BEING MET, RIGHT.BECAUSE THERE'S GONNA BE THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T DONATE.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE NOT GONNA DONATE YOUR ONION PEEL, YOU'RE NOT GONNA DONATE.
YOU KNOW, TRASH
SO I GUESS I'M JUST WONDERING FOR, I DON'T KNOW, BASICALLY I'M SAYING I THINK WHAT WE SHOULD BE REQUIRING COMPOSTING AS WELL AS ENCOURAGING THESE OTHER STRATEGIES.
I THINK WE WOULD SEE IT AS ONE OF THOSE TWO OPTIONS AS FOOD, YOU KNOW, AS A DONATION OR COMPOSTING TYPE THING.
WE WANT TO GET OFF OF THE TRACK OF SOURCE REDUCTION ONLY AS BEING THE PATH FORWARD AND MOVE TOWARDS WHAT YOU DESCRIBED.
WANTED TO SAY ONE THING? YES, JASON, THANK YOU.
UH, I'M WONDERING IF YOU, IF WE COULD SCHEDULE YOU TO COME TO THE, ONE OF THE MEETINGS SO WE CAN FLUSH THIS OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE AND GET A LITTLE MORE DETAILED ON SOME OF THESE THINGS.
SO RIGHT NOW, UM, I WILL NOT BE AT THE 14TH, BUT I THINK THERE'S ONE ON THE FIRST THAT I'LL DEFINITELY, RIGHT.
WE'LL JUST LET'S, WE'LL GET PAST THE YEAH.
MULTI-FAMILY COMPOSTING PILOT, I MEAN THE COMPOSTING, AND THEN WE CAN LOOK AT THIS AGAIN, THE OVERVIEW OF THIS.
AND YOU WON'T BEAT HIM UP, RIGHT? SO, GOD, I THINK COMMISSIONER WHITE OR TUSA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE, UH, RESOLUTION? THAT'S OKAY.
BUT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO THAT BE PROPOSED? WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE THE RESOLUTION? SURE.
UM, DID EVERYBODY GET THAT BY EMAIL OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE COULD IT'S, IT'S IN OUR PACKAGES, YES.
I WASN'T, I WASN'T SURE IF THAT HAPPENED.
UM, YEAH, SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, PROBABLY MOST OF Y'ALL ARE AWARE THAT WE'VE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING MULTI-FAMILY, UH, COMPOSTING AND THE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, MAKE THAT A, A SERVICE THAT'S, THAT'S AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE.
UM, WELL SINCE BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, BECAUSE WE HAD A SERIES OF MEETINGS AND THEN THE PILOT WAS GONNA START AND THEN PANDEMIC, UH, YOU KNOW, HAPPENED.
AND, AND SO THINGS GOT VERY DELAYED.
BUT, UM, IT'S BEEN A, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LONG PROCESS FOR, FOR SOME LEGITIMATE REASONS.
UM, AND, AND WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT AT THE END OF IT.
BASICALLY, WE'RE AT THE STAGE WHERE, UM, WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER STAKEHOLDER MEETING, AS YOU HEARD, UM, ON MONDAY, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE ANOTHER, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING.
I THINK IT'S, IT'S ON DECEMBER 1ST, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, SOMEWHERE IN THERE.
UH, BUT WE, WE NEED, WE NEED SOMETHING ACTUALLY DRAFTED FOR ADDITIONAL STAKEHOLDER INPUT.
AND SO THAT'S ESSENTIALLY THE, UM, THE FIRST PIECE OF THE RESOLUTION, UH, THAT I SHARED WITH Y'ALL IS, IS DRAFTING, DRAFTING THAT ORDINANCE SO THAT WE CAN GET ADDITIONAL, UH, YOU KNOW, STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK AND, AND INPUT AND, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS THERE WILL BE CHANGES AFTER IT'S DRAFTED MOST LIKELY.
UM, AND THEN THE, THE OTHER, UH, KIND OF TWO PIECES IN THERE, UM, YOU KNOW, I'LL SAY EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING IN THERE I THINK, UM, REALLY IS, IS INFORMED BY THESE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE BEEN HAVING AT THE SUBCOMMITTEE AND, AND THINGS THAT THE STAKEHOLDERS, STAKEHOLDERS HAVE BROUGHT UP AS, UM, CHALLENGES OR CONCERNS.
UM, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THIS CONCERN ABOUT PROPERTIES OVERCHARGING FOR SERVICES THEY'RE PROVIDING.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THAT, YOU KNOW, NUMBER SEVEN IS IN THERE.
BUT THEN THE OTHER, UH, BE IT RESOLVED ITEMS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST ONE ADDRESSES THE NEED FOR EDUCATION IN CONSISTENT EDUCATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AWARE THAT, THAT THAT IS NOT HAPPENING NOW WITH RECYCLING, AND THAT IT'S A REAL CHALLENGE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
SO THE SUGGESTION HERE IS, YOU KNOW, TO FIND A WAY FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR ARR OR THE CITY IN SOME WAY TO PERHAPS AT LEAST SUPPLEMENT, UH, THE REQUIREMENT.
UH, YOU KNOW, THIS ENVISIONS STILL, UH, AN EDUCATION REQUIREMENT IN THE ORDINANCE THAT WOULD, THAT REQUIREMENT THAT'S ON THE, THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT.
UM, BUT THAT THE CITY WOULD PLAY A ROLE JUST AS IT DOES FOR, YOU KNOW, PERSON, FAMILY, UM, IS THAT EDUCATION.
UM, AND THEN THE LAST PIECE OF IT, UH, SPEAKS TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE KIND OF CONCERN, I GUESS, UH, AROUND SMALLER PROPERTIES HAVING, UM, JUST MORE CHALLENGE WITH, WITH IMPLEMENTING ANY OF THESE CHANGES AS THEY HAVE IN THE PAST.
AND, UM, WANTING TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE INCENTIVES TO
[01:10:01]
HELP THEM GET GOING.UM, SO THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALKED ABOUT HAVING A PHASED IN IMPLEMENTATION SO THAT THE SMALLER, UM, PROPERTIES WOULD HAVE MORE TIME.
AND SINCE THEY WOULD NOT BE REQUIRED TO DO SOMETHING, THEY COULD TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN INCENTIVE.
AND SO ASKING A TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY MAP THAT OUT, LIKE WHAT WOULD THE INCENTIVES BE AND, UM, HOW CAN, HOW CAN THEY BE EFFECTIVE AT HELPING THOSE PROPERTIES, UH, OVERCOME THEIR CHALLENGES? SO WE CAN OBVIOUSLY GO THROUGH THIS IN ANY ADDITIONAL DETAIL, BUT THAT'S KIND OF A GENERAL OVERVIEW.
YOU KNOW, I, I, THERE'S ONE THING THAT, UH, ACTUALLY MELISSA CAUGHT, IT'S ON THE FOURTH, WHEREAS, AND IT'S, ISN'T IT MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING OF FOUR OR GREATER UNITS, FOUR UNITS OR GREATER FOUR UNITS ARE GREATER MM-HMM.
I THINK IT IS, IS THAT RIGHT, KEN? THE CITY PROVIDES COLLECTIONS AT FOUR OR LESS? YES.
FOR THE, FOR THE CITY SERVICES, FOUR OR LESS, UH, FIVE OR MORE SERVED BY OR MORE THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
SO THEN IT'S CORRECT WHAT'S ON HERE.
AND COMMISSIONERS, AS YOU WORK THROUGH THAT, UH, RESOLUTION, COULD YOU PLEASE KEEP ME UP TO SPEED ON THAT AND SHARE? UM, I'M SORRY, ANY DRAFTS? WHAT DID HE SAY? AS YOU WORK THROUGH THE RESOLUTION, COULD YOU PLEASE KEEP ME UP TO SPEED ON IT? I THINK IN, I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE SAID HE'S ASKING AS WE WERE WORKING THROUGH THIS, KEEP HIM UP TO SPEED ON THE CHANGES AND THE ADDITIONS, IF ANY.
SO IF THIS IS GOING TO ADDRESS MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES THAT ARE GREATER THAN FOUR UNITS, BECAUSE YOU'RE SAYING THEY'RE NOT SERVICED BY ARR, WHAT ARE WE DOING TO ADDRESS THE UNITS THAT ARE FOUR UNITS THAT ARE FOURPLEXES THAT DO NOT HAVE THESE SERVICES? TO ME, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY PROVIDE THERE, BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF FOURPLEXES THAT DO NOT HAVE THOSE SERVICES.
AND WE'RE WORKING ON A, A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT PILOTS TO KIND OF ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE.
SOME OF THOSE SITES ARE REALLY DIFFICULT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS.
I THINK NEXT MONTH, NO, THIS MONTH ACTUALLY, WE HAVE A PILOT, UH, TEST THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN, UH, AT ONE OF THE SITES.
UM, WHICH ONE? IT'S ON BROWNIE, BROWNIE, MM-HMM.
SO, UH, SOME OF THOSE SITES, AS YOU KNOW, HAVE, UH, ISSUES WITH SET OUT LOCATIONS.
UM, SOME OF 'EM DON'T HAVE SPACE OR THEIR SPACE CONSTRAINED.
AND SO WE'RE KIND OF WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH, UH, SEVERAL DIFFERENT OPTIONS THAT MIGHT INCLUDE WHETHER OR NOT, UH, SAY IT FOR EXAMPLE, A A A FOURPLEX MIGHT SHARE ONE CART OR DO THEY HAVE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, A CART PER DWELLING, UH, IF YOU HAVE UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS, WHAT TYPES OF CONSIDERATIONS ARE MADE FOR WHERE THE CARTS ARE? UM, AS, AS NEIGHBORS TRY TO BE CONSIDERATE FOR, YOU KNOW, OF THE LOWER LEVEL NEIGHBORS, WHAT KIND OF, UM, WHAT KIND OF PROVISIONS DO WE HAVE IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT CREATING A NUISANCE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE LOWER LEVELS? AND SO WE'RE KIND OF WORKING THROUGH A LOT OF THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS ON, ON THE, ON THE, UM, FOURTH OR LESS SIDE OF THINGS.
AND AS I SAID, UH, ONE OF THOSE, THOSE STUDIES IS ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE.
IS IT NEXT WEEK? YEAH, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE NOVEMBER 22ND, 22ND, YES.
YEAH, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE PARTICIPATING IN THAT 22ND, 2ND OF NOVEMBER.
UH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I DO UNDERSTAND THE CONSTRAINTS, AND I HAVE PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED AN ADDRESS THAT IS A SET OF FOURPLEXES THAT IS SIMILARLY CONSTRAINED STREETWISE THAT RECEIVES TRASH, RECYCLING AND COMPOST.
SO AGAIN, IF YOUR DEPARTMENT WOULD LIKE ME TO PROVIDE THAT AGAIN AS AN EXAMPLE, THAT YOUR STAFF CAN GO AND VISUALLY LOOK AT TO SEE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE, I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
I'D LIKE TO SEE THAT WE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS SITE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF REVIEWS ON SITES.
UH, SOME OF THEM HAVE VALET SERVICE, UM, WHICH SOMETIMES IS AN ISSUE FOR, UH, SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE, UH, UNDERSERVED OR IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.
SO THERE'S SOMETIMES EVALUATIONS THAT WE NEED TO PERFORM ON THAT SIDE, ON THAT SIDE OF THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT FURTHER EXACERBATING ISSUES WITH AFFORDABILITY.
SO, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF NUANCES THAT WE HAVE TO TRY TO WORK THROUGH, UH, WITH A LOT OF THESE, UH, SOME OF THE SITES, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT I THINK WE REVIEWED, UM, THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT UPCHARGE FOR THE VALET
[01:15:01]
SERVICE TO PROVIDE THE, THE COMPOST AT SOME LOCATIONS.I'VE, THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I'VE PREVIOUSLY HAD IN THE DEPARTMENT ABOUT THE COST, WHAT I WAS TOLD WAS THAT THE COST FOR THE RESIDENTS WOULD ACTUALLY BE LOWER THAN WHAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY PAYING FOR THEIR TRASH SERVICES.
IS THAT FOR A, UM, IS THAT FOR THE PRIVATE SECTOR SERVICE OR FOR A UNIT THAT, A LOCATION THAT WE ARE SERVICING THAT WOULD BE FOR THE FOUR PLEXES.
SO I GUESS THAT'S A UNIT THAT YOU SERVICE.
