[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:19]
SET, HEATHER, IS YOUR CAMERA WORKING? ALL RIGHT.
I THINK WE GOT EVERYBODY THERE.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
CITIZENS SIGNED UP TO COMMUNICATE WITH US TONIGHT, WHICH IS WONDERFUL.SO I THINK WE'LL, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ROHAN, DO YOU HAVE THEIR NAMES? IT'S JUST, OKAY, WELCOME.
GREETINGS, ALL MY NAME IS SANTIAGO, OR PLEASE CALL ME SANTIAGO.
I'VE, UH, I HAVEN'T SPOKEN TO THIS GROUP YET.
UM, I'VE SPOKEN TO A LOT OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, UH, OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS.
UM, I'VE GOT, UM, PROBABLY AT THIS POINT, SEVERAL HUNDRED HOURS, UH, VOLUNTEERING WITH AN ORGANIZATION HERE IN TOWN CALLED FESTIVAL BEACH FOOD FOREST.
UM, I'M ONE OF THE CORE VOLUNTEER MEMBERS AND, UM, THERE'S BEEN SOME INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS LATELY.
UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OF YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT THIS.
UH, IT'S A, A PERMACULTURE DEMONSTRATION GARDEN ON PUBLIC PARK LAND.
UM, THERE'S AN AGREEMENT GOING FORWARD TO EXPAND FROM TWO THIRDS OF AN ACRE TO THREE ACRES.
UM, IT'S LOCATED AT, UM, EDWARD RENDON PARK, SO I 35 AND TOWN LAKE.
UM, ONE OF OUR WORKING GROUPS THAT HAS BEEN, UH, EMERGED LATELY IS, UH, BEEN WITH REGARD TO RESPONDING TO TXTS I 35 PROPOSAL.
UM, ONE OF MY KEY, UH, COMPLAINTS HAS BEEN TO LOOK AT A PECAN GROVE, UH, THAT IS LOCATED IN EDWARD RENDON PARK AND IS BEING, UH, THREATENED BY A, UM, TEMPORARY NON-CONFORMING USE, UH, AS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND TEXAS PARK AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT.
AND, UH, TXDOT REP, UH, RECOGNIZES THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING CALLED THE LAND OF WATER CONSERVATION FUND IN 1965, WHICH, UH, GAVE MONEY TO PROPERTIES AND THAT, UH, TO PROTECT THAT INVESTMENT IN THOSE, UM, PROPERTIES.
UH, THIS CLAUSE, UM, REQUIRES WHAT'S CALLED THE SECTION SIX F CONVERSION.
UM, AND SO THIS, I IMAGINE WILL SHOW UP, UH, PRETTY SOON IN TERMS OF, OF DISCUSSION.
UM, WITH REGARD TO THE ORACLE SITE WAS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THESE IN TERMS OF PARKLAND, UH, UH, RECREATIONAL VALUE.
UM, SO I, I WAS LOOKING AT THE, UM, SORT OF TO, TO SIDETRACK A LITTLE BIT.
I WAS LOOKING AT THE AGENDA TONIGHT AND, UM, UH, LOOKING FORWARD TO SOME OF THE BRIEFINGS WITH REGARD TO ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, UM, UPDATES THAT ARE GOING TO ARISE FROM THERE.
UM, AN INQUIRY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEND OVER TO THAT DIRECTION IS TO LOOK AT LINGER LANE.
UM, WITH REGARDS TO THE, UH, STORM WATER 22 FOOT DIAMETER TUNNEL THAT WILL BE GOING UNDERNEATH EITHER CHAVEZ, THE OUTFALL STATION, UM, THE NAT NATIONWIDE PERMIT SEVEN, WHICH IS PART OF THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, UH, PROCEDURES.
UM, I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT SECTION 1 0 6, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH, UH, HISTORICAL PRESERVATION PROCESS, WHICH I BELIEVE DID NOT RECOGNIZE THIS PECAN GROVE, WHICH HAS A MARKER FROM 1965 TO ESTABLISH, UH, THE NEED TO PRESERVE THAT.
UM, LOOKING AT DESIGN COMMISSION, UM, THERE'S A, AN ORGANIZATION CALLED INTERGENERATIONAL DAYCARE CENTER.
SO, UH, LOOKING AT THIS SITE AS A CAMPUS, UM, AND UNDERSTANDING, UH, WHAT OTHER STAKEHOLDERS ARE THERE AND WHAT IS GOING TO BE GIVEN BACK, UH, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF MITIGATION, BUT IN TERMS OF ENHANCEMENT.
UM, AND THERE HAVE BEEN VERY LITTLE COMMITMENTS THAT TXO HAS OFFERED, UH, IN TERMS OF TRANSPORTATION IN THE PAST TWO DECADES, HAS LOOKED AT THE CUT AND CAP SOLUTION, WHICH TURS LOOKS LIKE A GREAT IDEA, BUT NO ONE'S LOOKED AT THE BRIDGE AND THEY'RE, UH, THEY'VE TRIED THREE TIMES NOW AND 1952 AND 1984.
UM, I DON'T THINK THEY NEED TO DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT, SO, THANK Y'ALL.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT, APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.
[1. Approval of minutes from the December 13th meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. ]
WE ARE GONNA MOVE, UH, ONTO THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM OUR DECEMBER 13TH MEETING.THANK YOU, ROHAN, FOR THE MINUTES.
[00:05:07]
MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.UH, WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS WRITTEN.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND, SAY AYE.
OKAY, NEXT UP WE HAVE, UH, WHAT I THINK WILL BE A PRETTY QUICK ITEM, UH, DISCUSSION AND ACTION TO APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS TO AMEND THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
YOU DO HAVE A PRESENTATION WELL, WE DO ON THE, UH, LOW CARBON CONCRETE.
RIGHT? THEY'RE TRYING TO HAVE SOMEONE IN AND OUT.
I DO THINK THIS ONE WILL BE QUICK, BUT THAT'S FINE.
THAT'S, THERE'S NO REASON WE CAN'T PUSH IT.
SO WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO, WHERE ARE WE, ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, AND
[7. Proposed plan to transition to Low-Carbon Concrete in support of Council Resolution (Ed Poppit and Angela Johnson, Office of the City Engineer).]
TAKE THAT UP OUT OF ORDER.THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HAVING US TODAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US TODAY.
AND, UH, TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT ON SUCH A, A IMPORTANT TOPIC, CITY OF WESTERN PLAN TO TRANSITION TO LOW EMBODIED CARBON CONCRETE.
AND LET ME START WITH A FEW STATEMENTS.
THE USE OF TRADITIONAL CEMENTS AND CONCRETES AND CONSTRUCTION WITH CONCRETE HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF MOST OF OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE.
WE MUST WORK TOGETHER TO AFFECT CHANGE, TO BE SUCCESSFUL, DEVELOPING A FUTURE IN WHICH WE ALL WANT TO LIVE.
THE CITY OF HO HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A LEADING ROLE IN THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE CITY OF HO COUNCIL HAS PASSED A RESOLUTION THAT EMPOWERS US TO BEGIN, UH, WALKING THE PAST TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE.
AND JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CONCRETE AND CEMENT.
CONCRETE, UH, PROBABLY IS THE MOST USABLE MATERIAL ON EARTH AFTER WATER, AND IT'S PRETTY SUSTAINABLE.
UH, ROMANS, UH, BRIDGES, UH, STILL STAND.
UH, CEMENT IS A BINDING AGENT AND CONCRETE IN, UH, DESIGN.
WE, WE USE NOW BEEN IN USE ONLY ABOUT 200 YEARS OR 200 YEARS.
PORTLAND AGO PORTLAND CEMENT WAS INVENTED AND CEMENT INDUSTRY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT 8% OF CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION.
CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS, UH, FROM CEMENT PRODUCTION INCREASED LAST DECADE, UH, 20, ABOUT 24%, AND CONTINUES, UH, INCREASING BECAUSE POPULATION GROWS, DEVELOPMENT GROWS, AND OF COURSE, CLIMATE CHANGE.
SCIENTISTS BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR DECADES AND LAST DECADE, ESPECIALLY, UH, GOVERNMENT AND, UH, NATIONS, UM, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, UH, LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES TRYING TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE OF WORK TOWARDS CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION.
AND AS YOU KNOW, SEPTEMBER COT 2021, UH, AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL ACCEPTED ADOPTED AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, WHICH SETS A GOAL REACHING NET ZERO COMMUNITY WIDE GREENHOUSE GAS, UH, EMISSION BY 2040.
ALSO, IT WAS STATED THAT CLIMATE EMERGENCY REPRESENTS AN, AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO THE CITY OF WESTERN, THE NATION AND THE PLANET.
AND OF COURSE, UH, BACK THEN, UH, JUST, UH, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OFFICE OF THE CITY ENGINEER.
OUR ENGINEERS REVIEW, UH, AND APPROVE CONCRETE MIXES, DESIGN FOR CITY OF WASTE PROJECT.
SO, UH, WE IMMEDIATELY STARTED TO THINK WHAT WE CAN DO.
HOWEVER, BACK THEN, UH, IT WASN'T DIRECT CONNECTION.
ALSO, UH, THAT YEAR, WE LEARN ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION, AND WE LEARN ABOUT OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, SUCH CITY OF PORTLAND, WHAT THEY DO ABOUT THEIR PAST TO, UH, CARBON NEUTRAL, UH, CONCRETE.
UH, THEY STARTED BACK, I BELIEVE, 2018.
SO THE PASS IS LAID OUT ALREADY.
WAS TEXAS READY THEN? I DON'T THINK SO.
HOWEVER, IN 2022, SEPTEMBER 15, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ISSUED STATEMENT BY CLEAN ACTIONS AND, UH, WITH NET ZERO EMISSIONS GOAL BY 2050 AND 50 52 REDUCTION BY 2030, ALSO, THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[00:10:01]
ISSUED A POLICY STATEMENT THAT US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WILL LAUNCH A BIKE LANE INITIATIVE THAT WILL ASSESS AND ADDRESS THE EM EMBODIED CARBON EMISSIONS THAT COME FROM ENGINEERING, DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, PROCUREMENT, MAINTENANCE AND DISPOSAL OF TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION.IT'S, UM, UH, BASICALLY DOCUMENT TRANSPARENT DOCUMENT THAT REPORT USE, UM, REPORTS USAGE, UH, AND COMMUNICATE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, UH, OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL.
SO BASICALLY, STANDARDIZED REPORT, STANDARDIZED REPORTING WOULD HELP INDUSTRY TO CONFIDENTLY MOVE FORWARD IN INVESTING IN PRODUCTION OF CLEAN, IN RELIABLE MATERIALS.
AND JUST TO SIMPLIFY, UH, WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS, UH, ARE, IT'S BASICALLY LIKE ON FOOD LABEL NUTRIENTS PACKS, AND PRETTY MUCH THE SAME.
IT'S PROVIDE IMPACT IN, UH, YOU CAN SEE, UH, KILOGRAM CO2 EQUIVALENT TOTAL, UH, 345, UM, UH, KILOGRAM FOR, UH, CUBIC METER.
AND, UH, WHILE WORKING WITH CONCRETE, CONCRETE INDUSTRY EXPERT THAT THEY LIKE C UH, UNITS AND METRICS SYSTEM, BECAUSE APPARENT, I MEAN, IT'S A, NOT ONLY A NATIONAL EFFORT, IT'S INTERNATIONAL, UH, EFFORT.
AND OF COURSE, UH, APRIL 20TH, 2023, UH, CITY OF FOING PASSED COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS THAT DIRECTED US TO PROVIDE CONCRETE TRACKINGS THAT IDENTIFIES HOW MUCH CONCRETE IS USED AND ITS IMPACT REQUIRED TO USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION TO INFLUENCE AND ENCOURAGE MORE SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE PRODUCTS AND STRATEGY TO REVIEW, PILOT AND APPROVE ALTERNATIVE MORE SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE MIXES, AND ESTABLISH SPECIFICATION AND DESIGNS THAT ALLOW MEETINGS THE NEEDS FOR LOW EMBODIED CORE, UH, EMBODIED CARBON AND PROVIDE ANNUAL REPORTS TO, UH, CITY COUNCIL.
WE, UH, OUR ENGINEERS, WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON IT BEFORE, BUT WE, UM, STARTED TO LEARN, UM, COMMUNICATED AND ATTENDED CONFERENCES I LEARN ABOUT NOWADAYS.
UM, ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION STAGE.
WE ATTENDED AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE CONFERENCE, UM, LAST SPRING.
UH, AND WE, UH, ALL PRESENTATION.
WE REACHED OUT TO NATIONAL READY MIXED CONCRETE ASSOCIATION.
WE LEARN WHAT IT TAKES TO PRODUCE ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION.
WE ALSO WORKED WITH TACA, TEXAS AGGREGATES AND CONCRETE ASSOCIATION.
WE ATTENDED THE WORKSHOP, UH, TO, UM, UM, BASICALLY ADVERTISE OR TO, UM, SHARE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, PRODUCT DECLARATION WITH OUR CONCRETE PRODUCERS.
AND WE ALSO WORKED WITH CONCRETE PRODUCERS AND IN INTERNAL CITY STAKEHOLDERS.
UH, FROM APRIL OF LAST YEAR TO JULY, WE, WE WERE DISCUSSING WITH, UH, WITH DIFFERENT DIVISIONS DEPARTMENT, UM, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO, UH, DEPARTMENTS WHO HAS, UM, OPERATIONS CREW, UM, LOAN ABOUT THEIR USAGE OF CONCRETE.
UM, AND WE PREPARED THE DRAFT, WHICH WE, UH, DISTRIBUTED FOR REVIEW.
UM, AMONG THOSE WE MET WITH, UH, WE TOOK WITH AUS ENERGY, UM, AUSTRIAN WATER WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT, UM, CCO, UM, AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
AND, UH, BY JULY 7TH, WES, WE SOLICITED COMMENTS AND WE'LL ADDRESSING THOSE COMMENTS VIA, UH, SOME IN WRITING, SOME JUST VIA EMAILS.
AND, UH, BASICALLY IN AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, WE PASSED IT ON TO THE, UH, TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT EXECUTIVE TEAM.
