[00:00:08]
[CALL TO ORDER]
UM, CALLING THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.IT'S MAY 17TH, 6:00 PM WE'RE UP AT 63 10 WILHELM DELCO DRIVE.
UM, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN AND DO ROLL CALL IF YOU DON'T MIND.
SHI CUZ YOU ARE IN THE HOT SEAT.
UH, MARIANA KRUGER HERE, IF YOU DON'T MIND.
ALL RIGHT, SO WE'VE GOT A QUORUM.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
PUBLIC COMMENTS, CORRECT.ELIZABETH, LET'S, UM, WENDY, YOU GET TO GO FIRST.
UM, AND YOU'VE GOT THREE MINUTES, MA'AM.
YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW THE PROCEDURES.
YOU, YOU WERE ON THIS COMMISSION AT ONE POINT IN TIME.
YOU MAY HAVE TO HIT THE BUTTON THERE TO GET THE GREEN LIGHT ON IN THE CENTER THERE.
I'M A FORMER COMMISSIONER, MYSELF AND ALSO AN ECOLOGIST.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'M STANDING TONIGHT.
I WISH TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION A TOPIC THAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION A YEAR AGO.
THAT'S THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF MOSQUITO SPRING ON POLLINATORS AND OTHER BENEFICIAL INVERTEBRATES.
A YEAR AGO I WAS IN ATLANTA AND I KEPT RUNNING ACROSS YARD SIGNS LIKE THIS.
THAT SH SAYS, MOSQUITO SP SPRAYING KILLS BEES.
AND YEAH, I WAS KIND OF STUNNED.
I HADN'T PREVIOUSLY RECOGNIZED THE POTENTIAL, THE ADVERSE IMPACTS OF MOSQUITO SP SPRAYING ON POLLINATORS.
AND I MYSELF HAVE NOT EMPLOYED THE SERVICES OF COMMERCIAL MOSQUITO SPRAYERS, BUT THEIR ADVERTISING IS UBIQUITOUS.
SO MOST OF US ARE AWARE THERE'S A POLLINATOR CRISIS.
BEES ARE BEING LISTED AS ENDANGERED SPECIES.
MONARCH BUTTER BUTTERFLY IS PROPOSED FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES LISTING STATUS.
SO I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW THINGS ABOUT MOSQUITO SPRING.
SO, IN THE PAST DECADE, HAS SEEN A RAPID PROLIFERATION OF THE MOSQUITO CONTROL SERVICES IN MANY COMMUNITIES, INCLUDING AUSTIN.
THESE SERVICES TYPICALLY CONSIST OF INSECTICIDES APPLIED VIA BACKPACK SPRAYERS, OR FOGGERS, OR AUTOMATED MISTING SYSTEMS INSTALLED IN RESIDENTIAL YARDS.
REGARDLESS OF THE DELIVERY METHOD, THE PESTICIDAL AGENTS MOST COMMONLY AND WIDELY APPLIED ARE PYRETHROIDS SYNTHETIC FORMS OF BOTANICAL PYRETHRIN INSECTICIDES.
HOWEVER, PYRETHROIDS DO NOT DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN MOSQUITOES AND NON-ART INSECTS.
PYRETHROIDS ARE HIGHLY TOXIC TO BEES OR REMAIN SO FOR DAYS AFTER APPLICATION, THEY ALSO KILL OTHER BENEFICIAL INVERTEBRATES, INCLUDING BUTTERFLIES, MOSS, LADYBUGS, DRAGONFLIES, LIGHTNING BUGS, BEETLES, AND SPIDERS.
AND IN WATERWAYS, THEY ARE HIGHLY TOXIC TO FISH AND OTHER AQUATIC LIFE.
SO IN THIS CASE, BEING NATURAL DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE SAFE TO WILDLIFE.
SO THIS I, UM, BORROWED, IF YOU WILL, FROM, UH, DECATUR, GEORGIA ACTUALLY HAS A PROGRAM.
AND THAT FIRST SIGN I SHOWED YOU, THEY CALL THEMSELVES DECATUR.
SO THEY'RE REALLY TRYING TO HIGHLIGHT THE WHOLE ISSUE OF MOSQUITO SPRAYING AND ITS ADVERSE IMPACTS.
AND SO, JUST A COUPLE OF POINTS HERE IS THAT THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES TO MOSQUITO SPRAYING, AND THAT JUST INCLUDES SOUND PRACTICES LIKE ELIMINATING STANDING SOURCES OF WATER AND KEEPING RAIN GUTTERS CLEAR SO THEY DON'T TRAP WATER.
ADDING MOSQUITO DUNKS TO FOUNTAINS AND ORNAMENTAL PONDS, ET CETERA.
AND ALSO MAINTAINING PROPERTY TO LIMIT DENSE UNDERGROWTH THAT CAN HARBOR ADULT MOSQUITOES.
SO I, AGAIN, I'M JUST BRINGING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION TONIGHT BECAUSE AS A COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE TAKING INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY ACTION TO IMPROVE HABITAT CONDITIONS AND NOT FURTHER CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMPERILMENT OF CRITICAL INVERTEBRATES.
RIGHT? WE KNOW EDUCATION, LIKE ALWAYS IS KEY.
AND WHILE I'M AWARE THAT, YOU KNOW, CITY STAFF ARE ALWAYS ASKED TO DO MANY, MANY THINGS, UH, YOU KNOW, NONETHELESS, I THINK THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE.
I'VE PROVIDED A FEW RESOURCES HERE.
THE DECATUR, UH, WEBSITE IS ONE OF THEM.
THE ERSI SOCIETY IS IS ANOTHER ONE, UH, THAT MIDDLE PORTION OF THAT SLIDE.
SO, XERCES AND, UH, DECATUR RIGHT NOW, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A COLLABORATION GOING.
THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE ENROLLING YARDS THIS SUMMER TO ACTUALLY TRACK, UM, PESTICIDE RESIDUES, INSECTICIDE RESIDUES TO SEE WHAT THE FATE OF THOSE ARE.
AND ALSO XERCES ON THAT, UM, FAR RIGHT SIDE, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE PUT TOGETHER A PDF, UH, YOU CAN DOWNLOAD ON EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY MOSQUITO MANAGEMENT.
SO AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I I ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER THIS AS SOMETHING THAT PERHAPS YOU LOOK INTO IN MORE DETAIL.
[00:05:01]
MUCH FOR COMING DOWN AND PUTTING TOGETHER THE SLIDES.AND CERTAINLY ANYBODY CAN REACH OUT TO ME.
AND ELIZABETH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND SENDING OUT, UH, WENDY'S CONTACT INFORMATION, AND IF SHE'S PROVIDED THE SLIDES, SEND THOSE TO THE COMMISSION AS WELL.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING.
WE'VE GOT ONE MORE PUBLIC COMMENTER AND I BELIEVE HE'S CALLING IN, UH, TIM MAHONEY.
ARE YOU THERE? TIM? TIM, IF YOU ARE MUTED, YOU NEED TO UNMUTE YOURSELF AND WE'LL ACKNOWLEDGE WHEN WE CAN HEAR YOU.
YOU'RE STILL MUTED, TIM, IF YOU'RE TALKING, HEY, GREAT.
I, I'M A, UH, FORMER CHAIR OF THE, UH, CITY'S URBAN FORESTRY BOARD AND, UH, LIKE IN 2007, SO, UM, WHAT THAT ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO, AND I TRIED TO, UH, GET THE CITY TO GET THE CITY TO, UH, DEVELOP A, AN URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PLAN.
AND IN THE INTERVENED 50 YEARS, THE URBAN FORESTRY BOARD WAS ABSORBED INTO THE ENVIRONMENTAL BOARD.
SO THAT'S, I'M REACHING OUT TO YOU TO SAY MAYBE IT'S A GOOD TIME TO, TO DO IT WITH, UH, I, I KNOW THE, UH, THE CITY'S, UH, HAS AN URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PLAN, BUT IT JUST DOESN'T HAVE ANY OUTREACH TO CITIZENS AND, AND REALLY WHERE YOU'RE BUILDING UP AN AWARENESS FOR PEOPLE TO, UH, MONITOR THE CITY'S URBAN FOREST AND, AND GET IT BUILT.
I KNOW THERE USED TO BIG PARTICIPATION, UM, WITH, UM, THREE FOLKS, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THEY'RE STILL GOING.
UH, BUT I, YOU KNOW, I WAS, I THINK AS MOST PEOPLE WERE, WAS JUST STARTLED WITH THE, UH, ALL THE, DURING THIS LAST FREEZE IN JANUARY, ALL THE BRANCHES JUST BROKE OFF.
AND IT WAS BECAUSE, UH, THE TREES WERE SUFFERING FROM A, A STRUCTURAL DROUGHT.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE HAD AN URBAN FORESTRY PLAN WHERE WE WERE MONITORING THE HEALTH OF TREES AND WHATNOT.
IT'D BE LESS
SO AT ANY RATE, IN 2007, I TRIED TO, UH, DEVELOP A, A COMPREHENSIVE URBAN FORESTRY, UH, PLAN SO THAT, YOU KNOW, NEIGHBORHOODS AND, AND SECTIONS OF THE CITY COULD ACTUALLY START PARTICIPATING.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THEY, THE CITIZENS ARE STILL THE CITY'S UNTAPPED, UH, WEALTH IN TERMS OF A GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST PUT IN YOUR, I, I'D LIKE TO HAVE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE, INTERACTIVE URBAN FORESTRY MANAGEMENT PLAN BE CREATED.
UM, ALRIGHT, SO MOVING ON IN THE AGENDA,
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
UM, TO THE FIRST, UH, ITEM ON THE AGENDA, APPROVAL OF MINUTES.UM, ELIZABETH HAS DISSEMINATED THE MINUTES FROM THE LAST MEETING.
UM, SOME, SOME EAGLE EYES, CAUGHT SOME GREAT THINGS.
UM, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY OTHER COMMENTS, UH, OR REVISIONS TO THE MINI MINUTES? ALL RIGHT.
I MOVE TO APPROVE THE MINUTES SECOND BY SCOTT.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.
[2. Name: Redevelopment Exception in Barton Springs Zone for Texas Research International Expansion, SP-2019-0383D]
TO PUBLIC HEARINGS.UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION IN THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE FOR THE TEXAS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION.
S SP 20 19 0 3 83 D, UM, WHICH IS LOCATED AT 92 25 FM.
UM, AND I BELIEVE PAMELA IN PERSON WILL BE HERE TO MAKE A PRESENTATION.
OKAY, UM, COMMISSIONERS, FIRST OF ALL, EVERYONE, I'M SORRY FOR THE COUGH TOP IN MY MOUTH, BUT I'LL THE COUGHING INSTEAD OF TALKING IF I DON'T DO THAT.
TONIGHT WE HAVE THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION IN THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE.
TEXAS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION, UM, BY MYSELF, UH, PAMELA ABT OF THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
[00:10:01]
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.SO THIS IS DIFFERENT THAN THE KIND OF THING THAT WE USUALLY BRING.
AND SO I TRY TO KIND OF SPLIT IT UP, KIND OF MAKE IT UNDERSTANDABLE.
SO I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THE SITE, THE CODE, AND THE PROJECT.
THE SITE NEXT PLEASE, IS IN WEST AUSTIN.
IT'S RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE EDWARDS AQUIFER CONTRIBUTING ZONE, YOU CAN SEE THERE.
UM, AND THE GREEN NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
AND THAT'S JUST A CLOSE UP VIEW OFF 2244.
AERIALLY, UH, THIS IS, UM, THAT'S FINE.
SO IT'S IN THE BARTON CREEK WATERSHED IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE.
UM, IT ISS IN THE EDWARDS AQUIFER CONTRIBUTING ZONE, UH, THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE IN THE EXTRA TERRITORIAL JURISDICTION.
IT DOES HAVE RIMROCK AND, UH, SPRING CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES.
AND AS THE COUNCIL DISTRICT IS NOT APPLICABLE, CUZ IT'S IN THE EJ.
SO WHAT IS THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION? SO 25 8 26 OF THE LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE SAYS THAT YOU CAN REDEVELOP EXISTING COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE THAT DO NOT COMPLY WITH CURRENT WATERSHED REGULATIONS.
THIS SECTION CANNOT BE APPLIED IF THERE'S BEEN ANY UNPERMITTED UH, DEVELOPMENT SINCE JANUARY 1ST, 1992.
UM, AND THIS SECTION 25,826 SUPERSEDES ARTICLE 13 OR THE SAVE OUR SPRINGS, UH, INITIATIVE.
OKAY, SO HOW DOES IT WORK? SO IF REDEVELOPMENT MEETS ALL THE CONDITIONS LAID OUT IN 25 8 26, THEN SUB CHAP 25 8 SUBCHAPTER A DOESN'T APPLY.
WHAT DOES SUBCHAPTER A REGULATE? IT REGULATES WATER QUALITY, IMPERVIOUS COVER CUT AND FILL DEVELOPMENT ON SLOPES, FLOODPLAIN MODIFICATIONS AND PROTECTIONS AND SETBACKS FOR WATERWAYS AND CRITICAL WATER FEATURES.
SO, CFS, CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONES, TRANSITION ZONES, ET CETERA.
SO THIS IN THE REAL TINY PRINT, IT'S TINY AND ILLEGIBLE AND THAT'S OKAY CUZ YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO READ IT.
WE'RE GONNA GO OVER 'EM ONE AT A AT A TIME IN JUST A MOMENT.
BUT THESE ARE THE NINE CONDITIONS THAT, UH, AND, UM, THEY'RE IN THE, THE BACKUP AS WELL.
THESE ARE THE NINE CONDITIONS THAT A SITE HAS TO, UH, COMPLY WITH TO, UH, TO USE 25,826.
SO TO SUMMARIZE, FOR A SITE IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE THAT HAS EXISTING LEGAL COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND MEETS ALL THE NINE CONDITIONS THAT WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH IN A MOMENT, UM, THE WATERSHED IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMIT IS IN APPLICABLE.
SO THIS WOULD, YEAH, SO NOR, YOU KNOW, NORMALLY WE HAVE EXTREMELY LOW NUMBERS OF THE OR IMPERVIOUS COVER NUMBERS IN THE, IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE.
SO IN THIS CASE, HOWEVER, THE EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVER IS THE ALLOWED IMPERVIOUS COVER.
SO WHY ARE WE HERE? UM, WE ARE HERE BECAUSE 25 8 26 STIPULATES THAT IF A SITE IS IN THE EJ, IT HAS TO GET COUNCIL APPROVAL TO DO THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION IN THE BARTONS.
THIS IS JUST IN THE BARTON SPRINGS ZONE.
UM, AND SO BEFORE WE TAKE IT TO COUNCIL, WE'RE BRINGING IT HERE, UH, FOR YOUR RECOMMENDATION.
UM, AND 25,000 8 26 FURTHER STIPULATES THAT COUNCIL WILL CONSIDER FOUR THINGS, UH, OR IS ISSUES, UM, AND CON DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO APPROVE THE REDEVELOPMENT FOR THIS SITE.
SO, BENEFITS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT TO THE COMMUNITY, WHETHER THE PROPOSED MITIGATION OR MANNER OF DEVELOPMENT OFFSETS THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE REDEVELOPMENT, THE EFFECTS OF OFFSITE INFRASTRUCTURE, REQUIREMENTS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT AND COMPATIBILITY WITH THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
WE WILL GO OVER THOSE ONE AT A TIME IN A MOMENT.
THE PROJECT IS THE TEXAS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION.
UM, IT'S AN EXISTING SITE OF 2244, APPROXIMATELY
[00:15:01]
17.6 ACRES ALREADY DEVELOPED IN THE CURRENT CONFIGURATION.YOU SEE HERE, THE TWO KIND OF WHITE BOXES TO THE RIGHT ARE EXISTING BUILDINGS.
AND THEN THIS PART ON THE LEFT HERE IS, UH, PARKING LOT.
THE PROJECT WILL CONSIST OF THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF FOUR OF A, I'M SORRY, FOUR STORY OFFICE BUILDING AND AN ADJACENT THREE STORY PARKING BUILDING.
THE PROJECTS IN PROJECT INCLUDES THE NECESSARY SITE IMPROVEMENTS FOR UTILITY SERVICES, GRADING AND DRAINAGE, UH, IMPROVEMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.
AND JUST, I, I USED THIS PARTICULAR, UH, GRAPHIC BECAUSE IT SHOWS THE, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT AND THE CFS, UH, NEXT TO IT.
SO THERE YOU, IN BROWN, YOU HAVE THE, UH, UH, BLUFF OR, UM, RIM ROCK CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE.
AND THEN THE SPRINGS TO THE, UH, WELL, I'M GONNA SAY PLAN WEST AND EAST OF THAT, AND THEN THAT SHOWS THE, UH, THE BUFFERS AROUND THOSE.
SO, ALRIGHT, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
SO, HOW THIS PROJECT MEETS THE CONDITIONS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION, NUMBER ONE, CONDITION NUMBER ONE REDEVELOPMENT MAY NOT INCREASE THE EXISTING AMOUNT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER ON THE SITE.
AND INDEED THIS PROJECT COMPLIES WITH THAT.
IT DOES NOT INCREASE IMPERVIOUS COVER AT ALL.
UM, UH, SO THIS IS, UH, YEAH, SO THEY HAVE RIGHT NOW ON THIS SECTION, OOPS.
CAN YOU GO BACK PLEASE? IT'S OKAY.
UM, SO 3.48 ACRES, UH, ON THE BARTON SPRING SIDE OF THE SITE.
SPRING ZONE SIDE OF THE SITE, WHICH IS 54%.
UM, SO THE REASON THAT THIS DEVELOPMENT HAS MORE IMPERVIOUS COVER THAN IS CURRENTLY ALLOWED IS BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL PROJECT, WHICH WAS DONE, UH, I THINK WAS APPROVED IN 2009, STARTED IN 2008, RECEIVED A VESTED RIGHTS DETERMINATION THAT ALLOWED IT TO USE, UM, CODE FROM 1981, WHICH WAS, UH, BEFORE THE SOS.
AND, AND THEN BECAUSE THEY WERE USING THAT CODE, THEY WERE ALLOWED TO GET A VARIANCE.
UM, AND, AND THEN THEY WERE ALLOWED TO, TO HAVE THE IMPERVIOUS COVER.
THEY HAVE, BASICALLY WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY TOOK THE, UM, THEY MOVED THE, THE IMPERVIOUS COVER TO THE FLATTER PART OF THE, OF THE LAW, THE SITE, WHICH MADE IT, UM, PUT MORE, DOES THE SITE, I, OKAY, I DIDN'T WANNA COMPLICATE THINGS, BUT I'LL GO AHEAD AND COMPLICATE THINGS.
UM, THE SITE ACTUALLY STRADDLES TO, UH, ITS WATER SUPPLY, RURAL AND, AND BARTON SPRING ZONE.
SO IT COULD HAVE HAD MORE I ZONE, BUT, UM, IT WAS SUPER STEEP OVER THERE.
SO THEY MOVED IT TO THE BARTON SPRINGS PART, WHICH THEY WERE ALLOWED TO DO WITH THE, THE BETWEEN THE, UH, VESTED RIGHTS RULING AND THE ZONING.
SO, NUMBER TWO, CONDITION NUMBER TWO, THE REDEVELOPMENT MAY NOT INCREASE NON-COMPLIANCE, IF ANY, WITH THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE RESTRICTIONS, THE CRITICAL ENVIRON ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE RESTRICTIONS AND, UH, WETLAND PROTECTIONS.
AND WHAT ELSE IS IT? WATER QUALITY TRANSITION ZONE.
THERE IS NO CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE OR WATER QUALITY TRANSITION ZONE, AND IT DOES NOT INCREASE NON-COMPLIANCE.
THERE IS NO NON-COMPLIANCE RIGHT NOW WITH THE, UH, WITH THE, THE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES.
UM, MAKE SURE THERE'S THAT THING THAT I SAID THERE THAT I DIDN'T SAY OUT LOUD.
NUMBER THREE, THE REDEVELOPMENT MUST COMPLY WITH SECTION 25,821 ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY REQUIREMENT, WHICH MEANS THEY HAVE TO TURN IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE INVENTORY AND ALL CONSTRUCTION PHASE ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS IN EFFECT AT THE TIME OF CONSTRUCTION, WHICH WILL BE NOW, UH, INCLUDING CHAPTER 25 8.
ARTICLE FIVE, EROSION AND SEDIMENTATION CONTROL, UH, OVERLAND FLOW AND FISCAL SURETY IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE.
SO THEY WILL BE DOING CURRENT CODE EROSION CONTROLS, UM, CURRENT CODE FISCAL, UH, SO YEAH, ALL OF THAT WILL BE UP, UP TO DATE.
WATER QUALITY CONTROLS, UH, ON THE REDEVELOPMENT MUST PROVIDE A LEVEL OF WATER QUALITY TREATMENT THAT IS EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN, THAN THAT WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED.
[00:20:01]
THE PROJECT IS KEEPING THE PONDS THAT IT HAS AND THEREFORE IT IS COMPLYING BECAUSE IT'S EX IT'S THE SAME.UH, REMEMBER, THEY'RE NOT INCREASING THEIR IMPERVIOUS COVER, SO THEY'RE JUST KEEPING WHAT THEY HAVE.
NUMBER FIVE, FOR A COMMERCIAL OR MULTIFAMILY REDEVELOPMENT, THE OWNER OR OPERATOR, UH, MUST OBTAIN A PERMIT UNDER THE BARTON SPRING ZONE OPERATING PERMIT.
UM, REQUIREMENTS, THEY DO HAVE AN OPERATING PERMIT FOR THE CURRENT POND, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE IT FOR THE, FOR THE FUTURE POND, WELL, FOR THE SAME POND INTO THE FUTURE.
CONDITION NUMBER SIX FOR A SITE PLAN WITH MORE THAN 40% NET SITE AREA IMPERVIOUS COVER.
THE REDEVELOP WAIT IS THIS, THIS IS MORE, YES, THE REDEVELOPMENT MUST HAVE EITHER SEDIMENT, SEDIMENTATION, FILTRATION PONDS FOR THE ENTIRE SITE OR SOS PONDS, UH, FOR A PORTION OF THE SITE AND SEDIMENTATION FILTRATION FOR THE REST.