YEAH, WE'D HAVE TO LOOK AT IT TO MAKE SURE.
AND, AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF LOOKING AT A NUMBER OF THEM RIGHT NOW.
BEFORE YOU, BEFORE YOU GO, KEN, CAN YOU SHARE HOW MANY OF THESE PROPERTIES ARE THERE THAT ARE NOT SERVED? UH, DO WE HAVE THAT NUMBER? I'LL HAVE TO GET THAT NUMBER AND GET BACK TO YOU.
THERE ARE QUITE A FEW TALK ABOUT THAT.
WELL, THANKS FOR RAISING THAT IS AN ISSUE.
I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK INTO IT MORE FOR SURE.
AND I'M GLAD THAT WE, AND I'LL PUT THAT ON THE AGENDA, THAT WE LIKE SOME FEEDBACK ON ALL THAT AS YOU'RE DOING IT, PLEASE.
A AS I SAID, WE'RE ALREADY WORKING ON A NUMBER OF SOLUTIONS AT DIFFERENT PROPERTIES, BUT EACH PROPERTY IS UNIQUE.
UM, SOME OF THEM, UH, LIKE I SAID, ONE OF THE BIGGER ISSUES HAS BEEN PARKING AS WE TRY TO GO FROM DUMPSTERS TO CARTS AT SOME OF THOSE LOCATIONS, THERE ARE SOME NUANCES THAT MAKE SOME OF THOSE THINGS REALLY TRICKY.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE'RE KIND OF WORKING THROUGH THOSE.
UH, ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS SOME OF THE LOCATIONS, UH, EACH COMPLEX OR EACH BUILDING IS OWNED BY A DIFFERENT BUILDING OWNER AND NOT A SINGLE, UH, PROPERTY MANAGER.
AND SO WE HAVE, UH, SOME, SOME CONCERNS AND SOME ISSUES AND, AND THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WE'RE TRYING TO WORK THROUGH.
UM, SO, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE FAIRLY COMPLEX AND SOMETIMES THE SOLUTIONS ON IS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS THEY MAY APPEAR.
SO CAN, HOW MANY, UH, CAN YOU QUANTIFY HOW MANY PROPERTIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OR PERCENTAGE OF AUSTINITES THAT LIVE IN SOME OF THESE THAT ARE NOT RECEIVING ANY SERVICES, THAT AREN'T MULTI-FAMILY? WE CAN GET THAT NUMBER AND BRING THAT BACK TO YOU.
NOW, KAVA AND KATHY, ARE WE WORDSMITHING THIS AND THEN PRESENTING THIS TO STAFF? YES.
THAT'S, IS THAT WHERE WE'RE, THAT'S WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO.
WE, IF WE DON'T DO IT TONIGHT, WE'LL NEED TO SEE IF WE CAN, UH, MEET NEXT MONTH SO THAT WE CAN HAVE THE RESOLUTION DONE TO SEND A CITY, THE CITY COUNCIL.
SO WE'D LIKE EVERYONE'S FEEDBACK.
I MEAN, JUST A FEW, JUST, UH, KIND OF NITPICKY THINGS, UH, AT, AT THE FIRST, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED.
LET'S STRIKE BY AND JUST LET THAT SLOW.
AND THEN UNDER THE, UH, THE ORDINANCE SHOULD ON NUMBER SEVEN, ITEM SEVEN, UM, SORRY, CAN YOU GO TO THE, WHAT WAS THE FIRST ONE AGAIN? IT'S THE, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED.
STRIKE B Y ON THE SECOND PAGE.
AND THEN, UH, LET'S SEE ON THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE, SHOULD, CAN WE ELABORATE ON ITEM NUMBER SEVEN? I THINK THAT WAS YOURS.
SO THIS, THIS CAME DIRECTLY FROM, UM, ACTUALLY I THINK A COUPLE OF OUR STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.
UH, THIS ISSUE WAS RAISED ABOUT JUST LIKE REALLY EXPENSIVE, UM, FEES.
AND, UM, IT, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST ONE PERSON, UH, EXPLICITLY LIKE KIND OF QUESTIONING IF WHAT THEY WERE BEING CHARGED WAS ACTUALLY WHAT THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT WOULD, WOULD, WAS BEING CHARGED.
LIKE WERE THEY UP CHARGING THEM SIGNIFICANTLY? UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PILOT SHOWED THAT THE, THE COST FOR THE COMPOSTING WAS, YOU KNOW, NOT OUTLANDISH.
IT WAS, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN ONE AND $3 A UNIT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT SOUNDS PRETTY REASONABLE, BUT IF, IF A PROPERTY TURNS AROUND AND YOU KNOW, THE FEDS CAUSE YOU KNOW, CHARGE ANOTHER $20, THEN YOU KNOW, IT, IT COULD, UM, MAKE IT SEEM LIKE COMPOSTING AS UNAF UNAFFORDABLE AND, AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE WANNA SUPPORT.
SO THAT WAS KIND OF THE YEAH, NO, I, I, THE REASON I'M ASKING THAT, I MEAN, THAT TO ME WOULD BE A VERY CHALLENGING ITEM IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, TO TRACK AND TO ACTUALLY CONFIRM, VERIFY, AND PERHAPS RECTIFY.
I MEAN, I HAVE NO PROBLEMS LEAVING THAT IN THERE AND LETTING, LETTING MUCH SMARTER PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF IT.
BUT I'M JUST, YOU KNOW, BRINGING THAT, UH, TO OUR ATTENTION HERE.
[01:20:01]
I CAN YOU, I I, I'D LIKE YOUR EXPLANATION THAT YOU JUST GAVE WAS A LOT CLEARER TO ME, ME WHEN I READ THIS ONE THAT WASN'T ENTIRELY CLEAR FROM THE LANGUAGE THAT IT WAS WANTING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PROPERTY MANAGERS DON'T LIKE, ADD ADDITIONAL FEES BEYOND WHAT THEY ARE BEING CHARGED FOR THE SERVICE, ESSENTIALLY.AND I WONDER IF THERE'S A WAY TO MAYBE MAKE THAT A LITTLE MORE EXPLICIT IN THE LANGUAGE I SEE IT, IT SAYS IT CANNOT BE MARKED UP, BUT MORE THAN 10% OF THE COST FROM THE PROVIDER OR SOMETHING.
JUST TO BE A LITTLE MORE CLEAR ON THAT.
UM, I, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S NECESSARILY A BAD THING TO LEAVE IT IN, IF, EVEN IF WE'RE NOT SURE ABOUT ENFORCEABILITY, BECAUSE WHAT IT, WHAT THIS COULD DO IF IT'S IN THE ORDINANCE, IT WOULD GIVE TENANTS, UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO USE IF THEY DO HAVE THE, IT MIGHT END UP UNFORTUNATELY BEING A LITTLE COMPLAINT BASED, BUT IT WOULD GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO POINT TO IF THEY ARE BEING, YOU KNOW, CHARGED 300%, 400% OF WHAT THEIR PROPERTY MANAGER IS ACTUALLY, UH, PAYING TO THE SERVICE PROVIDER.
AND THIS CAME UP WITH, WITH THE STAKEHOLDER MEETING FOR THE TENANTS, SEVERAL WOMEN BROUGHT THIS UP SO THEY WERE AWARE OF WHAT THINGS MIGHT COST AND, AND THAT THEY'RE CONCERN ABOUT THEM MARKING IT UP.
SO MAYBE EVEN BEING, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT GOES INTO A, WHEREAS EVEN AS AN EXPLANATION.
UM, BUT DEFINITELY IN NUMBER SEVEN, I WOULD RECOMMEND JUST CHANGING THE LANGUAGE A LITTLE BIT TO BE MORE CLEAR THAT THAT'S THE INTENDED APPLICATION.
LET ME KNOW IF YOU THINK THIS WORKS, UM, MARKED UP BY MORE THAN 10% OF THE COST CHARGE BY THIS PROVIDER FOR RESIDENTS.
YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY JUST AT THIS POINT, IF WE COULD LEAVE IT AS IS, AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE I WOULD LOVE TO GET THIS ON THE BOOKS AND PERHAPS TO COUNSEL OFFICES SOONER THAN LATER.
AND I THINK IT'S KEN, I'M SORRY.
JUST ONE POINT TO MAKE, UM, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T GET TOO FAR AHEAD OF THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS THAT WOULD NEED TO HAPPEN, UH, TO SUPPORT, UH, THIS TYPE OF, UH, RESOLUTION.
UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO HAVING SAID THAT, WELL, SO EXCUSE ME.
SO THEN IF WE APPROVED IT AS, UM, LET'S SEE, LET'S SAY WE HAD THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AND WE DIDN'T GET ANY MORE NEW INFORMATION TO INCLUDE, UH, BUT WE WOULD BE OPEN TO HEARING MORE, THEN WE COULD SEND THAT ON AFTER THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS IF WE APPROVED IT TONIGHT, RIGHT? YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SEND ANY ADDITIONS? YOU WOULD NO, WE COULDN'T DO ANY ADDITIONS.
YOU WOULD SEND WHAT DOCUMENT STATES IS WHAT YOU WOULD BE SENDING, RIGHT? NO, I ACTUALLY, I THINK, I THINK THE PROCESS WOULD BE FOR STAFF TO, TO WORK THE, THE RESOLUTION AND THEN TAKE THAT FORWARD.
UM, SO SHOULD THERE BE TWO RESOLUTIONS IN YOUR OPINION? SO YOU TALKING WORDSMITHING THIS, EDITING THIS AND BRINGING IT BACK TO THE COMMISSION? RIGHT.
COMMISSIONER WHITE TWO SALES, THIS IS, GO AHEAD.
HEY, COMMISSIONER GINA MCKINLEY, DIVISION MANAGER.
UM, I JUST, I HADN'T SEEN WHAT YOU'RE DISCUSSING HERE TONIGHT.
AND SO JUST, JUST TO CLARIFY, SO OUR STAFF IS WORKING AS WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS, AS YOU GUYS KNOW, THROUGH THE URL COMMITTEE MEETINGS.
AND I, AND AGAIN, I HAVEN'T SEEN WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT, UM, THE INTENT OF STAFF IS TO GATHER THE STAKEHOLDER INPUT, WHICH IT SOUNDS LIKE WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT IS A COMPILATION OF STAKEHOLDER INPUT.
PUT THAT INPUT INTO A REPORT TO SEND TO COUNCIL WITH A RECOMMENDATION FROM STAFF PER THE RESOLUTION.
SO I'M JUST SEEKING CLARIFICATION ON WHAT, WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
SO MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT ACK WOULD SEND A RESOLUTION AND THEN YOU ALL WOULD SEND, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS TO SEE THE COUNCIL TWO SEPARATE, I MEAN, AS A, AS A BODY, YOU ALL, IS THAT HOW IT WORKS? NORMALLY AS A BODY? YOU ALL CAN CREATE RESOLUTIONS.
UM, FOR THIS PROCESS, IT WAS INITIATED BY A COUNCIL MEMBER THROUGH A RESOLUTION WHICH DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO THEN DIRECT STAFF TO GO FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS, WHICH IS WHAT WE HAVE DONE AND ARE DOING.
AND SO WE WOULD BRING OUR FINAL REPORT TO THE COMMISSION, UM, TO REPORT BACK TO YOU AND, AND WITH THE URL COMMITTEE.
AND THEN THAT REPORT WOULD GO TO COUNCIL.
UM, AND ANY, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION'S ACTION, IF THE COMMISSION IS IN SUPPORT OF STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION AND
[01:25:01]
THAT REPORT THAT WOULD BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE ACTIONS TAKEN ON THE ITEM.AND THEN THAT STAFF REPORT GOES BACK TO COUNCIL AS A PART TO CLOSE OUT THAT RESOLUTION.
AND THEN, SO SUPPOSEDLY THE, THE, THE LAST, UH, STAKEHOLDER MEETING WILL BE IN DECEMBER.
AND THEN WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU ALL WOULD BE READY? STAFF IS WORKING ON A REPORT RIGHT NOW, SO WE DON'T WAIT BECAUSE CLEARLY WE HAVE THE PILOT, THE STUDY MM-HMM.
THAT'S A DYNAMIC PROCESS, BUT WE DO WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THE STAKEHOLDERS AND BRING IN, WELL, OF COURSE, ALL THE ENGAGEMENT THAT WE CAN.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT WE ARE GETTING SOME INPUT, BUT IT'S MINIMAL INPUT.