UH, AND AFTER WE, UH, ADDRESS THEIR COMMENTS, WE PASSED IT ON TO THE A CM ROBERT GOOD OFFICE FOR HIS REVIEW, AND I PASS IT TO HIM.
UM, I'M GONNA JUST CONTINUE ON FROM THIS POINT.
UM, UH, AND, UH, PARDON US IF, IF ANY OF THIS IS, IS, UH, TO REMEDIAL OR REVIEW FOR YOU.
WE UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A GREAT UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE SUSTAINABILITY, UM, KNOWLEDGE.
UH, BUT WE INTEND TO ESTABLISH THE CARBON FOOTPRINT OF CONCRETE BASED ON ITS GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL VIA THE GREENHOUSE GASES, UH, MORE SPECIFICALLY, AND PRIMARILY THE CARBON DIOXIDE EQUIVALENT.
UM, THAT'S OTHER, OTHER FACTORS CAN BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT O OBVIOUSLY, BUT, UM, THE CARBON IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMONLY UNDERSTOOD ASPECTS, AND IT'S, UM, SOMETHING THAT CAN BE MEASURED PRETTY, UH, READILY AS WELL.
SO, UM, CONCRETE IS MADE UP, UH, ANGELA ALREADY SAID IS MADE UP
[00:15:01]
OF CEMENT AND AGGREGATES.THE CEMENT BINDER IS THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL POINT, UH, PART OF THE MIXTURE IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY AND IMPACT TO THE SUSTAINABILITY.
UM, THE, UH, MANUFACTURER OF THE BINDER IS ENERGY INTENSIVE.
AND, UM, IT DEFINITELY HAS A, A HUGE IMPACT.
UM, AND WHILE, UH, CEMENT, UH, IS AN ENERGY INTENSIVE PRODUCT, CONCRETE IN, IN ITSELF IS ONE OF THE MOST, UH, EFFICIENT BUILDING MATERIALS AND IS ACTUALLY FAIRLY SUSTAINABLE BY ITSELF.
IT'S JUST THE SHEER VOLUME OF CONCRETE THAT'S USED THAT, THAT RAISES IT TO A HIGH LEVEL OF CONCERN FOR ALL OF US.
SO OBVIOUSLY WITH A GREAT VOLUME USED, ANY MOVEMENT WE CAN MAKE IN THAT IS GONNA ALSO BE MULTIPLIED BY THAT VOLUME AND BE, UH, BENEFICIAL AND WILL ADD UP IN, WE HOPE, THE NEGATIVE DIRECTION AS OPPOSED TO THE POSITIVE DIRECTION IN THE FUTURE.
SO WE INTEND TO MAKE AS MUCH DIFFERENCE AS WE CAN, FIGURING THAT OUT SO THAT THE VOLUME OF CONCRETE WE CONTINUE TO USE AS A, AS A BUILDING MATERIAL, UM, UH, HAS LESS AND LESS IMPACT IN THE FUTURE.
UM, HERE WE SHOW, UM, HOW, WHAT, WHAT INFORMATION WE'RE GATHERING PRIMARILY, AND A AND B ARE THE CAPITAL PROJECTS AND THE IN-HOUSE PROJECTS, AND THAT'S THE BULK OF THE CEMENT USE.
UH, THERE'S SOME LESSER USES, C AND D, WE'RE GOING TO WORK ON GATHERING THOSE, BUT THEY ARE MUCH LESS THAN, UH, A AND B AS COMPONENTS.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GATHERING RIGHT NOW, IS THE CEMENT USAGE IN THE TOTAL CONCRETE BEING PRODUCED.
UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO BE GATHERING THAT UP FROM EVERYONE USING, UM, MAJOR QUANTITIES OF, OF CONCRETE, UH, AND REPORTING THAT BACK TO THE CITY MANAGER SO THAT IT CAN BE REPORTED TO YOU AND COUNCIL, UH, SO THAT WE CAN KEEP TABS ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS, WHAT'S BEING DONE NOW, SET A BASELINE AND THEN FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT FUTURE LOOKS LIKE.
UM, WE'VE TRIED TO DEVELOP DATA SOURCES AND CAPTURE POINTS THAT ARE RELIABLE AND AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS POSSIBLE.
'CAUSE WE FOUND THERE'S LOTS OF WAYS TO DO THIS.
AND THE MORE PEOPLE YOU INVOLVE, THE MORE COMPLICATED IT GETS, LIKE GOING TO ALL THE PROJECT MANAGERS AND, AND, AND INDIVIDUAL PROJECT REPRESENTATIVES.
THERE MIGHT BE HUNDREDS OF THOSE AS OPPOSED TO 12 OR 13 PRODUCERS AND, UH, A LIMITED NUMBER OF FOLKS PRODUCING IT WITH VOLUMETRIC TRUCKS OUT THERE ON JOBS.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO KEEP THIS AS, AS CONTAINED AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN GET RELIABLE DATA, UM, THAT, UM, IS EASY ENOUGH TO GATHER, TO BE USEFUL, AND TO, UH, TO, TO, YOU KNOW, TO NOT BE TOO PAINFUL TO COLLECT.
UM, AND I ALREADY MENTIONED THAT WE'RE GONNA BE REPORTING THAT ANNUALLY.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE ASKS OF THE RESOLUTION.
SO, UM, HERE WE'VE GOT A CHART OF DATA WE'VE ALREADY COLLECTED.
WE'VE BEEN COLLECTING DATA FOR ABOUT A YEAR, AND, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THAT ACTUALLY.
AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING TO OUR CONCRETE PRODUCERS FOR, FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW.
UM, THIS SHOWS THE APPROXIMATE AMOUNT OF CO2 EQUIVALENT CREATED, OR CO2 CREATED, UM, BY THE CONCRETE PRODUCED FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THIS IS BY QUARTER AND GIVES YOU AN ANNUAL TOTAL THERE ON THE RIGHT SIDE.
SO NEARLY, UH, HALF MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF CONCRETE HAVE BEEN PRODUCED, UM, FOR, UH, AND, UM, THAT'S BASED ON ABOUT 193 MILLION POUNDS OF CEMENT.
AND THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR ROUGHLY 174 THOU, UH, 174 MILLION POUNDS OF CO2 OR, UM, UH, 78,700 MILLION METRIC TONS TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE.
SO THAT'S OUR BASELINE TO BEGIN TO SAY, HERE'S HOW MUCH CONCRETE WE'RE USING AS A MAJOR CITY.
WE'RE USING A LOT OF CONCRETE.
UH, WE WE'RE GATHERING THAT TO SEE, UH, CLEARLY HOW MUCH WE'RE USING AND IN THE FUTURE CONTINUE TO REPORT ON THAT.
BUT HOPEFULLY OUR APPROXIMATE CARBON DIOXIDE CREATED BY THE CONCRETE, WE HOPE WILL BE, UH, REDUCED SO THAT WE CAN SAY, WELL, EVEN IF WE'RE STILL GONNA PRODUCE 173 MILLION, UM, POUNDS OF, UH, OR EXCUSE ME, UH, HALF MILLION CUBIC YARDS OF CONCRETE, MAYBE INSTEAD WE CAN, UH, REDUCE THAT.
ITS, ITS IMPACT SIGNIFICANTLY BY SPECIFICATION CHANGES AND MATERIAL CHANGES, AGGREGATE CHANGES, UM, AND THAT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA WORK ON.
THIS, UH, JUST SHOWS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PRODUCT STAGE.
WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE LIFECYCLE YET.
UM, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO, TO, TO DO THE LONGER ANALYSIS AND THE MORE DETAILED ANALYSIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE ENTIRE LIFECYCLE OF MATERIALS.
THAT IS VERY DESIRABLE BECAUSE THEN YOU GET A MORE COMPLETE PICTURE.
BUT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT AND LABOR INTENSIVE AND,
[00:20:01]
AND PROJECT INTENSIVE TO GATHER DATA ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE PHASE.THE CURRENT EMPHASIS IS ON THE PRODUCT STAGE.
THAT IS PRETTY MUCH THE US STANDARD AT THIS TIME.
UM, WE, WE HOPE THAT IN THE FUTURE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WE, WE WILL BE CONSIDERING THE FULL LIFE CYCLE.
UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS A LITTLE MORE PREVALENT IN, IN EUROPE.
BUT, UH, FOR NOW WE WE'RE, WE'RE CONCENTRATING ON, ON THE, UH, PRODUCT STAGE, WHICH IS WHERE WE CAN GET OUR, OUR HANDS REALLY AROUND THAT AND DO A GOOD JOB.
AND OBVIOUSLY THE LATER STAGES OF, OF THE, UM, UH, USE STAGES COULD BE QUITE IMPORTANT, BUT ARE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO GET OUR HANDS AROUND.
AND AS ANGELA POINTED OUT, THERE'S, UM, STANDARDIZATION OF THESE EPDS.
SO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION SAYS THERE'S RULES ABOUT HOW TO DO EVERYTHING, WHICH I'M SURE Y'ALL UNDERSTAND.
AND, AND IT PUTS, IT PUTS US IN A POSITION OF HAVING VALIDATED INFORMATION THAT WE CAN TRUST.
WE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE DOING THINGS 50 DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO WHEN WE GET THIS KIND OF EPD INFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT FOLKS, WE KNOW WE CAN TRUST IT AND COMPARE IT FOR THE SAME MATERIALS ANYWAY.
WE CAN COMPARE IT, YOU KNOW, MATERIAL ONE TO MATERIAL TWO AND TO MATERIAL THREE.
AND FOR THIS EXAMPLE, IT, IT SHOWS, JUST LIKE ANGELA'S PREVIOUS EXAMPLE, THERE'S 345 KILOGRAMS OF CO2 EQUIVALENT BEING CR PRODUCED FOR EVERY CUBIC METER OF CONCRETE.
UM, AND THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT WE WANT TO GET FROM, WE'RE ASKING FOR ALL OF THE VENDORS THAT ARE PROVIDING CONCRETE TO US TO, TO GIVE US.
SO, UM, IN MOVING FORWARD, UH, WE'VE BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH ALL THE LOCAL CONCRETE PRODUCERS, UH, OVER ABOUT, ABOUT THE LAST TWO YEARS.
UM, HERE'S THE TIMELINE OF SOME OF OUR COMMUNICATIONS.
UM, THIS HAS BEEN TO GATHER CONCRETE USAGE BASELINE, PREPARE THEM FOR THE FUTURE IMPACTS OF EPDS, AND SET THE PATH FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING OF CONCRETE IN THE FUTURE AS WELL.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THE GSA AND THE FEDERAL, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAVE STARTED WRESTLING WITH THIS.
HOW DO WE SET TARGETS FOR, UM, PURCHASING OR NOT PURCHASING CONCRETE THAT IS, IS OR ISN'T SUSTAINABLE? AND THEY'VE TAKEN KIND OF AN APPROACH OF, UH, SO MUCH ABOVE INDUSTRY AVERAGE IS GOOD, SO MUCH ABOVE INDUSTRY AVERAGE ABOVE THAT IS FAIR.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, ANYTHING ABOVE THAT IS NOT DESIRABLE.
AND SO WE, WE INTEND TO TRY TO, UH, TO DO THAT BECAUSE FOLKS ARE KINDA, UH, UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS AN IMPACT TO PURCHASING OR NOT PURCHASING, UH, MATERIALS THAT ARE SUSTAINABLE OR NOT SUSTAINABLE.
AND THAT WE, WE WILL BE, UH, ROLLING THAT OUT AS WE CAN, TRYING TO BE AS FAIR AS POSSIBLE WITH EVERYBODY AND UPFRONT WITH EVERYBODY.
UH, OUR TARGET IS TO REQUIRE THE, THE EPDS IN 2025 FROM ALL OF OUR PRODUCERS.
UH, AND WE'VE BEEN COORDINATING WITH THE CONCRETE INDUSTRY GROUPS AND CONSULTANTS THAT CAN FACILITATE THE PRODUCTION OF, UH, VALID PRODUCTS, SPECIFIC EPDS.
UM, WE'VE PRESENTED TO THE, UH, THE, THE CITY'S LOW EMBODIED CARBON CONCRETE INITIATIVE, UH, IN A LETTER TO THE CONCRETE PRODUCERS.
UH, HERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF, OF, UH, SOME OF THE NARRATIVE FROM THAT LETTER.
UM, WE INTEND TO PARTNER WITH INDUSTRY, UH, AND, UM, TEXAS AGGREGATES AND CONCRETE ASSOCIATION, UH, HAS, UH, THE LOCAL GROUPS AS PART OF AS MEMBERS.
AND THEY'RE GONNA HELP US, UH, GET THE MESSAGE OUT AND FOR US TO WORK WITH THEM TO, TO DO THINGS THAT CAN, THAT, THAT THEY CAN ASSURE US THAT THE INDUSTRY'S READY FOR AND CAN DO, AND HELP THEM GET READY TO DO WHAT WE NEED THEM TO DO.
WE ALSO, UH, ARE SHOWING THEM HERE AN AFFORDABLE AND EASY WAY TO GENERATE VALIDATED EPDS, UH, THROUGH A CONCRETE INDUSTRY CONSULTANT CALLED CLIMATE EARTH.
THEY'VE REALLY TAKEN THE CONCRETE INDUSTRY, UM, BY THE BULL, BY THE HORNS, AND THEY'VE CREATED, UH, A MECHANISM THAT'S VERY AFFORDABLE AND, UM, WILL GENERATE VALIDATED, UH, EPDS THAT THE INDUSTRY AND, UH, AND WE CAN TRUST.
SO WE TALKED ABOUT SPECIFICATIONS.
THAT'S SOME, THAT'S THE WAY WE HAVE A LOT OF IMPACT ON WHAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA DO, HOW THEY'RE GONNA MAKE MATERIALS, AND WHAT THEY GIVE US.
UM, WE'VE ALWAYS FOLLOWED TEXT DOT, UH, TO A VERY HIGH DEGREE, BUT TEXT DOT REALLY HASN'T BEEN LEADING HERE ON THIS PARTICULAR PHASE OF, OF CONCRETE.
UH, AND THE STATE OF TEXAS ARE KIND OF HOLDING BACK A BIT ON, ON, UH, SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE.