THIS PROVIDES, THIS MEETS AN A, IT HAS SEDIMENTATION FOR THE ENTIRE SEDIMENTATION FILTRATION FOR THE ENTIRE SITE.
NUMBER SEVEN IS NOT APPLICABLE BECAUSE IT ADDRESSES SITES WITH LESS THAN 40% OF PERVIOUS COVER.
AND NUMBER EIGHT, THE PROPERTY OWNER MUST MITIGATE THE EFFECTS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT, UH, IF REQUIRED BY IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION F H.
UH, ONE OF THE OPTIONS UNDER SECTION H IS TO PAY INTO THE BARTON SPRING ZONE MITIGATION FUND, AND THAT IS WHAT THIS APPLICANT WITH THIS APPLICATION WILL DO.
NUMBER NINE, REDEVELOPMENT MAY NOT BE LOCATED IN THE EROSION HAZARD ZONE.
IT'S AN APPLICABLE, THERE IS NO EROSION HAZARDS ZONE ON THIS SITE, AND THAT'S SO THEY COMPLY WITH ALL NINE CONDITIONS OR REQUIREMENTS.
UM, SO BEFORE WE GET TO THE FOUR THINGS THAT COUNCIL HAS TO CONSIDER, UM, WHAT IS IT THAT, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SHOULD CONSIDER? SO CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL IS REQUIRED FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT.
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S LOCATED IN THE E T J CITY COUNCIL REQUESTS A RE RECOMMENDATION FROM YOU AND, WHOOPS, NOT YET.
THIS, THE RECOMMENDATION IS ONLY A VOTE FOR OR AGAINST THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
UH, IT IS NOT, THIS IS NOT A VARIANCE REQUEST.
THERE ARE NO CONDITIONS ATTACHED.
SO HERE'S WHAT THIS, WHAT THE CODE DIRECTS THE CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER.
UH, NUMBER ONE, BENEFITS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
THE SUBJECT AREA IS CURRENTLY A PAID SURFACE PARKING LOT REDEVELOPMENT OF THE AREA INTO AN OFFICE BUILDING WITH ITS, UH, PARKING, UM, WILL CONVERT EXISTING SURFACE PARKING AREA AND RELATED AND PERVIOUS COVER TO POSITIVE USES AS ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE BUILDING, UM, PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE BUILDING AND RELATED IMPROVEMENTS TO A COMPANY ADJACENT OFFICE, CAMPUS AND PUBLIC LIBRARY THAT ALREADY EXISTS AND IT INCREASES THE TAX BASE.
NEXT, PLEASE CONSIDERATION NUMBER TWO, WHETHER THE PROPOSED MITIGATION OR MANNER OF DEVELOPMENT OFFSETS THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE REDEVELOPMENT.
AND WE THINK, YES, THE PROPOSED, UH, REDEVELOPMENT CONVERTS EXISTING SURFACE PARKING AREA AS MENTIONED AND RELATED IMPERVIOUS COVER TO A PRODUCTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE USE AND DOES NOT INCREASE THE LEVEL OF IMPERVIOUS COVER ON THE SITE.
THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE MONEY INTO THE BARTON SPRING ZONE MITIGATION FUND AS REQUIRED PURSUANT TO THE, TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BARTON SPRING ZONE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION.
AND THE PROJECT WILL ALSO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL RAINWATER HARVESTING.
NUMBER THREE IS NOT APPLICABLE BECAUSE THERE IS NO OFFSITE INFRASTRUCTURE ON THIS WITH THIS PLAN.
AND NUMBER FOUR, COMPATIBILITY WITH THE CITY'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.
THE COMP IMAGINE AUSTIN COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOESN'T REALLY SAY MUCH ABOUT THE EJ.
UM, SO, UH, I, SO I'M ADDRESSING THIS BY LOOKING AT THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN'S, UM, UH, VISION STATEMENT, WHICH DOES SAY THAT WE FAVORS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND SUSTAINABILITY, AND I WOULD SAY BY INCREASING OFFICE SPACE, IT'S ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND IT ADDRESSES SUSTAINABILITY OR COMPLIES WITH THE SUSTAINABILITY REQUIREMENT BY, UH, BY NOT INCREASING THE IMPERVIOUS COVER AT ALL.
SO, UM, SO THERE YOU HAVE THE FOUR THINGS TO CONSIDER.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
UM, DOES THE APPLICANT HAVE ANYTHING TO PRESENT? DO WE KNOW OR OKAY.
THEY'RE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IF YOU, YEAH.
[00:25:01]
WELL, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN.HEY, PAMELA, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I JUST HAD ONE QUICK QUESTION.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REDEVELOPING THIS PARKING LOT AND TURNING IT INTO AN OFFICE BUILDING.
SO DOES THE TOTAL PARKING FOR THE WHOLE, I GUESS, LOT OR COMPLEX, WHATEVER YOU WOULD CALL IT, DOES THAT JUST GO DOWN, LIKE THEY'RE NOT BUILDING LIKE A GARAGE OR ANYTHING? THEY ARE, THEY ARE.
SO IT'S, IT'S A FOUR STORY OFFICE BUILDING AND A THREE STORY GARAGE.
ALL ON TOP OF EXISTING PARKING.
RIGHT? THAT WAS MY ONLY QUESTION.
SCOTT, DO YOU HAVE ANY KRUEGER? YEAH, SORRY, I WAS STILL LOOKING SOMETHING UP.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VERY THOROUGH PRESENTATION.
UM, I WANTED TO GO BACK TO SLIDE 18 IF I CAN FIND IT.
JUST TO CONFIRM, I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDRESSED THIS ON FUTURE SLIDES, BUT, UM, IN 0.2 YOU LIST OUT THE CRITICAL WATER QUALITY ZONE RESTRICTIONS, ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES, WETLAND PROTECTION, WATER QUALITY, TRANSITION ZONE, AND THEN BELOW YOU SAY THIS PROJECT COMPLIES WITH THE CURRENT CODE FOR CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE PROTECTIONS.
SO I'M CURIOUS, DOES IT ALSO COMPLY WITH, UM, THE WATER QUALITY TRANSITION ZONE AND THE WETLAND PROTECTION? UM, OR DOES IT NOT? IT, THERE'S NO WATER QUALITY TRANSITION ZONE ON THE SITE.
I MEAN, THEY'RE, I GUESS WITH SPRINGS THERE MUST BE SOME WETLANDS, BUT IT'S JUST BASICALLY THE, ANYWAY, IT, IT COMPLIES WITH ALL THE CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURE, UH, UH, REGULATIONS.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS A SLIDE ABOUT PROPOSED MITIGATION EFFORTS MM-HMM.
I DON'T KNOW IF FOR CITY STAFF OR OTHERS, WHAT ACCOUNTABILITY IS THERE FOR THESE PROPOSED MITIGATION EFFORTS? LIKE DOES SOMEONE COME ON SITE TO ENSURE THAT THEY'RE BUILT? SO THEY ARE ACTUALLY PAYING INTO THE MITIGATION FUND? OKAY, SO THERE'S A, THERE'S A WORKSHEET IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA MANUAL.
UM, AND THEY'LL FILL THAT OUT AND WE WILL SEND IN THE MONEY.
HOW MUCH, LIKE, IS IT A PERCENTAGE OF THE DEVELOPMENT OR IT'S, DO YOU REMEMBER MIKE MCDOUGAL ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW? DST? UH, THE, UH, THE, THE FEE IS $15,000 PER ACRE IN 2007 WITH I BELIEVE A 15% RATE OF INFLATION.
UH, IF YOU WORK THROUGH THE NUMBERS, BALLPARK, I THINK IT'S ABOUT $37,000 PER ACRE, THE QUANTITY OF ACRES, THAT 15% IS ANNUAL.
UH, AND THE QUANTITY OF ACRES IS BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE SITE, THE REDEVELOPMENT AND THE IMPERVIOUS COVER.
IT'S, UM, IT'S A, IT'S A SOMEWHAT COMPLICATED FORM.
I CAN, I, YOU KNOW, WITH, WITH ABOUT 15 MINUTES AND SOME MORE NUMBERS, I CAN GIVE YOU AN EXACT ANSWER, BUT, BUT IN GENERAL, IT'S ABOUT 35, 30 $8,000 PER ACRE.
UM, YEAH, I THINK I'LL NEED TO DO SOME MORE RESEARCH ON THAT FUND TO UNDERSTAND IT A LITTLE BETTER, UNLESS YOU ALL HAVE A QUICK PITCH ABOUT IT.
IT'S, UM, WHAT IS IT? UH, UH, GO, GO.
OH, I THINK WHAT DEF I THINK WE DEFER TO THE DEPUTY AND BRE OFFICER ON, ON THE USE OF THAT FUND.
UM, SO THE INTENT FOR, UM, SO THERE'S TWO PATHWAYS THAT WOULD BE IF, IF APPLICABLE, WOULD, UM, THE APPLICANT CAN EITHER PURCHASE MITIGATION LAND, AND THE IDEA IS THAT THERE WOULD BE SUFFICIENT LAND SUCH THAT THE ENTIRE BARTON MADE WHOLE, SO THAT THE ADDITIONAL ENTITLEMENTS ON THIS PROPERTY ARE OFFSET ELSEWHERE.
UM, THE FUND IS FOR INSTEAD OF THE APPLICANT PURCHASING LAND FOR, UM, WATERSHED AND OR OUR PARTNERS AND, UH, WILDLANDS, UM, WATER, THE WATER TO PURCHASE WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS, UM, THROUGH THE CITY'S PROCESS.
SO IT'S, UM, THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT PATHWAYS, BUT THE ULTIMATE RESULT IS ADDITIONAL WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE.
SO WHEN THE CITY PURCHASES LAND THROUGH THAT FUND, IS THAT LAND THEN GUARANTEED TO BE NOT CORRECT.
YEAH, WE PUT, UM, TYPICALLY A CONSERVATION EASEMENT OR OTHER RESTRICTIONS ON THE LAND.
HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN? LIKE, DOES THE FUND REACH A CERTAIN SIZE AND OF PURCHASES MADE OR, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GETTING OUT ON MY LEVEL OF EXPERTISE, BUT I, UM, WE DO HAVE STAFF DEDICATED TO LOOKING FOR A LAND AND REACHING OUT TO LAND OWNERS BECAUSE IT IS STARTING TO GET SCARCE FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND,
THAT'S WHAT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT
AND THEN I HAD ONE OTHER QUESTION THAT MIGHT HAVE LEFT MY MIND.
OH, UM, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE BUSINESS ON THIS SITE.
I JUST LOOKED UP TEXAS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE, IT'S LIKE INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING AND, YOU KNOW, MAKING
[00:30:01]
DIFFERENT THINGS.SO I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT THIS IS INDEED AN OFFICE BUILDING AND NOT A LAB SPACE, OR DID I JUST TOTALLY GO TO THE WRONG WEBSITE?
IT'S 7%, NOT 15% RUNNING THROUGH THE NUMBERS.
THAT'S, THAT'S A BETTER INTEREST.
STATE YOUR NAME,
I'M THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF TEXAS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL.
UM, IT'S NOT PART OF OUR ACTUAL OPERATIONS OF WHAT WE DO.
UM, WE HAVE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT OPERATIONS AROUND, AROUND THE CITY, BUT, UH, BUT THIS IS JUST, IT'S, IT'S OFFICE SPACE.
JUST LIKE OUR OTHER, OTHER TWO BUILDINGS ARE OFFICE SPACE.
AND WAS THIS, UM, REDEVELOPMENT MOTIVATED BY JUST AN EXPANSION IN YOUR COMPANY? LIKE YOU HAVE MORE PEOPLE THAT YOU WANNA BRING ON SITE OR WHAT'S KIND OF THE MOTIVATION FOR YOU? WELL, IT'S, IT'S OPTIONALITY FOR THAT ALONG WITH JUST DEMAND FOR OFFICE IN OUR, IN THAT CORRIDOR MM-HMM.
HOW MANY PEOPLE DO YOU ANTICIPATE WORKING THERE ON A DAILY BASIS? ON AVERAGE? NO IDEA.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR, OUR OFFICE OUT THERE, YOU KNOW, THE BUILDINGS WE HAVE RIGHT NOW, UM, JUST WITH KIND OF THE NEW MODE OF, YOU KNOW, PARTIAL IN OFFICE AND AT A HOME, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE AT CAPACITY, IT'S PROBABLY 50% OF NORMAL UHHUH
SO IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A HUGE NUMBER.
ANYTHING ELSE FOR ME? NOT FROM ME.
I AM WONDERING IF WE, AS FOR THE COMMISSION AND FOR MYSELF REALLY, IF WE CAN GET A MAP OF WHAT THE CONSERVATION LANDS ARE CURRENTLY MM-HMM.
AND THEN I SAW THAT IT SAID STAFF CONDITIONS DO NOT APPLY, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT WE CAN'T MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO WITH VARIANCES OR PUDS, THERE'S A BIT MORE OF A NEGOTIATION.
THE FINDINGS OF FACT FOR A VARIANCE, FOR EXAMPLE, HAS A CONDITION FOR, YOU KNOW, GREATER ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND PUDS HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL SUPERIORITY.
AND SO FOR STAFF'S PERSPECTIVE, UM, IT'S DO, DO WE, DOES THE PROJECT MEET ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS? IF SO, THEN IT'S A RECOMMENDATION.
UM, IF THERE ARE CONCERNS THAT ARE, I WOULD SAY, DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE REQUEST, THEN YOU COULD HAVE A CONDITION, STAFF WILL NOT.
UM, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT ANY CONDITION WOULD HAVE TO BE VERY DIRECTLY TIED TO THE, THE REQUEST ITSELF.
SO JUST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR DARK SKY LIGHTING, UH, REQUESTS FOR POL, ADDING POLLINATORS TO LANDSCAPING, THOSE SORT OF SPECIFIC, THOSE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE NINE CONDITIONS THAT THIS HAS TO MEET.
SO STATUTORILY, IT HAS TO MEET NINE CONDITIONS, AND IF IT DOES IT COMPLIES AND IT'S, IT, IT'S APPROVED.
UM, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND UM, I APPRECIATE YOU REALLY OUTLINING THE COMPLIANCE.
UM, I REALIZE THERE'S NO CONDITIONS TO THIS, BUT WHEN THE VARIANCE WAS ORIGINALLY MADE IN 2009, THERE WERE STAFF CONDITIONS AND YOU'VE ACTUALLY HIT ON A LOT OF THOSE.
CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE OTHER THREE AND I CAN READ THEM, JUST MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE CONTINUING THROUGH THIS PROCESS AS WELL.
UM, SO THE WAY, UH, ALL, ALL OF THE CONDITIONS DO CONTINUE TO EXIST AND HAVE BEEN APPROVED, I MEAN, THAT WE'RE APPROVED WITH THAT.
UM, LET'S, WELL, WE'LL START THERE.
NAME, NAME THE ONES THAT YOU'RE UNSURE OF.
THE ONLY ONES I THINK THAT WE HAVEN'T TOUCHED ON ARE THE RAINWATER HARVESTING FOR BUILDINGS E AND F.
ONE OF THOSE BUILDINGS, UH, WASN'T BUILT, BUT THE OTHER ONE WAS, THAT WAS, DOES HAVE THE RAINWATER HARVESTING GREAT, UH, INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE SITE.
THEY DO HAVE THAT AND STILL APPLICABLE.
AND THEN LANDSCAPING WILL BE A DROUGHT TOLERANT NATIVE SPECIES IF THAT CONTINUES.
AND I HAVE NOT LOOKED AT THE, SO THERE'LL BE A, A NEW LANDSCAPE PLAN WHEN IT, UH, AT SOME POINT, UM, OH, THAT'S RIGHT.
IT'S ETJ, SO WHATEVER THEY, YEAH.
SO, SO WHATEVER THEY PUT IN WITH THE ORIGINAL, THAT WOULD'VE BEEN, UH, IF
[00:35:01]
IT WAS APPROVED AND THEY GOT THEIR CERT, CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL INSPECTOR SAID IT WAS ALL DONE AS PER CODE, THEN THAT'S KIND OF IN, THAT'S DONE, AND THAT'S THERE.AND IT'S, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE AUTHORITY TO, TO REDO THAT OR REVISIT THAT AT THIS POINT.
WELL, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THE CONDITIONS THAT THE COMMISSIONER JUST MENTIONED, THOSE WOULD PERTAIN TO THE NEW BUILDING ALSO? NO, NO, NO.
THESE, THEY PERTAINED AT THE TIME OF THE VARIANCE TO THE PREVIOUS, UH, UH, APPLICATION.
SO THAT PREVIOUS APPLICATION FROM 2009 WAS BUILT.
IT'S COMPLETED, IT WAS APPROVED, IT'S DONE.
SO IF WE WANTED TO DECIDE WHETHER THIS WAS BETTER FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT OR WORSE, ONE THING OBVIOUSLY IS THE MITIGATION FEE PAYING INTO THE BARTON SPRINGS MITIGATION FEE, UM, I WOULD ASSUME THAT A PARKING GARAGE IS BETTER THAN A, A PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT'S MORE CONTAINED AND EASILY TREATED.
UM, BUT THEY'RE NOT ADDING ANY TREATMENT, IT'S JUST THE EXISTING SEDI SEDIMENTATION PONDS.
BUT IN YOUR OPINION, WOULD IT BE BETTER TO HAVE A PARKING GARAGE VERSUS AN OPEN, UM, PARKING LOT? UM, I THINK, UH, WHEN, WHEN WE LOOK AT IT'S, IT'S WHAT, WHAT IS THE LEVEL OF TREATMENT, I THINK IS THE, PROBABLY THE, A GOOD QUESTION.
AND, UM, UH, THE LEVEL OF TREATMENT IS EQUIVALENT AND, UH, WHAT, WHAT, WHETHER IT'S A PARKING GARAGE OR A PARKING LOT, IT, UM, DOESN'T IT, IT'S NOT, I CAN, UH, I THINK WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO SAY, SORRY, LIZ JOHNSTON, DEPUTY ENVIRONMENT OFFICER, IS THAT THE LEVEL OF WATER QUALITY TREATMENT REQUIRED FOR THIS PROJECT IS, UM, IS IT SOS OR IS IT THE SUBFIELD? PONDED.
IT'S THE SAME LEVEL OF TREATMENT REQUIRED EITHER WAY.
WELL, MY, MY QUESTION IS, WOULD IT BE EASIER TO TREAT A PARKING GARAGE THAN AN OPEN PARKING LOT? BECAUSE WITH AN OPEN, WITH A PARKING GARAGE, YOU HAVE MORE VERTICAL HOLDING OF THE MOTOR VEHICLES, AND SO IT'S A SMALLER FOOTPRINT ON THE GROUND.
AND SO ANY RUNOFF WOULD BE IN A SMALLER AREA.
I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE EVER SAID THAT, UH, THE, THE ENGINEER WOULD HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE WATER COMING OFF OF THE PARKING LOT EITHER FLOWS OVER LAND TO THE, THE POND OR IS CONTAINED IN INLETS THAT DIRECTLY GOES TO THE, THE POND.
AND SO BOTH, UM, BOTH WAYS ARE, ARE COMMON.
UM, SO I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT A PARKING LOT IS ANY HARDER TO TREAT THAN A BUILDING.
I THINK MAYBE, UH, MY UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT I, I THINK YOU'RE ASKING IS MAYBE IS IT A SMALLER FOOTPRINT? UH, IT'S CERTAINLY A SMALLER, IT'S A SMALLER FOOTPRINT FOR THE PARKING FOR THE, WELL, FOR THE AMOUNT OF PARKING.
BUT IT'S, UM, IT'S A LOT MORE PARKING THAN IT CURRENTLY EXISTS.
SO IT'S NOT A LOT DIFFERENT FOOTPRINT WISE, ACTUALLY, IT'S PRETTY, PRETTY MUCH THE SAME FOOTPRINT BECAUSE IT'S JUST BEING BUILT ON TOP OF THE OLD PARKING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UH, COMMISSIONER BRIMER, UH, IT SAYS WHY WE ARE HERE, UH, WHETHER THE, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS.
WELL, SEVERAL, UH, THIS IS, UH, UNDER WHY WE ARE HERE, WHETHER THE PROPOSED MITIGATION OR MEN ARE DEVELOPMENT OFFSET POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE REDEVELOPMENT, WHAT ARE THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF REDEVELOPMENT? UM, IN THIS CASE, THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS BECAUSE YOU ARE HAVING THE, UH, SAME, IT'S THE SAME.
DEVELOP, THE DEVELOPMENT FOOTPRINT HASN'T BEEN INCREASED AT ALL, SO IT SHOULD BE, SHOULD BE THE SAME.
UH, YOU MENTIONED THERE INCREASE OF THE TAX ROLES.
IT'S IN THE EJ, SO WHO GETS THE MONEY? I DON'T, THAT WAS, UH, WELL, IT'S NOT THE CITY, I GUESS IS THE POINT.
UH, MITIGATION FUND, YOU SAID IT WAS HOW MANY DOLLARS AN ACRE, APPROXIMATELY? I'M NOT ASKING A PENNY, BUT YOU SAID IT WAS WHAT? SURE.
SO IT, IT'S, UH, IT'S $15,000 AN ACRE BEING A 2007 WITH A 7% ANNUAL INTEREST RATE.
AND SO WHEN THE INTEREST RATE, UH, IS EFFECTIVE EVERY OCTOBER, SO THAT IT TAKES YOU TO ABOUT $41,000 IN SOME CHANGE CURRENTLY AND PER
[00:40:01]
ACRE OF DEVELOPMENT OR PER ACRE OF THE PROPERTY? THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.MIKE MCDOWELL DSD ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW, IT'S A COMPLICATED FORMULA.
IT'S BASED ON THE NET SET AREA AND THE AMOUNT OF REDEVELOPMENT.
SO THE, UH, THE WORKSHEET IS, IS SIMILAR AND COMPLEXITY TO A 10, 10 40 TAX FORM.
SO, UM, I WOULD HAVE TO ASK IF, IF THAT NUMBER'S BEEN CALCULATED.
DO WE KNOW THAT NUMBER? NO, IT'S NOT CALCULATED YET.
SO I DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION READILY AVAILABLE, BUT IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE REDEVELOPMENT.
SO THE LARGER THE REDEVELOPMENT, THE LARGER THE PER, THE LARGER THE QUANTITY OF ACRES TIMES THE 41,000 WOULD BE, SO ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OR, I MEAN, I'M LOOKING FOR A SCOPE.