SO TRYING REALLY HARD TO BRING IN ALL THOSE VOICES TO MAKE SURE WE GET COMPREHENSIVE INPUT FROM THE COMMUNITY SO THAT THE REPORT CAN BE WELL ROUNDED.
AND CLEARLY THE, THE INFORMATION THAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS INFORMATION THAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE STAKEHOLDERS, BUT ALSO YOU ARE A PART OF THAT PROCESS AND YOU'RE A PART OF THAT CONVERSATION.
SO YOUR INPUT IS ALL WOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE STAFF REPORT.
I WAS GONNA SAY, LET'S LOOK AT THE TIMELINE HERE.
LET'S, LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT, CUZ THAT SEEMS TO BE PROBABLY THE, THE BIGGEST ISSUE THAT WE'RE FACING.
COMMISSIONER WHITE, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.
THE TIMELINE'S IMPORTANT TO ME.
WE HAVE A MEETING IN DECEMBER.
NO, WE DO NOT HAVE A MEETING SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER.
SO THE SOONEST THAT WE WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ADDRESS THIS WOULD BE JANUARY FOR THE MOST PART, COMMISSION COMMISSIONERS, I SHOULD SAY.
WOULD YOU BE COMFORTABLE WITH THAT FINAL PRESENTATION, A RESOLUTION IN JANUARY WITH, WITH THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY STAFF IN ADDITION TO THE CURRENT RESOLUTION DRAFTED? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IN OTHER WORDS, DO WE, ARE WE BETTER OFF PUTTING TOGETHER A VERY CONCISE RESOLUTION MUCH LIKE THIS IS, BUT WITH THE FINAL FACTS FROM THE NEXT TWO MEETINGS AND INCLUDE THOSE FINDINGS IN THIS RESOLUTION? AND AGAIN, THIS IS UP TO YOU TWO COMMISSIONERS, THIS IS YOUR, YOUR RESOLUTION AND I WILL SUPPORT COMMISSION STOWER.
JUST QUICK QUESTION, UH, WHAT YOU'RE SAYING MAY BE, UH, ASSUMING THAT YOU ARE GONNA BE READY, THAT STAFF IS GONNA BE READY TO PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK IN THAT TIMEFRAME.
SO YOU, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THIS PRESENTATION DURING OUR NEXT MEETING IN JANUARY.
WOULD WOULD IT BE IN JANUARY? DECEMBER OR JANUARY? PROBABLY.
AND, AND I, AND ALSO, UM, WANNA POINT OUT TOO THAT, UM, BECAUSE WE, WE'VE RECEIVED, UH, LITTLE INPUT FROM SOME OF THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT TO ME IS A RED FLAG AND NOT A GREEN LIGHT.
RIGHT? SO WHAT I WANNA SAY ABOUT THAT IS I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANT TO LOOK AT, HAVE WE DONE DUE DILIGENCE TO MAKE SURE, UH, WE HAVEN'T MISSED ANYONE? HAVE WE DONE DUE DILIGENCE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE, UH, AND THEY'RE JUST NOT RECEIVING OUR MESSAGE? SO, UM, I THINK THE, THE ADDED TIME WOULD GIVE US A CHANCE TO MAKE SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OUR INDUCTION A ROW IN TERMS OF THAT AND, UH, BEING CAREFUL THAT WE DON'T UNINTENTIONALLY, UH, FORGET TO INCLUDE CERTAIN PEOPLE AS PART OF THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP.
AND, AND WHEN THE REPORT IS, YOUR REPORT, THE CITY'S REPORT IS, ARE YOU GOING TO HIGHLIGHT, UH, HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AT EACH STAKEHOLDER MEETING? WHO ARE THEY FOR TARGETED TOWARD? AND ALSO HOW MANY, HOW YOU REACHED OUT TO DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE IN GENERAL? ARE YOU GONNA AB ABSOLUTELY.
AND AND YOU'RE GONNA DETAIL THAT? YES, THE CITY.
WHEN IS YOUR LAST MEETING AGAIN? JANUARY.
UH, THE LAST MEETING IS IN DECEMBER.
JASON, DO YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M SORRY.
CAP WANTS TO, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.
I, WHILE THE RECENT MEETINGS, UM, THE ATTENDANCE HAS VARIED, UM, FOR SURE.
AND, AND I DON'T THINK THE LAST STAKEHOLDER, THE LAST STAKEHOLDER MEETING WAS NOT WELL ATTENDED.
UM, AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT OUTREACH WAS DONE THERE.
UM, BUT UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE STAKEHOLDER CONVERSATION DID NOT START WITH THIS FALL.
IT STARTED OVER TWO YEARS AGO WHEN WE STARTED HAVING MEETINGS ABOUT THE, ABOUT THIS CONCEPT.
[01:30:01]
THEN LANDED ON FIRST DOING A PILOT AND THEN REVIEWING THE RESULTS OF THE PILOT TO THEN MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS STEP.UM, NUMBER TWO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CITY COUNCIL ALREADY PASSED A RESOLUTION SAME THAT SERVICE SHOULD BE PROVIDED.
UM, AND REALLY THAT IT WAS, IT WAS A PILOT TO, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT KIND OF HOW TO DO THAT, NOT IF TO DO IT.
UM, AND THEIR, THEIR UM, TIMELINE, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR REPORTING BACK HAS ALREADY, IS ALREADY WELL IN THE PAST.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE ALREADY VERY LATE, UM, REPORTING BACK TO THEM.
UM, AND NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO LIKE CAST BLAME OR ANYTHING IS JUST, IT'S JUST A FACT.
IT'S BEEN MORE THAN SIX MONTHS SINCE THE PILOT ENDED, CUZ IT ENDED IN FEBRUARY.
AND THEN I THINK THE THIRD THING THAT I WILL JUST POINT OUT IS THERE WILL BE A WHOLE ROUND OF STAKEHOLDER INPUT ONCE THERE IS SOMETHING DRAFTED.
AND I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE MORE LIKELY TO SHOW UP TO THE MEETINGS AND SHARE THEIR OPINIONS, UM, WHATEVER THEY MAY BE, IF THERE'S SOMETHING PROPOSED, IF THERE'S SOMETHING REAL FOR THEM TO REACT TO.
UM, THAT'S JUST KIND OF HUMAN NATURE, YOU KNOW, IF SOMETHING IS KIND OF AN ABSTRACT CONVERSATION, LIKE IT MIGHT NOT BE A PRIORITY IF IT'S SOMETHING CONCRETE, I THINK MORE PEOPLE ARE GONNA GET INVOLVED.
SO, UM, THOSE ARE JUST SOME THOUGHTS.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE NEED TO LIKE, DO SOMETHING TONIGHT.
MAYBE WE CAN MEET IN DECEMBER.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THESE THOUGHTS.
THAT'S A VALID, VALID, UH, THOUGHTS THERE.
I WILL SUPPORT THE WORDSMITHING OF THIS DOCUMENT, OR AGAIN, IF YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND DEFER THIS ITEM UNTIL AFTER WE HAVE ANOTHER MEETING OR TWO AND WE CAN, CAN DISCUSS DECEMBER, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A GATHERING IN DECEMBER.
I MEAN, I, AGAIN, I OPENED THAT TOPIC UP KNOWING THAT, UH, THIS IS AN ITEM THAT IS GOING TO GO IN FRONT AND YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU'RE RIGHT, KAA.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, IS PRE PANDEMIC AND IT'S BEEN, UH, IT'S BEEN ON THE, ON THE BOOKS OR, UH, WE'VE DISCUSSED IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW.
HAVING SAID THAT AGAIN, DO WE WANNA PRESENT THIS AS IS WITH A FEW, UH, A FEW EDITS IN THIS RESOLUTION AND, AND, UH, JUST HAVE IT OUT THERE REGARDLESS, I MEAN, TO THE COMMENT ABOUT HAVING SOMETHING OUT THERE, PEOPLE DO REACT WHEN THEY SEE AND TOUCH AND FEEL AND SMELL SOMETHING VERSUS JUST ABSTRACT.
SO I'M, I'M STILL UNCLEAR IT'S, I NEVER EXPERIENCED THIS BEFORE.
WHEN RESOLUTIONS WOULD GO, IT WOULD ALWAYS BE THAT FROM, FROM THIS COMMISSION THAT THE RESOLUTION WOULD BE SENT TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
BUT IN THIS INSTANCE IT'S THE REPORT FROM THE CITY AS WELL.
THEY'RE GONNA BE GIVING A REPORT.
I'M WONDERING, YES, THAT TIMELINE AND WHAT, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO THE CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS IF WE, THEY GET SOMETHING FROM US AND THEN A MONTH OR TWO LATER THEY GET SOMETHING FROM, FROM THE, UM, FROM ARR ABOUT THIS.
UH, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? I'M NOT GOING EITHER WAY.
I MEAN OH NO, CERTAINLY IT WOULD BE PREFERABLE.
IT SEEMS FOR US TO HAVE A UNIFIED FRONT HERE, IN OTHER WORDS MM-HMM.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'VE MAYBE GOT A LITTLE BIT AHEAD OF OURSELVES IN TERMS OF PUTTING THIS DOCUMENT TOGETHER WITHOUT NECESSARILY ALLOWING TIME.
AND IF THAT, I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW THAT'S MAYBE FRUSTRATING IF IT FEELS LIKE IT'S TAKEN A LONG TIME, WHICH IT HAS IN A LOT OF WAYS.
BUT IF WE'RE JUST A MONTH OR TWO AWAY FROM WRAPPING THIS UP IN A WAY THAT'S GONNA FEEL LIKE WE'RE, UM, YEAH, WE'RE MORE ALIGNED, LET'S, I WOULD SUGGEST WE GO AHEAD AND WAIT AND, AND DO IT TOGETHER.
UM, SO I, UM, SO GINA, YOU SAID YOU JUST SAW THIS, OR ACTUALLY IT WAS JUST, IT WAS JUST, UH, CIRCULATED TODAY.
UH, CUZ WE'VE JUST WORKING ON THIS, BUT UM, NOW YOU HAD A CHANCE TO JUST LOOK AT IT, RIGHT? JUST CURSORY LOOK, I JUST HEARD YOU TALK ABOUT IT.
YOU DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF YOU.
YOU DON'T, I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT
OH, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE RESOLUTION, THE RESOLUTIONS.
I BELIEVE IT WAS SENT, I BELIEVE IT WAS SENT TO THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE,
[01:35:01]
BUT WE, I HAVE NOT SEEN IT YET TODAY.EVERYONE JUST RECEIVED IT TODAY.
AND I'VE BEEN IN MEETINGS THIS AFTERNOON, SO I HAVE NOT BEEN, I DIDN'T KNOW SINCE YOU'VE BEEN HERE YOU WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT.
NO, I'M JUST, JASON, HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SEE IT OR CAN HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO SEE IT? NO, I, I THINK, UH, WHEN IT CAME IN WE WERE, ALL, OUR SCHEDULES ARE MAXED OUT ALL DAY AND WE'RE ALL IN MEETINGS AND ALL OVER THE PLACE.
SO, UH, NONE OF US HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW IT, UH, OTHER THAN I HAD A, A JUST BRIEF LOOK, BUT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ELSE HAS HAD A CHANCE TO SEE IT AT ALL.
WELL, THE REASON I'M ASKING IS, UM, I I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYTHING THAT'S UNUSUAL IN HERE OR SOMETHING THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN TALKED ABOUT IN THE EITHER STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS OR PULLING IT FROM THE, UH, ZERO WASTE PLAN, JUST SOME OF THE WHEREAS IS.
UM, SO DO YOU ALL FEEL LIKE, UH, KNOWING YOU ALL, KNOWING US AS A COMMISSION, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO COORDINATE THIS AND COMPLIMENT EACH OTHER AND, AND GET A DOCUMENT THAT WILL BE SATISFYING TO BOTH SIDES HERE? ABSOLUTELY.
WE, WE YOU MEAN THAT NEXT MONTH? MM-HMM.
YOU KNOW, I REALLY, UM, WANTED TO START THIS CONVERSATION TODAY WITH THE EXPECTATION THAT, YOU KNOW, IT, IT PROBABLY, UH, WOULD TAKE ANOTHER MEETING FOR US TO, TO COME TOGETHER ON SOMETHING.
AND I, I APOLOGIZE THAT IT, UM, DIDN'T GET OUT TO FOLKS, UH, IN A MORE TIMELY MANNER.