I THINK WE, WE HAVE TO GET AHEAD OF THE TEXAS CURVE.
UM, AND SO AUSTIN'S GONNA KIND OF GET OURSELVES OUT THERE AND, AND TAKE A LEAD HERE AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT
[00:25:01]
HOW WE CAN DO THIS EVEN BEFORE TDOT AND THE STATE OF TEXAS, UH, JUMP ALL OVER THIS.UM, IT'S JUST, UH, WE CAN'T DELAY ANYMORE.
WE, WE REALLY HAVE TO GET OUT THERE.
UM, SO THAT'S, UH, IT'S GONNA BE A CHALLENGE FOR US, BUT WE FEEL LIKE IT'S NECESSARY.
UM, SO, BUT ALL IN ALL FAIRNESS TO TECH DOT, WE DON'T WANNA, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO BADMOUTH THEM.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE A FANTASTIC AGENCY.
THEY DO A LOT OF GREAT THINGS.
IT'S JUST IN THIS PARTICULAR AREA.
THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE, UH, LEADING, UM, AS MUCH AS WE THINK, UH, WE NEED TO SEE.
SO, UM, TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE PLAN TO, AND THE, AND THE RESOLUTION, THERE WERE ABOUT FIVE THINGS IN THE RESOLUTION THAT WE THOUGHT WERE REALLY CRITICAL FOR US TO PRODUCE.
SO OUR PLAN HAS, UH, ONE A, B, AND C, UH, TWO AND THREE.
UH, THEY'RE THE, ALL OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE RESOLUTION THAT WE, WE NEED TO RESPOND TO.
UH, PART OF IT WAS TO, OF COURSE, UM, GET A BASELINE OF HOW MUCH CONCRETE WE'RE USING, UM, SET A PATH FOR EPDS, UM, AND THEN ALSO TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE WOULD ENTERTAIN SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE DESIGNS AND, UM, AND, UH, OFFER, UH, FROM, FROM THE PRODUCERS TO SAY, HERE'S HOW WE CAN DO IT.
'CAUSE THEY'RE GONNA OFFER SOME THINGS THAT WE DIDN'T EVEN THINK OF, AND WE WANT TO BE READY TO EVALUATE THOSE AND ACCEPT THOSE AS, UM, AN, AS A USABLE PRODUCT.
UM, EVEN IF WE DIDN'T FIGURE IT OUT FIRST.
UM, WE'RE ALSO GOING TO LOOK AT, UH, PURCHASING AND CONTRACTING DOCUMENTS TO FIGURE OUT, OKAY, HOW DO WE DO THIS FAIRLY? HOW DO WE DO THIS LEGALLY? HOW DO WE DO THIS, YOU KNOW, APPROPRIATELY SO THAT NOBODY'S GETTING, UH, UNFAIRLY, UH, HIT FOR THIS, UH, BUT WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND, UM, AGAIN, WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA SUMMARIZE WHAT'S, WHAT'S PROGRESS, UH, AGAINST THIS, HOW MUCH CONCRETE'S BEING USED, HOW MUCH, UM, UH, CARBON DIOXIDE DO WE THINK WE'RE CREATING BASED ON THE USE OF CONCRETE? AND WE WANT TO POINT OUT THAT WE THINK THIS PLAN IS, IS, IS FAIR TO EVERYBODY TO USE IT, AND WE'RE NOT, UM, WE'RE NOT, UH, SINGLING OUT ANY PARTICULAR USE THAT CAN BE USED FOR ALL THE CONCRETE PRODUCED, WHETHER IT'S DONE FOR FLAT WORK OR VERTICAL CONSTRUCTION.
UM, IT'S, IT'S LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR CONCRETES TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE, UM, ALL CONCRETE TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE IN THE FUTURE, BOSTON.
SO WITH THAT, UM, I THINK THAT'S WHAT ALL WE'VE GOT.
UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR LETTING US COME TALK TO YOU.
AND WE HOPE THAT, UM, THAT OUR EFFORTS ARE CONSISTENT WITH HOW YOU SEE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD DO.
WELL, THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR, YOUR TIME AND THE WORK THAT YOU'RE PUTTING INTO THIS.
UM, THERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF GOOD INFORMATION THERE.
UM, I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD GO BACK TO THE SLIDE THAT HAD KIND OF THE EMISSIONS PER AMOUNT OF CONCRETE, HOW MUCH, UH, THE CARBON DIOXIDE BEING CREATED? THIS ONE? YEAH.
UM, NO, I THINK YOU HAD SOME, UM, THAT HAD KIND OF LIKE PER, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS PER SQUARE METER OR CUBIC METER, OR DID YOU HAVE THAT MOVE FORWARD FACT IN THERE SOMEWHERE? I GUESS I'M, I, I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THE, UM, KIND OF GOAL IN THE, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN AND JUST TRYING TO, UM, SEE HOW THAT COMPARES, UM, THAT THE EPD SNIPPET SHOWED 345 KILOGRAMS PER CUBIC METER.
WERE YOU THIS ONE, WERE YOU, OKAY, IS THAT, IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING AT FOR YEAH, THANK YOU.
IT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT, THAT A LOT OF VENDORS ARE TRYING TO GET DOWN TO 370 OR 80 POUNDS AS, AS KIND OF AN OUTSIDE FIGURE.
AND THAT ANYBODY WHO'S GETTING TO THE LOW 300 IS, IS DOING PRETTY WELL AT THIS POINT.
BUT PCA, THE PORTLAND CEMENT ASSOCIATION AND OTHER INDUSTRY GROUPS ARE TRYING TO LEAD TO WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO GET SUB 200 NUMBERS OR SUB 300 NUMBERS TO WHERE THE GOALS WILL START TO BE, LOOK MORE LIKE 280 POUNDS OR KILOGRAMS, 250 POUNDS, OR KILOGRAMS, EXCUSE ME.
AND, AND THAT WE'LL JUST CONTINUE WORKING THAT DOWN.
AND IT MAY BE THAT THERE'S NEVER A, IT MAY NEVER BE A POINT AT WHICH WE'RE ZERO.
WE MAY HAVE TO RELY ON OFFSETS AND, AND, AND CARBON CREDITS AND, AND OTHER, OTHER WAYS OF, UM, SAYING IN TOTAL CONCRETE IS A NET ZERO OR POSSIBLY SOMEDAY WONDERFULLY NEGATIVE.
BUT FOR NOW, ARE, WE'RE GONNA BE CARVING AWAY AT THAT
[00:30:01]
PER PER METER CUBIC METER, UH, FIGURE.I GUESS ONE QUESTION FIRST THOUGH, IT LOOKS, SOUNDS TO ME LIKE WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING RIGHT NOW IS JUST, UM, AT THE PHASE OF GETTING ACCURATE NUMBERS FROM YOUR PRODUCERS ON WHAT THE CARBON IMPACT IS AS OPPOSED TO ACTUALLY MOVING IN THE DIRECTION OF USING ANY SORT OF LOW CARBON CONCRETE.
AM I, AM I UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY? WE'RE ACTUALLY TESTING SOME THINGS AND WE'RE, WE'RE FOLLOWING THE LEAD OF INDUSTRY IN THAT, LIKE THE PORTLAND CEMENT ASSOCIATION HAS A ROADMAP FOR CARBON NEUTRAL OR CARBON NEUTRALITY.
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE WORKING AS FAST AS WE CAN TOWARDS, UM, ENHANCEMENTS TO THE CONCRETE WE'RE DOING.
BUT RIGHT NOW, RIGHT THIS MINUTE, I HAVE TO AGREE WITH YOU, WE'RE NOT DOING VERY MUCH RIGHT THIS MINUTE, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE HAD A PILOT PROJECT TO DO THE CARBON INJECTED CONCRETE FOR A SIDEWALK PROJECT.
AND SO THERE'S A FEW THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORKS, BUT THEY'RE MORE IN THE PILOT STAGE.
IT'S NOT ROLLED OUT FOR EVERY DAY REGULAR USE YET.
BUT WE'RE GONNA BE WORKING AS AGGRESSIVELY ON THIS AS WE CAN.
UM, BUT I HAVE TO AGREE THAT WE'RE, WE'RE NOT FAR ALONG THAT JOURNEY OF DOING SOMETHING TODAY THAT IS, IS, UM, MAKING A HUGE IMPACT YET.
AND IF I MAY THAT, UM, SO BASICALLY THAT'S WHY WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.
WHAT'S SO FAR, OFFICE OF THE CITY ENGINEERS IS JUST ONE DIVISION IN TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS ALSO.
WE ARE, UM, TRYING TO DO AND PARTNER WITH EVERYONE, BUT IT'S SOMETHING EXTRA CURRICULUM, RIGHT? THERE IS NO PERFORMANCE MEASURE YET.
AND, UH, WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING SINCE, UH, CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, WE ARE TRYING TO ESTABLISH HOW MUCH CONCRETE, UH, WE USE.
SO THAT'S WHAT, UH, THAT THE, THE TABLE WAS.
IT'S ABOUT OVERALL 12 PRODUCERS.
HOPEFULLY IT'S TAKING CARE OF CAP AND, UH, IN HOUSE WORK, BUT ALSO, UH, TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKS.
SO STREET AND BREACH OPERATIONS, WE ARE STILL MISSING AUSTRIAN WATER OPERATION.
WE ARE STILL MISSING
SO IT STILL HAS TO BE DEVELOPED.
ALSO, WE NEED HELP DOING, UH, TO REVIEW THOSE PROCUREMENT DOCUMENTS, CCO DOCUMENTS.
SO IT'LL TAKE YEARS, RIGHT? SO WHAT WE ARE DOING NOW, JUST SMALL STEPS THIS YEAR, OFFICER OF THE CITY ENGINEER, EDUCATING CONCRETE PRODUCERS, WE ARE SENDING LETTER, WE ACTUALLY PARTNERING WITH CITY LEGAL.
SO CITY LEGAL REVIEWS THE LETTER.
SO WE JUST FOLLOWING AND, UH, WE SENT AWAY FROM 12 PRODUCERS, ONLY THREE REPLIED IT'S VOLUNTARY SURVEY.
IT WAS TWO POSITIVE AND ONE NEUTRAL.
SO WE DIDN'T GET ANY STRONG PUSHBACK YET.
SO, AND WE JUST, UH, TRYING TO DO AND MOVE FORWARD.
AND NOW MANDATORY REQUEST WOULD BE OCTOBER 1ST, 2025.
WE WOULD, UH, NEED TO HAVE A PD WE WILL BE ASKING.
AND, UH, IT'S MORE LIKE, UH, MORE EDUCATION AND, UH, WORKING WITH INDUSTRY BECAUSE AT THE SAME TIME, WE CANNOT JUST POLICE INDUSTRY AND TELL WE ARE NOT GONNA WORK WITH YOU.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, RIGHT? WE NEED TO HAVE PROJECT DONE.
WE NEED TO, UH, HAVE CAP, UM, COMPLETED.
SO IT'S MORE LIKE MOVING SLOWLY WITH INDUSTRY, BUT DOING RIGHT THING.
UH, AS WE, AS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY, UH, OUR POLICY WOULD HELP US.
THAT'S WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT TO HELP WITH THAT MOVEMENT.
BECAUSE NOW WE ARE JUST, UM, YOU KNOW, MOVING SLOWLY, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S INCREMENTAL WINS, SMALL STEPS WOULD GO LONG WAY.
WELL, I HAVE LIKE THREE FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS, BUT I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO OTHER PEOPLE.
UH, WHO HAS ONE, ANNA, THANKS.
MAYBE WE HAVE THE SAME QUESTIONS.
KIVA, UM, I'D LIKE TO ECHO YOUR COMMENTS.
KIVA, THAT ED AND ANGELA, THIS IS FANTASTIC WORK AND, AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO SEE IT.
SO KUDOS FOR, FOR PULLING THIS TOGETHER.
IT'S, IT SOUNDS, UM, REALLY IMPRESSIVE.
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE, YOU'VE STARTED THE OUTREACH TO PRO PRODUCERS, BUT ED, AS YOU WERE SAYING, RIGHT, THERE'S TWO PATHWAYS TO REDUCE CARBON AND IN EMBODIED CEMENT, RIGHT? ONE IS THE CALCINATION STAGE, SO LIKE THE CHEMISTRY, AND THEN THE OTHER IS, IS THE ENERGY, RIGHT? AND SO THAT MEANS THAT OUR LOCAL PRODUCERS WOULD HAVE TO EITHER BE SWITCHING TO SOME TYPE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, OR THEY'D HAVE TO SWITCH THEIR CHEMICAL PROCESSES.
DO YOU HAVE A HANDLE? LIKE DO YOU, DO WE KNOW AT ALL IF ANY OF THESE THINGS HAVE STARTED BY LIKE, ARE IN PROCESS FROM THE FIRMS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY PURCHASING FROM? SOME OF THE FOLKS ARE MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN OTHERS.
AND SO WE THINK THAT THE ONES WE'VE HEARD FROM ARE ALREADY DOING SOME OF THESE THINGS.
AND I, I BELIEVE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A LOT OF,
[00:35:01]
A LOT OF POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS.THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT'S KIND OF CHALLENGING FOR US TOO, IS WE'VE GOTTA FIND A WAY TO ALLOW A LOT OF PEOPLE TO DO THINGS A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
BECAUSE WITH 12 DIFFERENT PRODUCERS, THEY'VE GOT DIFFERENT PLANT SETUPS.
UH, SOME OF THEM ARE GONNA BE, UM, ABLE TO JUST JUMP ON.
GREAT SUGGESTION FOR, LIKE YOU SAID, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES.
OTHERS ARE GONNA BE MORE RELUCTANT TO DO THAT, AND THEY MAY HAVE TO FIND A LITTLE DIFFERENT, UH, PATH FORWARD.
UM, WE THINK THERE'S GONNA BE A MIX OF FIXES IS KIND OF WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO.
WE CALL, WE CALL IT THAT IN, IN THE, IN THE OPERATIONS, UM, OF MAINTENANCE.
'CAUSE THERE'S NO ONE SILVER BULLET THAT THAT DOES IT.