I'M NOT LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING I'M GONNA DEPOSIT IN MY BANK ACCOUNT TOMORROW, SO SURE, SURE.
WELL, THE SPREADSHEET SAYS THAT WE TAKE THE TOTAL TREATED AREA WITH NON DEGRADATION CONTROLS, INCLUDING THE TREATMENT AREA AND ACRES, THE TOTAL ACRES OF IMPERVIOUS COVERAGE, TRUTH AND NON-DEVELOPMENT CONTROLS.
AND THEN THE NON DEGRADATION REDUCTION ACREAGE IS THE NUMBER OF ACRES OF NON-DEVELOPMENT AREA DIVIDED BY 0.2 MINUS THE ACRES OF NON-DEVELOPMENT SITE AREA.
AND THERE'S A NONDEGRADATION REDUCTION, THEN THERE'S A FINAL MITIGATION ACREAGE, WHICH IS EQUAL TO OVERALL MITIGATION, MINUS THE NON DEGRADATION REDUCTION WITH A FINAL MITIGATION REQUIRED IN ACRES.
SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A NUMBER THAT, IT WOULD BE A VERY SUBSTANTIAL APPROXIMATION FOR ME TO GIVE THAT ANSWER.
UH, PAMELA AB, IT'S IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA MANUAL, AND IT'S APPENDIX Q4, AND SO YOU CAN GO AND SEE WHAT THE WHOLE SPREADSHEET IS AND, AND THEN WHEN THE PROJECT IS SUBMITTED, OF COURSE THAT WILL BE SUBMITTED WITH THE PROJECT PLAN.
BUT I CAN'T SEE IT NOW TO VOTE ON IT.
IT'S, I MEAN, I'M ASKING NOW THEY'RE, BECAUSE I WANNA KNOW FOR THE PURPOSE OF VOTING, I NEED TO KNOW HOW MUCH IT IS.
BUT THE, THE ANSWER IS YOU DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER.
OH, I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT.
BUT I WILL SAY WHAT THEY'RE DOING COMPLIES WITH THE CODE.
AND THAT'S, THAT, THAT'S WHAT YEAH.
WHERE WE'RE HERE TO LOOK AT WHETHER, HOW, HOW IT COMPLIES WITH THE CODE.
I JUST WAS CURIOUS, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT, THAT YOU PURCHASE WITH THE, UH, SOS MONEY PURCHASE EASEMENTS, WHICH IS DIFFERENT THAN OWNERSHIP.
UM, LIZ, CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT? I, I DON'T, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT QUITE THE EXPERT HERE, BUT CORRECT.
THERE COULD BE CONSERVATION EASEMENTS, UM, THAT WOULD PUT RESTRICTIONS ON THE LAND WITHOUT CHANGING OWNERSHIP.
SO THE EASEMENTS ARE PERMANENT.
THEY TRANSFER THE TITLE AND THE PROPERTY RESOLD.
THEY, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING PROPERTY.
COMMISSIONER COFER MAY KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT.
SO IT DOES TRANSLATE, IT'S PERPETUAL.
SO IT TRANSFERS WITH LAND OWNERSHIP.
USUALLY THERE'S CRITICAL NON-DEVELOPMENT ZONES THEY CAN'T DEVELOP ON SLOPES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT CAN'T BE PERSONALIZED MORE THAN A CERTAIN AMOUNT.
THERE'S RESTRICTIONS BASED ON THE AGREEMENT WITH THE LANDOWNER.
I JUST WANT TO HEAR THEM SAY IT.
OH, OR YOU, IT'LL BE FINE TOO.
I, I JUST WANT TO HEAR SOMEONE LOVE GO ON THE RECORD WITH IT, CUZ THAT'S THE WAY I UNDERSTOOD IT WORK.
SO IF IF THERE'S NO, UH, DEGRADATION, THEN WHY ARE THEY PAYING INTO THE SOS FUND? BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE REQUIREMENT OF 25,826.
THE, THE IDEA IN WHEN THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION ORDINANCE WAS PASSED WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE WASN'T A CON NECESSARILY A TOTAL AGREEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THIS SHOULD BE ALLOWED, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, NEW PROJECTS SHOULD MEET CODE.
THIS WAS, UM, SOMETHING THAT, UM, WAS VOTED ON TO TRY TO ENSURE THAT, UM, EXISTING DEVELOPMENT CAN BE REDEVELOPED WHILE ENSURING ALSO THAT THE ENTIRE ZONE, UM, HAS A SUFFICIENT WATER QUALITY PROTECTION LANDS AND WATER QUALITY, UM, UH, SUFFICIENT CONSERVATION LAND TO ENSURE THAT THERE ISN'T FURTHER DEGRADATION OR IS MAYBE IMPROVED, UM, UH, WATER QUALITY FOR BARTON SPRINGS.
UM, UH, KIND OF THIS QUESTION'S MORE FOR THE APPLICANT ACTUALLY, BUT SPEAKING TO SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE'VE HEARD SO FAR, I KNOW THIS IS KIND OF AN UP, UP, DOWN VOTE, SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT OUT OF OUR USUAL, UH, UH, WHEELHOUSE, BUT CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE, THE RAINWATER HARVESTING AND THE USE OF NATIVE PLANTS AND OR POLLINATOR P PLANTS IN, IN THE LANDSCAPING PLAN THAT MIGHT HELP PEOPLE BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR
[00:45:01]
UP DOWN VOTE? IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON WHETHER THOSE CONDITIONS THAT, THAT WERE A VARIANCE BEFORE THAT THAT'S BEEN FULFILLED, WHETHER THAT WILL CONTINUE OR THE CONCEPT OF THAT WILL CONTINUE IN THIS NEXT ONE? SURE.I WORK FOR W G I, I AM THE CIVIL ENGINEER ON THE PROJECT.
UM, SO THE ORIGINAL SITE PLAN, THE 20 OR 2008 SITE PLAN, UH, THESE WERE ALL CONTINGENCIES THROUGH THOSE PROCESSES.
AND SO THE, UM, THE DROUGHT TOLERANT PLANTS WERE A REQUIREMENT.
IT WAS, UM, LISTED ON THE COVER SHEET OF THE SITE PLAN AND HAD TO BE A PART OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ORIGINAL PROJECT.
UM, WITH THIS EXPANSION, THE LANDSCAPE AREAS ARE NOT CHANGING AND SO THE COMPLIANCE THAT WAS IN THE ORIGINAL PLAN WILL STILL STAND.
UM, RAINWATER HARVESTING AS MENTIONED, WAS REQUIRED AT THE TIME FOR TWO OF THE BUILDINGS.
ONE OF THE BUILDINGS IN, I THINK 2009, UH, WAS REMOVED FROM THE PROJECT SCOPE, UH, THE SITE POINT CORRECTION.
AND THEN THE ONE THAT EXISTS TODAY DOES HAVE RAINWATER HARVESTING THERE.
UM, RAINWATER HARVESTING THROUGH THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA MANUAL IS A SEPARATE WATER QUALITY TREATMENT.
AND SO WITH THIS BUILDING AND THE GARAGE GOING TO THE FULL SED SEDIMENTATION AND FILTRATION POND, UM, RIGHT NOW THERE IS NOT A PROPOSED RAINWATER HARVESTING FOR EITHER THE GARAGE OR THE BUILDING BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO THE SET FILL POND.
UM, AND THEN, I'M SORRY, CAN YOU REPEAT THE, THE THIRD, IF I GOT IT RIGHT OR WRONG, I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING ABOUT POLLINATORS.
IS THAT RIGHT? OR THE, REMEMBER THAT DOES SOUND FAMILIAR, DOESN'T IT? INTEGRATIVE
IN THE TOLERANT NATIVE SPECIES.
SO THE INTEGRATIVE PLANT MANAGEMENT, UM, MANAGEMENT PLAN WAS, UH, PROPOSED AND DEVELOPED WITH THE 2008 SITE PLAN AND IT WAS RECORDED, UM, AND THERE WAS A RECORDATION NUMBER THAT CAN BE PROVIDED AS WELL.
DO YOU KNOW, UM, I BELIEVE THAT AROUND LIKE THE OPERATION, I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK THE DOCUMENT, BUT MM-HMM.
I DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS FOR STAFF.
UM, SO, UH, MADAM SECRETARY, UH, IS NOT HERE RIGHT NOW, BUT SHE DRAFTED UP A MOTION, I'M GONNA READ THIS, IT'S A LITTLE BIT WEIRD IN THAT I AM ALSO GONNA MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING.
UM, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY, SO THE, THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S HAPPENING, SO IT'S UH, A NEW FOUR STORY OFFICE BUILDING THAT DOESN'T CURRENTLY EXIST AND A THREE STORY PARKING GARAGE THAT ARE BOTH HAPPENING ON TOP OF WHAT IS CURRENTLY A PARKING LOT.
IS THAT CORRECT, PAMELA? YES, THAT IS CORRECT.
UM, WILL THERE BE TIME FOR LIKE INTERNAL DISCUSSION AFTER WE CLOSE? YES.
WE JUST CAN'T, SO ONCE WE CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING, WE CAN'T ASK QUESTIONS OF ANYONE ELSE, BUT WE CAN LIKE, TALK AMONGST OURSELVES AS MUCH AS WE WANT.
I MIGHT JUST ADD JUST ONE, LIKE LINGERING CURIOSITY I HAVE IS STILL KIND OF AN INITIAL QUESTION I ASKED, WHICH IS WHAT IS THE MOTIVATION FOR THIS? CUZ I'M CURIOUS IF A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STILL WORKING REMOTELY, UM, LIKE THE, WHETHER OR NOT LIKE, LIKE THERE INHERENTLY IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IN DOING CONSTRUCTION PERIOD AND HAVING MORE BUILDINGS WITH LIGHTS ON, YOU KNOW, DURING THE NIGHT AND MORE PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, DRINKING WATER, USING THE RESTROOM.
THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
SO I FEEL LIKE I JUST NEED SOME COMPELLING RATIONALE AS TO WHY IS THIS PROJECT NECESSARY? BECAUSE ABSOLUTELY THERE WILL BE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT EVEN IF THE IMPERVIOUS COVER DOESN'T CHANGE AND IT IS CODE COMPLIANT.
ANYBODY WANT TO ADDRESS THAT? HI, I'M DAVE HARTMAN.
I'M A LAND USE ATTORNEY FOR THE PROJECT, AND I HANDLED, UM, THE PROJECT VARIANCE, FOR EXAMPLE, IN 2009.
AND I WOULD SAY THAT THE, THE INITIAL PROJECT, UM, AND INITIAL SITE PLAN ENVISIONED MORE OFFICE BUILDINGS THAN CURRENTLY IS ON THE GROUND.
UM, BASICALLY WE WENT THROUGH THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE PROJECT AND MULTIPLE BUILDINGS, AND WE FELT LIKE THAT WE WERE, HAD THE RIGHTS AND AUTHORITY TO BUILD THIS LAST BUILDING AS A PHASE PROJECT, AND A STAFF DISAGREED WITH THAT, BUT THEY DETERMINED THAT THE, THERE WAS A PATH FORWARD TO PURSUE THE REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTIONS.
[00:50:01]
PROCESS THAT WE CHOSE TO PURSUE, TO DO THIS LAST BUILDING THAT WE FELT LIKE WE HAD THE RIGHT TO DO.AND AGAIN, REPLACING EXISTING IMPERVIOUS COVER AND, UM, REPLACING A PARKING LOT WITH A, A, A, A PRODUCTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE BUILDING AND A PARKING GARAGE.
SO I'M HEARING IT WAS PART OF THE INITIAL PLAN, AND SO THAT'S THE MOTIVATION IS JUST TO, TO EXECUTE A PLAN THAT'S ALREADY BEEN IN PLACE FOR A WHILE.
I MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING SECOND BY BRAMER.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND SEEING EVERYBODY.
UM, NOW I HAVE A, A DRAFT MOTION, UM, AND, UH, WE CAN HEAR IT.
IF IT GETS A SECOND, THEN WE CAN DISCUSS IT AND, AND GO FROM THERE.
BUT THIS ONE'S KIND OF LIKE A SERVICE EXTENSION REQUEST, IN MY OPINION.
UM, SO, UH, MAY 17TH, 2023 ON, UH, THE SUBJECT TEXAS RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION S P 20 19 0 3 8 3 D, UM, WHICH IS LOCATED AT 92 25 FM 2244, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78,733.
UH, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A REDEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION REQUEST IN THE BARTON SPRING ZONE PER 25,826.
AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THE SITE IS LOCATED IN THE BARTON CREEK WATERSHED, BARTON SPRING ZONE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE, AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOGNIZES THAT STAFF RECOMMENDS THE DEVELOPMENT EXCEPTION WITH NO CONDITIONS, THEREFORE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THIS REQUEST.
ANY DISCUSSION FROM YEAH, I'VE GOT SOME, YEAH, I HAVE SOME RESERVATIONS ALONG WITH I GUESS ECHOING, UH, COMMISSIONER KRUEGER.
UH, I FEEL DISAPPOINTED THIS IS AN UP OR DOWN VOTE, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S SOME REASONABLE REQUESTS THAT IF THIS WERE NOT AN UP OR DOWN VOTE, IF WE COULD PUT SOME RECOMMENDATIONS IN THERE THAT I THINK WERE FAIRLY MODEST, THAT IT WOULD BE EASY FOR ME TO VOTE FOR IT.
BUT WHEN I'M FORCED INTO A CORNER TO SAY YES OR NO, THEN I'M FORCED TO VOTE IN A WAY THAT I'M KIND OF FORCED IN A CORNER TO VOTE.
BUT SINCE WE'RE ONLY GOING UP OR DOWN, THEN THAT'S KIND OF THE WAY IT GOES.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE KIND OF FORCED TO VOTE ON WHAT, WHAT'S PRESENTED IN FRONT OF YOU INSTEAD OF RIGHT.
IF, IF I HAD THE ABILITY TO MAKE REASONABLE RECOMMENDATIONS TO DO THAT, THEN I WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF IT.
BUT BECAUSE WE'RE, OUR HANDS ARE TIED BY THE NATURE OF THE BEAST THAN MY INCLINATION IS TO SAY NO UNDER UNDERSTANDABLE.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? UH, I MEAN, IN GENERAL, I'M CURIOUS TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE LEANING TOWARDS VOTING YES.
AND WHY? UM, I JUST FEEL LIKE I HAVE SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS AND YES, RESERVATIONS, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT ANTI-BUSINESS, I'M NOT ANTI-DEVELOPMENT, BUT I WANT US TO BUILD WITH PURPOSE AND INTENTION, AND I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M HEARING A REALLY BIG RATIONALE FOR WHY THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN AND WHY THIS IS BENEFICIAL EITHER TO THE COMPANY OR TO THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN OR TO THE ENVIRONMENT.
LIKE, I'M JUST, I'M NOT HEARING THAT.
AND YOU KNOW, IN GENERAL, I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD BE BUILDING DENSELY WITHIN, YOU KNOW, URBAN AREAS THAT ARE WALKABLE AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND THIS IS IN THE E T J, YOU KNOW, AND IT'S JUST GOING TO ENCOURAGE MORE PEOPLE TO BE DRIVING THEIR CARS TO AN OFFICE BUILDING THAT THEY MAY OR MAY NOT GO TO WHERE THE LIGHTS ARE ON ALL NIGHT.
AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF LIKE A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT LARGE WILL BE HUGE IN A CRITICAL AREA.
UM, AND SO IT IS DISAPPOINTING THAT THIS IS AN UP OR DOWN YES OR NO VOTE, BUT I, I'M JUST CURIOUS FOR RESPONSES FROM OTHERS HERE, IF ANY OF THAT RESONATES WITH YOU ALL OR, OR WHAT YOUR THINKING IS.
UM, SHERA COMMISSIONER DISTRICT FOUR, I WOULD SAY THAT BECAUSE
[00:55:01]
IT MEETS THE CODE, I AM RELYING HEAVILY UPON THAT AND I THINK THAT IT MIGHT EVEN BE A LEGAL MATTER TO, YOU KNOW, IF IT MEETS THE CODE, THEN IT, THEN IT MEETS THE CODE AND, AND THAT COULD BE A LEGAL ISSUE DOWN THE LINE IF IT EVENTUALLY IT DIDN'T PASS.I DON'T SEE A REASON TO STOP THAT AT THIS MOMENT.
YEAH, WELL, I'LL JUST POINT OUT AGAIN THAT, UM, THEY ARE PAYING INTO THE MITIGATION FEE AND THE FACT THAT, UM, THERE'S NO INCREASE IN IMPERVIOUS COVER AND IT MEETS CODE, IT, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S PRETTY NEUTRAL ON ITS FACE.
I MEAN, I AGREE THAT I DON'T LIKE TO SEE DEVELOPMENT OUT ON BE CAVES ROAD OUT THAT FAR, BUT IT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED IN HAVING AN EMPTY PARKING LOT DOESN'T DO ANY GOOD FOR ANYBODY.
AND JUST TO, UH, JUST TO ECHO, UM, THE COMMISSIONER'S, UH, COMMENTS REGARDING THE, UH, THE, I GUESS NEUTRALITY WITH RESPECT TO IMPERVIOUS COVER.
I MEAN, BUSINESSES DON'T GENERALLY MAKE HUGE INVESTMENTS LIKE THIS UNLESS THEY ACTUALLY THINK THERE'S A REASON THAT OR DEMAND THAT THERE'S, THEY'RE GONNA BE SERVING.
SO I IMAGINE THEY'VE THOUGHT THROUGH THIS AND PLANNED THROUGH THIS FOR DECADES ACCORDING TO THEM.
SO THAT'S, I ASSUME THAT'S WHY THEY FEEL IT'S NECESSARY.
I'LL ADD ONE NOTE JUST, AND SORT OF, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I DIDN'T THINK OF BEFORE, BUT WHEN THE APPLICANT WAS SPEAKING THAT IT'S NOT NECESSARILY PEOPLE FROM AUSTIN THAT ARE GOING OUT INTO THIS AREA TO GO TO WORK.
IT COULD BE POTENTIALLY PEOPLE, CAUSE I'M PRO DENSITY AS WELL, BUT THAT ARE ALREADY LIVING OUT IN B CAPE OR LAKEWAY THAT ARE NOW NOT HAVING TO DRIVE ANOTHER 45 MINUTES THROUGH TRAFFIC TO BE GETTING TO AN OFFICE.
I WOULD JUST ADD ONE THING, UH, OR ONE OF THE, I MEAN, STAFF WORKS REAL HARD ON THIS AND I I DEFINITELY PERSONALLY LOOK TO THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS AND, AND, AND, AND THEIR KIND OF VETTING OF THE PROCESS, BOTH FROM WHAT THE APPLICANT SAID AND FROM STAFF.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'VE BEEN KIND OF WORKING THIS PROCESS FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
SO WHEN I'M KIND OF HEARING OR VOTING, THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I DEFINITELY THINK ABOUT AND LEAN ON IS WHAT, WHAT STAFF'S, UM, OPINION ON THE MATTER IS AND, AND, AND IN ANY CONDITIONS OR, YOU KNOW, ELEMENTS THAT THEY THINK WOULD KIND OF BALANCE THAT SCALE.
YEAH, I'LL ADD MY PERSONAL OPINION, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T THINK ANYBODY ASKS OR CARES, BUT IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER ABOUT MYSELF, YOU KNOW? UM, I CERTAINLY SEE BOTH SIDES OF IT, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, I AGREE THAT, UH, MENTAL IMPACT FROM CONSTRUCTION, HOWEVER, UH, IT IS JUST AN EMPTY PARKING LOT.
AT THE SAME TIME TO PLAY DEVIL'S ADVOCATE, THERE'S CURRENTLY A GLUT OF COMMERCIAL, UH, SPACE AVAILABLE IN THE AUSTIN METRO.
UM, AND THE LAKEWAY PEOPLE SHOULD SUFFER.
UM, YEAH, YOU KNOW, UM, I SEE, YOU KNOW, I THINK IDEALLY IT DOESN'T TURN INTO LIKE A BUILDING WHERE PEOPLE ARE POURING LIKE COOKING OIL OFF THE, UH, THE ROOF OF IT, RIGHT? SO I THINK THERE'S DEFINITELY A HOPE THAT, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING IS DONE IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY, UH, RESPECTFUL WAY, ALTHOUGH THIS IS TEXAS, SO IT SOUNDS VERY CRAZY SAYING THAT.
UM, SO YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK IT REALLY COMES DOWN TO DO YOU TRUST THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT LONG-TERM BENEFITS THE ENVIRONMENT OR NOT? AND I THINK REALLY IT'S KIND OF A COIN FLIP.
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR IN FOR SHARING YOUR IDEAS.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION, GUYS? ALL RIGHT, LET'S VOTE.
UH, LET'S TRY TO DO THIS BY SHOW OF HANDS.
YEAH, IT WAS SECONDED BY INSURER.
UM, BY SHOW OF HANDS, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION, UH, WHICH IS TO RECOMMEND, UH, THE REQUEST.
UM, ALL THOSE OPPOSED KRUEGER AND BREER, ALL THOSE ABSTAINING AND SCOTT ABSTAINS.
SO IF I READ THAT RIGHT, THE MOTION PASSES SIX THREE OR 6 21, IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY.
[3. Discuss membership of the Joint Sustainability Committee (5 minutes)]
ITEM IS, UH, NUMBER THREE.DISCUSS, DISCUSS MEMBERSHIP OF THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE.
UM, I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHAT JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE YOU DO.
YOU DO, WE NEED TO MAKE A MOTION.
[01:00:01]
UH, WALK ME THROUGH THE ACTION HERE, ELIZABETH, PLEASE.YEAH, WE JUST, WE DID COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS BEFORE.
I MISUNDERSTOOD THE WAY TERMS WORK, AND SO NOW WE NEED TO NOMINATE SOMEBODY.
I THINK THE CURRENT PERSON STILL WANTS TO DO IT, SO YEAH.
KREK, DO YOU STILL WANT TO SERVE IN BRIER? DO YOU STILL WANT TO BE THE ALTERNATE? YES, SIR.
I, I MOVE THAT WE KEEP KREK AS THE PRIMARY AND PRIMER AS THE ALTERNATE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
I THINK WE'RE, WE, WE, WE SAVED SOME OF OUR FIVE MINUTES THERE.