I, I'M JUST PULLED INTO MANY DIRECTIONS, BUT, UM, THAT'S MY, THAT'S MY PROBLEM, NOT Y'ALL'S.
UM, SO I, I DON'T KNOW IF IF OTHERS HAVE LIKE SPECIFIC, UM, THINGS LOOKING AT IT THAT, THAT YOU MIGHT WANNA SPEAK UP ABOUT, IT WOULD BE GREAT TO HEAR THAT SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN ADDRESS ISSUES.
AND I THINK, I THINK PART OF THE RUSH FOR US WAS THAT WE WEREN'T GONNA HAVE A MEETING NEXT MONTH AND SO WE WERE JUST RUSHING TO TRY TO GET THIS DONE.
SO, UH, IT CERTAINLY WASN'T THAT WE WERE TRYING TO LEAVE ANY OF YOU OUT, THAT THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY NOT OUR INTENT.
SO MY MATH IS CORRECT, THE MEETING'S DECEMBER THE FIRST, THEY GIVES US BASICALLY SIX WEEKS OR FIVE WEEKS TO PREPARE SOMETHING, A FINAL REPORT AND SOME MODIFICATIONS TO THIS RESOLUTION IF NEED BE AND COME IN WITH A UNIFIED FRONT.
I'M OKAY WITH, WE WOULD TAKE IT UP WHEN, I'M SORRY, KABA, WHEN WOULD WE TAKE IT UP? JUST DIDN'T CATCH THAT.
THE MEETING, THE LAST MEETING IS DECEMBER THE FIRST.
SO THEY WOULD ORGANIZE THEIR THOUGHTS AND, UH, PRESENT A REPORT AND WE WOULD TAKE THIS UP AND FINALIZE THIS IN JANUARY AND THEN OKAY.
SO THAT WILL BE THE, THAT'LL BE THE BIG AGENDA ITEM IN JANUARY.
UM, I JUST HAVE A BIT OF A, I GUESS IT'S A REQUEST FOR CLARIFICATION HERE.
WE TALK ABOUT, UH, PROVIDE ALL MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTS WITH CONTINUING EDUCATION AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR ON COMPOSTING AND RECYCLING.
JUST KIND OF, UM, I, YEAH, I FEEL LIKE WE ARE MINGLING A LITTLE BIT OF, UH, COMPOSTING AND RECYCLING, WHICH IS I GUESS FINE BECAUSE I BELIEVE RECYCLING ALREADY HAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF EDUCATION.
MAYBE THIS WOULD BE JUST ADDING COMPOSTING.
DO WE WANT TO MASH THOSE TOGETHER IN THIS RESOLUTION OR DO WE WANT TO SIGNAL SOMETHING OUT? THAT'S A THOUGHT.
UM, WE ALSO TALK ABOUT FACE TO FACE BEING THE MOST EFFECTIVE AND WE TALK ABOUT REQUIRING IT TWICE A YEAR AT LEAST.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, I GUESS? EXACTLY.
IN OTHER WORDS, ARE WE RECOMMENDING WE CAN'T TALK TO EVERYONE TWICE A YEAR? THEY'RE GONNA BE TALKING TO THE PROPERTY MANAGERS OKAY.
AND THEN THEY'RE GONNA BE TALKING TO THE TENANTS AND THEN POSSIBLY IF THEY WANT MAYBE SOME MEETINGS WITH THE TENANTS, YOU KNOW, I'M EATING YEAH.
WITH THE STAFF OR VOLUNTEERS AND THAT'S POSSIBLE.
I DOUBT THEY'LL ASK FOR THAT, BUT POSSIBLE.
SO MAYBE IT'S JUST SOME THOUGHTS ON AN ACTION PLAN THAT'S GOT A FEW OF THOSE THINGS THAT YOU JUST DESCRIBED.
UM, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S TRICKY BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT THE WAREHOUSES, WHICH ARE KIND OF THE WHY'S.
YOU'VE GOT THE ORDINANCE SUGGESTION, WHICH IS WHAT ARE THE RULES, AND THEN THERE'S AN ACTION PLAN, WHICH IS HOW DO YOU EFFECTIVELY TRY TO AND DRIVE TOWARDS THOSE RULES.
SO MAYBE SEPARATING THINGS OUT A LITTLE BIT IN THAT REGARD AND HOW MUCH LEEWAY IS GIVEN TO THE IMPLEMENTATION TEAM IN TERMS OF ACTIONS VERSUS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ACTION.
[01:40:01]
YEAH, I'M UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT STAFF IS GOING TO BE DOING.COMING UP WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, THE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISM, YOU NAME IT AS, AS YOU COMPLETE THESE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.
SO IF I CAN JUST RESPOND ON, ON THE EDUCATION THING, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT STAFF TOLD US IS THAT, AND THE REASON THAT THAT THERE'S, YOU'RE RIGHT IN THIS AREA KIND OF MIXES, UM, IN THE RECYCLING, WHICH FEELS MAYBE OUTTA PLACE.
BUT, UM, WHAT STAFF TOLD US IS THAT THAT EDUCATION THAT IS REQUIRED IN THE CURRENT FOR RECYCLING IS VERY OFTEN NOT HAPPENING.
AND WE ALSO, YOU KNOW, HAD POINTS MADE UP, BROUGHT UP ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT PEOPLE MOVE A LOT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE A RENTER, YOU'RE, YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO, TO MOVE FROM ONE PROPERTY TO THE OTHER.
AND, UM, SO IF YOU MISS THE EDUCATION AND OR IF THEY'RE NOT DOING EDUCATION UPON ENTRY LIKE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, THEN YOU END UP WITH PEOPLE WHO JUST ARE NOT GETTING THE INFORMATION.
UM, SO TRYING TO FIND A WAY FOR THE CITY TO BE MORE DIRECTLY INVOLVED.
AND TO BE CLEAR, I THINK ALL, ALL INVOLVED IN THE CONVERSATION, UM, APPRECIATED THAT IT WASN'T GONNA BE CITY STAFF DO THIS PROBABLY NEEDS TO BE SOME SORT OF THIRD PARTY CONTRACT TO DO THAT OUTREACH TO PROPERTIES AND PROVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LIKE THEY DID FOR THE PILOT.
THEY, THEY PROVIDED, UM, INFORMATION SESSIONS THAT THE RESIDENTS COULD ATTEND AND GET THOSE COMPOST COLLECTORS.
UM, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S DONE FOR, FOR SINGLE FAMILIES.
SO TRYING TO PROVIDE SOME KIND OF SYMMETRY BETWEEN WHAT YOU GET AS A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENT IN THE CITY AND WHAT YOU GET AS A MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENT INSTEAD OF THIS VERY KIND OF UNEVEN, UM, LEVEL OF, OF EDUCATION AND, AND INTERACTION AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY SERVICE.
YEAH, THAT'S, I TOTALLY RELATE TO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING AND MAYBE, I GUESS THIS IS A, RIGHT, SO IT'S UNI WE'RE TRYING TO TALK ABOUT UNIFORM, UNIFIED, UH, UNIVERSAL, UH, POLICIES.
AND THAT'S, THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU'RE RIGHT, I ACTUALLY ATTENDED SOME COMPOSTING TRAINING AND WHAT IT DID WAS TALKED ABOUT WHAT WAS COMPOSTABLE AND NOT, BUT THERE WAS NO INFORMATION ABOUT, ALL RIGHT, NOW HERE'S A REALLY GREAT SHEET THAT TELLS YOU ALL THE THINGS THAT CAN BE COMPOSTED AND CAN'T BE COMPOSTED AND IT EVERYTHING THAT CAN'T BE COMPOSTED MM-HMM.
SO THEN YOU CAN CHALK ON OVER TO SOME OTHER RESOURCE AND FIND OUT WHAT IS ACTUALLY RECYCLABLE AND WHAT NEEDS TO BE TRASHED.
AND IF WE CAN UNIFY THAT MORE, IT WOULD BE GREAT.
UM, WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR MESSAGING IN THIS DOCUMENT THEN WOULD BE CLEAR.
DO WE EXTEND THE IN SOME WAY? YEAH.
WELL, THE CITY, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, STAFF, YOU HAVE SOME PRETTY GOOD BROCHURES THAT ARE PRETTY, PRETTY EDUCATIONAL AS FAR AS GOING TO YOUR POINT, GIVING YOU THE DUES, THE DON'T AND, UH, THE WHY'S AND, AND, AND HOW'S, AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THAT WITH THE MULTI-FAMILY COMMUNITY THAT WAS CHAIRMAN.
I WAS JUST GONNA SAY, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE CHALLENGE WAS IDENTIFIED WAS HAVING PERSONNEL TO DO THAT WORK.
SO YES, THE BROCHURES ARE DESIGNED AND MAYBE THEY NEED TWEAKING OR WHATEVER, BUT LIKE BY AND LARGE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GOOD INFORMATION AVAILABLE.
UM, BUT IT'S A, IT'S A MATTER OF GETTING THAT PHYSICALLY TO PEOPLE AND, AND GETTING BEFORE PEOPLE TO PRESENT IT.
SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU.
I CAN'T SEE WHEN YOU'RE COMING TO THE PHONE.
NO, I WAS JUST GONNA ADD THAT WE DO HAVE SOME REALLY GREAT MATERIALS AND WE CAN KIND OF LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE GAPS MAY BE AND, AND FILL THOSE WITH, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE NEED IS.
SO WE CERTAINLY HAVE MATERIALS AND WE CONTINUE TO PRODUCE MORE MATERIALS ON A REGULAR BASIS.
WE DO HAVE A, WE DO HAVE A RESOLUTION AND, UH, AGAIN, IF IT WOULD BE THE WILL OF THE COMMISSION AND OR COMMISSIONER WHITE AS A PRESENTER, DO YOU LIKE, WE CAN DEFER THIS UNTIL AFTER THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AND STAFF REPORT? YES.
I THINK THE, AND THIS IS A GOOD STARTING SPOT WITH THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS PLUS THE RESOLUTION RIGHT HERE TO GO FORWARD.
SO YEAH, AND, AND I, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'LL BE A GOOD THING TO SHARE WITH STAKEHOLDERS
[01:45:01]
SO THAT THEY CAN SEE WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY THINKING AND, AND MAYBE THEY'LL HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR CHANGES.ONE THING I, UM, I SAW, AMANDA, THAT YOU HAD MADE A, A NOTE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ASKING ABOUT THE TIMELINE.
SO WANTED TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE THOUGHT ABOUT THE TIMELINE.
I THINK I HAD INITIALLY DRAFTED IT WITH TWO YEARS AND YOU KNOW, KATHY NUDGED ME AND, UH, YOU KNOW, SO WE CUT IT DOWN BY SIX MONTHS AND, UM, TO ME THAT SEEMS FEASIBLE, BUT, UM, YEAH, I WANNA HEAR WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE TIMELINE.
DO YOU WANNA GET REALLY AGGRESSIVE? YOU CAN SAY NEXT FISCAL BUDGET, BUT, UH, THAT'S PROBABLY JUST EASY BY THE WAY, STAFF, SO, WELL, MAYBE NOT.
BUT, UH, NONETHELESS, THAT, UH, A TIMELINE WOULD BE NICE ALSO TO, TO COME UP WITH.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S SOMETHING WITH STAFF THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DISCUSS HOW WE CAN ACCU ACCURATELY AND INEFFICIENTLY GET THAT DONE.
SO, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? UH, NO, BUT ALSO I WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD GET MELISSA ON, ON THE URL.
UH, AGAIN, COMMISSIONERS, JUST A KINDA A HOUSEKEEPING ITEM HERE.
WE WOULD LIKE TO APPOINT MELISSA TO THE, WE'VE HAD, I GUESS JONATHAN HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND THE MEETING.
SO AS A RESULT, I THINK A, A, UH, REPLACEMENT IN OR SOMEONE WHO CAN ATTEND AND AND PARTICIPATE WOULD BE WONDERFUL.
AND MELISSA COELL, CODDLE COD CODDLE.
SO ANYWAY, FOR THE RECORD, WE COULD DO THAT.
JUST ADD, ADD MELISSA TO THE COMMITTEE.
AND YOU GOT YOUR HOMEWORK WITH THAT C AND D YOU LATER
SO WE ARE GONNA DEFER THIS ITEM UNTIL AFTER, UH, THE, THE, UH, FINAL MEETINGS AND THEN STAFF REPORTS.