UM, SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE, UM, ABLE TO EVALUATE DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS THAT FOLKS ARE GONNA BRING TO US AND LET THEM DO DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND YOU'VE POINTED OUT A REALLY, AN OBVIOUS OR A GOOD THING.
YOU'VE POINTED OUT A REALLY GOOD THING THAT SOME OF 'EM ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO, TO, TO DO A, A DIFFERENT, UM, COMPONENT MIXTURE.
AND OTHERS ARE GONNA FI HAVE TO TRY TO FIND A WAY TO BE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT OR MAYBE MORE EFFICIENT ABOUT WHERE THEY GET THEIR MATERIALS FROM SO THAT TRANSPORTATION ASPECT DOESN'T ADD UP.
I MEAN, THERE'S GOING TO BE VARIOUS WAYS THAT EACH OF THEM IS GONNA HAVE TO REPORT TO US WITH THE EPD SAYING VALIDATED TO SAY, YES, WE DID THIS, THIS, AND THIS, AND MAYBE VENDOR B MIGHT HAVE DONE THREE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT BROUGHT THEM IN INTO COMPLIANCE WITH WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.
UM, CONCRETE'S A KIND OF A COMPLEX MATERIAL.
IT'S GOT A LOT OF COMPONENTS, THERE'S A LOT TO IT.
AND YOU DID POINT OUT, UM, TWO REALLY BIG WAYS THAT DIFFERENT, UM, UH, FOLKS MIGHT, UH, WORK ON BEING BETTER.
UM, HOPEFULLY THEY'RE GONNA WORK ON ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
UH, BUT SOME MAY, UM, TACKLE SOME THINGS FIRST WORKING TOWARDS MORE SUSTAINABLE CONCRETE OVER TIME.
IF I COULD JUST FOLLOW UP, WHAT DOES THE PATHWAY LOOK LIKE FOR NEW PRODUCERS? SO FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE SOME OF THESE ALTERNATIVE CHEMISTRIES ARE COMING OUT OF SMALL FIRMS WHO LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE DOE RECENTLY PUT OUT A REPORT CONCERNED ABOUT HOW FAST SOME OF THESE MANUFACTURERS COULD SCALE.
UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WOULD THE PATHWAY LOOK LIKE FOR A SMALL MANUFACTURER OF, YOU KNOW, SOME TRULY NET ZERO PROCESS LOOK LIKE TO COME IN AND WORK WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN? YEAH.
WELL, UM, WE HAVE THE APPROVAL PROCESS, WHICH IS DIFFICULT WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE PROPRIETARY PRODUCTS, OF COURSE, THAT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE FOR PURCHASING SOMETHING PROPRIETARY.
UM, WE HAVE THINGS THAT WE'RE NOT SURE WE HAVEN'T SEEN, SO WE NEED TO TEST IT.
SO WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN GET ON THAT FAST.
WE CAN BE MORE AGILE IN LOOKING AT DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING THINGS AND ACCEPTING THEM, BUT BEING CONFIDENT THAT IT'S GIVING US THE PRODUCT WE NEED, THE STRENGTHS AND DURABILITY AND, AND, UH, LONGEVITY THAT WE NEED.
SO IT'S, IT'S, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING IS A REALLY GREAT QUESTION.
IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE FOR US TO BE SMART ENOUGH INTERNALLY TO SAY, YES, WE CAN DO THESE VARIOUS THINGS OR ALLOW THESE VARIOUS THINGS TO BE USED OR DONE.
UM, THE CARBON CURE INJECTION.
THE CARBON INJECTION IS, IS AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.
THERE'S REALLY ONLY ONE PRODUCER IN, IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW THAT'S READY TO JUST TURN THAT LOOSE AND DO IT.
BUT EVEN THAT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE TO TEST IT, MAKE SURE IT WORKS THE WAY IT AS ADVERTISED.
AND, UM, THE OTHER VENDORS AREN'T READY TO DO THAT TECHNOLOGY.
THEY, THEY MAY BE READY TO TRY SOME OTHER THINGS, BUT THAT, NOT THAT ONE.
AND THAT IS JUST AN EX ONE EXAMPLE OF A PROPRIETARY PROCESS THAT, THAT SOME FOLKS ARE GONNA TRY AND MAYBE A FEW OF THEM WILL ADOPT IT AND WE'LL HAVE TO, UH, ENTERTAIN OTHER OPTIONS FROM OTHER VENDORS.
AND ALSO JUST, WE ARE ENTERING UNKNOWN TERRITORY, RIGHT? WE'VE NEVER BEEN HERE THERE BEFORE.
UH, THE PAST IS WELL ESTABLISHED FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN, UH, ALL COUNTRIES, OTHER COUNTRIES IN EUROPE ESPECIALLY, THEY DOING IT.
BUT WE ARE HAVE OUR OWN CONDITIONS, UH, IN TEXAS, IN UH, AUSTIN AND GREAT AUSTIN AREA.
SO WE ARE STILL TO SEE WHAT CHALLENGES IT'LL BRING, RIGHT? AND MAYBE HERE FROM NOW, WE'LL LEARN SOMETHING MORE.
NOW WE ARE TAKING A OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO EDUCATE PRODUCERS, KEEPING CONTINUOUS COMMUNICATION WITH THEM, UM, JUST PROVIDING RESOURCES, UH, CONNECTING BRIDGES, WE CONNECTING THEM, UH, WITH, UH, CLIMATE USE WITH, UM, UH, NATIONAL CONCRETE READIES MIXED ASSOCIATION.
WE ALREADY HAD SOME QUESTIONS.
WHAT ABOUT SMALL? SO HOW WE THINK ABOUT IT, IT MAY BE, I DON'T KNOW, BUT MAYBE WE WILL SET SOME VOLUME CONCRETE PRODUCTIONS THAT WOULD BE SORT OF EXEMPT FROM A PT.
[00:40:01]
IF WE WILL DO IT OR NOT, BUT IT'S ONE OF, UM, PROPOSED SOLUTION.SO WHAT I'M SAYING, WHEN WE WILL BE, I MEAN, A YEAR FROM NOW, WE PROBABLY WILL KNOW MORE, ACTUALLY, MAYBE IN FEW MONTHS WE'LL KNOW MORE.
BUT WHEN WE THERE, THEN WE MAY EVALUATE OR MAYBE ADJUST.
THIS, UH, PARTICULAR PLAN IS NOT A KIND OF SOLID DOCUMENT.
IT'S, UM, UH, RATHER PLAN TO REVISIT REVISE BASED ON KNOWLEDGE WE LEARN BASED ON ADVANCEMENT WE MADE.
I CAN I JUST GET CLARIFICATION.
I THINK WHAT ANNA WAS SUGGESTING ON THE SMALL PRODUCERS WAS NOT EXEMPTION, BUT HOW TO, HOW THE SMALL PRODUCERS THAT ARE GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND COULD BE INCORPORATED IN A, DID I HEAR YOU CORRECTLY? YEAH, NO, NO.
JUST, JUST TO SAY A LITTLE BIT MORE, I THINK WE'RE SEEING NEWS COMING OUT THAT DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S SMALL PRODUCERS WHO MIGHT BE LOCATED IN, YOU KNOW, WHEREVER THAT HAVE COME UP WITH SOME NEW PROCESS TO, YOU KNOW, DECARBONIZE REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS, YOU KNOW, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING, THEY'RE NOT ALL GOING TO BE LOCATED IN AUSTIN.
AND SO WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN TO BE ABLE TO GO OUT TO SOME OF THESE FIRMS, SOME OF WHOM MIGHT NOT EVEN BE NECESSARILY COMMERCIAL, BUT WHO WERE, YOU KNOW, GETTING A STN 'EM CERTIFICATION ALREADY AND, AND THINGS LIKE THIS.
LIKE HOW IS THERE A PROCESS BY WHICH WE CAN BE MORE PROACTIVE TO LEARN MORE FASTER AND REALLY TAKE A LEADERSHIP POSITION? KABA? IS THAT CLEAR? YES, I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
AND SO LOOKING AT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, UM, THAT JUST MEANS WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO EVALUATE WHAT'S COMING AT US.
AND, AND SO THE OLD WAY OF DOING THINGS AND SPECIFYING MATERIALS WAS VERY PRESCRIPTIVE.
WE JUST HAD A RECIPE AND THE COOKBOOK AND WE SAID, DO THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS, PUT THIS RANGE OF MATERIALS IN THIS RANGE OF THINGS.
AND IT WAS, IT WAS VERY SAFE BECAUSE WE WERE TELLING THEM, WE WERE GIVING THEM A RECIPE THAT WE KNEW WORKED.
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THE OLD WAY.
IF WE GO TO A MORE PER, UH, PERFORMANCE BASED AND WE START SAYING, WELL, WE'RE NOT GONNA TELL YOU HOW TO DO THINGS SO MUCH, BUT WE'RE GONNA SAY IT'S GOTTA BE MEET CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS ONLY, AND WE'RE NOT GONNA TELL YOU A WHOLE LOT ABOUT THE REST OF IT.
IT PUTS A LOT OF BURDEN ON US TO ASSURE YOU AND THE PUBLIC THAT WHAT THEY, THE SPECIAL RECIPE THEY CAME UP WITH IS ADEQUATE AND MEETING OUR NEEDS.
SO WE MIGHT SAY, YOU KNOW, IT HAS TO BE THIS STRONG, THIS DURABLE, AND LAST THIS LONG, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA TELL YOU WHAT'S IN IT AND WE'RE NOT GONNA TELL YOU WHAT TO PUT IN IT OR WHAT NOT TO PUT IN IT, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO ASSURE US THAT IT'S GOOD STUFF.
AND IT MEANS THAT WE'LL HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRACK THAT OVER SOME TIME AND SAY, OKAY, SURE ENOUGH, YOU GAVE US MATERIALS THAT, THAT MET OUR, THAT ARE MEETING OUR NEEDS AND WILL MEET OUR NEEDS IN THE FUTURE AND WE CAN RELY ON.
AND THAT, THAT PHILOSOPHICAL SHIFT IS A REAL CHALLENGE.
IT, IT PUTS A BURDEN ON ALL OF US, THEM AND US, TO TRACK HOW WELL DOES IT PERFORM? HOW DID THEY DO IT? IS IT WORKING? UM, SO YOU'RE ASKING VERY GOOD QUESTIONS.
IT'S JUST, IT, IT, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AN EASY TRANSITION FOR ANY OF US, BUT WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO DO THAT AND BE THAT WAY, UH, AND BE ACCEPTING OF THINGS THAT ARE A LITTLE LESS COMFORTABLE FOR US TO BE INNOVATIVE AND TO BE AGILE IN ACCEPTING NEW PROCESSES.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO BE VIGILANT THAT WE MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING WHAT WE NEED AND WE'RE PROTECTING THE PUBLIC IN, IN WHAT'S BEING PRODUCED AND PROVIDED.
UH, HARRIS AND THEN, UH, MELISSA, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION TOO? ANYWAY, HARRIS, YOU CAN GO.
HEY, Y'ALL APPRECIATE THE, I GOTTA LEAD IN HERE.
UM, SO Y'ALL MENTIONED THAT TEX.AS UH, IS NOT EXACTLY LEADING THE WAY ON THIS, TO PUT IT POLITELY, CERTAINLY NO SURPRISE TO ANYONE THAT LIVES IN AUSTIN.
YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE I 35 PROJECT, WHICH IS GONNA BE REALLY BIG.
SO IF TEXT DOT'S NOT NECESSARILY FOCUSED ON, YOU KNOW, USING LOW CARBON CONCRETE FOR THIS GIANT PROJECT THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
BUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ALSO INVOLVED BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO PAY FOR THE CAP AND STITCH, RIGHT? AS FAR AS I'M AWARE.
SO IS THAT GONNA LEAD TO LIKE A SITUATION WHERE EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE BUILDING IN AUSTIN, KNOWING TEXDOT, RIGHT, THEY'RE JUST GONNA USE THE HIGHEST CARBON POSSIBLE
[00:45:01]
FOR, UH, CONCRETE.AND UM, BUT THEN THE CITY OF AUSTIN WOULD THEN, WHEN WE ARE DOING THE CAP ANDIT PROJECT, WE WOULD THEN BE USING LOW CARBON CONCRETE FOR THE CAP AND STITCH.
HOW EXACTLY WOULD THAT, AND I KNOW OBVIOUSLY THIS IS ALL KIND OF HYPOTHETICAL RIGHT NOW, BUT HOW WOULD YOU SEE A SITUATION LIKE THAT WORKING AS, AS FAR AS I KNOW, TECH SET'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ENTIRE STRUCTURAL, UH, PORTION OF THE PROJECT.
UM, WE'LL BE PAYING FOR CERTAIN PORTIONS OF IT AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTAIN PORTIONS OF IT, BUT, UM, IT HAS, IT'LL HAVE TO MEET TECH STATS STANDARDS.
UM, AND I, I DON'T WANT TO CHARACTERIZE THEM AS BEING, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING.
'CAUSE THEY, THEY, THEY DO ASSURE THAT, THAT WE BUILD, THAT THEY BUILD HIGH QUALITY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR US, AND THEY DO LOOK SOMEWHAT, YOU KNOW, AT, AT VARIOUS COMPONENTS AND WHAT CAN BE RECYCLED REUSED.
UM, SO IT WOULD BE UNFAIR FOR, FOR, FOR ME TO LEAVE YOU WITH THE, THE THOUGHT THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING ALONG THESE LINES.
IT'S JUST THAT WE THINK WE CAN BE MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN THERE BEING, UM, JUST LIKE ANNA WAS POINTING OUT, YOU KNOW, ACCEPTING THINGS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN DONE FREQUENTLY OR IN HIGH VOLUME YET.
UH, THAT'S NOT THE TEXTILE WAY.
THEY, THEY TEST THINGS VERY RIGOROUSLY.
THEY WANT TO, THEY WANT TO ASSURE OVER SOME PERFORMANCE OVER TIME TO SEE THE PERFORMANCE OF THINGS.
SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE JUST CAUTIOUS.
UM, YOU'RE, YOU'VE MADE A GOOD POINT THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE DOING A LOT OF CONSTRUCTION, BUT THEY'RE DOING IT IN MOSTLY IN TXDOT RIGHT OF WAY AND VERY LITTLE IN CITY OF BOSTON, RIGHT OF WAY.