WE WANT TO BANK THOSE FOR LATER ITEMS, PLEASE.
[4. Election of the Environmental Commission Vice Chair for May 1, 2023 through April 30, 2024 term (10 minutes)]
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, ELECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.VICE CHAIR ON MAY 1ST, I'M GOING TO PUSH THIS TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM OR THE NEXT AGENDA.
NEXT MEETING IS THE WORD I'M LOOKING FOR.
UM, I'VE GOTTEN WORD THAT, UH, OUR GOOD FRIEND, UH, VICE CHAIR, UH, PERRY WILL BE COMING BACK, UM, PENDING HO UH, CITY COUNCIL APPROVAL TOMORROW, I BELIEVE.
UH, SO, UM, I THINK WE SHOULD JUST, WE, WE ELECTED HIM TO BE THE VICE CHAIR.
I SAY WE, UH, JUST WAIT FOR HIM TO, TO SHOW UP.
UM, AND, AND RE RE WE RE REVOTE HIM IN, I GUESS WOULD BE WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
IS THAT CORRECT, ELIZABETH? OKAY.
POSTPONEMENT SECONDED BY SULLIVAN.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? UNANIMOUS.
UM, TAKE EIGHT OF THOSE MINUTES AS WELL.
[5. Discussion and recommendation of Austin Water Capital Improvement Projects located in the Drinking Water Protection Zone for approval to include in the 5-year Capital spending plan as required by Financial Policy #8 – Aurora Pizano, Financial Manager II, Austin Water (30 minutes)]
AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE AUSTIN WATER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS LOCATED IN THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE FOR APPROVAL TO INCLUDE THE, IN THE FIVE YEAR CAPITAL SPENDING PLAN AS REQUIRED BY FINANCIAL POLICY NUMBER EIGHT.AND I THINK WE HAVE A VIRTUAL PRESENTATION, SO WE'RE READY FOR YOU, MS. BEANO, WHENEVER YOU'RE READY.
AND IF YOU'RE TALKING NOW, WE CANNOT HEAR YOU YET.
UM, SO MY NAME IS LAURA PANO, FINANCIAL MANAGER FOR CITY OF AUSTIN IN THE AUSTIN WATER DEPARTMENT.
I DO NOT HAVE A PRESENTATION, BUT THERE IS A MEMO, A FIVE PAGE MEMO THAT WAS POSTED WITH US, UM, SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION, UH, FOR YOUR REFERENCE.
AND, UM, I JUST WANNA EXPLAIN THAT EACH YEAR AS PART OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN BUDGET APPROVAL PROCESS, AUSTIN WATER SUBMITS A PLAN FOR THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM SPENDING FOR THE UPCOMING FIVE YEAR PERIOD.
UH, THAT FIVE YEAR PERIOD IS FISCAL YEAR 24 TO 28.
AND UM, IN THE MEMO WE INCLUDED A SUBSET OF C I P PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE.
THESE PROJECTS REPRESENT IMPROVEMENTS REQUIRED TO MEET AUSTIN WATER OPERATIONS STANDARDS AND CUSTOMER SERVICE.
AND WE DID INCLUDE A TABLE, UM, OUT OUTLINE OUTLINING, UH, EACH OF THOSE PROJECTS.
SO THERE ARE 11 PROJECTS LISTED ON THE NEXT PAGE, AS WELL AS A MAP OF THOSE, UH, SAFETY PROJECTS.
SO IN COMPLIANCE WITH AUSTIN WATER'S FINANCIAL POLICY NUMBER EIGHT, UM, WE ARE ASKING THAT YOU REVIEW AND PROVIDE ANY INPUT, UH, SPECIFIC TO THOSE PROJECTS.
AND SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'LL OPEN IT UP TO SEE IF YOU, IF ANYONE HAS ANY PROJECT SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OR ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS FINANCIAL POLICY.
UH, ELIZABETH, IT, WALK ME THROUGH THIS, BUT IS THERE, THERE ISN'T A STAFF RECOMMENDATION FOR THIS OR A STAFF REVIEW OF THAT, OR LIZ, IF, IF YOU WANNA, UH, N NO.
THERE IS NO WATERSHED INVOLVEMENT IN THIS EFFORT.
UM, OF COURSE, PROJECTS AS THEY COME IN ARE REQUIRED TO MEET CODE AND SO WE WOULD COORDINATE WITH THEM, UM, ON EACH SPECIFIC PROJECT AS THEY COME THROUGH.
YEAH, WELL, WE'LL, WE'LL START, WE'LL START FROM BROMMER AND GO THE OTHER WAY TO GIVE KREK A BREAK.
SO YOU, YOU GET TO START BRUMER.
I, I APOLOGIZE FOR STEALING HIS THUNDER.
[01:05:01]
I UNTIL HE IS WAITING BREATH.HE HATES IT WHEN YOU DO THAT, BUT YES.
UH, WHEN WAS THIS PUT, PUT UP ON THE WEBSITE? UH, IT WAS PUT UP ON FRIDAY.
IT WAS ELIZABETH HUNK WATERSHED.
YOU SHOULD BE REFERRING TO THE STAFF MEMO THAT WAS YES.
THIS PARTICULAR MEMO, CUZ I DIDN'T, YEAH, I DOWNLOADED EVERYTHING FRIDAY.
I DON'T REMEMBER SEEING THIS, BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN MY FAULT.
I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE FINE TO KIND OF DIGEST THIS FOR A LITTLE BIT CUZ USUALLY WE'RE KIND OF DIGESTING AND PROCESSING WHILE DURING THE PRESENTATION.
SO, UH, IF YOU GUYS DON'T WANT TO BE REVIEWING AND THINKING ABOUT IT, UM, DON'T, DON'T HESITATE IF YOU'VE GOT MORE QUESTIONS IN A COUPLE MINUTES, BUT GO AHEAD SULLIVAN, IF YOU HAVE, OKAY.
SO THIS IS A FIVE YEAR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN AND IT'S A TOTAL OF 48 MILLION, IS THAT RIGHT? WELL, THIS IS A SUBSET OF THAT AP PLAN AND, UM, LAUREN KING IS ALSO ON THE STAND FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INPUT AS SHE'S THE C AS ASSET MANAGER.
WELL, THE QUESTION WAS GONNA BE LIKE IN THE FRAMEWORK OF HOW THIS GOES WITH EVERY YEAR, IT'S ANOTHER FIVE YEAR UPDATE.
SO IS THIS LIKE IN, IS THIS A TYPICAL AMOUNT FOR THIS TYPE OF PROJECT OR RANGE OF PROJECTS SINCE THIS THE FIRST TIME I'M SEEING IT? HI,
I'M HERE TO ANSWER PROJECT QUESTIONS AND SPECIFIC C I P QUESTIONS.
UH, THIS IS A FAIRLY CLASSIC, YOU KNOW, KIND OF AMOUNT.
WE HAVE TWO PROJECTS THAT WEREN'T ON THE MEMO FROM LAST YEAR.
SO A LOT OF CONTINUITY THROUGH THE PLAN.
UM, AND THEN AS AURORA SAID, THIS IS A FAIRLY SMALL SUBSET OF OUR OVERALL FIVE YEAR PLAN, WHICH THIS YEAR IS 1.88 BILLION FOR THE FIVE YEARS.
SO THIS IS STRICTLY JUST THE WATER QUALITY ELEMENTS FOR IT.
UH, SORRY, I'M GETTING USED TO THIS, UH, GROWTH PROJECTS IN THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE, SO.
AND I'LL ADD, UM, THAT THE 48 MILLION REPRESENTS ABOUT 2% OF OUR FIVE YEAR C I P PLAN, ELIZABETH FUNK WATERSHED.
I JUST WANNA CLARIFY, THIS IS A PRESENTATION YOU GUYS GET ANNUALLY, SO THAT'S WHY LAUREN SAID YOU HAVE SEEN ALL THOSE, ALL THOSE PROJECTS EXCEPT TWO CAME, PARDON OF YOU GUYS LAST YEAR.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, GUYS? AND WHAT ARE WE BEING ASKED TO DO IS JUST STARE AT THIS? WE'RE, UH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UH, UH, MS. PIZA, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT, YOU'RE ASKING FOR A RECOMMENDATION OF, UH, SUPPORT FOR THIS, FOR THESE PROJECTS IN THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE? IS THAT CORRECT? YES.
FOR RECOMMENDATION TO CONTINUE, UM, HAVING THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS AND, AND WORK ON THOSE, I WANNA SAY THAT, UH, THIS ITEM WAS ALSO PRESENTED TO THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION YESTERDAY EVENING.
UH, PLUS IT WILL BE GOING TO THE WATER AND WASTE WATER COMMISSION AS WELL AS PART OF THE BUDGET PROCESS.
AND, AND TO SPEAK TO, TO LIZ'S COMMENT EARLIER, AS THESE PROJECTS ARE DEVELOPED, THEY'LL HAVE TO COMPLY WITH PERTINENT CODES.
AND IF THERE'S A VARIANCE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT THAT'S NEEDED OR REQUESTED, THEN YOU MAY END UP COMING BACK TO US OR OTHERS.
BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, GOSH, SORRY.
ALL OF THESE PROJECTS HAVE TO GO THROUGH JUST NORMAL PERMITTING AND REQUIREMENTS ON THEIR OWN.
THIS DOESN'T SUPERSEDE OR GIVE THEM ANY KIND OF EXCEPTIONS.
THEY'RE GOING THROUGH OUR NORMAL INTERNAL PROCESSES AND THEN THE CITY PROCESSES PER STANDARDS.
SO THIS IS JUST KIND OF A, A GUT CHECK TO SEE IF, UM, WE'RE IN CONCEPT OPPOSED TO ANY OF THESE PROJECTS.
UM, DOES THAT HELP BREMER YOUR QUESTION? WELL, NEVERMIND, I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GONNA LET IT ALL KIND OF DRIFT ASIDE NOW.
[01:10:05]
SORRY, I'M REALLY STRUGGLING WITH THIS MICROPHONE.
UM, I'VE, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UH, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UH, THERE'S, I'M, I'M EXCITED ABOUT A LOT OF STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING
I'LL JUST SAY THAT A LOT OF THEM, WHILE THEY DO SUPPORT GROWTH, THEY'RE ALSO RESILIENCY PROJECTS.
AND, UM, A LOT OF THEM CAME OUT OF THE WINTER STORM URI AFTER ACTION REPORT, SPECIFICALLY KIND OF THE SOUTHWEST PARKWAY, UH, PROJECTS.
THOSE ARE GONNA BE REALLY GREAT FOR US, UM, KIND OF JUST TO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA RESILIENCE IN THOSE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PERIPHERY OF OUR SYSTEM.
UM, AND SO THOSE, ALONG WITH THE DAVIS MEDIUM SERVICE PUMP STATION AND THE TRANSMISSION MANAGER ARE GONNA BE JUST REALLY INCREDIBLE IMPROVEMENTS FOR OUR SYSTEM THAT ARE GONNA MAKE US JUST REALLY STRONG MOVING FORWARD.
SO, UM, THE LIFT STATION WORK HAPPENING IN THE FOUR POINTS AREA IS GONNA BE REALLY GREAT FOR REDUCING RISK AND BEING ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS IN THAT AREA, UM, ALREADY, YOU KNOW, DOING GOOD WORK, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN BACKUP GENERATORS AND MAKING SURE OUR ELECTRICAL IS ABOVE THE FLOODPLAIN AND ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF.
SO IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD PROJECT BEFORE LEO.
AND DID I HEAR CORRECTLY THAT THERE ARE TWO NEW ADDITIONS THIS YEAR THAT WEREN'T IN THE PLAN LAST YEAR? AND IF SO, WOULD YOU MIND ELABORATING ON THOSE TWO? OH, IT'S JUST ON, NO, YEAH, IT'S JUST, I DID IT.
UH, IF YOU LOOK AT EITHER ON THE TABLES, THEY'RE MARKED AND ASTERISKS OR ON THE MAP WITH A RED STAR.
UM, AND SO THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT HAVE KIND OF MOVED INTO THE PLAN.
UM, SO THEY'RE KIND OF IN LIKE YEAR FOUR AND FIVE TO START.
SO THAT'S JUST OUR PLAN PROGRESSING AND US GETTING TO THESE INVESTMENTS KIND OF ON OUR PRIORITY LIST AS WE MARCH ALONG THROUGH OUR BUDGET.
UM, THE, UH, DAVIS MEDIUM SERVICE, UH, PUMP STATION EXPANSION, THAT'S THE EXPANSION OF THE PUMP STATION AT THE WATER PLANT TO SUPPORT THE TRANSMISSION MAIN, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN UNDERWAY, UM, IN PLANTING AND, UH, DESIGN.
AND THEN THE BARRINGTON OAKS, UH, DOWNSTREAM GRAVITY IMPROVEMENTS.
THAT ONE, SORRY, IS REALLY JUST KIND OF A SMALLER CAPACITY, UPGRADED SUPPORT AND A GENERAL GROWTH AND DENSIFICATION IN THAT AREA.
AND SO, COMING INTO THE PLAN, BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A NEED MAYBE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
AND, UH, WE'RE GONNA START WORKING ON THE PROJECT TEAMS STARTING TO SIGN.
YEAH, I WAS JUST GOING TO, UH, ASK ABOUT THE, UH, SORT OF THE, THE DAVIS WORK.
IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S LIKE THE, THE MAJOR EXPENDITURE CERTAINLY SEEMS LIKE THE, THE LONGEST SORT OF PROJECT IN TERMS OF, UM, I GUESS MILEAGE YOU WOULD PUT IT.
UH, YOU KNOW, I LIVE AROUND, YOU KNOW, MANOR AND MLK, SO WHEN I SAW IT, I WAS LIKE, OH, GREAT, MORE CONSTRUCTION, BUT HEY, IF IT MAKES THE PLACE BETTER, I'M ALL FOR IT.
UH, SO YEAH, I MEAN, I ASSUME THAT, UH, JUST RINGING THE LITTLE BLURB ABOUT IT THAT BASICALLY IS JUST LIKE A BUNCH MORE PEOPLE LIVE, YOU KNOW, IN THE AREA AROUND THERE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE INCREASING THE WATER SUPPLY THERE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I'M A JOE SCHMO, SO I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT HERE.
I'M JUST KIND OF GOING OFF CONTEXT CLUES.
UH, THERE'S DEFINITELY BEEN REAL PART AT EAST SIDE, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, YEAH.
SO THE DAVIS PROJECTS, UH, OUR WATER, UH, SYSTEM IS SEPARATED INTO PRESSURE ZONES THAT ARE KIND OF ELEVATION BASED.
AND SO WE HAVE THE CENTRAL PRESSURE ZONE KIND OF BY THE RIVER, YOU KNOW, ABOUT A HUNDRED FEET UP FROM THAT.
AND THEN YOU START GETTING INTO THE NORTH AND SOUTH, AND THEN THE KIND OF THE NORTH AND SOUTHWEST PRESSURE ZONES AS YOU MOVE UP IN ELEVATION.
UM, AND SO OUR WATER PLANTS CAN PUMP INTO KIND OF A FINITE NUMBER OF ZONES, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE TO MEET THE PRESSURE OF THE ZONE THAT YOU'RE PUMPING INTO.
AND RIGHT NOW, THE ULRICH WATER TREATMENT PLANT IS THE MAIN SERVER FOR BOTH OUR CENTRAL AND SOUTH ZONES.
UM, AND SO BY BUILDING THE DAVIS, EXPANDING THE DAVIS MEDIUM SERVICE PUMP STATION, AND PUTTING IN THIS TRANSMISSION LANE, NOT ONLY ARE WE SUPPORTING GROWTH THAT'S HAPPENING ON THE EAST SIDE, BUT WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO PUMP DIRECTLY FROM DAVIS INTO THE CENTRAL PRESSURE ZONE.
UM, AGAIN, REALLY INCREASING OUR RESILIENCY AND OUR ABILITY TO, UM, MOVE WATER AROUND THE SYSTEM EFFECTIVELY.
[01:15:01]
A, IT'S A BIG INVESTMENT.THAT'S GONNA BE A BIG PROJECT, BUT, UM, IT'S GONNA BE REALLY GOOD FOR US AS A CITY.
AND THEN, UH, I GUESS, DO WE HAVE AN ESTIMATE ON HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE? BECAUSE WEST MAINER ROAD IS ALREADY JUST LIKE CONSTRUCTION HELL AT THIS POINT.
ALTHOUGH, HEY, I LIVE ON THE EASTBURN PART, SO WHATEVER.
UH,
UM, IT IS IN KIND OF THE BEGINNING STAGES OF PLANNING AND DESIGN.
I KNOW THEY'VE GONE KIND OF THROUGH MAJOR PRELIMINARY WORK.
UH, LARGE TRANSMISSION MEANS ARE, YOU KNOW, DIFFICULT FROM GEOTECHNICAL PERSPECTIVES.
OBVIOUSLY I GOTTA DIG BIG OLD HOLE IN THE GROUND.
UM, BUT WE DO SEE THESE LARGE PROJECTS TAKE ON AVERAGE ABOUT NINE YEARS FROM KIND OF, YOU KNOW, REAL START TO COMPLETION.
UM, AND ONCE THOSE HIT CONSTRUCTION, IT'S A, IT'S A PRETTY SHORT TIME SPAN.
SO MOST OF OUR TIME IS SPENT IN DESIGN AND PERMITTING, KIND OF GETTING TO CONSTRUCTION.
AND THEN THE CONSTRUCTION ITSELF IS, YOU KNOW, A THREE YEAR WINDOW ON REALLY LARGE PROJECTS.
AND, AND USUALLY LESS, UM, THOSE CONTRACTORS REALLY WANT TO KIND OF GET IN AND GET OUT.
AND SO ONE MAJOR YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION IS USUALLY WHAT THEY'RE AIMING FOR.
CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THIS IS BY FAR A MUCH BIGGER PROJECT THAN EVERYTHING ELSE ON THIS LIST, BUT NOT IN OUR BUDGET.
UH, THERE'S A BIG MCNEIL TRANSMISSION MAIN ALSO THAT'S, UM, GOING ON ACTIVELY RIGHT NOW THAT DOESN'T FALL IN THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE.
SO YOU'RE NOT SEEING IN HERE, BUT WE ARE DOING LARGE PROJECTS ALL OVER THE CITY.
ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
UM, I DON'T HAVE A HEARING TO CLOSE.
I'VE GOT A DRAFT MOTION FROM THE SECRETARY.
UM, THANK YOU FOR FIELDING QUESTIONS.
AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE, FOR FIELDING QUESTIONS REMOTELY AS WELL.
UH, ALL RIGHT, LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND THIS THING HERE.
ON THE SUBJECT OF DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE AUSTIN WATER CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT LOCATED IN THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE FOR APPROVAL TO INCLUDE IN THE AUSTIN WATER'S FIVE YEAR CAPITAL SPENDING PLAN AS REQUIRED BY AUSTIN WATER.
AUSTIN WATER FINANCIAL POLICY NUMBER EIGHT.
WHEREAS THE AUSTIN CITY OF AUSTIN WATER UTILITY PRESENTED AND UPDATED THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ON NEW GROWTH RELATED CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM PROJECTS LOCATED IN THE DRINKING WATER PROTECTION ZONE.
AND WHEREAS THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITY PROVIDES ADEQUATE DRINKING WATER AND RELIABLE SYSTEMS FOR CURRENT AND FUTURE CUSTOMERS, THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST FOR INCLUSION OF THE CIP P PROJECTS IN THE AUSTIN WATER UTILITIES FIVE YEAR CAPITAL SPENDING PLAN.
OKAY, GOT A SECOND BY CRUSHING ANY DISCUSSION.
I SEE ALL BUT TWO, ALL THOSE OPPOSED, ALL THOSE ABSTAINING, TWO ABSTENTIONS, SCOTT AND BREMER.
[6. Presentation, discussion, and possible action on the 2022 FEMA Hazard Mitigation Report – Requested and presented by Environmental Commission member Rachel Scott (15 minutes)]
UH, NUMBER SIX, PRESENTATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON THE 2012 FEMA HAZARD MITIGATION REPORT BY OUR OWN ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSIONER, RACHEL SCOTT, THE BULLY PULPIT.I'M RACHEL SCOTT, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER FOR THE, UH, SECOND DISTRICT.
AND, AND I THINK ALL OF YOU KNOW THAT, UM, DUE TO, UH, TECHNICAL
[01:20:01]
DIFFICULTIES, UH,SO, UM, IF IT SEEMS A LITTLE DISJOINTED, THAT'S BECAUSE IT IS.
UM, I, I'M GLAD TO BE ABLE TO FINALLY TALK ABOUT THIS, UH, SUBJECT, WHICH, UM, RICK BRIER AND I HAVE WORKED ON, UH, UH, THROUGH A, UH, TEMPORARY SUBCOMMITTEE FOR A, A YEAR OR MORE.
AND, UM, AS YOU KNOW, UM, EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT THE WEATHER, BUT NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
WELL, UM, ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, UM, ON OCCASION TO DO A LITTLE, UM, IN A SMALL WAY ABOUT, ABOUT THE WEATHER.
UM, I WANT TO THANK, UH, COMMISSIONER BRIMER FOR, UH, VOLUNTEERING TO WORK WITH ME ON THIS, UH, PROJECT BECAUSE, UH, WITHOUT HIM, I DON'T THINK I WOULD'VE, UM, UH, BEEN, UH, ABLE TO, UM, DO NEARLY AS, AS MUCH, UH, IN, UH, IN PULLING IT TOGETHER AND IN A COHESIVE WAY.
AND HE'S BEEN A, HE'S BEEN A, A, A GREAT, UM, UM, UH, NUMBER ONE, UH, BEST, UH, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBER TO HAVE, UH, ON, ON OUR, UH, TWO-PERSON SUBCOMMITTEE
UM, WHEN WE STARTED OUT, UM, THE GOAL WAS TO, TO LOOK FOR WHAT MIGHT BE THE, THE MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL RISK TO AUSTIN, UH, IN TERMS OF THE WEATHER, AND THEN, UH, THINK ABOUT WHAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO ABOUT IT.
UH, AND OF COURSE, AS I THINK ALL OF YOU HAVE NOTICED, UH, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IS LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY'S WATERSHED DIVISION.
AND, UM, UH, WE, WE LIVE SURROUNDED BY WATER.