SO THAT'LL BE SOMETHING WE TAKE UP IN JANUARY.
THIS IS PROBABLY A REALLY GOOD SEGUE INTO THE NEXT ITEM.
THANK YOU CHAIR COMMISSIONERS.
[5. 2023 ZWAC Meeting Dates]
GOOD EVENING.AGAIN, THIS IS KEN SNIPS, DIRECTOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
UH, WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS AN ADMINISTRATIVE TASK OR ADMINISTRATIVE IN NATURE, UH, WHICH IS THE 2023, UH, COMMISSION MEETING DATES.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER IS WHEN STAFF BEGINS TO WORK OF BUILDING THE SCHEDULE FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK THE COMMISSION TO CONSIDER FOR 2023 A SCHEDULE THAT FEATURES EIGHT MEETINGS.
CURRENTLY, THE ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMITTEE BYLAWS CALLS FOR CALL FOR A MEETING EVERY MONTH, AND WITH ANY MEETINGS THAT ARE MISSED TO BE RESCHEDULED.
OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF MEETINGS HELD HAS BEEN EIGHT.
THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF MEETINGS HELD IN ANY YEAR OVER THAT SAME PERIOD HAS BEEN NINE.
AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, UM, 2020 WAS ONE OF THE YEARS WHERE WE HAD NINE MEETINGS.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT SAYS, BUT IT'S ODD THAT THAT IS ONE OF THE HIGHER, UM, HIGHER, UM, YEARS WITH THE HIGHER NUMBERS.
THE MAIN REASON I ASK FOR THIS CONSIDERATION INCLUDES STAFFING SHORTAGES AND ACCESS.
CURRENTLY, THE DEPARTMENT HAS 82 VACANCIES, 35 OF THOSE VACANCIES ARE ON THE ADMINISTRATIVE SIDE OF THE HOUSE.
THAT MEANS WE HAVE A 27% VACANCY RATE ON THE ADMIN SIDE OF THE ORGANIZATION.
A SCHEDULE WITH EIGHT MEETINGS WOULD EQUATE TO TWO MEETINGS PER QUARTER.
THE DOWN MONTH WOULD AFFORD STAFF WHO ARE CURRENTLY STRETCHED THIN TIME TO SUPPORT COMMITTEE WORK, AND OF COURSE, COMMISSION WORK.
SECONDARILY, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE A, UH, A YET TO BE DETERMINED NUMBER OF MEETINGS TO LOCATIONS THAT ARE MORE COMMUNITY CENTRIC AND EASIER FOR MEMBERS OF OUR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES TO ATTEND.
WHILE CITY HALL IS A GREAT FACILITY, UM, IT IS NOT IDEAL FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING THOSE WHO MAY FIND TRAVEL DIFFICULT, OR FOR THOSE WHO MAY FIND CITY HALL INTIMIDATING OR JUST UNCOMFORTABLE.
SO I THINK, UM, MANY OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, MENTIONED, UH, OVER THE COURSE OF THE EVENING DIRECTLY RELATE TO SOME OF THE STAFFING SHORTAGE THAT WE'RE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE.
SO, UM, WHAT I'M LOOKING TO DO AND, AND THE THE SCHEDULE YOU SEE IS, IS JUST A REPRESENTATIVE, UM, SCHEDULE THAT WE, UH, YOU KNOW, WOULD TYPICALLY PUT FORWARD.
UH, NOTHING SET IN STONE YET, OF COURSE, UM, BUT THIS IS JUST AN IDEA OF, OF KIND OF WHAT WE'D BE LOOKING AT.
UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD AND HELPFUL ON STAFF TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS TO SOMETHING MORE MANAGEABLE.
I THINK EIGHT IS A NUMBER THAT'S NOT TOO FAR FROM WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING ALREADY.
[01:50:01]
IT GIVES US TWO MEETINGS PER QUARTER, ONE MEETING DOWN TO GIVE STAFF TIME TO DO WORK.UH, AND I DO WANT TO NOTE THAT STAFF IS CONTINUING TO WORK REALLY HARD TO GET MORE PEOPLE ON BOARD.
UH, BUT OBVIOUSLY WE'RE DEALING WITH SOME OF THE SAME ISSUES THAT MOST ORGANIZATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY ARE DEALING WITH.
SO WE'RE STILL WRESTLING WITH SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
SO, UM, THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
ANY QUESTIONS? UH, COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS? ACTUALLY, JUST TO CUT TO THE CHASE, THE VENUE HAS BEEN A VENUE THAT HAS WORKED FOR MANY, MANY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND IT'S A VERY CENTRALIZED VENUE THAT PROVIDED REALLY STABILITY TO THE, UH, SOLID WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION PRIOR TO ITS NAME CHANGE.
SO THAT FOR MANY, MANY YEARS WE'VE MET HERE AND STAFF CAN PROBABLY, UH, ATTEST TO THAT.
HAVING SAID THAT, THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST PLACE TO MEET.
WE'RE NOT OUT LOOKING FOR A ROOM AS WE DID 20 YEARS AGO, 15 YEARS AGO.
WE HAVE A VENUE THAT IS SET, LET'S KEEP IT, LET'S NOT LOSE IT.
IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL OF US TO MEET AS FAR AS A MEETING SCHEDULE IS CONCERNED.
I HAVE A, I HAVE SOME REALLY BIG CONCERNS AND I, I EMPATHIZE WITH STAFFING SHORTAGES.
TRUST ME, ANYBODY IN BUSINESS UNDERSTANDS WHAT STAFFING SHORTAGES ARE ALL ABOUT.
WITH THAT SAID, THE CHALLENGES THAT ARR IS ABOUT TO FACE, AND WE AS A CITY IN A COMMUNITY ARE, ARE MASSIVE.
YOU AND I HAVE TALKED AND, AND THIS CITY AND THIS COMMISSION HAVE HAS DISCUSSED THE MANY, MANY ISSUES IT FACES.
I MEAN, WE'RE TALKING, UH, OH MY GOD, UH, JUST, UH, A A TRANSFER STATION ISSUE.
WE'RE TALKING, UH, VARIOUS PROGRAMS THAT NEED TO BE DISCUSSED AND IMPLEMENTED AND, AND MET WITH.
I DON'T THINK GOING FROM RIGHT NOW, 10, 10 MEETINGS TO EIGHT IS PROBABLY THE WAY TO GO.
I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO, TO CONTINUE TO WORK TOGETHER AT STAFFING SHORTAGES.
I'M GOING TO SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD HERE, BUT WE HAVE ALL GONE THROUGH THAT.
AND YOU, YOUR SCHEDULE THAT YOU PRESENTED, IS THAT, UH, ACTUALLY PRE PANDEMIC MEETINGS? UH, NO, THAT'S, THAT'S A REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT WE COULD PUT FORWARD FOR NEXT YEAR.
SO, UH, SO I DON'T, LET ME, LET ME, SO PRE PANDEMIC, WE WERE PRETTY GOOD AT MEETING.
I MEAN, ACTUALLY, ACTUALLY 11, WE, WE HAD 11 MEETINGS SCHEDULED, AND THERE WERE SOME TIMES WHEN BUSINESS WAS ABSOLUTELY CHALLENGING THAT WE MET IN A SPECIAL CALL MEETING.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT.
YOU'RE TALKING SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEARS WHERE THERE WAS VOCAL CHALLENGES AND, AND NEEDED THE, UH, THE, OBVIOUSLY THE, UH, COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STAFF AND THIS COMMISSION TO, TO GET SOME OF THESE PROGRAMS DONE.
YOU KNOW, ANOTHER ITEM THAT'S GONNA BE VERY CHALLENGING IS, IS TALKING ABOUT FRANCHISING ISSUES.
I MEAN, THOSE ARE DIFFICULT THINGS TO, TO TALK ABOUT, AND THOSE ARE SOMETHING THAT, UH, PERHAPS WE'LL NEED SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION.
I, I GUESS I HAD A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
UM, THE, SO THE FIRST IS THE, YOU BROUGHT UP THE, THE MEETING SCHEDULE.
SO THESE MEETINGS TAKE, UH, AN AVERAGE OF A COUPLE HOURS A PIECE TO, UM, TO ACTUALLY ATTEND.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, UM, SOMETHING SOUTH OF 10 PEOPLE ATTENDING FROM STAFF.
SO IS THAT, IS IT THE MEETING TIME ITSELF THAT IS THE CHALLENGE? IN OTHER WORDS, EITHER THE TIME OF DAY OR THE, THE NUMBER OF HOURS THAT ARE SPENT IN THE MEETINGS? UM, IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT SOUNDS LIKE IF WE'RE CUTTING FROM 10 MEETINGS, WE ACTUALLY DON'T ACTUALLY EVEN HAVE THE 10 MEETINGS, BUT THEY'RE ON THE SCHEDULE.
WE, WE DO EIGHT OR NINE OF THEM.
SO IS IT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE HAVING TO RESERVE THAT TIME? IS IT, UH, AND IS IT YEAH, PLEASE, IF YOU CAN, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S CERTAINLY A PART OF IT THAT STAFF DOES RESERVE THE TIME, THE PREP TIME, ALL THE STEPS THAT WE GO THROUGH TO PUT, YOU KNOW, THE MEETINGS TOGETHER AND TO GET READY FOR THOSE MEETINGS AND IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THEIR REGULAR WORK.
SO, YOU KNOW, JUST A REMINDER THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THESE PEOPLE HAVE A FULL DAY OF WORK PRETTY MUCH EVERY SINGLE DAY.
SO, UH, THIS IS NOT, AND, AND AGAIN, WITH THE SHORTAGES, UH, OF STAFF, NOW, STAFF MEMBERS ARE TAKING ON MORE WORK, RIGHT? RIGHT.
[01:55:01]
VACANCY, UH, RATE.SO WE'RE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, WORKING AS HARD AS WE CAN TO DO THAT AND MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
THE DOWN MONTH WOULD GIVE US A CHANCE TO KIND OF, UH, PREPARE, UH, TO, TO GET THINGS TOGETHER, UH, TO DO THE COMMITTEE WORK, RIGHT? SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO THE COMMISSION WORK, SOME OF OUR FOLKS ARE HELPING STAFF THE COMMITTEE, UH, WORK AS WELL.
UM, AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO THE LOCATION, I WOULD PUT FORTH THAT WHILE IT MAY BE, UH, CONVENIENT TO SOME, I WOULD SAY IT'S NOT CONVENIENT TO, ALL RIGHT, AUSTIN IS A VERY LARGE CITY, AND I WOULD SUBMIT OF COURSE, THAT THERE ARE MANY TIMES THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE REPRESENTATION PRIOR TO COVID OF WHO WAS IN THE AUDIENCE, THERE'S A LOT OF FACES THAT I DON'T SEE IN THE AUDIENCE.
SO PEOPLE THAT WE GET CALLS FROM THAT ARE ASKING US ABOUT MEETINGS OR WHAT'S HAPPENING WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
SO WHILE THAT MAY BE CONVENIENT FOR SOME PEOPLE, THIS LOCATION, I WOULD SAY IT'S NOT CONVENIENT FOR EVERYONE.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, AS A COMMISSION THAT IS HERE AS A CHAMPION FOR THE PEOPLE, CORRECT, THAT MOVING OUR OUR MEETINGS TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION IS A HURDLE TOO MUCH TO, TO, TO, TO CROSS FOR US, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
UM, AS FAR AS THE, UM, THE, UM, THE, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE, UM, UH, BURDEN THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS KIND OF CREATES FOR US SOMETIMES I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE ARE HERE TO DO WORK ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE IN THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT? I THINK IF WE NEED AN ADDITIONAL MEETING, THEN THAT'S FINE.
WE'LL CALL FOR A SPECIAL CALL MEETING, RIGHT? BUT IT DOES GIVE US THE LATITUDE AND THE FLEXIBILITY TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE PREDICTABILITY ON WHETHER WE'RE HAVING 12 MEETINGS, 10 MEETINGS, OR EIGHT MEETINGS, IF WE COULD ALL AGREE ON SOMETHING THAT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE TENABLE FOR, FOR STAFF.
SO, UM, WHAT I ENVISION IS THAT AS THIS, UH, AS THE, UH, THE STAFFING ISSUE SUBSIDE, WE WILL BE ABLE TO WORK OUR WAY BACK INTO, UH, A SCHEDULE THAT LOOKS A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IN THE PAST.