SO THEY HAVE, UM, SUPREME AUTHORITY IN THAT RIGHT OF WAY TO DO THINGS THEIR WAY.
UM, WE CAN INFLUENCE THEM TO A DEGREE, BUT TDOT IS WORKING IN STATE RIGHT OF WAY AND THEY HAVE SUPREME, UH, JUDGMENT, UH, IN WHAT GOES THERE.
UH, SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO OFFER ANYTHING ELSE ALONG THOSE LINES.
YOU MADE, YOU KNOW, YOUR POINTS ARE WHAT ARE GOOD? YEAH.
UH, JUST, UH, PRODUCERS, CONCRETE PRODUCERS THAT HERE AROUND AUSTIN, THEY NORMALLY IN AUSTIN AREA.
AND, UH, I ASSUME THAT MY ASSUMPTIONS THAT THEY PRODUCE CONCRETE AND THEY SUPPLY CONCRETES FOR CITY OF HOIST PROJECT, AND THE SAME PRODUCERS WOULD BE SUPPLYING, UH, FOR
SO WOULD BE THE SAME PRODUCERS.
I'M MORE LIKE, I BELIEVE THERE ARE THE SAME PRODUCERS.
SO I THINK WE WOULD BENEFIT GREATLY IF WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PLAN.
AND IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.
SO AFTER WE COLLECT ALL ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION FOR PARTICULAR CONCRETE MIXES, WE WILL ESTABLISH BASELINE AND BASELINE ESTABLISHMENT WILL BE SOMEWHERE IN 2026 BECAUSE WE NEED TO COLLECT DATA FIRST AND WE DON'T HAVE DATA.
SO WE NEED TO MOVE TO MAKE PROGRESS.
AND THEN WE WILL SET BASELINE FOR PARTICULAR CONCRETE MIXES, HOW MUCH CARBON DIOXIDE WE WILL ALLOW PARTICULAR, UH, MIX, RIGHT? AND THEN KEEPING THAT BASELINE AND MAYBE LOWERING, UH, EVERY FIVE YEARS.
I MEAN, I THINK FIVE YEARS IS THE PLAN, RIGHT? OR AT LEAST NOW.
UH, SO THAT'S BASICALLY, UH, THE PATH.
BUT WORKING TOGETHER, MOVING NOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WOULD HELP US GREATLY.
AND YES, WE HAVE ONLY ONE, UNFORTUNATELY PRODUCER, UH, IN AUS, UH, WHO USE CARBONE INJECTED CONCRETE, AND WE HAD PROJECT SIDEWALK.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE MORE, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE BUILT WITH THAT CONCRETE, BUT IT'S NOT VERY COMPETITIVE AT THIS TIME.
I THINK THAT, THAT OUR ACTIONS ARE GOING TO INFLUENCE THINGS, JUST LIKE ANGELA WAS SAYING.
I MEAN, IF, IF TECH SAT'S BUYING MATERIALS FROM THESE PRODUCERS WE'RE GONNA BE, WE'RE GONNA BE INFLUENCING THEM.
AND SO I HOPE THAT THAT WILL START TO SHOW VERY EARLY EFFECTS, UM, UH, ABOUT THAT.
AND, AND WE CAN ALWAYS THROW SOME INFORMATION TEXT THAT WAY AND SAY, AND EVEN IF YOU GUYS ARE PRODUCING YOUR OWN CONCRETE ON SITE, UH, HOW ABOUT TRYING TO MEET SOME, MEET SOME REASONABLE LIMITS BASED ON EVERY, EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY'S ALREADY DOING.
SO WHEN WE HAVE THOSE EPDS IN HAND THAT ARE VALIDATED FROM OUR PRODUCERS, LOCAL PRODUCERS, WE CAN START SHOWING FOLKS, HEY, I A LITTLE COMPETITION HERE.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THESE GUYS ARE DOING GREAT AND YOU, YOU'RE KIND OF STICKING OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB.
UM, I, I THINK THERE'LL BE SOME PRESSURE FOR, FOR, FOR US TO BE ABLE TO INFLUENCE THEM EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BIG, THE BIG GORILLA IN THE ROOM.
YEAH, I MEAN, IDEALLY, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN WORK WITH US ON, YOU KNOW, MEETING OUR ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS, UH, AS OPPOSED TO JUST STEAMROLLING US, NO PUN INTENDED.
I, MELISSA, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION?
[00:50:01]
YES, THANKS, KAYA.REGARDING
AND I, I THINK THAT THIS COULD BE A FEASIBLE OPTION FOR THEM TO DO.
IT'S JUST THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE FACTORS OF COST VERSUS FEASIBILITY.
SO TYPICALLY WITH GREEN MINDED NEW TECHNOLOGY, IT'S GONNA BE COSTING A LITTLE BIT MORE, I WOULD IMAGINE, THAN THE STANDARD METHODS OF PRODUCING MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF CONCRETE.
AND FOR TEXDOT, THEY ALSO USE A LOT OF ASPHALT.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF THE CHEMISTRY FOR MAKING LOW CARBON CONCRETE WOULD BE OF SIMILAR FASHION TO LOW CARBON ASPHALT.
BUT, UM, I GUESS THAT WAS SORT OF MY THINKING IN YOUR PRESENTATION IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT STEP ONCE THE LOW CARBON CONCRETE TAKES OFF AND BECOME SUCCESSFUL? WOULD, WOULD LOW CARBON ASPHALT BE THE NEXT PROGRESSIVE STEP? BECAUSE THEN, THEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MOVING ON OUTSIDE OF CITIES OR SIDEWALKS AND, UM, OTHER MINOR CONSTRUCTION, AND THEN YOU'RE MOVING ON TO HIGHWAYS AND INTERSTATE ROADWAYS.
YES, ASPHALT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ANIMAL IN TERMS OF ITS DESIGN AND, AND THE, THE ENGINEERING BEHIND HOW YOU, HOW YOU DO THE PAVEMENT DESIGNS.
BUT IT IS NUMBER TWO ON THE LIST FOR US.
UM, THE, UH, ASPHALT INDUSTRY IS ALREADY WORKING ON THIS.
THEY, THEY, UM, THE, UH, LOCAL FOLKS HERE, UH, IN BUTTA ARE READY TO, TO START HELPING US, UH, GET EPDS FROM ASPHALT, UH, PRODUCERS AS WELL.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S THE NEXT ONE.
IT'S, IT'S ONE OF THE BIG FOUR THAT THE FEDS LAID OUT.
THEY SAID CONCRETE, ASPHALT, STEEL AND, AND PLATE GLASS.
AND SO ASPHALT AND CONCRETE ARE NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO, THEY'RE, THEY'RE HUGE, UH, VOLUME USE MATERIALS, BUT THEY ARE VERY DIFFERENT.
AND, BUT WE, WE INTEND FULLY TO BE GOING TO THE SAME KIND OF, UH, APPROACH WITH EPDS BEING PRODUCED FOR ASPHALTS TO, UH, TO SIT TO ASSURE THAT DIFFERENT VENDORS AND PRODUCERS ARE GOING TO BE MAKING THE MOST SUSTAINABLE ASPHALT THEY CAN.
WE ALREADY TURN A LOT OF MILLED ASPHALT, UH, WHICH IS THE, THE, THE MATERIAL WE'RE PULLING UP FROM ROADS THAT ARE, THAT ARE DOWN.
AND THAT IS A HUGE, HUGE QUANTITY OF ASPHALT IS BEING RECYCLED BACK INTO NEW ASPHALT.
UM, THERE ARE, THERE ARE VARIOUS DESIGN TECHNIQUES FOR HOW MUCH YOU CAN USE.
BUT ANYWAY, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON THERE.
AND THEY ARE, THEY'RE NEXT ON OUR LIST WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING VERY FORWARD REALLY HARD WITH THE ASPHALT INDUSTRY AS WELL TO DO A SIMILAR THING.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION AND SORRY FOR KEEPING YOU LATE
UM, COULD YOU, THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME.
UM, COULD, COULD YOU CLARIFY, UM, THE FIGURES ON SLIDE 12, JUST WANNA GET A SENSE OF LIKE WHAT THESE, I'M, I'M ESPECIALLY INTERESTED IN THE LAST LINE.
WHAT, WHAT DO THOSE C TWO EMISSIONS CORRESPOND TO AGAIN? OH, MILLION METRIC TONS.
UH, WE, WE, I SAW THAT, THAT A LOT OF FOLKS, YOU KNOW, DON'T RELATE TO POUNDS AS WELL AS THEY DO MILLION METRIC TONS.
SO I APOLOGIZE IF THAT'S NOT, NOT, NOT SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL DEAL WITH.
IT'S JUST THE CONVERSION TO 2,205 POUNDS PER, UH, MILLION, UH, METRIC TON.
UM, SO IT'S, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAME NUMBER AS THE ABOVE JUST CONVERTED TO MILLION METRIC TONS.
BUT WHAT ARE THOSE EMISSIONS ACTUALLY CORRESPONDING TO THOUGH? UH, IT'S, UM, BASICALLY THE CO2 EQUIVALENT.
SO IT MAY HAVE SOME OTHER GASES IN IT.
MM-HMM,
THERE'S, THERE'S A, THERE'S A CONVERSION FACTOR THAT THE INDUSTRY'S PRETTY COMFORTABLE PUBLISHING AS A GENERAL FIGURE FOR HOW MANY, HOW MANY KILOGRAMS OF, OF, UM, UH, CARBON DIOXIDE OR CO2 EQUIVALENT ARE CREATED FOR EVERY, UM,
UM, AND SO WE JUST DID THE CONVERSIONS OF, YOU KNOW, UH, BASED ON THE CUBIC YARDS THAT ARE REPORTED 'CAUSE WE'RE MORE COMFORTABLE IN OPERATIONS REPORTING IN CUBIC YARDS.
BUT ANYWAY, THESE HAVE BEEN JUST, THAT'S HOW MUCH CO2 EQUIVALENT THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE CREATED FOR THESE CUBIC YARDS OF CONCRETE OR POUNDS OF CEMENT BASED ON THE INDUSTRY AVERAGE GENERATION OF CARBON DIOXIDE GASES OR GREENHOUSE, UH, GREENHOUSE GASES, UM, FROM THE CONCRETE INDUSTRY.
[00:55:01]
IS THE ENTIRE CONCRETE INDUSTRY.IF I MAY CLARIFY, BASICALLY OUR, UM, ENGINEERS, WE ARE COLLECTING QUARTERLY REPORTS FROM CONCRETE PRODUCERS.
WE HAVE 12 PRODUCERS PRODUCING CONCRETE MIXES.
SO IT'S BASED ON QUARTERLY REPORTS BY CONCRETE PRODUCERS PLUS STREET AND BREACH OPERATIONS.
SO IT'S OUR FIELD OPS, UH, FIELD OPERATIONS THAT USING CONCRETE FOR UTILITY CUTS FOR CONSTRUCTION, CARBON GUTTER.
SO THEY'RE PROVIDING US TICKETS WEEKLY.
UM, AND WE ARE COUNTING BECAUSE THEY'RE PROVIDING US, UH, VOLUME AND POUNDS, UH, CONCRETE VOLUME AND POUNDS OF CEMENT.
SO WE ARE COLLECTING DATA AND THIS IS SUMMARY FOR FY 23, BUT IS IT LIKE, IS IT ASSOCIATED WITH CONCRETE THAT THE CITY IS ACTUALLY PURCHASING? YES.
AND USING YES AND PRODUC AND PRODUCING BY VOLUMETRIC TRUCKS.
WE HAVE SOME FOLKS MAKING THEIR OWN BATCHES OF CONCRETE OUT THERE WITH THE TRUCKS.
UH, A LOT OF IT IS PURCHASED PRE-MADE READY MIX AND DELIVERED TO THE SITE AS CONCRETE.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE QUITE A BIT OF CONCRETE THAT'S ON SMALLER JOBS BY THE VOLUMETRIC TRUCKS.
THIS IS THE COMBINED TOTAL FOR AUSTIN PROJECTS IN THESE QUARTERS.
YEAH, I JUST SAW THAT NUMBER AND IT'S HUGE.
YEAH, IT'S MASSIVE
I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS GETS INCORPORATED INTO OUR, UH, OVERALL COMMUNITY FOOTPRINT, BUT THAT, THAT WAS MY FIRST QUESTION.
THEN THE SECOND QUESTION IS JUST I'M CURIOUS ABOUT ANY LIKE, UPCOMING DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS OR PILOT PROJECTS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE, UM, SIMILAR TO THE ONE THAT YOU MENTIONED.
WELL, WE COULD, WE COULD SHOW THINGS OFF, BUT I GOT A FEELING THAT IT, IT MIGHT BE A BIT OF A STRANGE THING 'CAUSE AS A, YOU KNOW, AS, AS A PERSON JUST COMING UP AND LOOKING AT IT, WE HOPE YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE WE'RE JUST GONNA PUT THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS MIX OUT THERE.
UM, TREAT IT EXACTLY LIKE WE DO ANY OTHER CONCRETE MIX WE'VE EVER PLACED.
AND THE, THE PROOF WILL BE IN JUST THE, UH, REPORTING OF WHAT CONSTITUENT MATERIALS WENT INTO IT AND WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, PROMISING AND THEN DID IT PERFORM AS WE NEEDED IT TO.
SO OVER TIME WE'LL SEE IS IT AS STRONG AS WE NEED IT TO BE? IS IT AS DURABLE AND CRACK FREE? AND, UM, WE'D BE GLAD TO HAVE FOLKS COME OUT AND LOOK, BUT THEY MIGHT, THEY, THEY MIGHT BE JUST SURPRISED THAT, WELL, THAT JUST LOOKS LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE I'VE EVER SEEN.
AND SO YOU, YOU'D HAVE TO LET US KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THAT IS FOR YOU TO SEE IT.
UM, IT'D BE MORE IMPACT IN THE FACTS BEFORE AND AFTER THEN SEEING IT SO MUCH NOW GOING TO PLANTS MAYBE AND SEEING PRODU, YOU KNOW, SEEING NEW THINGS BEING DONE MIGHT BE VERY INTERESTING.