THE AUSTIN WAS CALLED WATERLOO BEFORE IT WAS CALLED AUSTIN.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY CREEKS HERE THAT I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER THE NAMES OF ALL OF THEM.
SO THERE, UH, THERE HAS BEEN, UM, UH, QUITE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR FLOODING AND, AND, AND WE, WE ALL ARE AWARE THAT WE HAVE EXPERIENCED FLOODING.
WE'VE PUT A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF ENERGY, UH, INTO CONTROLLING, UH, WATERWAYS AS BEST WE CAN, SO THAT WE CAN LIVE WITH THE WATER THAT, THAT, UH, WE'RE, UH, SOMETIMES BLESSED WITH, SOMETIMES NOT SO MUCH.
UM, SO WHEN I WENT ONLINE TO, UH, SEE WHAT I COULD FIND OUT, I WENT TO THE, UH, FEMA SITE, AND I DISCOVERED, UH, THAT THEY HAD DONE, UH, IN 1922, A, UH, UH, HAZARD RISK ASSESSMENT FOR EACH OF THE, UH, UH, COUNTIES, UM, LOUISIANA PARISHES AND ALASKAN BOROUGHS, AND, AND IDENTIFIED 18 SEPARATE NATURAL OCCURRING, UH, POTENTIAL, UH, CATASTROPHES THAT, UM, THAT COULD BE, UH, FORESEEN AND, AND SHOULD BE, UH, PLANNED FOR.
THE IDEA BEING THAT, UM, BY PLANNING AN ADVANCE, UH, PERHAPS, UH, LIVES COULD BE SAVED AND, UH, AND LESS MONEY LOST.
UM, SO, UM, I WAS NOT EXPECTING WHAT I FOUND WHEN I, WHEN I WENT, UH, WENT TO THE SITE, UM, BECAUSE WHAT I FOUND WAS NOT THAT OUR NUMBER ONE RISK WAS FLOODING, WHICH IS WHAT I WOULD'VE SAID IF ANYONE HAD ASKED ME WHAT'S THE BIGGEST RISK, UH, LIVING IN AUSTIN.
UM, WE HAVE SO MANY RISKS THAT, UH, UH, I REALLY THINK THAT, UM, UH, WE COULD, UH, LIST OUR RISK PROFILE AS, AS, UH, AT THE CROSSROADS OF THE FOUR HORSES OF THE APOCALYPSE.
WE, UH, WE, IT'S EASIER TO, TO LIST WHAT WE'RE NOT AT RISK FOR THAN IT IS WHAT WE ARE AT RISK FOR.
WE'RE NOT AT RISK FOR COASTAL FLOODING, TSUNAMIS, VOLCANOES, LANDSLIDES, HOPEFULLY.
AND STATISTICALLY, WE ARE, UH, AT VERY LOW RISK FOR EARTHQUAKES.
UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT FEMA FEMA'S RISK ASSESSMENT DOESN'T TAKE, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE INTO ACCOUNT.
IT LOOKS STRICTLY AT, UH, HISTORICAL FINDINGS.
SO THERE WILL BE CHANGES IN WHAT HAPPENS
[01:25:01]
WITH THE WEATHER AND CATASTROPHES BECAUSE OF THAT.UM, BECAUSE WE ARE EXPERIENCING A, A LOT OF, UM, UH, UNEXPECTED AND, AND STILL, UM, UNKNOWN, UH, UNKNOWNS IN, IN, UH, WEATHER PATTERNS DUE TO, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE.
UM, SO THEN I MADE A, A CHART OF THE POTENTIAL DISASTERS THAT WE ARE AT RISK FOR.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT YOU ALL HAVE A COPY OF THAT.
UM, IF YOU HAVE THE, UH, THE, UH, WHAT I, WHAT I SENT OUT, AND, UM, JUST IN CASE YOU DON'T, UM, THIS IS IT.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE IT.
UM, WHERE'S OUR, OUR, DO WE HAVE AN IT GUY? YEAH, IF YOU HAVE THE BACKUP, JACKSON, IT'S PAGE THREE OF THE, YEAH, OF THE PRESENTATION NOTES.
I WONDER IF YOU, IT WAS JUST TAKING A NAP BACK THERE, OR, UM, WELL, ANYWAY, UM, SO ON THE, BECAUSE THIS REALLY ILLUSTRATES IN A WAY THAT YOU, THAT OTHERWISE YOU JUST DON'T SEE, UM, THAT, UH, OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE AT RISK FOR, I PUT THEM ON A CHART, AND THIS IS ICE STORMS. AND, UM, THIS IS UP HERE, THIS IS TORNADOES.
AND, UM, IF YOU LOOK FOR FLOODING, IT'S THE, IT'S THE, THE BLUE ONE.
SO, UM, THIS IS BASED ON, UH, AN, IT'S AN ANNUALIZED, UH, RISK ASSESSMENT, UH, OF, UH, POTENTIAL, UM, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF, UH, LOSS.
AND, UH, FOR PURPOSES OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, UM, UH, LIVES LOST ARE GIVEN, UH, UH, A VALUE OF, I THINK AROUND $700,000 A PIECE.
AND I THINK, UM, THAT'S PARTIALLY INCLUDED IN THE TORNADO, UH, ASSESSMENT.
I THINK THEY, THEY, UH, UM, CAME UP WITH, UH, SIX DEATHS IN THEIR, IN THEIR ESTIMATE.
YOU KNOW, THESE, OBVIOUSLY, THESE ARE ESTIMATES, THEY'RE NOT TO BE TAKEN LITERALLY, AND IT'S CERTAINLY NOT TO BE TAKEN THAT ANNUALLY EACH OF THESE THINGS WILL OCCUR.
IT'S JUST THAT OVER TIME, SINCE THEY LOOKED AT THE PAST 50 YEARS, UM, GO, UH, ACTUALLY, UH, LONGER THAN THAT, LOOKING BACK TO 1950, WHEN GOOD RECORDS WERE FIRST KEPT.
SO THAT WOULD BE, UH, 73 YEARS IF, UH, WELL, I DON'T KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO, SO THEY'RE BASING THEIR, UH, STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ON, ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST.
AND, AND SO THEY ARE CONSTANTLY UPDATING IT.
AND WHEN YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, UM, YOU CAN FIND, UM, ALL THIS STUFF OUT FOR YOURSELF.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, BECAUSE IT'S ALL, IT'S ALL THERE UNDER, UM, UH, HAZARDS DOT, UH, FEMA.GOV.
AND WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU GO TO THAT SITE, THERE'S AN INTERACTIVE MAP, AND IT SHOWS THE WHOLE UNITED STATES IN THE MULTICOLORS AND THE, THE, IT'S COLOR CODED FOR HAZARD.
AND IF YOU BLOW IT UP, WHICH YOU CAN DO BY JUST TOUCHING THE MAP, YOU CAN, YOU CAN BLOW IT UP TO SEE AS BIG A OR SMALL A PORTION AS YOU WANT.
AND HERE, UM, IS THE BLOWN UP PORTION OF, UM, THE PART OF TEXAS THAT WE ARE IN.
THEN, UM, TAKING A, TAKING A, UH, SORT OF A, A, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WOULD CALL IT, A, UM, UH, SORT OF AN EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE OF ADDING A, UH, AN ARROW HERE, AS HAS BEEN KNOWN TO BE DONE BEFORE, UM,
UM, I'M NOT MENTIONING ANY NAMES, BUT, UM, I HAVE OUTLINED HERE AUSTIN, AND, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT AUSTIN IS, UH, IN, IN A, IN A LIGHT ORANGE.
AND SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A DANGER SIGN.
WE ARE IN, IN THE, UM, NOT PARTICULARLY ENVIABLE POSITION OF, OF BEING IN THE TOP 5% OF COUNTIES NATIONWIDE, TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, WHICH IS NEARLY SYNONYMOUS WITH, WITH AUSTIN, ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT EXACTLY THE SAME.
SO, UM, IN OTHER WORDS, UH, 95% OF COUNTIES IN THE UNITED STATES ARE AT LOWER RISK FOR A NATURAL, ONE NATURAL DISASTER OR ANOTHER COMPARED TO, UH, WHAT WE, WHAT WE HAVE HERE IN AUSTIN.
I DON'T THINK THAT PART IS IN THE, IN THE, UH,
[01:30:01]
UH, BROCHURE THAT THE, UH, THAT IS SENT OUT, UH, TRYING TO, UH, GET, GET PEOPLE TO MOVE TO AUSTIN.UM, BUT THEN THERE'S A LOT ABOUT AUSTIN THAT'S
UM, RATS WE'RE, WE'RE ALSO KNOWN AS, UH, HAVING A VERY HIGH RAT POPULATION HERE.
UM, BUT THESE ARE NOT, UM, HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS.
UM, SO WHEN YOU GO TO THIS, UH, SITE, UH, YOU CAN GENERATE A REPORT AND IT, IT, THE FIRST PART OF IT LOOKS LIKE THAT.
AND IT SAYS, UH, THAT, UH, RISK INDEX IS RELATIVELY HIGH.
WE'RE AT 96.88 PERCENTILE, AND, UM, THAT'S COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES.
AND THEN WHEN YOU GO FURTHER, YOU CAN ACTUALLY, UM, LOOK AT, UM, THE COUNT TRAVIS COUNTY, OR YOU CAN EVEN LOOK AT SUBSETS OF THE POPULATION TO SEE WHAT THE RISK IS.
SO, UM, IT'S, IT'S A EXTREMELY COMPREHENSIVE, UH, ANALYSIS.
AND, UM, UH, THIS, UH, SLIDE THAT YOU CAN NOW SEE ON, ON, UH, UH, ONLINE, WHICH IS THE ONLY ONE THAT I MANAGED TO GET IN, IN TIME TO BE USED, UM, UM, IS, UM, A, A PHOTO THAT WAS TAKEN, UH, ALMOST, UM, A HUNDRED AND, UH, IN ONE YEARS AGO.
UH, IT WAS, WAS TAKEN, UH, IN 1922 ON MAY 20TH WHEN THERE WERE TWIN TORNADOES IN AUSTIN.
AND, UH, THE ONE THAT YOU SEE IS, UM, THE LESSER OF THE TWO TORNADOES THAT TOUCHED DOWN, I THINK IT WAS, UH, WOULD'VE TODAY BEEN RATED, UH, EF, UM, TWO AND THE OTHER ONE, UH, AN EF FOUR, UH, OR PERHAPS AN EF FIVE.
IT'S HARD TO SAY, BUT, UM, THEY WERE UNUSUAL IN THAT THEY, THEIR ROTATION WAS, UH, UM, NOT THE SAME AS IT WAS CLOCKWISE, WHEREAS MOST, UH, UH, TORNADOES, UH, ROTATE IN A, IN A COUNTERCLOCKWISE FASHION.
BUT, UM, UH, IN YOUR HANDOUT, THE NEXT, UH, THE NEXT, UH, UH, VISUAL THAT YOU'LL SEE IS A, IS A, UH, A BLACK AND WHITE MAP OF, UH, OF THE PATH OF THE TORNADOES.
UM, AND, UM, THE, IT'S INNOCENT, BLACK AND WHITE, BECAUSE, BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS IN BLACK AND WHITE, UH, BEFORE 1945, AS, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS
SO, UM, YOU CAN SEE, UM, YOU CAN SEE THE CAPITAL, UM, WHICH IS, WHICH IS SORT OF AT THE CENTER OF THIS LITTLE BUNCH OF BLOCKS.
AND THEN, UM, THE, UH, THE LESSER TORNADO IS, UM, IS TO THE, UH, NORTHEAST AND THEN THE SOUTHERN TOR AND NOTICE THAT BOTH TORNADOES CROSS THE, UH, THE COLORADO RIVER, UM, AND THE, UH, THE LARGER TORNADO CROSSED THE RIVER, UH, TOOK OUT ALL THE CABINS AT, AT VACATION CABINS AT DEEP EDDIE, UM, CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE AND KILLED, UH, THREE PEOPLE AT, UH, ST.
UH, IT, UH, UH, CONTINUED ON ITS PATH AND, UH, AND HIT, UM, THE WOODWARD AUTO MANUFACTURING PLANT, UH, CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE AND KILLING, UH, MORE PEOPLE THERE.
AND THEN, UM, THIS WAS PRETTY MUCH ALL JUST, UH, FIELDS AT THE TIME.
AND, AND AUSTIN WAS JUST A LITTLE SLEEPY COW TOWN, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS THE CAPITOL.
AND THEN IT KILLED SIX PEOPLE IN A, IN A FARMHOUSE TAKING AWAY THE FARMHOUSE AND EVERYBODY THAT WAS IN IT.
SO, UM, WELL, YEAH, THAT WAS A LONG TIME AGO.
SO, YOU KNOW, SO WHAT, UM, BUT, UM, I JUST, I JUST WANT AT LEAST IN, IN SHOWING THIS, UM, HI, GLAD YOU'RE HERE.
UM, THAT, THAT TORNADOES HAVE HIT AUSTIN, AND IN FACT, AUSTIN HAS A TORNADO EVERY OTHER YEAR, UH, ON THE AVERAGE.
MAYBE MEAN WE COULD GO 6, 7, 10 YEARS WITHOUT ONE, BUT THEN HAVE BING, BING BANG THREE IN A ROW.
[01:35:01]
PROBABLY REALIZE, TORNADOES, UM, AREN'T REGULATED BY ANY KIND OF, UH,THEY JUST COME, WHEN THEY COME.
THEY COME BECAUSE, UH, THE, THE, UH, CONDITIONS ARE, ARE, ARE RIPE FOR IT.
AND THEY'RE BASICALLY BECAUSE WE, UM, WE HAVE A, A MASS OF COLD DRY AIR THAT IS COMING TO THE EAST FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME WE HAVE A, UH, A WARM, MOIST AIR MASS THAT'S, THAT'S COMING IN FROM THE GULF COAST.
AND WHEREVER THESE TWO MASSES MEET, UM, THERE MAY BE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF, UH, FORCE, UH, TO, UH, TO CREATE A, A STORM.
AND, UM, SOME OF THE TIME THESE, THE STORM WILL TAKE THE FORM OF A TORNADO.
AND WHAT METEOROLOGISTS SEE, NOW THAT WE HAVE MORE ADVANCED, UH, UH, KIND OF, UH, VISUALIZATION IS, IS WHAT'S CALLED A SUPER CELL.
SO THEY CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE, THE WIND ROTATING ABOVE, UH, WHEREVER IT IS.
AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S HOW THEY KNOW, UH, TO, UH, PUT OUT A, A TORNADO WARNING.
AND OF COURSE, THEY ALSO HAVE, UH, UH, PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WHO ARE SPOTTERS, AND IF THEY SEE, UH, A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN, THEY'LL CALL THAT IN AS WELL.
BUT BETWEEN THOSE TWO, WE HAVE, WE HAVE SOME PRETTY GOOD, UH, WARNING THAT, THAT, UH, WE KNOW, SO, SO WE CAN DISPEL THE MYTHS THAT WERE SOMEHOW PROTECTED BECAUSE OF THE HILLS.
HILLS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
TORNADOES ARE INFLUENCED BY WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE ATMOSPHERE ABOVE, UM, THE, THE AREA.
SO THESE CAN HAPPEN, THESE CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE, WHETHER, WHETHER THERE'S, UM, A DEPRESSION, A, A RIVER, A LAKE, UM, A HILL.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU, IF YOU LOOK AT, UH, MORE CLOSELY AT THAT, UH, UH, THE PATH OF THESE, UH, TORNADOES, UM, UH, THE, UH, THE ONE TORNADO WENT, UH, RIGHT, UH, RIGHT OVER MOUNT, UH, BONNELL ON THE, UH, ON THE NORTH, UH, NORTHWEST SIDE OF TOWN.
SO, UM, THE GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF A CITY REALLY DON'T MATTER, OR WHETHER IT'S CITY OR COUNTRY.
UH, WHEN I'VE HEARD MYTHS THAT TORNADOES DON'T HIT CITIES, WELL ASK ANYBODY IN DALLAS OR FORT WORTH OR OKLAHOMA CITY, UH, OR ANY OF A NUMBER, NUMBER OF OTHER CITIES THAT I COULD MENTION, TORNADOES HAVE BEEN, HAVE HIT EVERY, UH, STATE IN THE COUNTRY.
UH, WE HAVE ABOUT A THOUSAND TORNADOES A YEAR ON AVERAGE.
AND, UM, UM, TEXAS HAS MORE TORNADOES THAN ANY OTHER STATE.
AND, AND IN PART THAT'S BECAUSE OF OUR LOCATION, AND IN PART IT'S ALSO BECAUSE WE'RE THE ONE OF THE BIGGEST STATES AS WELL.
SO, UM, THE, UH, TORNADOES ARE, ARE RATED ACCORDING TO THE, UM, ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE, WHICH IS BASED ON, UH, UH, SCIENTISTS WHO CAME UP WITH IT.
AND THE WINDS ARE SO SEVERE THAT, THAT THEY ACTUALLY CAN'T BE CLOCKED BY AN ANTER OR SOMETHING OF THAT SORT BECAUSE, UM, THE WINDS ARE SO HIGH THAT THEY ACTUALLY BREAK THE INSTRUMENTATION.
UM, IF THEY'RE, UM, ANYONE WHO HAS NOT SEEN THE AFTERMATH OF A TORNADO PERSONALLY, UM, PROBABLY HAS A DIFFICULT, A DIFFICULTY EVEN IMAGINING, UM, HOW MUCH DAMAGE THAT A TORNADO CAN DO, CUZ IT'S, UH, UM, IT'S JUST NOT WITHIN THE REALM OF, UM, OF, OF OUR, OF OUR USUAL EXPERIENCE.
WATER, PROBABLY SOME OF YOU ARE, HAVE BEEN HERE LONG ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THE, UH, THE, UH, THE GERALD TORNADO OF, UM, IN, IN 1997.
AND THAT TORNADO WAS CLOCKED AT, UH, 251, 261 MILES PER HOUR, UH, KILLED 27 PEOPLE.
AND, UH, UH, PICTURES OF IT, WHICH YOU CAN SEE ONLINE SHOW BLOCKS WHERE NOTHING EXCEPT THE, UH, FOUNDATIONS OF HOUSES
[01:40:01]
ARE LEFT.IT'S STRIPPED THE ASPHALT OFF THE ROADS, IT'S STRIPPED THE, IT STRIPPED THE GROUND BEAR TO THE DIRT.
AND THEN SOME, UH, PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED WERE NOT FOUND IN PIECES.
THEY WERE FOUND A FINGER HERE, ANOTHER BODY PART THERE.
UH, IT, IT WAS SO GRUESOME THAT 25 YEARS LATER, UH, FIRST LINE RESPONDERS DIDN'T, E DIDN'T REALLY EVEN WANNA TALK ABOUT IT.
UM, THE PEOPLE WHO DIED, MOST OF THEM HAD GONE TO THEIR, THEIR HOMES.
THEY KNEW THAT A TORNADO WAS COMING, SO THEY, THEY, UH, THEY WENT TO THE INTERIOR OF THEIR HOUSES, UH, AS THEY'D BEEN INSTRUCTED TO DO.
AND, UM, AND WHEN THEIR HOUSES WERE BLOWN AWAY, THEY WERE BLOWN AWAY ALONG WITH THEM.
SO THERE ARE STORIES OF WHOLE FAMILIES, UH, FOUR, ONE FAMILY OF FOUR WITH TWO, UH, TEENAGERS WHO WERE VISITING THAT WERE ALL KILLED.
UM, SOME PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO FIND A, UH, A PLACE UNDERGROUND TO HIDE, AND THEY, UH, ONE, ONE IN A GRAVEL PIT, UH, AND SHE SURVIVED.
UM, SO NEEDLESS TO SAY, IN GENERAL, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TORNADO SHELTERS.
UM, IN AUSTIN, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE KCHE SOIL, I DON'T THINK THERE AREN'T MANY, UH, HOUSES BUILT, WHICH HAVE, UH, BASEMENTS.
THERE'S, IS, THERE'S ANY ONE, ANYONE HERE HAVE A BASEMENT IN THEIR, WHERE THEY LIVE.
SO THIS IS PRETTY MUCH THE CASE THROUGHOUT AUSTIN.
SO WHEN YOU GET A TORNADO WARNING, UM, YOU'RE TOLD TO GO TO THE INTERIOR OF YOUR HOUSE AND MAYBE AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND MAYBE, UM, BUNDLE YOURSELF UP, PUT THINGS AROUND YOU AND SO FORTH.
AND THAT'S JUST FINE UNLESS, UNLESS AN AN F FOUR OR AN E F FIVE TORNADO COME THROUGH, IN WHICH CASE, EVEN THE STRONGEST, UH, MOST RECENTLY BUILT HOUSES IN AUSTIN WILL NOT STAND UP TO THAT KIND OF, THAT KIND OF FORCE.
UM, WHEN THE TORNADO, UH, UH, HITS IT, UH, IT STARTS PICKING UP, UM, DEBRIS AND, AND IT, AND IT, AND IT GROWS JUST IT FULL OF, UH, DEBRIS.
AND, AND AS THAT DEBRIS ROTATES AROUND, UH, THAT, THOSE, THAT'S REALLY THE, THE MAIN CAUSE OF THIS DESTRUCTION.
SO YOU CAN HAVE, UH, ALL KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE JUST, UH, BASICALLY, UH, UM, LIKE BULLETS, BUT THEY'RE BULLETS MADE OUT OF, UH, PINE NEEDLES OR, OR, OR, UH, TWO BY FOURS OR WHATEVER, SHARDS OF GLASS, WHATEVER IT IS THAT'S BEEN PICKED UP.
AND, UH, THE FORCE OF THOSE THINGS IS, UH, IS JUST, UH, IS JUST DEADLY.
UM, SO THE, THE WORST PLACE TO BE IN, IN THE CASE OF A TORNADO IS, UM, UH, IN A CAR.
UH, ANOTHER BAD PLACE TO BE IS, UH, IN A CAR, IN A UNDERPASS, BECAUSE WHEN THE WIND COMES THROUGH, IT'S KIND OF SUCKED THROUGH THAT INTERPASS EVEN FASTER.
SO, UH, THAT'S, IT'S SORT OF A COUNTERINTUITIVE CUZ MOST PEOPLE WOULD THINK TO GO TO THE UNDERPASS TO HIDE, BUT IT, IT'S A, IT'S A BAD IDEA.