WE'VE HAD, UH, TWO WITH EIGHT, AND I THINK WE HAD ONE WITH NINE.
SO, UH, THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN IN, IN THAT SPACE, SO, OKAY.
UM, I JUST, I FEEL A LOT OF ENERGY HERE, SO I'M TRYING TO
SO THE TOTALLY UNDERSTOOD THAT PREPARING FOR THESE MEETINGS IS, CAN BE A LOT OF WORK IF THERE'S A REPORT THAT IS DUE.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE THE ATTENDANCE OF THE MEETING ITSELF, YOU KNOW, I, LIKE YOU SAID, IF WE GENERALLY ONLY HAVE EIGHT OR NINE OF THEM, IF WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT PEOPLE WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND, THAT IS GREAT.
AND ACTUALLY, I'M NOT AT ALL SURPRISED THAT WE HAD MORE DURING A PANDEMIC YEAR BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO ATTEND REMOTELY.
SO EVEN IF YOU ARE ON VACATION IN JULY OR AUGUST, THERE IS A REASONABLE CHANCE YOU COULD ATTEND AND THEREFORE A BETTER CHANCE THAT WE HAVE A, A QUORUM.
UM, SO I DON'T THINK I PERSONALLY, AT LEAST, LET ME JUST SPEAK FOR MYSELF, DON'T HAVE A LOT OF ENERGY ABOUT DROPPING US TO HAVE EIGHT OR NINE MEETINGS SO LONG AS WE CAN GUARANTEE THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A, A GOOD CHANCE OF QUORUM, AND EIGHT OR NINE DATES DOESN'T TURN INTO SIX THAT ARE ACTUALLY ATTENDED DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE LOSE OUR QUORUM.
SO I, AT SOME POINT WE NEED TO ADDRESS THAT.
I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE GOT A COMPLETE ANSWER AS TO HOW TO DO THAT.
UM, MY, MY CONCERN ALSO WOULD BE, OR A CLARIFICATION THAT I WOULD HAVE IS IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH THE FACT THAT YOU'VE GOT SUCH A STAFF SHORTAGE, WHICH IS A BIGGER CONCERN TO ME, WOULD BE THAT WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS IS YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE TO GENERATE THE REPORTS AND ALL THE WORK THAT IS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO SUPPORT THE COMMISSION, WHICH IS, UM, UNFORTUNATE.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO, TO HELP YOU WITH THAT IN SOME WAY, BECAUSE THAT SEEMS LIKE THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM.
IF WE, IF WE CAN'T HAVE THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO MAKE OUR DECISIONS, WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THERE'S GONNA BE A SLOW DOWN.
AND THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS, I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE NUMBER OF MEETINGS NEARLY AS MUCH AS HOW MUCH WORK WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THE INFORMATION THAT IS PROVIDED.
AND IF WE HAVE LESS OF IT, THEN WE WON'T BE ABLE TO DO AS MUCH AND STAFF WON'T BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE A CHALLENGE, LIKE YOU SAID, UM, IN PROVIDING THE, THE SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS THE BOTTOM LINE, RIGHT? IS AM I RIGHT IN, IN THAT ASSESSMENT? MM-HMM.
THAT'S DEFINITELY A FAIR ASSESSMENT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE STAFFING ISSUE, AS I SAID, EXACERBATES SOME OF THE ISSUES.
UM, YOU, YOU POINTED TO WHEN WE DO OR DON'T HAVE A CORE, WHEN WE DON'T HAVE A CORE STAFF HAS STILL DONE ALL THE WORK TO PREPARE FOR THE MEETINGS MM-HMM.
STAFF IS STILL HIGH ENERGY AND READY TO DELIVER.
[02:00:01]
AND SO THAT TAKES, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WORK AND A LOT OF EFFORT TO PUT THAT TOGETHER.SO, UM, IF, YOU KNOW, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE WITH RESPECT TO, YOU KNOW, BEING HERE AND ON QUORUM, THAT'S PERFECT, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, WASTED ENERGY OR WASTED EFFORT.
BUT WE'RE CERTAINLY HERE TO, TO WORK WITH THE COMMISSION TO, UM, YOU KNOW, TO MOVE THE BAR, RIGHT? WE'RE MOVING TOWARDS ZERO WASTE AND THAT IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL.
UM, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE, THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY ARE PROPERLY REC REPRESENTED, UH, FROM AN EQUITABLE, UM, STANDPOINT.
AND ALSO THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, MY RESPONSIBILITY ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT THE STAFF THAT I HAVE HERE, UH, IS NOT WORN OUT.
AND WHEN I CAN, YOU KNOW, LOOK AT SOME OF THEM AND I KNOW THEY'RE WORN OUT, UM, I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
CAN WE DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY, RIGHT? UM, AS CHAIRMAN SAID, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF US ARE DEALING WITH A LOT OF ISSUES THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC AND WE'VE HAD TO FIGURE OUT WAYS TO WORK AROUND THINGS.
AND SOMETIMES THAT INCLUDES TAKING SOME THINGS OFF OF OUR PLATE OR TAKING A STEP BACK SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
COMMISSIONER WHITE, I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD.
UM, IF I'LL JUST, I'LL TRY TO WRAP UP MY, MY COMMENTS FOR NOW, BUT, SO I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR IF THERE'S ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP ALLEVIATE THE STAFF SHORTAGE, CUZ IT SOUNDS LIKE AT THE ROOT OF IT, THAT IS GOING TO CAUSE US SOME ISSUES.
UM, AND LIKE I SAID, I PERSONALLY DON'T CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT HOW WE DECIDE TO HAVE EIGHT OR 10 MEETINGS, SO LONG AS IT SEEMS LIKE THE QUORUM ISSUE ISN'T THE BIGGER PROBLEM.
THE OTHER COMMENT I WOULD MAKE IS IN TERMS OF LOCATION, AGAIN, I DON'T MIND DRIVING TO DIFFERENT PLACES AROUND TOWN.
I BELIEVE THERE ARE SOME LOGISTICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN TERMS OF RECORDING, UM, ABSOLUTELY.
CAMERAS, MICROPHONES, ACCESS, PARKING AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
SO AS LONG AS WE CAN MANAGE THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, UM, I, I AGREE WITH YOU.
IF WE CAN BE EQUITABLE IN TERMS OF WHAT THE LOCATIONS IN ORDER TO COVER, UM, VARIOUS PARTS OF OUR COMMUNITY, LET, LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN.
UM, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT OTHER FACILITIES ARE AVAILABLE TO US THAT HAVE, UM, YEAH, THE, THE CONSIDERATIONS WE NEED.
I MEAN, AGAIN, THIS IS AUSTIN AND THERE'S PROBABLY NOT ONE AREA THAT'S NOT GONNA INCONVENIENCE SOMEONE OR SOMEBODY.
THIS IS A CENTRALIZED LOCATION RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN.
SO THAT IS WHY THIS VENUE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ONE THAT ACTUALLY WORKED FOR US.
PRIOR TO THIS, WE WERE EITHER MEETING AT, UH, TODD LANE OR MAYBE RUTHERFORD, AND WE WERE LUCKY OR A SCHOOL SOMEWHERE ELSE.
IT'S NOT CONVENIENT AND IT DIDN'T ALLOW US TO ACTUALLY DO THE RECORDING COMPONENT OF THE MEETINGS.
AND THERE WAS DAYS THAT WE HAD A TAPE RECORDER AS OUR RECORDING DEVICE, AND WHEN THE BATTERIES GO LOW, YOU HAVE NO RECORDING.
SO THERE WAS A LOT OF CHALLENGES.
THIS BROUGHT STABILITY TO THE COMMISSION AND IT BROUGHT US A VENUE THAT PEOPLE KNEW EVERY SECOND WEEK OR SECOND WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH THEY WERE GOING TO BE MEETING HERE.
AND YES, ANYWHERE YOU GO IN AUSTIN, IF YOU'RE NOT DOWN THE STREET FROM IT, YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO DRIVE AND IT'S GONNA BE AN INCONVENIENCE.
AND THAT'S NOT MEANT TO BE A CRITICISM ON ANYONE OR ANYTHING, OR I JUST WANT US TO CONTINUE PROVIDING THE STABILITY THAT WE HAVE TODAY.
WHY CHANGE? WHAT'S NOT BROKEN IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SUGGEST.
COMMISSIONER, I I JUST DON'T KNOW THAT THE WHY CHANGE WHAT'S NOT BROKEN, UH, MANTRA IS ONE THAT WE SHOULD HANG OUR HAT ON.
UH, I WOULD SAY THAT WHILE THERE MAY BE PEOPLE WHO THIS LOCATION IS CONVENIENT FOR, AND IF THAT IS MM-HMM.
AND, AND THAT'S ABSOLUTELY, I AGREE WITH THAT.
UM, IT ALSO, UH, FOR ME, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE ARE NOT JUST CENTRAL TO DOWNTOWN.
ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY NOT JUST CENTRAL TO THIS AREA.
WE SERVE THE ENTIRE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND AS I SAID, I'M CERTAIN, I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT COME TO THIS LOCATION TO VOICE THEIR CONCERNS, THEIR OPINIONS, OR TO LET US KNOW WHAT IS ON THEIR MIND TO BE A PART OF THIS MEETING
AND SO, UM, THAT'S THE POINT THAT I WANNA MAKE, IS THAT WHILE IT MAY BE CONVENIENT FOR SOME, IT'S CERTAINLY NOT CONVENIENT TO ALL.
AND, AND I'M NOT DEBATING THAT.
AGAIN, ANYWHERE YOU GO, YOU'RE GONNA INCONVENIENCE SOMEONE PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TRAFFIC, BE IT SIX O'CLOCK OR SIX 30, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TRAFFIC.
[02:05:01]
CONCERNS ARE WE'RE DOING SOMETHING, IF WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE MEETINGS THEMSELVES, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT.BUT TRYING TO RELOCATE A WHOLE SYSTEM WITH NO ASSURANCES THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO THAT, THAT WE'RE GONNA PROVIDE THE, THE ACTUAL DOCUMENTING OF THE MEETINGS AS NECESSARY, TO ME IS ANOTHER CONCERN.
UM, I, I HAVE SEVERAL THOUGHTS ON THIS, BUT I GUESS ON THAT, UM, TOPIC THERE, DOES RUTHER, RUTHERFORD LANE, UM, EVEN HAVE THE ABILITY TO SUPPORT HYBRID MEETINGS? RO FOR LANE HAS A SETUP? UM, WE WOULD HAVE TO COORDINATE THAT.
WE HAVEN'T IDENTIFIED ANY FACILITIES.
NOW WE DO KNOW THERE ARE SEVERAL FACILITIES AROUND THE CITY.
UH, SEVERAL NEW FACILITIES, UM, MOSTLY, UM, OWNED BY OTHER DEPARTMENTS, AUSTIN ENERGY.
UH, THERE'S ALSO THE PDC, UH, FACILITY AS WELL.
UM, THE, THE FIRST PART IN THIS PROCESS IS TO IDENTIFY THE DATES, UH, AND ONCE THE DATES ARE IDENTIFIED, THEN WE COULD GO TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND IDENTIFY LOCATION.
I JUST, SO YOU DON'T KNOW IF RUTHFORD LANE, CAUSE I SAW THAT THAT ONE WAS FOR JANUARY, SO I GUESS I HAVE A CONCERN WITH THAT.
WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THAT LITERALLY MEETS LIKE RUTH FOR LANE DOES HAVE THOSE FACILITIES WELL, TO RUN MEETING.
WELL, SO I GUESS I'LL, I'LL SHARE MY THOUGHTS ON THIS.
AND, AND CAN I, I ABSOLUTELY RESPECT THAT YOU'RE HAVING STAFFING CHALLENGES AND, UM, AND, AND, AND I, I FEEL THAT THAT PAIN AND I, I DO HOPE, UH,
I DON'T KNOW, DO WE GET IN THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT A LIST OF THE VACANCIES? MAYBE THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL? UM, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT, UM, I GUESS ON THE SPECIFIC PROPOSAL, UM, NUMBER ONE, I FEEL LIKE IF OUR BYLAWS SAY THAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO MEET MONTHLY, IT'S NOT EVEN REALLY UP TO US TO JUST SET A DIFFERENT SCHEDULE.
WE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE A BYLAWS CHANGE, I THINK, TO MAKE THAT LEGITIMATE.