UM, AS WAS SUGGESTED, ENERGY IS A HUGE ASPECT OF, UM, UH, COOKING THE, THE CEMENT SO THAT YOU CAN CRUSH IT UP APPROPRIATELY.
WELL, IF SOMEBODY PRODUCES OR IS USING BIOFUELS AND IS CHANGING THEIR PLANT, YOU KNOW, IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY, THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK EVERYBODY MIGHT BE REALLY GENUINELY INTERESTED IN SEEING.
'CAUSE IT'LL BE SOMETHING YOU CAN SEE AND YOU CAN TALK TO SOMEBODY ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT IS THIS, UH, THE ACTUAL PLACEMENT MIGHT, MIGHT BE NOT THAT EXCITING
UM, YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME.
OTHER QUESTIONS? I HAD A QUICK QUESTION IF YOU, IF YOU DON'T MIND, EVA? YEAH, PLEASE.
UH, JUST, UM, WELL I THINK I, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, I THINK THAT TABLE MIGHT BE REFERRING, 'CAUSE IT WAS DOING THE CONVERSION, IT MIGHT BE REFERRING TO METRIC TONS INSTEAD OF MAJOR METRIC TONS.
SO JUST, JUST SOMETHING TO LOOK AT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE UNITS ARE ARE CORRECT.
AND THEN THE O THE OTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO MENTION, YOU GUYS WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT YOU GUYS NEEDED OUR, OUR SUPPORT.
SO I WAS JUST KINDA WONDERING WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE, THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS FOR US TO HELPING OUT IN THIS INITIATIVE? WELL, UH, I THINK, UH, COMMITTEE IS POWERFUL AND YOU GUYS, UH, EXPERT ON SUSTAINABILITY AND YOU, UM, IF YOU THINK WE HAVE, UM, A GOOD PLAN OR PLAN TO, UH, THAT YOU APPROVE FOR ACTIONS, MAYBE YOU CAN SUPPORT US, UM, WITH OUR CITY COUNCIL AND,
[01:00:01]
UH, ON THIS PLAN IMPLEMENTATION BECAUSE TO ENGAGE EVERYONE, ENGAGE, UH, TO ACCOMPLISH WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING, WE WOULD NEED, UM, A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS AND DIVISION TO, UH, START WORKING TOWARDS THAT RIGHT FIELD OPERATIONS.UH, THEY HAVE TO ESTABLISH SOME SORT OF REPORTING.
WE MEET WITH FIELD OPERATIONS OF MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS, BUT WE ARE NOT THE ENTITY TO TELL THEM WHAT TO DO.
WE JUST PROPOSING IT WOULD BE GREAT TO START DOING IT.
AND WE ARE WORKING WITH OUR FIELD OPS, UH, IN OUR DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO WE JUST ASKING FOR, FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
AND WHEN IS THIS GOING TO COUNCIL? WELL, UH, I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED, UM, BECAUSE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO BASED ON RESOLUTION NOVEMBER AND UM, I DON'T HAVE ANY UPDATE.
I'M JUST RC IT WAS RCA 2 61 ON THE OCTOBER.
I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS, UH, IT HAPPENED BY OKAY.
I WILL FOLLOW UP AND, AND TRY TO FIGURE THAT OUT.
UM, IF IT'S OKAY, I'D LIKE TO, UM, QUICKLY ASK A FEW FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS THAT I'VE BEEN MAKING NOTE OF AND, AND WHAT SUPPORT YOU NEEDED WAS ONE OF THEM.
AND I GUESS I'LL JUST ASK, IS THERE A, ANY SORT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, I UNDERSTAND YOU WANT SUPPORT FOR THE PLAN.
UH, IS THERE A FINANCIAL NEED? ARE THERE BUDGET NEEDS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING READY TO MAKE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS.
IN TERMS OF THE CITY'S USE OF MO, ACTUAL LOW CARBON CONCRETE, IS COST AN ISSUE OR IS IT REALLY A MORE A MATTER OF THIS, UM, COMFORT WITH THE, WITH THE PRODUCTS? UM, I THINK IT'S GONNA BE BOTH.
UM, WE, WE HAVE TO ASSURE THAT WE CAN STILL DELIVER PROJECTS AND THAT WAS OUR SEVERAL DIRECTORS, YOU KNOW, UH, OR ASSISTANT DIRECTORS SAID, HEY, LET'S MAKE SURE THIS ISN'T PUTTING THE BRAKES ON OUR PROJECTS.
SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO BE CAREFUL THAT WE FIND AFFORDABLE SOLUTIONS TO THESE THINGS THAT DON'T COST TOO MUCH, BUT WITH ANY NEW WAY OF DOING THINGS THERE, THERE, THERE DEFINITELY SEEMS TO BE ADDITIONAL COST.
UM, WE DON'T HAVE AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE ON THAT YET.
UM, I KNOW THAT THE CARBON CURE ITSELF WAS SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT THE, THAT, THAT, THAT VENDOR WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THEY WERE GOING TO SPREAD THAT COST OVER, OVER THE, UM, PRODUCTION OF THAT CONCRETE.
AND ANYONE ELSE IS PROBABLY GONNA HAVE THE SAME THING IF THEY HAVE TO INVEST IN THEIR PLANTS, UH, OR DIFFERENT MATERIALS SUPPLIERS, UM, THAT CLEARLY THERE'S A POSSIBILITY OF SOME PREMIUM.
WE DON'T HAVE A HANDLE ON THAT YET.
SO I, I THINK IT'S A FAIR THING TO SAY UNTIL, UNTIL SOME OF THESE THINGS BECOME MORE INDUSTRY NORM, UM, THAT WE PROBABLY WILL SEE A, A BIT OF A PRICE INCREASE, UM, BEFORE IT MAY BE SETTLES BACK DOWN INTO REASONABLE, UH, COST FOR EVERYONE.
AND JUST A QUICK THING, I DO WANNA HEAR WHAT YOU'RE GONNA SAY.
IS THAT LAUREN CONCRETE THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO? THAT'S, YES.
AND IS THAT A VENDOR THAT THE CITY IS CURRENTLY USING? YES.
AND BUT YOU, DO YOU USE THEIR LOW CARBON PRODUCT OR YES, THEY PRODUCE, THEY PRODUCE CONCRETE TO OUR CULTURE, YES.
UM, CARBON CONTRACTED CONCRETE.
AND JUST TO ADD ABOUT BUDGET, AT THIS TIME, WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR ANY BUDGET INCREASE.
UH, I ASSUME THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN CONTINUE, UH, ASKING PRODUCERS TO REPORT TO US.
UH, ALSO WE EDUCATE THEM ALSO FIELD OPERATION OF DEPARTMENT JUST NEED TO A LITTLE BIT IMPROVE.
IT'LL BE JUST SOMETHING NEW, BUT I THINK IT DOESN'T NEED ANY COST.
WE ARE DOING IT WITH OUR FIELD OPERATION IS WRITTEN AND BREACH.
IT JUST, UH, EVERY WEEK, UH, SOME SUPERINTENDENT, UH, SEND US EMAIL AND THAT'S IT.
IT TAKES FEW MINUTES AND WE ARE DOING IT.
UH, IT'S ONGOING COMMUNICATION.
SO FIRST YEAR I DON'T THINK ANY COST TO THE CITY.
UH, WHAT MAY HAPPEN, UH, HOOKING THAT, UH, GREEN CONCRETE OR BETTER CONCRETE OR PRODUCING EPD, IT MAY COST PRODUCER SOME MONEY TACA, UH, TEXAS AGGREGATE CONCRETE MATERIAL ASSOCIATION.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT SOME GRANT AND UH,
[01:05:01]
WE, UH, THEY ASK FOR LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION.SO THEY APPLYING FOR GRANT TO, IF THEY GET MONEY, THEY WILL WORKING WITH, UH, SMALL PRODUCERS IN TEXAS HELPING THEM WITH EPD IMPLEMENTATION.
SO WHAT I'M SAYING, IT MAY BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES, FINANCIALS THEY OUT THERE THAT HELP, UH, SMALL CONCRETE PROVIDERS TO GET EPD.
SO, BUT BASICALLY EPD WOULD BE, UH, FIRST PUT ON PRODUCER, BUT THEY MAY INCREASE COST OF CONCRETE.
BUT I THINK IT'S RIGHT THING TO DO, RIGHT? IT'S ONLY WAY FOR US TO SURVIVE AS HUMANITY TO MAKE CONCRETE MORE SUSTAINABLE TO START DOING SOMETHING TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY.
AND SO JUST GOING BACK TO LAUREN CONCRETE, SINCE Y'ALL ARE ALREADY PURCHASING FROM THEM, IS THERE CURRENTLY A COST PREMIUM WITH THAT CARBON INJECTED PRODUCT COMPARED TO YOUR OTHER PRODUCERS? YEAH, IT WAS NO COST FOR US FOR THAT PILOT PROJECT.
UH, WE PARTNERED WITH, UH, SIDEWALK SPECIAL PROJECT DIVISION.
IT'S, THEY ALSO WITH TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS.
IT WAS JUST INTERNAL INITIATIVES.
UM, SO IT WASN'T AT ANY COST FOR US.
HOW DID THAT PILOT, LIKE, IS THAT STILL ON? LIKE WHAT WERE THE RESULTS? DID IT WORK? IT LOOKS GREAT.
IT LOOKS LIKE CONCRETE AT SOME POINT.
I WANTED TO PUT SOME LITTLE TABLE METAL TABLE JUST TO SAY IT, YOU KNOW,
I, THEY COMPLETED IT I BELIEVE IN NOVEMBER.
YOU KNOW, I GOTTA ADMIT, I DON'T DO A LOT OF CONCRETE WORK, UM, TO THE COMPANIES NOT HAVE TO GO THROUGH SOME SORT OF CERTIFICATION TESTING OF THEIR PRODUCTS BEFORE THEY SELL THEM.
I'M JUST, IT SEEMS A LITTLE BIT INEFFICIENT FOR, YOU KNOW, A CITY TO HAVE TO TEST EACH PRODUCT.
IS THERE NOT SOME HIGHER ENTITY IN CHARGE OF THAT? THERE'S A LOT OF PROCESS TO IT AND I DON'T WANNA DRAG Y'ALL THROUGH IT, BUT THEY PRE THEY CREATE DESIGNS, WHICH MEANS HOW MUCH OF EVERYTHING THEY'RE GONNA PUT IN.
WE REVIEW ANNUALLY THE MIXED DESIGNS THAT THEY SUBMIT.
THEN EACH JOB WHEN CONCRETE IS PLACED, THERE ARE SAMPLES TAKEN AND IT'S A NORMAL PART OF THE INSPECTION PROCESS.
IT'S BEEN DONE FOR DECADES OR YOU KNOW, MORE THAN A HUNDRED YEARS.
SO, UM, THAT IS A REGULAR PROCESS.
UM, THE CONTRACTOR CAN DO, UH, QUALITY ASSURANCE FOR THEMSELVES OR QUALITY CONTROL FOR THEMSELVES.
WE CAN DO SOME FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE.
AND SO BOTH SIDES CAN DECIDE WHAT RE TEST RESULTS THEY'RE GONNA RELY ON.
WHAT, WHAT'S GETTING CONSTRUCTED EITHER FROM A MATERIAL STANDPOINT OR FROM AN IN-PLACE PERFORMANCE STANDPOINT.
THAT'S JUST NORMAL INSPECTION OF, OF PROJECTS BEING BUILT.
AND SO I UNDERSTAND NOW YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE A STANDARD FORMULA 'CAUSE THEY WOULD BE DOING DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND I GUESS I'M JUST ASKING, IS THERE NO CERTIFICATION AGENCY THAT HAS TO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU COME OUT WITH YOUR NEW LOW CARBON CONCRETE, LIKE DO YOU NOT HAVE TO PROVE BEFORE YOU SELL IT TO THE PUBLIC THAT IT'S, THAT WOULD BE BASED ON EXPERIENCE AND YOU KNOW, IN SOME, SOME PERIOD OF HISTORY WHERE WE SAY, WELL, WE'VE TESTED IT 20 TIMES AND EVERY TIME IT CAME OUT WONDERFUL.
SO WHY DO WE HAVE TO BOTHER TESTING IT AS MUCH? BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'LL EVER BE A POINT IN TIME WHEN WE DON'T DO ANY TESTING WHATSOEVER.
EVEN THE BEST CONTRACTORS GET TESTED TO SOME DEGREE.
AND SO I THINK, I THINK WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AT IS, YEAH, COULD WE SAY THERE'S SOME POINT IN TIME WHERE WE'VE USED SOMETHING ENOUGH THAT WE'RE COMFORTABLE WITH IT TO NOT TEST IT ABOVE AND BEYOND OR THAT'S REALLY WHAT I'M GETTING AT OR BE CRITICAL.
I'M WONDERING IF THERE'S JUST LIKE A LAYER, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE IF YOU WANNA PUT A NEW DRUG ON THE MARKET, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH FDA APPROVAL.
IS THERE ANY, THEY'RE THEY'RE GOING TO BE MAKING THESE MATERIALS IN, IN VARIOUS COMBINATIONS.
AND IF YOU WENT FROM VENDOR TO VENDOR, THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THE EXACT SAME MIX TO SIGN.
SO THERE WOULD BE NO WAY WE, WE'D BE GETTING BACK TO T THEM HOW TO DO IT SO THAT THEY'RE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING.
BUT I, I DON'T, LET'S PRETEND CITY OF AUSTIN'S NOT INVOLVED.
LET'S PRETEND I'M A CONCRETE PRODUCER AND I AM JUST LIKE SELLING TO AVERAGE PEOPLE.
AM I JUST ALLOWED TO SELL WHATEVER I WANT AND CALL IT CONCRETE? AND THAT'S, THAT'S A CHANCE THAT THAT THAT THAT THERE'S NO CERTIFICATION USE TO TEST THE RESULTS.
YOU THANK SHOW US 27 DAY STRENGTH 20.
[01:10:01]
IF YOU DON'T WANT TEST, THAT'S AT YOUR RISK.MOST PEOPLE WILL, YOU AS A CITIZEN WOULD GO AND SAY, I'M BUYING 3000 BSI CONCRETE COUNTS PER SQUARE INCH.