UM, IN AUSTIN, UM, I DID A LITTLE RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT, UH, A THIRD OF THE HOUSING IN AUSTIN, UH, WAS BUILT BEFORE, UH, 1986.
SO THAT HOUSING IS GOING TO BE, UH, BUILT WITH MUCH, UM, LESS STRICT CODES.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE VULNERABLE AT, UM, AT LOWER, UM, EF RATINGS.
UM, AND IF YOU, UH, WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE NEWS, UH, RECENTLY, UM, THERE WAS, UM, THERE WAS A TORNADO IN, UM, LAGUNA HEIGHTS NEAR PORT ISABEL, UH, IN TEXAS, UH, THIS LAST, UH, WEEKEND, UH, SATURDAY.
AND IT WAS RAIDED IN E AN EF ONE, AND IT DESTROYED, UM, UH, MOST OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, THERE WERE, UM, 33 PEOPLE IN THE SHELTER.
SO, UM, WHEN THE HOUSING IS, IS SUBSTANDARD, IT'S GONNA COST, IT'S GONNA CAUSE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF DAMAGE.
[01:45:01]
BE COMPLACENT ABOUT EVEN, EVEN THE, WHAT WE MIGHT THINK OF IS THE MILD TORNADOES, CUZ UH, A LOT OF PEOPLE DO LIVE IN SUBSTANDARD HOUSING.UM, SO, UM, AUSTIN DID, DURING THE PANDEMIC, UM, COME UP WITH A, UH, HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN.
THEY, THEY, UH, THEY CONTRACTED THE, UH, THE PLAN OUT TO, UH, UH, H TWO O PARTNERS.
AND, UH, THE, UH, THE PLAN WAS, UM, UH, IS QUITE EXTENSIVE AND IT GOES INTO, UM, DETAIL ABOUT, UM, SUCH THINGS AS, AS, UH, HARDENING, UH, COMMAND CENTERS.
YOU KNOW, THE LAST THING YOU NEED IS FOR A COMMAND CENTER TO GO DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EMERGENCY TO BE BLOWN AWAY, UH, HARDENING, UH, INFRAS CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SUCH AS, UH, UH, WATER, UH, TREATMENT AND, UH, AND, UH, SEWAGE TREATMENT.
BECAUSE IF THOSE, UH, GO OUT, UH, YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE DOUBLE TROUBLE ON YOUR HANDS.
UH, IT, UH, IT TALKS ABOUT, UM, UM, STRENGTHENING, UH, HOUSES WHICH ARE SUBSTANDARD.
AND THIS CAN BE DONE WITH, UM, BOLTING THE, UM, SIDES OF THE HOUSES TO THE, UH, THE GROUND OR THE, OR THE, UH, CEMENT THE PLATFORM THAT THEY'RE ON.
UH, AND ALSO, UM, STRAPPING, UH, THE ROOF SO THAT IT'S STRAPPED TO THE, UM, THE, THE WALLS.
AND THIS CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN A, UH, UH, E F THREE TORNADO BE, UH, BETWEEN, UH, IF A TWO BY FOUR WERE TO HIT, UH, SUCH A HOUSE WITHOUT THE, THE, UH, MITIGATION, THAT HOUSE WILL COLLAPSE.
IF, IF THE HOUSE DOES HAVE THE, THE STRENGTHENING STRUCTURES, THE HOUSE WILL NOT COLLAPSE.
AND THAT CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.
SO EVEN WITH THESE OLDER HOUSES, THERE ARE THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE, BUT THEY DO COST MONEY.
AND, UH, PEOPLE WHO ARE LIVING IN THOSE HOUSES ARE THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE LOWER END OF THE, UH, IN, UH, INCOME, UH, LADDER, OBVIOUSLY.
UM, SO THEY, THAT'S WHY, UH, FEMA HAS, UH, SET ASIDE SOMETHING LIKE 7% OF ITS BUDGET FOR MITIGATION, AS WE ALL KNOW.
I THINK BEN FRANKLIN, UH, WROTE IT IN PORT RICHARDS ALMANAC, UH, STITCH AND IN TIME SAVES NINE.
SO IT JUST MAKES, UH, COMMON SENSE THAT IF YOU CAN, IF YOU CAN, UH, ACHIEVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MITIGATION BEFORE A DISASTER, YOU'RE WAY AHEAD.
UH, RATHER THAN WAITING UNTIL AFTERWARDS AND THEN THINKING, OH MY GOSH, WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING.
UM, BECAUSE, UH, UH, A LOT MORE PEOPLE, UH, WILL, WILL LOSE PROPERTY.
A LOT MORE PEOPLE WILL DIE, UH, IF, IF WE WAIT TO ACT UNTIL AFTER THE FACT.
UM, I, I KNOW THIS IS NOT A PARTICULARLY, UM, UH, POPULAR ISSUE.
IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT ON THE RADAR OF MOST PEOPLE IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND I HAVE REALLY STRUGGLED TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND, UH, A FRIEND OF MINE SUGGESTED THAT I READ A, A BOOK CALLED THE FIFTH RISK BY MICHAEL LEWIS.
AND IT'S VERY ENTERTAINING BECAUSE A LOT OF IT IS ABOUT, UH, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
AND, UH, AND, UH, THE FIFTH RISK IS JUST THAT ADMINISTRATION DO THINGS GET DONE.
BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW BAD THE, THE, UH, DISASTERS OR THE PROBLEMS ARE, IS SOMEBODY A AWAKE AT THE WHEEL? IS SOMEBODY PAYING ATTENTION TO SOMEBODY DOING SOMETHING? SO, UM, I'M, I WON'T GO INTO DETAILS ABOUT THE, UM, THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S, UH, TRANSITION, UM, EXCEPT TO SAY THAT IT WAS NON-EXISTENT.
BUT, BUT THERE WAS ALSO DISCUSSION ABOUT TORNADOES.
AND IT WAS A MYSTERY TO, UM, A WOMAN WHO WAS, WHO WAS RESEARCHING THE SUBJECT AS TO WHY SHE FOUND MOST PEOPLE JUST NOT ABLE TO, TO GET ANY KIND OF, UH, ENTHUSIASM OR CONCERN ABOUT, UM, UH, TORNADO RISK.
AND WHAT IT REALLY SEEMS TO COME DOWN TO IS, IS, UH, EXPERIENCE THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE, UH, LIVED THROUGH A TORNADO OR HAD A TORNADO, UH, COME THROUGH AN AREA VERY CLOSE TO WHERE THEY LIVE AND HAVE SEEN THE AFTERMATH, UM, TAKE IT VERY, VERY SERIOUSLY.
[01:50:02]
AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT, DON'T HAVE A CLUE THAT'S ISN'T IN THE ENVIRONMENT, IT ISN'T IN THEIR VOCABULARY, IT ISN'T IN THEIR, IN THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCE.AND IT SEEMS TO REALLY COME DOWN TO THAT.
AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT I CAN SAY THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE, BUT, UM, UM, THIS IS, UM, THIS IS MY, THIS IS MY ATTEMPT AND IT'S THE BEST THAT, UM, UH, COMMISSIONER BRIMER AND I, UH, CAN DO.
AND THAT'S TO, TO, UM, BRING IT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WITH THE HOPES THAT IT CAN COME TO THE ATTENTION OF THE, UH, OF THE CITY COUNCIL AND THAT, UM, UH, SOMETHING CAN BE DONE.
UM, ONE THING THAT THAT, UM, IS REALLY DIFFICULT ABOUT ALL THIS IS THAT, UM, UH, FEMA IS, IT'S A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, AND IT'S, IT'S, THE REGULATIONS ARE VERY DIFFICULT AND, UH, PEOPLE WHO HAVE WORKED ON, ON GRANTS, UH, TO GET FEMA MONEY COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO GET TO GO THROUGH ALL THE HOOPS TO GET A GRANT.
UM, I TALKED TO, UH, JUAN ORTIZ, WHO IS, UH, IN CHARGE OF, I GUESS WHATEVER THE HAZARD MITIGATION, UH, OFFICES FOR, UM, AUSTIN.
ABOUT A YEAR AGO, HE WAS GOING AFTER ONE SINGLE GRANT FOR, UM, HOUSEHOLDS TO GET, UH, SOME ASSISTANCE IN FUNDING FOR, UH, HOME, UH, SH SHELTERS.
UM, AND, UM, HE FELT THAT WAS THE EASIEST ONE TO GO AFTER.
HOLLY FISHER, WHO WAS THE, UM, ADMINISTRATOR FOR, UH, THE REGIONAL COORDINATOR FOR, UM, DISTRICT SIX, WHICH, UH, WE WERE IN AT THE TIME, WAS KIND OF FRUSTRATED SAYING THAT, UH, SHE KNEW OF, UH, OTHER GOVERNMENTAL BODIES THAT WERE APPLYING FOR AS MANY AS 15 AT ONE TIME.
YET AUSTIN 11TH LARGEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY WAS, WAS IN THE INITIAL STAGES OF APPLYING FOR A SINGLE ONE.
GRANTED, UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF OPEN POSITIONS IN THE CITY.
UH, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE FUNDING IS FOR RISK MITIGATION.
I DON'T KNOW, UH, IF IT'S, IF IT'S, UH, ADEQUATE OR NOT, BUT I, I DO KNOW THAT, UM, WE NEED TO, UM, WE NEED TO LOOK INTO IT.
WE NEED TO, TO, UH, ASK, UH, JUAN ORTIZ TO COME IN AND TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON.
UH, WE NEED TO ASK, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY WHAT'S GOING ON, WHAT, WHAT, UH, WHAT THEY ARE DOING, BECAUSE BOTH THE CITY AND THE COUNTY, UM, ARE ABLE TO A, APPLY FOR GRANTS.
AND THERE'S ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT GRANTS AVAILABLE.
UM, AND THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT NAME NAMES AND THEY'RE FOR, AND THEY, THEY'RE FOR DIFFERENT SORTS OF, UM, PROJECTS.
SOME OF THEM ARE CALLED BRICK GRANTS.
AND, UH, UM, THERE ARE EVEN GRANTS, UH, TO, UH, PRESERVE HISTORICAL BUILDINGS, UM, WHICH WOULD BE NICE, BUT WOULD WOULDN'T BE REAL HIGH ON MY, MY LIST.
WHAT WOULD BE THE HIGHEST ON MY LIST WOULD BE TO GET COMMUNITY, UH, SHELTERS.
AND BY SHELTER, I MEAN, UH, TORNADO PROOF SHELTERS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN SUBSTANDARD HOUSING, ESPECIALLY, UH, THOSE WHO LIVE IN, IN TRAILER COURTS.
AND, AND, AND WHAT ABOUT PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN, IN, UH, APARTMENT BUILDINGS? UH, DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE INTERIOR OF A THIRD, UH, FLOOR APARTMENT, UH, IN THE, IN A, IN AN F FIVE TORNADO? I DON'T THINK SO.
SO PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN, IN APARTMENTS, CONDOMINIUMS, UM, PLACES WHERE THEY JUST DON'T HAVE, UH, A BASEMENT, UH, OR A TORNADO TORNADO SHELTER OF THEIR OWN TO GO TO NEED TO HAVE THIS KIND OF STRUCTURE FOR SOME REASON.
UM, H TWO OH, UH, LEFT SCHOOLS OUT COMPLETELY, APPARENTLY.
WE'RE JUST IGNORING SCHOOLS AS A, AS A PLACE WHERE WE SHOULD PROTECT KIDS AND TEACHERS.
AND I, I DON'T GET THAT, BUT, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT, THAT MIGHT BE LOOKED INTO.
SO, COMMISSIONER SCOTT, REAL QUICK, I, I WANT TO TIE THIS BACK TO CAUSE YOU HAVE A DRAFT MOTION.
SO I, I WANT TO GET IT TO WHERE WE CAN HAVE SOME Q AND A.
BUT I THINK PART OF THAT IS KIND OF FRAMING UP THAT MOTION AND, AND GREAT.
MAYBE BE THE DIRECTION YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT GOING AND, AND I THINK YOU HAVE THE MOTION THERE.
UM, UM, IT'S, IS IT ON THE, DO YOU HAVE A COPY OF IT? I SOMEWHERE
[01:55:01]
I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW, HOW TO GET TO THAT.WE'RE JUST MAYBE WALKING THROUGH KIND OF THE TRAJECTORY OF WHAT YOU'RE, Y'ALL ARE THINKING YEAH.
SO IT'S GETTING PULLED UP ON THE SCREEN, SO, UH, I CAN, I CAN READ IT IF YOU'D LIKE.
UH, COMMISSIONER BRIAN, GO AHEAD.
IT SAYS, WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IS REQUIRED TO ADVISE THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER ON ANY MATTERS THAT IMPACT THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND WELFARE AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL RESIDENTS WITHIN THE CITY'S INCORPORATED BOUNDARIES AND SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS MAY IMPACT THE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE ECONOMIC VITALITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN RECOMMENDS THE CITY RESIDENTS HAVE A FAMILY PLAN IN PLACE IN THE EVENT OF EXTREME WEATHER EMERGENCIES, INCLUDING TORNADOES.
AND THE CITY HAS IDENTIFIED STATE AND FEDERAL SOURCES OF, FOR FUNDING FOR IMPROVING THE INTEGRITY OF EXISTING AND NEW STRUCTURES.
WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR EMERGENCY PLANNING, GRANT FUNDING, PUBLIC SAFETY CAPABILITIES, AND WORKED WITH PARTNER ORGANIZATION TO ACCOMPLISH ITS GOALS.
WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN UPDATE OF 2021, ORIGINALLY DATED AUGUST 4TH, 2016, REFERENCES A FEMA LETTER DATE IS SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2021, APPROVING THE UPDATED PLAN.
AND SECTIONS 12 AND 18 OF THE PLAN DEFINED THE SCOPE AND RISK OF A TORNADO IN THE S AUSTIN METROPOLITAN AREA, SECTIONS 2324 AND 25 OF THE PLAN REFERENCES THE CITY'S MITIGATION STRATEGY AND RECOMMENDED ACTIONS.
THEREFORE, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION REQUESTS THE CITY OF AUSTIN HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PRESENT TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
ITS PROGRESS ON ACHIEVING ITS GOALS OUTLINED IN THE 2021 UPDATED AUSTIN HAZARDOUS MITIGATION PLAN, WHERE IT WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE LEAD DEPARTMENT AND PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS. THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT ALL NEW CITY OWNED LEASE OR FINANCE FACILITIES HAVE DESIGNATED TORNADO SHELTERS.
AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT ALL PUBLIC PARKING GARAGE ARE CAPABLE WITH STANDING A EF FIVE TORNADO, HAVE SIGNAGE DIRECTING THE PUBLIC TO DESIGNATED SAFE AREAS WITHIN THE GARAGE.
AND THAT'S THE END OF THE WELL.
AND, AND I WANT TO, K K KEEP GOING, BUT I WANTED TO GET TO KIND OF SOME OF THE FRAMEWORK OF, OF, OF KIND OF WHERE Y'ALL WERE, WERE WANTING TO, TO MOVE THIS.
AND, AND THE INTENT HERE IS TO, UM, BECAUSE THERE IS A DEPARTMENT WITHIN THE CITY WHOSE SOLE FUNCTION IS TO PROVIDE, UH, YOU KNOW, PROTECTION OR GUIDANCE FOR THE CITY IN MATTERS OF SAFETY IN THE EVENT OF ANY TYPE OF EMERGENCY, INCLUDING A WEATHER EMERGENCY, AND THEY HAVE PLANS FOR THAT.
WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THEM UPDATE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO, UH, AS THEY ACQUIRE PROPERTY FOR VARIOUS FUNCTIONS, YOU KNOW, GARAGES OR BUILDINGS SUCH AS THIS, THAT THEY EVALUATE THE FEASIBILITY OF IN, OF INCLUDING SAFE ZONES IN THOSE BUILDINGS FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING THEM, YOU KNOW, TORNADO SAFE ZONES.
AND THAT'S KIND OF A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE, THE WHOLE THING.
I MEAN, I, I THINK WE CAN KEEP TALKING.
I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF FRAME IT WHEN AND, AND, AND WHERE, WHERE YOU GUYS WANTED TO GO.
I THINK THAT'S, AND AND THAT'S A, YOU KNOW, THAT'S A SUMMARY OF THE WHOLE THING.
AND I THINK COMMISSIONER, UH, SCOTT WAS TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, SCOPE THE THING, AND YOU KNOW, BY SAYING THAT TORNADOES ARE SOMETHING THAT IS A LOT, ARE A LOT MORE COMMON IN THIS AREA.
AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, SHE MAY NOT HAVE MENTIONED IS THE ONE IN GERALD.
UH, YOU KNOW, I, I FORGET WHEN IT WAS, SHOWS YOU HOW LITTLE I 97, UH, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A VERY DEVASTATING ONE AND, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY WIPED OUT THE TOWN OF GERALD AND, UH, IT TOOK 'EM MANY, MANY YEARS TO REBUILD.
BUT IT IS A VERY DEVASTATING THING.
AND, UH, PEOPLE DO HA ARE UNDER THE MISCONCEPTION THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE IN A CITY, BECAUSE YOU'RE IN THE HILLS, BECAUSE OF ALL THESE THINGS, YOU'RE IMMUNE TO IT.
AND THAT'S NOT REALLY THE CASE.
UH, SO WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THOSE THINGS.
AND BECAUSE OF THE SCOPE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION IS TO PROTECT THE SAFETY OF THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, IT DOES COME INTO OUR PURVIEW, EVEN THOUGH WE ARE UNDER THE SHEPHERDING OF OUR FINE FOLKS AT THE, UH, WATERSHED PROTECTION, ELIZABETH FUNK WATERSHED.
CAN I HAVE CLARIFICATION ON WHO MADE THE MOTION AND IF IT WAS SECONDED? WELL, AND I THINK WE'RE STILL KIND OF TALKING.
[02:00:01]
I JUST WANTED, I WAS JUST ASKING KIND OF FOR THE, THE FRAMEWORK, CUZ I HAD READ MY, READ IT AHEAD OF TIME KNOWING KIND OF WHERE IT WAS GOING.SO I, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A, A MOTION THAT WE, IT'S BEEN READ, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A SECOND YET.
I THINK WE'RE STILL DISCUSSING, AND I WANTED TO GET TO OPEN IT UP TO Q AND A OF OF COURSE.
UH, SO ANYWAY, THAT'S KIND OF CONDENSED VERSION.
WELL, I WANT, I WANNA MAKE ONE POINT TO FOLKS, AND THAT'S THE, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT IT'S MORE DANGEROUS TO LIVE IN AUSTIN THAN IN OTHER PLACES.
THE HAZARD SCORE FROM FEMA TAKES INTO ACCOUNT HOW MUCH DAMAGE WOULD BE CREATED.
AND SO EVERY LARGE CITY IN AMERICA HAS A HIGH RISK BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH INFRASTRUCTURE BUILDINGS IN, IN HOMES AND WHATNOT.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S MORE DANGEROUS TO LIVE IN THOSE PLACES.
IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE THAT WOULD OCCUR IS LARGER IF YOU HAVE MORE STUFF TO DAMAGE.
UM, ANOTHER POINT TOO IS IT'S KIND OF UNFORTUNATE THAT THE CITY IS NOT GONNA GO FORWARD WITH A, UM, A NEW GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND ELECTION, UH, IN 2024.
USUALLY WE DO THAT ON EV EVERY SIX YEARS, BUT THAT WOULD'VE BEEN ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO GET, MAKE SURE THAT NEW FACILITIES, YOU KNOW, HAD MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR.
SO WE MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER COUPLE OF YEARS.
BUT THIS IS THE RECOMMENDATION.
THE POINT IS, I KNOW, BUT BRING BREAK.
WE NEED TO KEEP IT IN FRONT OF US, YOU KNOW, WELL, WE CAN KICK 'EM, WE CAN KICK 'EM IN THE REAR RIGHT.
AND ALSO THE, UM, UM, FOR SOME PROJECTS, AS MUCH AS 75% OF THE FUNDING CAN COME FROM, UM, UH, A FEMA, UH, GRANT.
SO THAT CAN, THAT CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE, UH, IF, IF WE GO AFTER THEM.
AND I'M CONCERNED THAT WE'RE NOT GOING AFTER THEM.
MY, MY MY POINT IS THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA BE STARTING ON NEW BUILDINGS UNTIL WE GET, HAVE ANOTHER GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND ELECTION.
SO NEW POLICE, FIRE, EMS STATIONS, LIBRARIES, ET CETERA, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER COUPLE YEARS TO GET STARTED ON NEW ONES.
BUT I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND, AND JUMP IN HERE.
UM, SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, SINCE COMMISSIONER SCOTT IS OUR PRESENTER THAT WE'RE TREATING, EVEN THOUGH IT FEELS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE HERE WITH OUR WONDERFUL OTHER COMMISSIONER THAT WE'RE TREATING THIS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER PRESENTATION INSTEAD OF A, AN OPEN-ENDED DISCUSSION.
SO IF THERE'S A QUESTION, COMMISSIONER SCOTT, UH, IS ANSWERING, UH, AND THEN, AND THEN KEVIN IS CALLING ON THE NEXT PERSON TO, TO HAVE A QUESTION.
I JUST WANNA JUMP IN THERE ON THAT POINT OF CLARIFICATION.
ARE WE NOW OPEN TO DISCUSSION OR ARE WE STILL IN THE PRESENTATION SECTION? MY GOSH, UH, UH, NO, I, I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE, UM, ASKING QUESTIONS OF THE PRESENTER, UM, AND PROBABLY PRESENTERS, UM, INCLUDING, UH, COMMISSIONER BRIMER AND THEN, UM, SEE IF WE HAVE A MOTION AND, OR WE HAVE A MOTION, SEE IF, SEE IF WE WANT TO REREAD IT OR JUST REFERENCE IT AND THEN GET A SECOND AND THEN HAVE SOME INTERNAL DISCUSSIONS KIND OF ON, ON HOW WE WANT TO VOTE OR WE DON'T WANNA VOTE KIND OF THING.
SO YEAH, MAYBE IF YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS, UH, KREI, UH, YOU, WE WILL GET MORE AND MORE STRUCTURED AND GO AROUND THE HORN.
UM, FIRST IS THE WORST, SECOND IS THE BEST.
APPRECIATE Y'ALL, UH, GIVING THIS PRESENTATION.