UM, IT'S, IT'S ONE THING TO, UM, HAVE TO CANCEL MEETINGS BECAUSE OF QUORUM, BUT IT'S ANOTHER TO JUST LIKE BLATANTLY GO AGAINST WHAT'S IN YOUR BYLAWS.
AND I, I, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S RIGHT FOR, FOR US TO DO, EVEN IF WE WANTED TO.
UM, BUT TO THE POINT OF, OF QUORUM, I, I WOULD LOVE IT IF WE COULD ALL, YOU KNOW, SIGN A BLOOD OATH OR WHATEVER AND LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE WE'RE GONNA HAVE A QUORUM WHENEVER A MEETING IS SCHEDULED.
BUT I THINK I, I, I LIKE TO LIVE IN REALITY BECAUSE THEN I'M NOT DISAPPOINTED
UM, AND SO IF WE ARE STILL WHATEVER NUMBER OF MEETINGS WE SCHEDULE, THERE'S PROBABLY STILL GONNA BE SOME MEETING SOME NUMBER.
I'M NOT GONNA, YOU KNOW, GUESS, BUT SOME NUMBER THAT DON'T HAPPEN BECAUSE OF QUORUM.
UM, I DO VERY MUCH RESPECT THE, UM, WASTE OF TIME THAT GOES INTO PREPARING FOR A MEETING THAT THEN DOESN'T HAVE QUORUM AT THE LAST MINUTE.
UM, AND I, YOU KNOW, I CHAIR THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE AND WE HAVE STRUGGLED VITALLY WITH QUORUM, AND I THINK WE'RE FINALLY ABOUT TO GET OVER THAT, THAT HUMP.
BUT WHAT WE HAVE DONE TO KIND OF COMPENSATE FOR IT IS, IS THE STAFF LIAISON.
AND THEN I DO BACKUP AS THE CHAIR START CONTACTING PEOPLE DIRECTLY, YOU KNOW, BY TEXT AT LEAST TWO WEEKS.
AND SOMETIMES IF WE THINK IT MIGHT BE A CHALLENGING DATE, MORE THAN THAT IN ADVANCE TO MAKE SURE THAT IF WE KNOW IN ADVANCE THAT THERE'S NOT GONNA BE QUORUM THAT PEOPLE DON'T WASTE THEIR TIME PREPARING FOR.
SO, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF LIKE WANTING TO RAISE UP THAT, LIKE THERE WILL BE MEETINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE, UH, CANCELED AND WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS TRY TO MITIGATE THE WASTE OF TIME THERE.
UM, AND I GUESS IN TERMS OF THE LOCATION, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I ALSO HAVE EXPERIENCE BEING THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE DID NOT HAVE THE SET LOCATION FOR A LONG TIME.
SO I DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE AN OBJECTION IF WE NEED TO MOVE TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION.
ALTHOUGH CITY HALL IS, HAS GENERALLY BEEN A DESIRABLE SPOT FOR ALL THE BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.
LIKE, I THINK THERE'S LIKE A MEETING IN THERE EVERY NIGHT PRACTICALLY.
UM, BUT IF WE WANNA PICK A DIFFERENT LOCATION, I THINK WE SHOULD PICK A LOCATION AND STAY THERE.
BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS THE PEOPLE FORGET THAT IT'S A DIFFERENT LOCATION AND END UP IN THE WRONG, AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW, JUST ANOTHER, UM, YOU KNOW, ELEMENT WHERE THINGS CAN GO WRONG AND THEN THEY CAN'T GET THERE IN TIME FOR FORUM, OR IT'S
[02:10:01]
SOMEBODY WHO WANTED TO SPEAK AND CITIZEN COMMUNICATION HAS PASSED OR WHATEVER.SO, UM, THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE SHOULD STICK WITH.
I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A MONTHLY MEETING.
I DON'T EVEN THINK WE SHOULD BE SCHEDULING 10.
I THINK WE SHOULD BE SCHEDULING A MONTHLY MEETING AND, UM, I THINK WE SHOULD PICK A LOCATION AND IT SHOULD BE RELATIVELY CENTRAL.
I THINK AUSTIN ENERGY WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT AS CENTRAL AS THIS, BUT RO VER BLANE IS LIKE PRETTY FAR ON ONE CORNER OF OUR CITY.
AND SO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LOCATION, AND SO I ALREADY MISS WORK TO COME AND I WANT TO, BUT TO GO ALL THE WAY FROM WHERE MY WORK IS TO RATHER FOR, WE'D HAVE TO CHANGE THE TIME.
I, THERE'S NO WAY I COULD HANDLE THAT TRAFFIC.
THERE'S JUST, THERE'S NO WAY POSSIBLE.
SO YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MAYBE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO HAVE AS MANY PEOPLE HERE, BUT YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE COMMISSIONERS HERE.
SO, UH, THE OTHER THING IS THAT REALLY WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IS ADVISING OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
AND I DON'T SEE HOW WE'RE GONNA DO THAT IF WE'RE GONNA MISS EVERY OTHER MONTH.
LIKE TONIGHT, I JUST LEARNED FROM YOU FROM POINTING THAT OUT, THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE IN FOURPLEXES, THEY'RE NOT EVEN GETTING, UH, ANY COMPOSTING.
I DON'T THINK CAVA KNOW THAT EITHER.
THERE'S SO MANY THINGS THAT WE WE'RE NOT INVOLVED IN THIS ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS, OR FIVE DAYS A WEEK TO KNOW ALL THESE THINGS.
SO A LOT OF TIMES IT'S THROUGH THE MEETINGS THAT WE LEARN MORE, MORE THINGS.
AND IT'S TAKEN A LONG TIME TO LEARN THAT IF WE SHORTEN ALL THESE MEETINGS, THERE'S, I WOULD FEEL COMPLETELY IGNORANT ON SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON.
EVEN MORE SO THAN NOW SINCE I, SINCE I'M NOT STEEPED IN IT EVERY, EVERY DAY.
BUT AGAIN, LET'S GO BACK TO WHAT, WHY WE'RE HERE, AND THAT'S TO ADVISE OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.
IN FACT, IT'S GONNA BE REAL IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US, UH, WHEN WE GET THIS REPORT, RESOL RESOLUTION IS TO GO AND TALK WITH EACH OF OUR CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOING ON SO THAT THEY'LL UNDERSTAND AND HELP, HELP CARRY THIS THROUGH.
NOW THE OTHER THING, KEN, AND IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT MY BUSINESS TO SAY THIS PROBABLY, BUT I'M, I'M WONDERING IF, DO WE NEED ALL THE PEOPLE, I SEE THEIR NAMES ON THE THING HERE.
WE'RE NOT HER FROM 'EM AND WE'RE NOT ASKING THEM.
AND SOMETIMES WE'LL ASK YOU ALL QUESTIONS AND WE ALL DUE RESPECT.
THIS IS NOT A CRITICISM AT ALL, BUT YOU ALL DON'T KNOW SOME OF THESE THINGS.
WELL, THAT'S OKAY, AND YOU'LL GET BACK TO US WHAT YOU USUALLY DO.
BUT I, I'M NOT SURE, DO WE NEED ALL THE STAFF PEOPLE TO COME WHEN THEY'RE NOT GET, WHEN THEY'RE NOT INVOLVED IN THE, IN THE, UH, MEETING AGENDA? WELL, TYPICALLY THE REASON THAT WE HAVE, UH, ADDITIONAL FOLKS ON THE, ON THE LINE OR, OR IN, UH, IN THE AUDIENCE HERE IS BECAUSE THEY'RE TYPICALLY THE EXPERTS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS, RIGHT? AND SO OUR GOAL IS TO GET THE COMMISSION THE ANSWERS THAT YOU WANT IN THE MOST TIMELY MANNER.
AND IF PEOPLE ARE HERE, THEY CAN DO THAT.
OR IF THEY'RE ONLINE, THEY CAN DO THAT IN A MORE, YOU KNOW, UH, EXPEDITIOUS MANNER.
UM, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, IN SOME CASES YOU, YOU'RE RIGHT, IF WE DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER, WE'LL GET IT TO YOU AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.
UH, A LOT OF TIMES TOO, THESE ARE OUR LEADERS, UH, OTHER LEADERS IN THE ORGANIZATION.
AND SO, UH, THIS IS ALSO EXPERIENCE FOR THEM BEING PARTICIPANTS IN THE COMMISSION, THEIR LEARNING, UH, IN THEIR CAREERS, UH, AND, AND HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON.
SO IT'S ALSO A DEVELOPMENTAL OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME OF THEM AS WELL.
OKAY, SO THEY'RE LEARNING FROM THESE MEETINGS AS WELL.
SO THAT'S A BENEFIT TO HAVING MEETINGS.
THEY GET TO SEE MORE OUTSIDE OF THEIR DESK, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
AND I THINK TO BE A PARTNERSHIP OR TO BE ABLE TO, UH, TO REALLY BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER, I THINK WE HAVE TO HAVE MORE MEETINGS IN THAT.
JUST LIKE WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT EDUCATION.
SO IF WE'RE EDUCATING PEOPLE ON RECYCLING OR, OR COMPOSTING, IF YOU JUST TELL 'EM TWO OR THREE TIMES A YEAR, THAT'S NOT GONNA CUT IT.
THEY'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO KEEP HEARING IT OVER AND OVER.
AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHY I'M, I ACTUALLY, THAT'S PART OF WHY WE HAD THE RESOLUTION TODAY BECAUSE WE WERE RUSHING, CUZ WE DIDN'T HAVE A DECEMBER MEETING.
I REMEMBER WHEN WE HAD DECEMBER MEETINGS AND I ACTUALLY, I WANTED TO HAVE 11 MEETINGS INSTEAD OF GOING BACKWARDS.
UH, YOU KNOW, PART OF IT IS ON US.
WE HAD, WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE FOR A GOOD WHILE AND THEN THEY, A LOT OF 'EM DROPPED OUT.
AND I THINK WE AS A COMMISSION NEED TO REALLY COME, REALLY GET STRONGER ON TELLING PEOPLE TO CALL YOU IF THEY DON'T, CAN'T COME.
IT'S, IT'S VERY IRRESPONSIBLE AND IT'S NOT PROFESSIONAL.
AND SO WE NEED TO KEEP BETTER CONTROL OF THAT IN GENERAL.
[02:15:01]
I KNOW, BUT I THINK AGAIN, WE NEED TO KEEP TELLING PEOPLE CORRECT THAT.AND SO WHEN THERE WERE A LOT OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT WERE NOT, UH, UH, NOMINATING ANYBODY FOR THIS COMMISSION, I, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES I'VE CALLED THE CITY CLERKS, CITY, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND NOBODY DID ANYTHING.
I DON'T KNOW WHOSE JOB IT WAS TO COORDINATE THAT, THAT GETS FILLED.
THAT'S PART OF WHY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THESE PROBLEMS AND WE DIDN'T EVEN MEET SOMETIMES.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE SIX OF US, WE'RE VERY DEDICATED.
WE LOOK AT THE STUFF, WE STUDY IT, WE WANT TO BE PART OF THIS.
AND I DON'T BELIEVE WE COULD DO THAT WITH FEWER MEETINGS.
SO AGAIN, I'M COMING, GOING BACK TO WHAT YOU SAID YA IS, IF THERE'S ANY WAY WE CAN HELP YOU, UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN IN THE LAST SO MANY, UH, MEETINGS, THERE'LL BE OTHER SUGGESTIONS TO START WORKING ON OTHER THINGS RIGHT AWAY.
AND I SAID, WELL, AND TRUTH BE TOLD TO THE STAFF, UH, DO YOU HAVE, IS THERE TOO MUCH WORK GOING ON NOW? DO YOU NEED TO DO, WE JUST NEED TO FOCUS ON THIS AND PUT THOSE ON THE AGENDA LATER.
SO, AND I HOPE PEOPLE ARE TRUTHFUL ABOUT THAT AND TELL US IT'S NOT GONNA HURT OUR FEELINGS.
WE JUST REALLY NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
JUST LIKE WHAT YOU CAME TODAY.
AND YOU TOLD US THAT I APPRECIATE IT, BUT I'M GONNA VOTE TO STAY AT THE 10 MEETINGS.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? COMMISSIONER WHITE, DID YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP? OKAY.
I I, I WOULD AGREE WITH, UM, WHAT KATHY'S SAYING ABOUT THE FREQUENCY AND OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE FREQUENCY OF THE MEETINGS.