UM, BUT THE PRODUCER DOES AND YOU TAKE THE RISK GO THROUGH A PROCESS OF DOING THESE TESTS THEMSELVES.
AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING THE CITY SHOULDN'T DO SOME DUE DILIGENCE.
I JUST WANTED TO UNDERSTAND LIKE, ARE WE STARTING FROM ZERO? IT SOUNDS LIKE NOT.
UM, SO THEN I GUESS JUST A FOLLOW UP QUESTION.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, I WANT SIDEWALKS TO BE CONSTRUCTED, WELL, DON'T GET ME WRONG, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT'S KIND OF, UM, LOW RISK MOST COMPARED TO, YOU KNOW, A BRIDGE.
SO I'M WONDERING, UM, AND I, I GUESS I'M A LITTLE UNCLEAR ON YOUR TIMELINE, BUT IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WOULD BE 2026 UNTIL THERE WERE ANY ACTUAL MAYBE IMPROVEMENT, UM, IF THERE'S PRODUCT AVAILABLE.
LIKE IS IT NOT POSSIBLE TO MOVE QUICKER ON THE LOW RISK THINGS LIKE SIDEWALKS AT LEAST? YEAH, THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA CHANGE IN SPECIFICATIONS IS MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ONLY GETTING WHAT WE NEED.
UH, IF WE SPECIFY 4,500 PSA CONCRETE AND ALL WE NEED IS 2,500 PSI CONCRETE, THAT'S, THAT'S SILLY.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT IS ARE WE REALLY BEING PRUDENT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR? SO LET'S ELIMINATE OVER DESIGN.
LET'S ASSURE THAT IT'S, UH, THE MATERIAL WE'RE ASKING FOR IS, IS RIGHT FOR THE PURPOSE.
UM, AND SO YEAH, I MEAN THAT, THAT COULD BE A REAL QUICK WIN FOR US TO ASSURE WE'RE NOT OVERDOING IT.
AND THAT DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, EVEN CONVENTIONAL DESIGN CAN BE DONE WITH LESS CEMENT IF YOU'RE BUYING JUST WHAT YOU NEED AND NOT OVERDOING IT.
SO THAT'S A QUICK WIN FOR US TO LOOK INTO.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING WE INTEND TO DO.
'CAUSE THERE ARE SOME OVERDESIGNED FACTORS IN THERE WHERE WE'RE SAYING, WELL, NOT ONLY DO YOU HAVE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR, BUT THERE'S A PERCENTAGE ABOVE THAT THAT THEY HAVE TO PRODUCE TO GUARANTEE THAT ANY STATISTICAL GROUPING OF BREAKS, UH, UH, TO SHOW THE STRENGTH OF THAT CONCRETE WILL ALL BE ABOVE THAT LINE.
'CAUSE THERE'S SOME STATISTICS TO IT.
I MEAN, OR IF THEY TAKE 10 SAMPLES, THEY'RE NOT ALL GOING TO BREAK THE SAME AMOUNT.
AND JUST TO CLARIFY QUICK, UM, CHANGE SPECIFICATION, WE WOULD NEED SOME TIME AS WELL.
AND BASED ON THIS PLAN THIS YEAR, OFFICE OF THE CITY ENGINEER WILL BE REVIEWING AND WE, WE'LL START WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT, FEW VACANCIES TO FILL.
UH, WE START IN QUARTER TWO, REVIEW OUR SPECS RELATED TO CONCRETE TO ENSURE THAT WE REVISE THEM.
AND WE GO THROUGH RULE POSTING PROCESS, WHICH TAKES FEW MONTHS, UM, TO UPDATE OUR DOCUMENT TOWARDS, UH, PERFORMANCE SPECIFIC CONCRETE.
AND WE, UH, LEARN A LOT FROM, UM, AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE CONFERENCE, LOTS OF ALTERNATIVE MIXED DESIGNS AND MAYBE IT'S OUR FUTURE.
THERE ARE SOME MIXED DESIGNS THAT BASED ON, YOU KNOW, UH, LIKE SHELVES OF SHRIMPS, UH, SOME MATTER EXTRACTED TOWARDS THOSE SHELVES.
SO THERE, THERE IS SOME OPPORTUNITIES THERE, BUT WE WILL BE DEALING WITH CEMENT FOR A WHILE.
UH, AND THAT'S WHY, UH, MOVING TO THAT ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION, UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS A JUST TIMELINE WHICH WE CANNOT EXPEDITE.
AND IT'S NOT ONLY ON US, IT'S ALSO ON INDUSTRY.
WE CAN, WE NEED TO, IT'S LIKE RATHER IT JUST LIKE A DANCING WITH INDUSTRY.
WE MOVE WHEN THEY'RE READY TO MOVE BECAUSE WE CAN, IT KIND OF, YOU KNOW, LEGAL COMPLICATION.
WE, UH, WE TRYING TO BE, UH, CAREFUL AND, UH, EDUCATE AND, UH, ENCOURAGE TO MOVE WITH US.
I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING YOUR TIMELINE.
UM, SO YOU, YOU'RE SAYING YOU'RE GONNA, UM, TRY TO REDUCE OVER DESIGN.
YOU'RE DOING THAT REVIEW THIS YEAR, SO THAT MIGHT GET IMPLEMENTED NEXT YEAR OR WHAT'S YES.
UH, RULE POSTING PROCESS, I WOULD BE TO STABLISH THAT.
AND DID YOU SAY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS WERE GONNA BE DUE OR REQUIRED STARTING OCTOBER, 2024 OR 2025? OCTOBER 1ST, 2024, WHICH YOU'LL BE FIVE.
ARE ANY OF YOUR CURRENT SUPPLIERS SUCH AS LAUREN CONCRETE OR ANY OF THE OTHERS, DO THEY ALREADY HAVE A PRODUCT DECLARATION? YES.
HOW MANY DO ANY OTHERS? UM, WE, UH, CONDUCTED THE SURVEY ONLY
SO, UM, FEW OF THEM THEY DO HAVE, UH, I, I SUSPECT IT'S MORE THAN TWO, BUT WE DON'T HAVE A SOLID NUMBER BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONE THAT WE
[01:15:01]
SO EVEN THOUGH, AND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE A WHOLE NOTHER YEAR WHERE THEY JUST HAVE TO PROVIDE IT, BUT THERE'S NO IMPLICATION TO THOSE NUMBERS.THAT'S WHAT WE WERE SUGGESTING.
THAT'S WHAT WE WERE SUGGESTING TO GIVE TO, TO NORMALIZE THIS AND MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S TURNING THEM IN AND, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IF THERE'S 12 DIFFERENT PRODUCERS, IF WE ONLY GET 10 OF THEM, THEN YOU KNOW, YOU GOTTA GO CHASE DOWN THE TWO THAT AREN'T DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING.
SO WE, WE INTENDED TO ALLOW A LITTLE GRACE PERIOD THERE.
AND IF EVERYBODY'S ON BOARD THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, ON THAT FIRST, UM, FIRST UH, SUBMITTAL, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD PUSH FORWARD FASTER.
BUT, UM, WE'RE ALSO VERY AWARE THAT ANYTHING THAT AFFECTS THIS AFFECTS PURCHASING, UM, CAN BE CHALLENGED A LOT.
AND WE, WE DON'T WANT TO BE IN A POSITION OF SETTING SOMETHING THAT, UM, IT SEEMS PUNITIVE AND THAT ANYBODY, UH, ANY OF THOSE VENDORS FEEL LIKE THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, BEING UNFAIRLY TREATED, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS A NEW THING.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE BEING PRETTY DELIBERATE ABOUT THAT.
IT'S COUNTER TO MAKING PROGRESS FAST, BUT IT'S, IT'S WHAT INDUSTRY'S BEEN TELLING US TO BE CAUTIOUS AND CAREFUL ABOUT HOW FAST WE PUSHED THEM.
UM, SEVERAL OF THE INDUSTRY GROUPS HAVE, HAVE REINFORCED THAT WITH US AND TOLD US NOT TO GO SO FAST THAT, THAT PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY'RE, THEY'RE GETTING, UH, JUST AS, AS WAS MENTIONED BEFORE, STEAMROLLED
SO, AND, UH, WE'LL SEE IF WE MOVING FORWARD, UH, AS THAT MENTIONED, WE MAY HAVE LIKE 10 FROM 12 GREAT SUCCESS.
AND OUR GOAL IS TO THEN REACH OUT INDIVIDUALLY, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH THOSE TWO.
BUT THE TRUTH IS WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY, UH, WE WILL HAVE, UH, WE NEED TO START SOMEWHERE.
I, I GUESS, UM, THANKS FOR ANSWERING ALL MY MANY QUESTIONS.
UM, I GUESS MY, MY FEEDBACK WOULD BE YOU'RE DOING GOOD WORK.
I CAN TELL YOU'RE VERY DELIBERATE.
YOU'RE TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, DO THIS IN A, IN A WAY THAT WORKS.
I THINK THE CLIMATE CRISIS IS, IS THAT IT'S A CRISIS AND, UH, THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN DOES, YOU KNOW, ENVISION THE GOALS BEING IMPLEMENTED AND MOST OF OUR REDUCTIONS HAPPENING BY 2030, UH, WHICH IS NOW JUST WHAT, LIKE SIX YEARS AWAY? UM, SO MY FEEDBACK WOULD BE THAT YOUR PLAN SOUNDS A LITTLE BIT, UM, TOO ACCOMMODATING TO INDUSTRY AND, YOU KNOW, UM, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU CAN PROBABLY ACCELERATE SOME OF YOUR TIMELINES A LITTLE BIT, ESPECIALLY HEARING THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE SOME PRODUCERS THAT ARE, THAT HAVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATIONS.
YOU HAVE AT LEAST ONE WHO'S ACTIVELY USING A GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION STRATEGY.
I THINK THERE'S A WAY TO LOOK AT THIS.
YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING, IT SOUNDS PUNITIVE, BUT ACTUALLY I, I WOULD LOOK AT IT FROM THE OTHER, UH, SIDE OF THE COIN, WHICH IS THAT IF YOU MOVE QUICKER, YOU ARE REWARDING THOSE WHO ARE, ARE TAKING ACTION.
AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN EVERY INDUSTRY BECAUSE IF, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF AUSTIN CONTINUES TO TREAT ALL PLAYERS THE SAME, REGARDLESS OF, OF THE OUTCOME OF THEIR, THEIR PRODUCT, THE RESULTS OF THEIR PRODUCT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ON OUR
SO I WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE TIMELINES PROBABLY SHOULD MOVE UP.
AND I, I HEARD A, YOU KNOW, DESCRIPTION OF, YOU KNOW, AVERAGE AND THEN ABOVE, A LITTLE ABOVE AVERAGE IS GOOD.
I WOULD TAKE THAT IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.
LIKE, ANYTHING ABOVE AVERAGE IS BAD, RIGHT? LIKE WE WE'RE LITERALLY ON FIRE HERE, RIGHT? LIKE, I MEAN, WE CAN BARELY KEEP OUR GRID RUNNING BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE DYING OF HEAT EXPOSURE.
SO I THINK, UM, THAT WOULD BE MY FEEDBACK.
I THINK YOU'RE DOING GOOD WORK.
I THINK CLEARLY INDUSTRY IS LIKE TELLING YOU WHEN TO MOVE SLOW
I THINK, UM, YEAH, I WOULD JUST SAY I THINK YOU CAN MOVE A LITTLE FASTER AND IF YOU'RE GETTING NO COMPLAINTS, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT MOVING FAST ENOUGH.
BUT I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR TIME.
ARE THERE ANY FINAL THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS THAT ANYBODY WANTS TO SHARE? TY, BUT I, YEAH, PLEASE WANTED TO CONFIRM WHAT CHRIS SAID ABOUT THE CONVERSION THAT IS, IT'S JUST METRIC TONS.
[01:20:03]
THANK YOU SO MUCH.HOPE TO HAVE YOU BACK AGAIN SOON.
WE HOPE WE DIDN'T SCARE YOU AWAY BY WE, I MEAN ME.
ALRIGHT, LET'S MOVE ON WITH OUR AGENDA.
IF I CAN FIND, THERE'S THE DOCUMENT.
[2. Discussion and action to approve recommendations to amend the Austin Climate Equity Plan spurred by City Council action. ]
TO OUR DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. UM, NUMBER TWO IS, UH, APPROVE, UH, DISCUSS AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON APPROVING RECOMMENDATIONS TO AMEND THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.ROHAN, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANTED TO SHARE WITH US ON THIS, RIGHT? NOT, DID YOU SAY NO? DID I NOT SHARE? NO.
OH, I JUST MEANT LIKE RIGHT NOW.
DID YOU WANNA SAY ANYTHING? NO.
SO I THINK WE ALREADY, UM, DISCUSSED THIS PERHAPS LAST TIME I, I CAN'T REMEMBER.
BUT, UM, BASICALLY THE, UM, CITY COUNCIL DIRECTED STAFF TO INCLUDE TELEWORK, UM, I, I GUESS KIND OF STRATEGIES IN THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
AND, UM, I THINK NOW THAT'S COMING BACK TO COUNCIL.
UM, AND THERE WAS ALSO A KIND OF PLACEHOLDER FROM WHEN THE PLAN WAS INITIALLY ADOPT, ADOPTED FOR THE DIVERSION RATE, UH, THAT WOULD, THAT CAME IN THE RESOURCE, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY MASTER PLAN.
UM, SO IF WE COULD, CAN WE SHOW THIS ITEM ON THE SCREEN? IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
I THINK WE'VE ADDRESSED BOTH, BOTH OF THESE ISSUES IN RECENT RECOMMENDATIONS.
BUT THIS IS TO KIND OF FORMALLY JUST INCLUDE THESE IN THE CLIMATE PLAN, CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
CAN PEOPLE SEE THAT? OR SHOULD WE SHOW ONE SLIDE AT A TIME? ONE PAGE AT A TIME? I THINK ONE PAGE MIGHT BE A LITTLE EASIER.
SO DO WE NEED LIKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION? I'LL GO AHEAD AND MOTION.