YOU KNOW, I ACTUALLY, UH, GREW UP IN WILLIAMSON COUNTY IN BRUSHY CREEK, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE SAME TORNADO OR THE SAME STORM THAT HAD THE TORNADO THAT HIT GERALD, UH, I WAS TALKING TO A FRIEND, UH, YOU KNOW, HE'S LIKE AN AMATEUR METEOROLOGIST, WHICH I BELIEVE THESE DAYS JUST MEANS YOU WATCH STORM CHASERS ON YOUTUBE.
UM, SO HE WAS ACTUALLY MENTIONING THAT THAT SAME TORNADO OR THAT SAME STORM HAD A TORNADO THAT ACTUALLY HIT CEDAR PARK AND KNOCKED OUT IN ALBERTSON'S.
BUT A LITTLE BIT CLOSER TO HOME, A LITTLE BIT LESS COUNTRY, YOU COULD SAY.
AND, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN, IN BRUSHY CREEK AROUND ROUND ROCK.
SO WHEN THE TORNADO CAME LAST YEAR, UH, YOU KNOW, I WAS PART OF THE CLEANUP EFFORTS, WHICH MEANS I WAS JUST PICKING UP TRASH ON THE STREETS.
IT WAS VERY AWESOME, NOT AWESOME, AND LIKE A RACK SETS, BUT LIKE LITERALLY INSPIRING ODYSSEY, JUST LIKE WHAT WAS ONCE OBVIOUSLY A HOUSE NOW JUST LIKE TRUE STREWN SHINGLES, WOOD CHIPS, PLASTIC TRASH.
UM, THANKFULLY NO LIVES WERE LOST, BUT IT WAS SORT OF JUST LIKE UNDERSCORING, YOU KNOW, THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I THINK PEOPLE ARE HESITANT FOR WHETHER A TORNADO WOULD ACTUALLY STRIKE SORT OF CENTRAL AUSTIN.
UM, WHETHER YOU WANT TO SAY IT'S, YOU KNOW, RAIN SHIELDS OR WHATEVER FROM LIKE THE HIGHWAYS AND FREEWAYS CREATING A HEAT ISLAND, OR IF YOU WANNA BE CONSPIRACY THEORIST AND
[02:05:01]
BLAME HARP, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, THE REALITY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, SORT OF THESE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS ARE GONNA CONTINUE.UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE CERTAINLY NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR THE WORST.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK ACTUALLY AT THE LAST JSC MEETING, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAD A PRESENTATION FROM, UH, A GUY IN TEMPE WHO WAS INVOLVED WITH TEMPE, ARIZONA, WHO WAS INVOLVED WITH THE GOVERNMENT AND WRITING UP GRANTS.
AND ONE THING THAT HE SUGGESTED WAS, YOU KNOW, TO GET INVOLVED ON LIKE A REGIONAL LEVEL, RIGHT? TO THINK PAST THE, THE CITY ORGANIZATION, RIGHT.
AND THINK ABOUT COUNTY MULTIPLE CITIES.
I THINK THIS IS CERTAINLY A FAIR EXAMPLE.
UH, YOU KNOW, I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL, MY PARENTS STILL LIVE OUT IN HAYES COUNTY, WHICH HAS, UH, A LITTLE BIT LESS RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS.
BUT I CERTAINLY THINK, YOU KNOW, SINCE AUSTIN ITSELF IS IN THE THREE COUNTIES OF, UH, TRAVIS WILLIAMSON HAYES, RIGHT.
YOU KNOW, ROPING IN THOSE COUNTY AGENCIES, YOU KNOW, ROPING, UH, IN, YOU KNOW, CITIES THAT HAVE ALREADY HAD TORNADOES HAPPEN, LIKE, YOU KNOW, A CEDAR PARK OR A ROUND ROCK THAT SORT OF STRADDLED THE BORDER OF TRAVIS AND WILLIAMSON.
UM, I THINK EVEN THIS LAST YEAR THERE WERE TORNADOES IN BASTROP COUNTY TOO, LIKE ELGAN, MAYBE BASTROP PROPER.
UM, SO I THINK CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, COORDINATING EFFORTS WITH THAT ORGANIZATION OR, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT COUNTY'S, UH, PERTINENT ORGANIZATIONS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA.
UM, I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST TALKING, I DID ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION.
SO FOR, UH, THE GRAPH THAT Y'ALL SHOWED FOR, UH, LEMME PLAY IT UP.
SO FOR THE GRAPH THAT Y'ALL SHOWED, FIRST OF ALL, I LEARNED WHAT DERECHO IS.
I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST THE OPPOSITE OF IDO THIS WHOLE TIME.
TURNS OUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ANOTHER DEFINITION OF IT.
SO THE MORE YOU KNOW, UH, IS THIS CHART LIKE ON THE, LIKE FOR THE NATION OR IS THIS FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS? UH, I WAS JUST CURIOUS.
THAT'S, IT'S FOR TRAVIS COUNTY.
WELL, PERHAPS NOT SO NICE SINCE IT'S A DISASTER CHART, BUT, UH, YEAH.
YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, THE, THE MATH KIND OF MATHS FOR ITSELF, RIGHT.
UH, THAT WAS THE ONLY QUESTION I HAD.
AND ALSO JUST, UM, TO THE POINT OF WE, WE ARE AT, AT MUCH HIGHER RISK THAN WE WOULD'VE BEEN IN, UM, A HUNDRED YEARS AGO FOR, UH, NUMBER OF LIVES LOST AND, AND THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE BECAUSE WE ARE SO DENSE.
BUT, UM, THAT'S NOT TRUE EVERYWHERE.
IT'S NOT TRUE WITH EVERY CITY IN THE COUNTRY.
IT'S JUST TRUE, UM, IN DENSE AREA, DENSELY POPULATED AREAS THAT ARE ALSO IN, UM, IN, UH, LIKELY TO BE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO
UM, I HAVE SOME COMMENTS FROM WHENEVER WE GET TO INTERNAL DISCUSSION, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I JUST HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS.
UM, I'M CURIOUS WHOM YOU ALL CONSULTED WHEN, UM, DRAFTING THIS RECOMMENDATION IN TERMS OF TALKING ABOUT, UH, HAVING DESIGNATED TORNADO SHELTERS AND, YOU KNOW, ITEMS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC GARAGES, SIGNAGE, THINGS LIKE THAT.
ALL OF THAT SOUNDS GREAT TO ME AS A LAYPERSON.
I'M JUST CURIOUS IF THESE ARE INDEED THE BEST PRACTICES FOR TORNADO SAFETY AT THIS POINT, OR IF WE NEED TO CONSULT SOME ARCHITECTS AND DESI YES.
EXPERTS ARE GREATLY NEEDED, UM, THE MOST, THE BEST PLACE TO HAVE A TORNADO SHELTER.
UH, OR WE, I, YOU KNOW, I SAY SHELTER, BUT THEY LIKE TO USE ANOTHER, UH, TERM BECAUSE SHELTER SOUNDS SO VAGUE, AND IT CAN MEAN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
BUT THE BEST PLACE TO HAVE A TORNADO SAFE HOUSE IS AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE IF A TORNADO IS COMING YOUR WAY, YOU MAY ONLY HAVE SECONDS.
SO, UM, UH, FEMA HAS, UM, UM, BULLETINS THAT, THAT GO INTO THE, UM, UH, THE BEST SAFE PRACTICES IN, IN GREAT DETAIL.
THERE'S A BULLETIN THAT CAN SHOW YOU, UH, HOW TO MAKE A DIY, UH, SHELTER IN YOUR HOME AND, AND WHAT WOULD BE REQUIRED 14 GAUGE STEEL, TWO, UM, TWO LAYERS OF, UH, THREE QUARTER INCH PLYWOOD.
UM, AND, UM, THEN, UH, A NUMBER OF, UH, UH, TWO BY SIX S PUT TOGETHER, UH, 12 INCHES ON CENTER AND THEN EIGHT INCHES
[02:10:01]
OF, UH, CONCRETE PORT ON TOP.SO, UM, IN OTHER WORDS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LITERAL FORTRESS.
AND, UM, FEMA APPROVED SAFE HOUSES, UM, HAVE NOT FAILED ONCE IN THE TORNADO, UH, BECAUSE THEY, THEY DO, THEY DO HAVE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS AT THE, UH, NATIONAL WIND INSTITUTE, WHICH IS IN, UM, UH, LUBBOCK, TEXAS AT THE, UM, STATE UNIVERSITY THERE.
AND I DID TALK, UM, FOR, AT SOME LENGTH, UH, UM, UH, ABOUT THREE TIMES WITH, UH, ONE OF THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS THERE WHO, WHO HELPED TO, UM, UH, WRITE THE FIRST, UM, UH, SUCH PROPOSAL FOR THE, UH, THE, THE DIY STRUCTURES.
UH, SO A LOT OF SCIENCE HAS, HAS GONE INTO THAT.
UM, AND IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT, UH, TO HAVE, UM, ANY KIND OF, ANY KIND OF, UH, STRUCTURE THAT'S GOING TO, TO ACT AS AN EMERGENCY SHELTER, BE AS CLOSE AS, AS IT IS POSSIBLE TO, TO GET IT, UM, SIMPLY BECAUSE, UM, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME YOU'RE GONNA HAVE.
SOMETIMES YOU MAY HAVE ALL DAY, AND OTHER TIMES IT MAY BE A MATTER OF LITERALLY SECONDS MORE TO THE POINT OF WHAT YOU'RE ASKING WITH REGARD TO THE, UH, TO THE PROPOSAL OR WHATEVER YOU CALL IT TO DIVE RED, IS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, LIFE IS FULL OF TRADE OFFS.
AND, YOU KNOW, IN A PERFECT WORLD, WE ALL HAVE STORM SHELTERS IN OUR BASEMENTS UNDERGROUND AS, AS COMMISSIONER SCOTT DID.
BUT FROM A PRACTICAL STANDPOINT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SIMPLY, SIMPLY LIMITED BY THE FUNDING THAT'S AVAILABLE.
SO WHAT YOU LOOK AT IS WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE BEST JOB YOU CAN DO WITH THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE? SO YOU CAN REINFORCE PUBLIC BUILDINGS WHERE YOU HAVE THE MOST PEOPLE THAT ARE AVAILABLE, OR, YOU KNOW, THE MOST PEOPLE ARE CONGREGATED AT SINGLE TIME.
AND SO IF YOU CONSTRUCT PUBLIC FACILITIES OR, YOU KNOW, OFFICE BUILDINGS OR THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT ARE ALREADY REINFORCED TO A CERTAIN DEGREE ANYWAY BECAUSE OF BUILDING CODES, THEN THAT MAKES IT ECONOMICALLY MORE FEASIBLE TO MAKE THEM SHELTERS THAN IT WOULD BE, SAY, A SINGLE FAMILY HOME.
NOW, IN A, LIKE I SAID, IN A PERFECT WORLD, YOU DO HAVE EVERY SINGLE FAMILY HOME THAT WAY, BUT THAT'S FINANCIALLY IMPRACTICAL.
SO, YOU KNOW, YOU DO WHAT'S PRACTICAL, YOU REINFORCE THINGS, YOU HAVE STRUCTURES THAT ARE ALREADY BUILT TO WITHSTAND A LOT OF FORCES AND THAT SORT OF THING.
SO WE'VE WORDED IT IN A WAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXISTING STRUCTURES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING LARGE FORCES LIKE THIS.
SO THAT'S THE WAY WE'VE DONE IT.
AND WE HAVE AN EXISTING ORGANIZATION WITH THE CITY THAT'S MANDATED BY THE CITY TO LOOK INTO THESE THINGS AND EXAMINE WHICH STRUCTURES THAT ARE CAPABLE OF DOING THAT.
AND THESE WOULD BE OBVIOUSLY CITY STRUCTURES THAT ARE EITHER LEASED OR BUILT UNDER CITY SPECIFICATIONS.
AND THOSE WOULD BE WHERE YOU START AND THEN YOU GO FROM THERE.
I THINK IT'S A MATTER OF, UM, HOW MUCH PUBLIC WILL IS THERE, AND, UM, PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, I DON'T THINK THERE'S MUCH.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO START SOMEWHERE.
UH, IT MAY VERY WELL TAKE, UM, UH, UH, CATASTROPHE ON A SCALE THAT I WOULD RATHER NOT EVEN, UH, HAVE A, AS A NIGHTMARE IN MY, IN MY WORST NIGHTMARES, UH, TO HAPPEN BEFORE PEOPLE, UM, GET RELIGION ON, ON THIS.
IT'S JUST, UM, IT'S JUST THE NATURE OF PEOPLE AND, UM, AND IT'S REALLY HARD TO, IT'S REALLY HARD TO, UM, TO PREACH, UH, RELIGION TO, UH, NON-BELIEVERS ON TORNADOES.
SO I'M, UH, WE'RE JUST GOING FOR WHAT WE CAN, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE CONVERSATION STARTED AND HOPING THAT AS PEOPLE BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH, UM, TORNADOES AND MORE FAMILIAR WITH WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN A TORNADO, THAT THERE'LL BE MORE PUBLIC, UM, INTEREST IN IT.
YEAH, ALL OF THAT MAKES SENSE.
I THINK I'M JUST NUMBER ONE, CURIOUS IF YOU ALL PERSONALLY CONSULTED ANY EXPERTS JUST IN THIS THEREFORE LANGUAGE.
I'M ESPECIALLY CURIOUS ABOUT THE PUBLIC PARKING GARAGES CAPABLE OF WITH STANDING IN E FIVE TORNADO.
LIKE, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THERE'S A PARKING GARAGE THAT CA THAT'S PHYSICALLY CAPABLE WITH STANDING A TORNADO, BUT ISN'T ACTUALLY A SAFE PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO BE BECAUSE OF AN OPENING?
[02:15:01]
THESE ARE THINGS THAT I AS A LAY PERSON DON'T KNOW.SO BEFORE WE SEND OVER LANGUAGE TO CITY COUNCIL, I WOULD JUST WANNA KNOW THAT WHAT WE ARE SENDING OVER IS EVIDENCE BASED.
AND IF NOT THAT WE MAKE THE LANGUAGE MORE VAGUE TO SAY UPDATES ARE MADE BY THE RECOMMENDATION OF X, Y, Z, CERTAINLY EXPENSE.
I, YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH MORE CAUTIOUSLY WORDING IT TO SAY, EVALUATE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT A GIVEN THAT EVERY, EVERY TIME YOU PUT UP A PARKING GARAGE, IT'S GOING TO WITHSTAND ANYTHING.
UH, I MEAN, WE'VE HAD CARS FALL OUT OF PARKING GARAGES BECAUSE OF WHATEVER THE REASON IS, BECAUSE THE, THE RESTRAINTS AREN'T SUFFICIENT.
SO IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, CLEARLY NOT EVERY PARKING GARAGE, NEVER, NOT EVERY BUILDING IS BUILT TO WITHSTAND EVERY FORCE THAT'S PUT UPON IT.
UH, HOWEVER, UH, YOU KNOW, SO IT, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, INSERT LANGUAGE TO SAY, EVALUATE EXISTING STRUCTURES FOR THEIR ABILITY TO WITHSTAND, YOU KNOW, FORCES UP TO EF SOMETHING.
UH, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA JUMP IN HERE REALLY QUICK TOO, JUST I WANNA CLARIFY SOMETHING.
BECAUSE IN THE, UH, IN THE MOTION THAT WAS READ EARLIER, UM, BUT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE STILL SORT OF, OF AHEAD OF OURSELVES IN THE DISCUSSION.
UM, THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, UM, CANNOT DICTATE BUILDING CODE THAT'S WELL OUTSIDE OF OUR PURVIEW THAT IS WELL OUTSIDE OF OUR SCOPE AND OUR MISSION HERE.
UM, SO THAT LAST PART OF, OF ON THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I WOULD, I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT WE TAKE THAT OUT OR COMPLETELY REWORD IT OR DO SOMETHING, THE FIRST PART, WHICH IS ASKING OTHER COMMISSIONERS TO COME AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MAKE PRESENTATIONS AND CATCH US UP AND STUFF.
SO I JUST WANNA POINT THAT OUT BECAUSE AT THE YEAH.
ON THE VERY, THE VERY PART OF THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO SOME OF THE NEW COMMISSIONERS.
I MEAN, THAT FALLS WELL OUTSIDE OF OUR SCOPE.
WELL, I DON'T THINK, YOU KNOW, TO ADDRESS THAT POINT, WE'RE NOT ASKING TO CHANGE THE BUILDING CODE.
WE'RE SAYING THAT I, I BELIEVE THE INTENT, AND IT MAY BE PHRASED IMPROPERLY.
I THINK THE INTENT OF IT IS TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS A BUILDING THAT IS CAPABLE OF DOING THIS, THEN WE SHOULD LABEL IT AS, SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A, THERE'S YOU WERE SAYING, RECOMMENDS THAT ALL NEW CITY OWNED LEASE OR FINANCED FACILITIES HAVE THE DESIGNATED TORNADO SHELTER.
AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT ALL PUBLIC PARKING GARAGES CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING A, UM, E FIVE TORNADO, HAVE SIGNAGE DIRECTING THE PUBLIC TO DESIGNATED SAFE AREAS WITHIN THE GARAGE THAT IS RECOMMENDING THAT THEY CHANGE HOW THEY DO THINGS.
AND IT'S RECOMMENDING A, A PRETTY SEVERE AND SERIOUS, UM, CITY INVESTMENT IN THESE THINGS.
SO I JUST WANNA, WELL, I UNDERSTAND IT CAN BE, IT CAN BE REWARDED AND YOUR INTENT MIGHT NOT BE THERE, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS.
AND IF YOU BELIEVE THAT AN E F FIVE IS TOO STRONG OF A, OF A WHOA, OF A METRIC, TO ME IT HAS TO BE AN E F FIVE BECAUSE, UH, FIBA WON'T, UH, OKAY.
IT'S GOTTA BE, HERE'S THE WAY IT WORKS.
IF WE CAN GET HER TO SAY, AN EF TWO AND WE GET TO PASS, THEN IT PASSES.
OR IF WE LEAVE IT E FIVE AND IT DOESN'T PASS, THEN WE GET NOTHING.
WELL, IT MAKES, IT'S GOTTA BE AN A BINARY THING WHERE WE GET TO NEGOTIATE IT TO WHERE IT PASSES OR WE CAN GET IT TO WHERE IT, IT DOESN'T PASS.
DON'T, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA GET ORGANIZED HERE A LITTLE BIT BETTER, JUST CUZ I HAVEN'T, SO I'M GONNA HOLD ONE SECOND.
IF YOU'VE GOT QUESTIONS, FIND ME, I'LL CALL ON US AND WE'LL GET A LITTLE MORE ORGANIZED HERE FOR THE NEXT LITTLE BIT.
THEN WE'LL MOVE TO DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE MOTION.
SO OVERALL, I MEAN, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, HAZARDS IN OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANNING FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND SO I'M REALLY JUST LOOKING AT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
AND I DON'T CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE AN EXPERT.
UM, IF ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE WERE ASKING FOR THE, UM, A PRESENTATION ON OUR HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN, ASKING FOR A PRESENTATION ON OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN, AND THAT THERE IS EDUCATION IDENTIFYING FACILITIES THAT, UM, WE ALL,
[02:20:01]
WE KNOW WE ALREADY USE SCHOOLS.I, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE ASKING FOR IDENTIFICATION OF TORNADO, UM, SHELTERS.
THAT'S, THAT SOUNDS, UM, FINE TO ME.
LIKE WHAT IS ALREADY IN EXISTENCE? WHAT IS OUR CURRENT PLAN? UM, YOU'VE PREVIOUSLY ASKED LIKE, HOW, UM, ARE WE APPLYING FOR FEMA GRANTS? I THINK THESE ARE THE KIND OF QUESTIONS THAT WE JUST NEED TO START WITH MM-HMM.
UM, AND, AND SO I'D LIKE TO RE REFRAME THE MOTION SO THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR EDUCATION ON THESE SPECIFIC, UM, ITEMS. I THINK THAT MAKES A, A LOT OF, UH, SENSE.
UM, UH, IT, IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T HURT TO, I IDENTIFY, UM, EXISTING POTENTIAL SHELTERS.
AND THE, AND THE, THE THING IS THAT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BE, UM, DESIGNATED, UH, WOULD TAKE SOMEBODY THAT HAS, UH, FEMA CERTIFICATION TO DO IT, AND THEY WOULDN'T CERTIFY IT FOR ANYTHING.
BUT, UH, AN EFFI BECAUSE, UM, BECAUSE THERE, BECAUSE, UM, THERE'S JUST NO HALF MEASURES.
IF IT'S GOT A FEMA STAMP OF APPROVAL, IT'S, IT'S GOTTA BE AN E F FIVE BECAUSE IT'S GOTTA BE RATED TO WITHSTAND 250 MILE PER HOUR WINDS.
AND, UM, OTHERWISE YOU'RE JUST NOT, YOU DON'T KNOW UNTIL AFTER THE FACT.
THEY LITERALLY, IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH A RATING, THEY SENT PEOPLE OUT TO SEE HOW FAR DID THE LITTER GO, YOU KNOW, DID THE DEBRIS FIELD GO? AND THEY HAVE A WHOLE NUMBER OF PARAMETERS THAT THEY LOOK AT BECAUSE THEY, THEY CAN'T, UH, THEY, THEY CAN'T TELL HOW MUCH WIND IT WAS AND WHAT THE RATING WAS UNTIL AFTER THE FACT.
SO WHEN YOU GET A TORNADO WARNING, UM, YOUR BEST, UH, YOU HAD BEST CONSIDERED THAT IT COULD BE ANYTHING FROM AN EF ZERO TO AN EF FIVE.
AND, AND, AND YOU SHOULD ACT ACCORDINGLY.
SO OUR, OUR CURRENT, UH, STANDARD FOR WHAT PEOPLE ARE TOLD IS TO GO TO THE INTERIOR OF THEIR HOUSE BECAUSE THAT'S BASICALLY ALL THAT IS AVAILABLE TO MOST PEOPLE.
AND WE ALL KNOW THAT THAT IS NOT GOING TO, UH, SAVE PEOPLE IF IT'S, UH, IF IT'S A SEVERE, UH, RATE IN STORM.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S MY CONCERN.
BUT I THINK THAT, THAT WE HAVE TO GO A LONG WAY IN TERMS OF EDUCATION.