I, I DO THINK THERE'S A REAL RISK IF WE DROP THE PLAN TO EIGHT THAT THEN IN ACTUALITY ONLY SIX WILL OCCUR BECAUSE OF QUORUM ISSUES.
AND WE HAVE TRIED, UH, DOING SPECIAL CALLED MEETINGS, SCHEDULING THEM.
WE HAVE TRIED THAT WITHIN THE LAST YEAR AND MANY TIMES THE FACILITY AVAILABILITY IS JUST NOT THERE.
SO WE HAVE THE INTENTION TO DO A CALL MEETING TO MAKE UP FOR A MEETING MISSED DUE TO QUORUM ISSUES AND IT DOESN'T HAPPEN.
SO I DO THINK THAT THAT'S A PROBLEM.
UM, TO THE, TO THE IMPORTANT ISSUE OF INCLUDING MORE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND MAKING SURE THAT THESE MEETINGS ARE ACCESSIBLE, I THINK THE HYBRID FORMAT GIVES US SOME REAL POTENTIAL HERE.
BUT THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE WAY THAT PARTI THAT HYBRID PARTICIPATION IS COMMUNICATED ON JUST THE GENERAL CITY WEBSITE THAT IS REALLY NOT CLEAR TO PEOPLE.
UM, MANY TIMES THAT ENDS UP HAVING TO BE TRANSLATED FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS BY ADVOCACY GROUPS.
SO SOME OF THE BEST INFORMATION I SEE THAT GETS OUT TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS ABOUT HOW TO ENGAGE IS NOT ON THE CITY WEBSITE.
IT'S FROM, YOU KNOW, THE FACEBOOK GROUP THAT'S REALLY INTERESTED IN ANIMAL WELFARE THAT SAYS, OKAY, WAIT, THIS IS THE ACTUAL LINK TO FIND THE PLACE WHERE YOU PRE-REGISTER AND YOU HAVE TO PREREGISTER BY THIS TIME.
AND IF YOU HAVE TO GO IN PERSON AND THEY END UP TRANSLATING FOUR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC THIS INFORMATION THAT'S ON THE CITY SITE.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S AN ISSUE THAT'S SPECIFIC TO ARR OR TO W I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING JUST GENERAL ABOUT THE WAYS TO ENGAGE THAT ARE A LITTLE LESS ACCESSIBLE THAN THEY NEED TO BE AT THE CITY LEVEL.
UM, AND SO THE HYBRID OPTION, I THINK IF WE SHARE ABOUT IT DIFFERENTLY, CAN BE A WAY TO BRING IN ACCESSIBILITY.
I LIKE THE IDEA OF TRYING OUT DIFFERENT LOCATIONS FOR THAT REASON.
I'M ALSO AWARE THAT THAT MIGHT CREATE MORE WORK FOR YOUR TEAM.
SO MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE IF IT IS AN ALTERNATIVE LOCATION, MAYBE TRY OUT ONE MEETING AT A NEW LOCATION OR TWO AND, AND REALLY, UM, IT'S GONNA REQUIRE NOT JUST THE LOGISTICS OF THE RECORDING, BUT COMMUNICATING TO EVERYONE SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T SHOW UP AT THE WRONG SPOT AND THEN ALL OF THAT.
SO, UM, EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THAT COULD GO.
BUT DEFINITELY, UH, WOULD MAYBE, WOULD, WOULD RECOMMEND THINKING ABOUT IT AS TRYING OUT A FEW MEETINGS THAT WAY, NOT EVERY SINGLE MEETING IS A BRAND NEW LOCATION.
MAYBE THERE'S KEEP ONE CENTRAL, MAYBE IT'S HERE, MAYBE IT'S, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY, AND THEN TRY OUT ANOTHER SPOT FOR JUST A FEW OF THOSE OCCURRENCES.
OTHERWISE, IT MAY BE TOO CHAOTIC TO BE GOING TO A DIFFERENT LOCATION EVERY MONTH.
I'M ALSO AWARE THAT THIS MIGHT NOT BE RELEVANT TO ME, UH, BECAUSE AS YOU ALL KNOW, I'M, I'M THE MAYOR'S REP ON THIS COMMISSION, SO I I MAY NOT BE WITH YOU IN THE COMING YEAR.
UM, IF, IF ONE, IF THE NEW MAYOR HAS THEIR OWN PERSON THAT THEY WANNA BRING IN, RATHER THAN, UH, CONTINUING AN ADLER PERSON LIKE MYSELF.
SO, UH, IT IT'S BEEN REALLY WONDERFUL BEING PART OF THIS GROUP AND I KNOW WHATEVER YOU LAND ON, UM, THAT YOU HAVE GOOD PEOPLE HERE ON THE COMMISSION SUPPORTING, SUPPORTING WHAT'S HAPPENING.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? HEARING NO OTHER COMMENTS? THIS IS A DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM AND IT'S THE, UH, THE ITEM IS THE 2023
[02:20:01]
ZAC MEETING DATES.LET, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION.
YEAH, I MOVE THAT WE SCHEDULE A MEETING ON EVERY SECOND WEDNESDAY AS OUR BYLAWS, UH, STATE AND, UH, THAT WE RETAIN COUNCIL CHAMBERS FOR NOW IS OUR DEFAULT MEETING LOCATION, BUT THAT WE DO WHAT AMANDA JUST SUGGESTED, WHICH IS LOOK FOR TARGETED MEETINGS, UH, THAT WE WANNA HAVE, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS IN ANOTHER LOCATION, BUT THAT THIS REMAIN OUR DEFAULT IS IF WE WON'T RETAIN THIS, UM, WE WILL.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? UM, MAY I, MAY I PROPOSE SOME, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AN AN ADDITION EXACTLY, BUT AMENDMENT TO.
SO ALL THAT, AND I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S A WAY WE CAN HELP ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES, UM, BY MORE PROACTIVELY CONFIRMING ATTENDANCE TO THOSE MEETINGS.
IN OTHER WORDS, GET POSITIVE, PROACTIVE CONFIRMATION FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY OF THE COMMISSION THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO ATTEND.
AND IF THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN, THEN WE CAN GIVE STAFF ENOUGH, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY TWO WEEKS OF, UH, OF TIME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE MEETING WILL OR WILL NOT TAKE PLACE.
AND I REALIZE THAT WON'T BE A HUNDRED PERCENT YEAH, IT'S A CHALLENGING AND, AND TOTALLY GET THAT.
THIS IS YOUR, THAT'S AN AMENDMENT TO YOUR, TO YOUR RESOLUTION.
I MEAN, I'M SORRY, TO YOUR MOTION, TO YOUR MOTION.
LIKE, SO ARE WE, ARE WE COMMITTING OURSELVES TO DOING LIKE, CORRECT.
SORRY, CAN YOU SUMMARIZE?
I WANT TO BELIEVE, AND WHEN YOU, YOU TAKE ON A RESPONSIBILITY, I HOPE YOU LIVE UP TO THAT RESPONSIBILITY.
AND HAVING SAID THAT, KNOWING THAT YOU'RE GONNA MEET EVERY SECOND WEDNESDAY IS PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING THAT DIFFICULT TO PLAN ON.
IF, I MEAN, WORK SCHEDULES, FOR INSTANCE, AND VACATION SCHEDULES WILL OFTEN DICTATE THAT, ABSOLUTELY.
WE'LL BE ABLE TO MAKE IT FOR A CERTAIN TIME.
SO I KNOW I'M GONNA BE OUT NEXT WEEK AND, UH, THE FOLLOWING WEEK.
UH, AND, AND SO MY QUESTION IS, I GUESS WHAT I THINK YOU WERE ASKING FOR COMMISSIONER WHITE IS A SUMMARY, WHICH IS THAT I'M WONDERING IF THERE IS A WAY THAT WE CAN MORE PROACTIVELY CONFIRM TO STAFF THAT WE ARE, THAT WE ARE GOING TO ATTEND.
UM, RIGHT NOW WHAT HAPPENS IS JERRY CALLS PEOPLE INDIVIDUALLY AND HE NEEDS TO DO A POLL
AND, AND THAT'S EXACTLY AND GENERALLY DOES THAT THE DAY OF BECAUSE THAT'S BEEN MOST EFFECTIVE.
MAYBE I'M, MAYBE IT'S MORE OF A BRAINSTORMING ITEM.
IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN POTENTIALLY BE MORE PROACTIVE? ABSOLUTELY.
IN THE PAST, IN THE PAST, STAFF SENT OUT A CALENDAR INVITATION AND YOU COULD RESPOND TO THAT.
BUT THAT WOULD, THAT I THINK WAS HELPFUL.
UM, IT'S A REMINDER ALSO THAT IS, THAT'S A VERY GROWN UP WAY TO DO IT.
AND THERE WAS A AMENDMENT TO THE MOTION.
HAVE YOU ACCEPTED? IF NOT, WE'LL GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL MOTION.
I'M STILL UNCLEAR WHAT THE MOTION, SO I MEAN, LIKE, SO ARE WE MAKING A MOTION THAT WE WILL CONFIRM OUR ATTENDANCE AT LEAST A WEEK IN ADVANCE? OR I THAT THE AMENDMENT TOO, HE WANTS TO MAKE SURE, CORRECT ME HERE THAT WE HAVE SOME MECHANISM CONFIRMING ATTENDANCE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS PRIOR TO THE MEETING DATE.
AND IN DOING SO, THAT ALLOWS STAFF TO PRO.
SO LET'S ADD THAT TO THE, UH, TO THE MOTION.
SO CAN, HOW FAR IN ADVANCE WOULD BE HELPFUL FOR YOU GUYS? WELL, I HEARD TWO WEEKS.
UM, I MEAN, THAT MAY BE A LITTLE TOUGH, BUT THAT WOULD CERTAINLY BE, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO KIND OF SCALE BACK OR, OR, YOU KNOW, RESOURCE A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.
SO KABA, IS THAT, UH, OKAY, SO I'M GONNA RESTATE, I'M MAKING A MOTION THAT WE SET A MEETING FOR THE SECOND WEDNESDAY OF EVERY MONTH, UH, WITH THE DEFAULT LOCATION REMAINING CITY HALL,
[02:25:01]
BUT THAT WE WILL WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH STAFF TO IDENTIFY SOME NUMBER OF MEETINGS WHERE WE TRY OUT OTHER LOCATIONS THAT MEET ALL THE, UM, KIND OF AV REQUIREMENTS, AND THAT WE WILL AS COMMISSIONERS BE PROACTIVE ABOUT CONFIRMING OUR ATTENDANCE TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE OR ATTENDANCE, OR NOT TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE OF MEETINGS AND, UM, AND THAT WE ARE REQUESTING FROM STAFF ASSISTANCE WITH THAT IN THE FORM OF A CALENDAR INVITATION.DO I HEAR A SECOND? AND THAT WAS A LONG ONE, BY THE WAY.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS HEARING? NO DISCUSSION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR HAND.
SO WE ADDED A MEETING AND THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT OTHER POSSIBLE VENUES.
SO THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS THAT, UH, BASICALLY SUMMARIZES THE DISCUSSION ACTION ITEMS HERE OR DOES AWAY WITH ALL THIS DISCUSSION.
[DIRECTOR’S REPORT]
ITEMS. NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS IS THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT IS, UH, PRETTY SKINNY TONIGHT.
UH, THERE IS AN ITEM AS SOON AS I FIND IT HERE, UH, ABOUT THE, UH, ON-CALL RUSH PILOT THAT WILL BEGIN, UH, IN JANUARY OF 2023.
YOU MAY REMEMBER, UH, WE DEFERRED THE START OF THAT PILOT SO THAT WE COULD START THE H HW PILOT.
THE HOUSEHOLD HAS ITS WASTE COLLECTION PILOT, UH, WHERE, UH, THAT'S A, A KIND OF DOOR TO DOOR TYPE OF OPERATION.
SO IF THERE ARE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS ON THE DIRECTOR'S PORT, I JUST WANNA REMIND EVERYONE THAT NEXT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH IS AMERICA RECYCLE DAY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS ON THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT? HEARING NONE, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT.
I'D LIKE TO GIVE A MOTION TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF AUR, RAISE YOUR HAND, PLEASE.
WAIT, YOU DIDN'T, WHAT ABOUT THE AGENDAS FOR MEXICO ROW? WE, WE WILL INITIATE.