WE HAVE TO GO A LONG WAY IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, KICKING THE BUTTS OF SOME, UH, PEOPLE TO GET, UH, FEMA GRANTS, UH, APPROVED SO THAT WE CAN START GETTING SOME, UH, STRUCTURES BUILT, GET SOME, UH, GET SOMETHING DONE.
AND, UH, THAT'S REALLY THE STARTING POINT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR, OKAY.
AND WHAT I WOULD PROPOSE WE DO IS, THANK YOU, UH, UM, I WOULD PROPO PROPOSE THAT WE, UH, WITH THE MOTION THAT'S ALREADY BEEN READ, THAT WE ALL HAVE IN FRONT OF US, SEE IF WE GET A SECOND, UM, UH, BRIER, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA ASSUME THAT YOU'RE GONNA PRESENT THAT MOTION AS READ, OR DO YOU WANT SCOTT TO OF COURSE, BE BE ON RECORD? I, I'LL LET, OKAY, I'LL LET COMMISSIONER SCOTT, JENNIFER.
NO, NO, THIS IS JUST, I MEAN, I CAN'T MAKE THIS, I CAN'T MAKE A, I CAN'T MAKE AMENDMENTS TO THE MOTION THAT'S ALREADY OUT THERE.
UH, DOES, DOES ANYONE, WE'RE GONNA SAY IT'S OFFICIALLY FROM COMMISSIONER SCOTT.
UM, DOES ANYONE WANT TO SECOND THAT MOTION AS WRITTEN, AS PRESENTED, AS EMAILED OUT TO US? I'LL GO AHEAD AND SET IT.
SO NOW WE'RE DISCUSSING, AND I'M GONNA TRY THIS.
TELL ME WHEN I DO IT WRONG, ELIZABETH.
UM, WE'LL DISCUSS, AND IF ANYONE WANTS TO PROPOSE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION WITH PRESUMABLY REVISED LANGUAGE AND THE THEREFORE CLAUSE, UM, I THINK THAT WOULD PROBABLY BE HOW WE WOULD CHANGE IT INSTEAD OF AN ADDING TO IT, BECAUSE IT WOULD BE SUBSTANTIVELY DIFFERENT.
UM, SO BEFORE WE DO THAT, LET'S GO AROUND AND KIND OF, UH, EFFICIENTLY, IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU WANNA PRESENT TO PEOPLE ON KIND OF WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, WHAT YOU'RE LEANING, OR YOUR CONCERNS OR YOUR THINGS THAT YOU LIKE.
LET'S DO THAT STARTING WITH YOU.
YEAH, I MEAN, UH, I THINK THE MOTION, UH, ASKS FOR SOME VERY GOOD THINGS.
UM, I'M NOT THE, THE BIGGEST SEMANTICS GUYS, SO, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE WHETHER LEGALLY OR
[02:25:01]
WHATEVER THE, THE LEGALESE TERM FOR LEGALLY WOULD BE, IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE.WHAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO, WHAT WE CAN'T DO.
UM, AS I STATED EARLIER, I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO TRY TO ROPE SOME, UH, OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL BODIES IN ON THIS.
BUT AGAIN, THAT MIGHT BE OUTSIDE OUR PURVIEW TO ASK, YOU KNOW, A CITY, UH, DEPARTMENT OR ORGANIZATION, HEY, WORK WITH THE COUNTY, WORK WITH SOME OTHER COUNTY, YOU KNOW.
SO, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER THAT'S A, A LOGICAL THING TO ASK OR NOT, BUT I THINK, UH, IN MY HEAD IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA, YOU KNOW? SO, UH, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH MY THOUGHTS ON IT, BUT YEAH, I SUPPORT IT.
UM, I AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER SHEIRA.
UM, IN TERMS OF, I THINK A GOOD STARTING POINT FOR US IS TO ASK THE CITY TO PRESENT ON WHAT CURRENT, UM, YOU KNOW, PLAN IS AVAILABLE.
WHAT, UM, WHAT THINGS ARE IN PLACE.
UM, DURING THE PRESENTATION, I DID REVIEW THE CITY WEBSITE, THE COUNTY WEBSITE.
UM, TRAVIS COUNTY DOES HAVE A HAZARD MITIGATION PLAN FROM 2017.
THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS A HAZARD MITIGATION ACTION PLAN FROM 2021.
BOTH DID MENTION, UM, TORNADOES AND GAVE HISTORICAL DATA AND LISTED VULNERABILITIES, BUT NOTABLY DID NOT GIVE DETAILS ABOUT WHAT WE CAN OR SHOULD BE DOING TO HELP PREPARE OURSELVES FOR THAT DISASTER.
UM, AND THE TRAVIS COUNTY WEBSITE, OR EXCUSE ME, FEMA DIRECTS THOSE IN TRAVIS COUNTY TO GO TO THE QUOTE, DISASTER READY AUSTIN WEBSITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT CAN BE DONE.
WHEN I LOOKED AT THAT, IT GAVE PLANS FOR QUOTE, BASIC DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, SMALL BUSINESS DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, FIRST AID, FLASH, FLOOD, WILDFIRE, SEVERE WEATHER PANDEMIC, HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, AND DID NOT LIST TORNADO.
SO IF THERE ARE PLANS IN EXISTENCE REGARDING TORNADO, WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT THE WEBSITES ARE NOT MAKING THAT INFORMATION EASILY ACCESSIBLE.
SO I THINK THAT COULD BE A QUESTION, YOU KNOW, THAT WE WOULD HAVE FOR CITY STAFF WHO COME TO, TO PRESENT TO US.
UM, SO THOSE ARE MY MAIN, MY MAIN NOTES.
SHERIFF, YOU GOT ANY THOUGHTS? SO, UM, I GUESS JUST WANTING TO KIND OF GET TO THE POINT, UM, CAN WE, CAN I MAKE A MOTION TO REMOVE THE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS STARTING AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT ALL NEW CITY OWN LEASE OR FINANCE FACILITIES HAVE A DESIGNATED TORNADO SHELTER, AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDS THAT THE PUBLIC PARKING GARAGES HAVE THE SIGNAGE, JUST REMOVING THAT SECOND.
SO WE HAVE A, SO WE HAVE A, A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, UM, TO CHANGE THE, THE THEREFORE CLAUSE TO ONLY HAVE THE FIRST TWO COMPONENTS AND NOT THE THIRD AND FOURTH COMPONENTS MOTION BY SHERA AND SECOND AND BY NICHOLS.
SO NOW, DO WE IMMEDIATELY VOTE ON THAT, ELIZABETH? AND IF IT PASSES, THEN IT MOVES FORWARD, AND IF IT DOESN'T PASS, THEN IT DIES AND WE GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS
WELL, YEAH, LET, LET, LET'S HAVE SOME, UH, I, I DON'T WANNA GO ALL THE WAY AROUND THE HORN ON IT, BUT, BUT IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUBSTANTIVE POINTS THAT YOU, BUT YEAH, YEAH.
UM, IF YOU DON'T MIND, USE THAT, THAT MICROPHONE RIGHT THERE RELATED TO, OR PERTAINING TO THE, THE, I GUESS THE REMOVAL OF THOSE CLAUSES.
I, UM, GIVEN THE, THE, THE, UH, QUESTION ABOUT, UM, WHETHER WE HAVE THE, UH, AUTHORITY TO, UM, TO, UH, HAVE NEW, UM, TO DIRECT NEW BUILDINGS TO BE, UM, EQUIPPED WITH A DESIGNATED, UH, TORNADO SHELTER, UM, I, I WOULD, UH, I'D RATHER SEE, UM, UM, A MOTION THAT INCLUDES, UM, TAKES OUT THAT PART, BUT, BUT LEAVES IN THE PART ABOUT, UH, IDENTIFYING, UH, AREAS AND, AND, AND PUTTING UP SIGNAGE FOR AREAS THAT WOULD BE, WOULD BE, UH, UH, HELPFUL JUST BECAUSE
[02:30:01]
THERE'RE ALREADY PROBABLY SOME AREAS THERE, BUT IT'S JUST, RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T KNOW, SO, OKAY.SO, SO TO IT TO LEAVE THE FOURTH ONE IN WOULD BE, YEAH.
WELL, LET'S KEEP DISCUSSING AND THEN WE'LL VOTE ON THIS SUBSTITUTE MOTION, AND IF IT DOESN'T SURVIVE THAT VOTE, THEN WE'LL, WE'LL KEEP GOING.
UH, I WOULD SAY MAYBE IF YOU WANNA LEAVE THAT PART IN, MAYBE INSTEAD OF SAYING PARKING GARAGES OR BUILDINGS, JUST SAY AREA, BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE IF PEOPLE THINK THAT IT'S LIKE A BUILDING CODE THING, THEN WE CAN'T TOUCH THAT.
BUT IF YOU SAY AREA, THEN MAYBE THIS IS LIKE A, A MORE GENERAL RECOMMENDATION.
BUT, UH, AGAIN, I'M NOT THE EXPERT ON THIS.
UH, BSING
A BROKEN CLOCK IS RIGHT TWICE A DAY.
UH, ALL RIGHT, LET'S, LET'S, UH, LET'S VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION THAT'S PRESENTED.
SO EVERYTHING'S THE SAME EXCEPT THE THIRD AND FOURTH CLAUSES OF THE THEREFORE, UM, STATEMENT.
ARE ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THIS SUBSTITUTE MOTION? UM, RAISE YOUR HAND.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED? ALL THOSE ABSTAINING.
SO WE'VE GOT ALL NINE, I BELIEVE, FOR THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION AND ONE ABSTENTION, WHICH IS, UH, COMMISSIONER SCOTT.
SO THAT MOTION PASSES AND WE'RE DONE WITH THIS ACTION, THIS ITEM, IS THAT CORRECT? OKAY.
SO, SO THE POINT IS THAT WE WILL INVITE THE, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICE TO PRESENT TO US.
JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE WATCHING KNOW THAT THAT IS WHAT OUR MOTION IS ABOUT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO THIS BODY, WE CAN ALWAYS BRING IT UP TO THEM THERE.
AND GET SOLID ANSWERS SO WE CAN JUST DRILL THEM ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF DRILLING EACH OTHER ABOUT IT.
AND ELIZABETH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND, AND, AND, AND WHEN YOU'RE SUBMITTING THAT REQUEST TO HAVE THEM GET THIS INFORMATION THAT THIS WAS C SEVERAL OF THE ITEMS THAT WE WERE DISCUSSING KIND OF ABOUT.
THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONERS, UH, VERY MUCH APPRECIATE.
[COMMITTEE REPORTS]
TO COMMITTEE REPORTS.UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY COMMITTEE REPORTS? ALL RIGHT.
THE, THE ONE COMMITTEE THAT I'M ON CANCELED THAT'S MEETING
WELCOME TO COMMITTEE LIVE COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN.
UM, ALRIGHT, UM, HAVING NO, UH, COMMITTEE REPORTS, ANY FUTURE AGENDA
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
ITEMS? THERE WAS A AGENDA ITEM THAT I BROUGHT UP VIA EMAIL.UH, IT GOT SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BREMER.
UM, YEAH, I MEAN, I'M CURIOUS TO GET OTHER PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS ABOUT IT UNLESS WE'RE WAITING UNTIL NEXT MEETING TO GET PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS ABOUT IT.
SO YEAH, IF YOU, IF YOU DON'T MIND, UH, JUST CUZ UH, THE GENERAL PUBLIC ISN'T GONNA KNOW THAT EMAIL, BUT SO, SO GIVE US A SUMMARY.
SO, YOU KNOW, UM, I'M GONNA TRY TO BE AS NEUTRAL ABOUT THIS AS POSSIBLE.
UM, SO THE CURRENT INTERIM CITY MANAGER HAS ANNOUNCED RETURN TO OFFICE OR RESCINDING WORK FROM HOME FOR CITY EMPLOYEES STARTING OCTOBER.
PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
AND, UM, I THINK GETTING AN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF RESCINDING THE WORK FROM HOME INITIATIVES FOR CITY EMPLOYEES, GIVEN HOW MUCH WE HEAR ABOUT TRYING TO CUT DOWN ON TRAFFIC, REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, STUFF LIKE THAT.
UM, I'M SURE YOU COULD ARGUE FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, RETURN TO OFFICE SAYING THAT IT WILL ECONOMICALLY STIMULATE AREAS WHERE CITY EMPLOYEES WILL BE WORKING.
UM, SO I WOULD JUST LIKE IT ALL TO BE QUANTIFIED SO WE CAN MAKE A DATA DRIVEN DECISION INSTEAD OF, UH, PLEASE PARDON ME, BUT AN OLD PERSON DRIVEN DECISION.
SO, UM, YEAH, WELL, YOU KNOW, YOU DID, UH, SECOND MY MOTION, SO YEAH, YOU CAN FOR SURE.
[02:35:01]
BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY I DON'T MEAN TO SPEAK FOR ANY CITY EMPLOYEES HERE.UH, I'VE SEEN WHAT WE'LL CALL OF VARYING, VARYING RESPONSES FROM CITY EMPLOYEES JUST BASED ON, YOU KNOW, SOCIAL MEDIA AND BY SOCIAL MEDIA, I MEAN REDDIT.
UM, SO YEAH, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL PASSIONATELY ABOUT.
UH, I THINK OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, GIVEN THE, THE DRIVE TO PROMOTE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF SUSTAINABLE WAYS OF LIFE, WHICH INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, OFFICE LIFE, UM, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING TO LOOK INTO.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY I SECOND INTO HIS MOTION BECAUSE I DON'T, ASIDE FROM BEING AN OLD GUY, UH, YOU'RE A COOL OLD GUY.
YOU'VE, YOU GOT THE BOG SHIRT SOMEWHERE, SO YOU KNOW, YOU GOT THE COSIGN.
YOU'VE, YOU'VE FIXED ALL YOUR PROBLEMS. UH, I DON'T SEE ANY REASON TO PUT A BUNCH OF CARS BACK ON THE ROAD UNLESS THERE'S A DEMONSTRATED NEED TO PUT A BUNCH OF CARS BACK ON THE ROAD.
UH, SO, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO SEE SOMEONE PROVE THERE'S A REASON TO PUT ALL THOSE CARS BACK ON THE ROAD.
AND IT'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, CUZ THERE'S SPEWING OUT AIR POLLUTANTS ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR NO APPARENT REASON.
AND IF THERE'S NOT A, YOU KNOW, A DEMONSTRABLE IMPROVEMENT IN PRODUCTIVITY OR IF WE CAN'T SHOW THERE'S A PRODUCTIVITY LOSS OR SOME SORT OF A LOSS IN CITY SERVICES BY NOT HAVING PEOPLE BE IN THE OFFICE SOMEPLACE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN THERE'S NO REASON TO, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IT BECOMES AN ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.
UM, SO ELIZABETH, IF YOU DON'T MIND, I'LL PUT YOU ON THE SPOT HERE, BUT IT, AND I'M NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THE ACTION, BUT IT IS AN, AN EXECUTIVE ACTION BY THE CITY MANAGER, OR IS THERE A, IS THERE, IS THAT, IS THERE A COUNCIL RESOLUTION THAT NEEDS TO BE, WHAT, WHAT'S THE STEPS THAT FOLLOW THIS, THE STATEMENT THAT WAS MADE? I GUESS I WOULD SAY THAT YOU COULD DO A SIMILAR, UM, PROCESS, UM, AS WE'VE SEEN RECENTLY, UM, BY ADDING AN AGENDA ITEM AND HAVING A RESOLUTION PUT FORWARD THAT WOULD THEN BE FORWARDED TO THE, I GUESS CITY MANAGER OR CITY COUNCIL.
I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW THAT WOULD WORK.
THEN LET'S MAYBE SO IT, SO WE DON'T DISCUSS TOO MUCH WITHOUT IT ON THE AGENDA NOW.
LET'S, UH, UM, YEAH, LET'S, LET'S MAYBE GET THAT ON FOR YOUR AGENDA ITEM AND SEE IF WE CAN, UH, ONE, MAYBE GET SOME INPUT FROM STAFF ON WHO COMES, WHO STAYS HOME AND THAT THE FRAMEWORK OF THAT AND THEN WHAT, WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IN THE, UH, UNDER, UH, I GUESS THE EVERYBODY COME TO WORK FRAMEWORK.
UH, JUST FOR CLARITY, THE RESOLUTION WOULD BE THAT CITY COUNCIL COULD DIRECT CITY MANAGER TO HAVE THE STUDY.
WELL, I THINK CITY COUNCIL WOULD JUST ASK SOME DEPARTMENT TO DO THE STUDY.
DOES IT HAVE TO BE THE CITY MANAGER? RIGHT? BECAUSE THE CITY COUNCIL CAN DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO DO SOMETHING, BUT IT'S LIKE, UNLESS THEY HAVE ANY DATA, WHY WOULD THEY GO THAT WAY IN THE FIRST PLACE? SO I THINK TELLING THEM, WELL, NOT TELLING THEM, RECOMMENDING TO THEM, RIGHT, THAT WE DO THIS STUDY, UM, GIVES US MORE OF AN IDEA OF LIKE, HEY, IS THIS REALLY NECESSARY? IS THIS LIKE A NET POSITIVE FOR THE CITY OR A NET NEGATIVE? RIGHT? SO THE, UH, THE CITY EMPLOYEES WORK FOR THE CITY MANAGER.
THE CITY MANAGER WORKS FOR CITY COUNCIL.
CITY COUNCIL OF COURSE WORKS FOR THE CITY AND WELL, WE ALL WORK FOR THE CITY.
AND SO, UM, CITY COUNCIL CANNOT DIRECT STAFF TO DO ANYTHING, BUT THEY CAN PASS RESOLUTIONS DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO THEN, UM, HAVE THEIR STAFF DO THINGS.
THAT'S JUST THE GENERAL PROCESS, OR WE JUST SHOW UP WITH TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS.
UH, WOULD WE HAVE SOMEONE FROM HR PRESENT TO US OR WHO WOULD COME AND I MEAN, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THAT ANY STAFF WOULD BE ABLE TO PRESENT MM-HMM.
BUT I MEAN, LET'S SAY WE POSTPONED IT TWO MEETINGS JUST, JUST TO PRETEND.
WOULD WE HAVE SOMEONE FROM SOME CITY DEPARTMENT PRESENT OR WILL WE JUST DISCUSS IT AMONGST OURSELVES? I THINK IT WOULD BE A DISCUSSION AMONGST YOURSELVES AND, AND, AND WITH THE, WITH THE RECOMMENDATION OR THE, THE STEPS WOULD BE TO POSSIBLY PASS A RES UH, A RECOMMENDATION THAT THE STUDY IS CONDUCTED.
[02:40:01]
COUNSEL ASKS THE WORDS THAT LIZ SAID, BETTER THAN I CAN, UM, DIRECTS THE CITY MANAGER TO DIRECT STAFF OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, UM, TO CONDUCT THAT STUDY WITH SOME ELEMENT OF LANGUAGE POSSIBLY IN THERE ABOUT THE JUSTIFICATION AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF IT.SO I'M GONNA BE LOOKING TO OTHER PEOPLE TO FRAME UP THAT LANGUAGE.
AND KREK, I WILL HELP YOU WITH THAT LANGUAGE.
UH, COMMISSIONER BRIMER ALSO HELPED, YOU KNOW, GUY LEAN ON THE, UH, SMART PEOPLE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I APPRECIATE, UH, ANY AND ALL HELP.
ANY OTHER, UH, FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? I HAVE A PROPOSAL.
UM, SO I THINK MOST OF YOU'RE AWARE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL IS IN, YOU KNOW, ABOUT TO ADOPT A NEW BUDGET.
UM, AND THERE'S A COALITION OF 40 ORGANIZATIONS, ENTITIES, UH, BUSINESSES UNDER, UH, THE UMBRELLA OR UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF EQUITY ACTION, UM, THAT HAVE SUBMITTED A COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUDGET PROPOSAL THAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR BUY-IN FROM, FROM COMMISSIONS IN PARTICULAR.
UM, SIERRA CLUB IS ONE OF THE 40 THAT ARE INCLUDED, UM, WHO ARE SUPPORTING THIS BUDGET PLAN.
AND I DON'T OFF THE TOP OF MY HAND, OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD KNOW THE OTHER, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL ORGS THAT ARE INVOLVED, BUT I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE, UM, REQUEST A PRESENTATION FROM DANIELLA SILVA WHO IS SPEARHEADING, UM, THIS PROJECT AND IS KIND OF THE FACE OF THIS PROJECT.
I KNOW THAT SHE'S PRESENTING TO SOME OTHER COMMISSIONS, UM, TO SEE IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO LEND OUR SUPPORT TO AND ASK THAT COUNSEL, UH, YOU KNOW, RECOMMEND THIS BUDGET, WHICH IS $107 MILLION THAT THEY'RE ASKING FOR.
AND LAST YEAR, UM, THIS GROUP ASKED FOR, I BELIEVE 73 MILLION, 35 MILLION OF WHICH COUNCIL THEN DID ULTIMATELY ADOPT.
UM, AND IT INCLUDES A WHOLE NUMBER, YOU KNOW, FUNDING FOR ALL MANNER OF THINGS FROM HOUSING TO HEALTHCARE.
SO, UM, JUST WANTED TO THROW THAT OUT THERE FOR THE GROUP.
WHEN'S THE COUNCIL GONNA VOTE ON THE BUDGET, UH, UH, BUDGET ADOPTION PROCESS? IT TYPICALLY OCCURS IN OC, UM, AUGUST.
COULD WE OH, I WAS GONNA SECOND HER AND WE NEED TWO PEOPLE TO YEAH, CORRECT.
NO, MY, I DON'T MIND YOU SECONDING.
MY, MY QUESTION WAS A PROCEDURAL ONE WAS DO WE HAVE TIME TO GET THIS ON THE CALENDAR BEFORE COUNCIL VOTES ON IT? UM, I WOULD DEFER TO ELIZABETH, BUT I BELIEVE THERE WOULD BE OPPORTUNITIES.
ALRIGHT, I'LL, I'LL SECOND IT.
I THOUGHT NO, I, I TRY TO, TRY TO KEEP IT UHUH.
YEAH, UH, IF YOU DON'T MIND, CATCH UP WITH ELIZABETH ON THE DETAILS OF THAT PRESENTATION AND LANGUAGE OF THE, OF THE, OF THE AGENDA ITEM.