CAN I ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION? SORRY, I'LL WAIT FOR THE MOTION ON THE TABLE.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND? SO NOW WE'RE IN DISCUSSION AND I CAN'T SEE EVERYBODY, SO JUST GO AHEAD AND SPEAK UP.
I'M JUST WONDERING WHETHER WE HAVE THE SPEC, IT'S NUMBER ONE IS ADDING LANGUAGE TO EXPLICITLY SUPPORT TELEWORK POLICIES.
IS THAT LANGUAGE AVAILABLE TO US TO LOOK AT? DO WE HAVE THAT? I THINK IT WAS, LET ME CHECK.
SO I THINK IT WAS LAST MEETING THAT WE HAD, I, UM, THAT WE SHOWED, IT WAS KIND OF A WEIRD, UM, TABLE, BUT I DON'T KNOW IT REALLY DID IT THAT DIDN'T REALLY HAVE THE, THE LANGUAGE DID IT RAHAN, IT WAS JUST KIND OF GENERAL.
IT'S, IT'S LINKED IN THE RECOMMENDATION.
UM, THERE'S A LINK TO THE CITY COUNCIL ACTION, WHICH I SHOULD KNOW SINCE I WROTE IT.
IS ARE WE ASKING TO INCLUDE LANGUAGE THAT'S SPECIFICALLY IN THE CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION, OR ARE WE WRITING OUR OWN LANGUAGE? NO, IT'S JUST RECOMMENDING IT, IT WHAT HIS, WHAT HAS, WHAT HAS MOVED FORWARD ALREADY IN THE, UM, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY PLAN AND THEN THE RECOMMENDATION THAT IS POSTED FOR COUNCIL ACTION.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS REALLY JUST SUPPORTING A THING THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN ADOPTED AND THEN A THING THAT IS UP FOR ADOPTION, FORMALIZING IT INTO THE PLAN.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS?
[01:25:01]
MY ONLY QUESTION WAS WHETHER, UM, THERE'S MORE SPECIFICITY FOR THAT LINE THAT'S LIKE SAYS OVER TIME, UM, AT, IN THE ZERO WASTE RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE, WAS THERE A SPECIFIC TIMEFRAME WE SHOULD INDICATE OR JUST LEAVE IT OPEN? YEAH, I MEAN, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE LANGUAGE, UH, THAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY PLAN.IT'S MAYBE NOT THE LANGUAGE I WOULD'VE, UH, WOULD'VE WRITTEN, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE, WE CAN'T RECOMMEND SOMETHING ELSE.
BUT, UM, I WOULD EXPECT IT TO BE A ZERO CONTROVERSY, UH, AS IT'S WRITTEN IN THIS DOCUMENT BECAUSE COUNSELOR ALREADY ADOPTED THIS.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT PUSHBACK THERE MAY OR MAY NOT BE IF WE PUT A DATE ON IT, BUT I'M OPEN.
YEAH, I I ACTUALLY HAD THE SAME, THE SAME QUESTION.
I, I WAS LOOKING AT THE PLAN AND I THINK WHERE THEY TALK ABOUT THIS, THEY SAY THAT THE ONE POUND WOULD BE IDEAL, BUT IT'S ALL VERY KIND OF GENERAL LANGUAGE.
UH, AND THEN I, I GUESS I FIND THAT A LITTLE BIT ODD BECAUSE FOUR POUNDS IS THE RATE THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY AT, SO THEY'RE JUST KIND OF SAYING, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA MAINTAIN THAT IN THE NEAR TERM, THAT THAT'S NOT ALSO CLEAR.
WHAT, WHAT'S THE TIMEFRAME THERE? SO OVERALL IT DOES SEEM PRETTY GENERAL TO ME, BUT I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THE, I GUESS YEAH.
HOW MUCH PUSHBACK WE'LL GET AS YOU WERE SAYING, IF WE, IF WE TRY TO MAKE THAT MORE SPECIFIC.
UM, THIS, THIS IS WHY I TRIED FOR MANY MONTHS TO GET A RR TO COME IN TO DISCUSS THIS TOPIC WITH US BEFORE THEY SENT THE PLAN TO COUNCIL.
AND, UH, JUST THE WAY IT WORKED OUT, WE, WE GOT THE PRESENTATION KIND OF AT THE LAST MINUTE AND WE WEREN'T POSTED FOR ACTION.
SO, UM, ALTHOUGH I THINK WE HAD PREVIOUSLY MADE A RECOMMENDATION ON IT AND THEY, THEY DIDN'T SEE IT.
SO, YEAH, NOT IDEAL, BUT IT'S KIND OF, UH, WHERE THINGS ARE AT AND I MEAN, WE DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING, BUT THE REALITY IS THERE'S LIKE LITERALLY A PLACEHOLDER LANGUAGE IN THE PLAN.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN EITHER LEAVE IT AS NOTHING OR WE CAN ADD THIS IN THERE.
I I DO THINK THAT AT LEAST HAVING SOMETHING IN THERE IS PROBABLY BETTER THAN, THAN NOTHING.
AND I KNOW ARRS JUSTIFICATION FOR THE FOUR POUND PER, UH, GOAL, EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE CURRENT, WHICH DEFINITELY STRIKES ME AS, YOU KNOW, NOT VERY AMBITIOUS, BUT THEIR JUSTIFICATION WAS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE TREND HAS BEEN THAT IT'S BEEN INCREASING YEAR OVER YEAR.
SO HOLDING IT STEADY IN A WAY, I GUESS IS AN IMPROVEMENT FROM WHAT WOULD BE EXPECTED.
I MEAN, AGAIN, NOT, NOT MY CHOICE.
SO IT SEEMS LIKE JUST STAYING WITH FOUR WOULD BE JUST REALLY NOT FOLLOWING THE TREND AND JUST KIND OF KEEPING THE SAME WELL, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, OVER TIME IS VAGUE, WHICH ON ONE HAND IS NOT GREAT, BUT IT'S ALSO OPEN TO INTERPRETATION
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, A YEAR, TWO YEARS, THAT'S TIME.
UH, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA GET TO A, YOU KNOW, A POUND IN A YEAR, UH, OR TWO YEARS RIGHT.
BUT, UM, I THINK IT DOES SIGNAL AN INTENTION TO, TO TAKE ACTIONS THAT REDUCE CONSUMPTION AND WASTE.
WOULD, WOULD IT MAKE SENSE OR WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO
[01:30:01]
MAYBE APPEND LANGUAGE THAT SAYS, YOU KNOW, SET A MORE SPECIFIC GOAL BASED ON BENCHMARKING OF SIMILAR CITIES OR BASED ON, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE HAVING LANGUAGE IN THERE THAT SAYS THAT THEY SHOULD SET A SPECIFIC GOAL? SURE.UM, WE COULD JUST ADD C HERE AND SAY, UH, THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FURTHER RECOMMENDS, UM, WORK TO REFINE AND REF REFINE THE DISPOSAL RATE GOAL AND SET MORE CLEAR AND AMBITIOUS TARGETS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO HOW ABOUT THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FURTHER RECOMMENDS THAT AUSTIN AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, UH, I COULD, BECAUSE I SAID DO ADDITIONAL WORK, BUT PROBABLY CONDUCT ADDITIONAL ANALYSIS OR, OR RESEARCH, ADDITIONAL RESEARCH TO REFINE THE DISPOSAL RATE GOAL WITH CLEAR TARGET DATES AND SET MORE AMBITIOUS INTERIM GOALS SET.
DOES THAT SOUND IMPROVED? HOPEFULLY, SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.
UH, WELL WITH THAT, UH, WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT THIS WOULD BE, I JUST WANNA CLARIFY THAT THIS WOULD ONLY BE TO UPDATE THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN GOALS.
THIS IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION TO A RR AS WRITTEN.
UM, WE CAN REWORD THIS TO JUST RE HOLD ON.
WITH THIS FEE, ESSENTIALLY ADDING A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CLIMATE PLAN, UM, I MEAN THIS, I THIS IS ALREADY IN THE CLIMATE PLAN, IT'S JUST A PLACEHOLDER OR I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU'RE ASKING, LIKE THE, THE LANGUAGE THAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO REWORK WHERE IT SAYS LIKE, SET A MORE SPECIFIC TARGET.
UH, I MEAN, I THINK IT WOULD JUST BE REFINING THIS GOLD THAT'S IN THERE.
I, I THINK MAYBE I'M STILL NOT UNDERSTANDING, SORRY.
I THINK THERE'S CONCERN ABOUT THE FOUR POUNDS AND THE LACK OF CLEAR TIMELINE.
SO I'M TRYING TO WRITE A, SOMETHING THAT REFLECTS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
AND I'M, I'M, INSTEAD OF SAYING A RR JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FURTHER RECOMMENDS THAT THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN BE UPDATED IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO, UH, REFINE THE DISPOSAL RATE GOAL WITH CLEAR TARGET DATES AND MORE AMBITIOUS INTERIM GOALS.
DOES THAT, I THINK BASICALLY IT'S LIKE AT SOME POINT SOON DO MORE RESEARCH AND SWAP THIS OUT.
IS THAT ANSWERING YOUR QUESTION? YEAH.
FEEL LIKE I'M STILL CONFUSING? NO, IT'S, MAYBE I'M CONFUSED.
I'M JUST TRYING TO ADDRESS WHAT ROHAN SAID, WHICH IS THIS IS A RECOMMENDATION ABOUT LANGUAGE AND THE PLAN, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS JUST ADD ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION THAT'S NOT ABOUT, WELL, THIS IS ABOUT LANGUAGE.
I'VE REWORDED IT TO BE ABOUT LANGUAGE IN THE PLAN.
[01:35:01]
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE FURTHER RECOMMENDS THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN BE UPDATED IN THE NEAR FUTURE TO REFINE THE DISPOSAL RATE GOAL WITH CLEAR TARGET DATES AND MORE AMBITIOUS INTERIM GOALS.SO IT THINKS, YEAH, THAT GETS AT THE POINT THAT WE'RE POSTED FOR HERE.
UM, LET'S, LET'S, UH, TAKE A VOTE ON THIS.
ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
ONE QUESTION I MIGHT MAKE, I MIGHT MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION, BUT ALSO MAYBE WE CAN JUST ADD SOME LANGUAGE IF THAT'S NOT NEEDED, BUT, OKAY.
WHAT DO YOU GOT? KIND OF ALONG SIMILAR LINES, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD SOME METRICS AND SPECIFICITY TO ITEM ONE.
UM, I WAS ON THE WORKING GROUP FOR PLANNING COMMISSION THAT CAME UP WITH THESE ORIGINAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT COUNCIL'S RESOLUTION IS BASED OFF OF.
AND I FEEL LIKE WE FELL A LITTLE BIT SHORT BY NOT ADDING SPECIFIC TARGETS AND METRICS IN THERE.
SO I HAVE SOME LANGUAGE THAT I WOULD PROPOSE TO ADD IN FOR ITEM ONE AS WELL.
IF, IF WE'RE OPEN TO THAT AND LET ME KNOW IF I NEED TO MAKE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION.
I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE, WE CAN STILL EDIT HERE.
DO YOU WANNA SHARE WHAT THE LANGUAGE IS TO SEE IF EVERYBODY'S GENERALLY ON BOARD? YEAH.
SO WHAT I WOULD PROPOSE IS ITEM ONE, ADDING LANGUAGE TO EXPLICITLY SUPPORT TELEWORK POLICIES AS OUTLINED IN CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION, INCLUDING ENSURING THAT WHEREVER APPROPRIATE, ALL NEW CITY TELEWORK AND REMOTE WORK POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TOWARD THE GOAL OF ACHIEVING 25% OF AUSTIN RESIDENTS WORKING FROM HOME BY 2039.
ADDITIONALLY, TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, IMPLEMENT A CITY OF AUSTIN TELEWORK POLICY OF NO LESS THAN 85% OF ELIGIBLE CITY AUSTIN EMPLOYEES MAY WORK FROM HOME.
AND I CAN EMAIL THAT LANGUAGE TO YOU IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, ACTUALLY, IF YOU WANNA JUST PUT IT IN THE CHAT, I THINK I'LL GET IT.
THAT WAY I THINK WE, WE WILL ALL GET IT THAT WAY.
SO YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT ALL THAT LANGUAGE BE, BE ADDED TO THE CLIMATE PLAN? I'M SUGGESTING THAT THAT LANGUAGE BE ADDED TO OUR RECOMMENDATION UNDER ITEM ONE, AND THEN YES, THEREBY CAN BE ADDED TO THE CLIMATE PLAN.
YEAH, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE, UM, IN LINE WITH WHAT ROHAN REMINDED US THAT WE CAN'T MAKE ON THIS POSTING A RECOMMENDATION ABOUT IMPLEMENTING, BUT IF WE WANNA SAY THAT THAT LANGUAGE SHOULD BE IN THE CLIMATE PLAN, THEN THAT'S WHAT WE'RE POSTED FOR, THEN YES, I WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE THAT LANGUAGE IN THE CLIMATE PLAN.
CAN I, CAN I JUST CLARIFY? SO MM-HMM.
SO I GUESS THE COMMENT THAT I WOULD OFFER ON BEHALF OF JSC IF WE AGREE TO THAT IS THE ADDITION OF THESE SPECIFIC METRICS AND GOALS.
BUT IF THAT'S NOT APPROPRIATE, SO I'M ACTUALLY NOT SEEING THE CHAT, SO I GUESS YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO EMAIL IT.
I'M SORRY, I'M NOT, I'M, I'M NOT SEEING WHERE I'M ABLE TO AUDIT INTO THE CHAT.
YEAH, I DON'T SEE, I DON'T THINK WE WEBEX CHAT, I DON'T THINK WE CAN CHAT IN THESE MEETINGS.
UM, I THINK THAT'S LIKE A TO THING, BUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, ALICE IS PRETTY CLEAR.
IT'S LIKE OUR COMMENTARY IS WE NEED TO HAVE SPECIFIC METRICS AND KPIS TO WORK AGAINST.
AND SO FROM THAT STANDPOINT, IT DOES MAKE SENSE TO ME, BUT I DEFINITELY WOULD WANNA HEAR FROM THE GROUP IF EVERYONE'S IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT.
UM, ARE YOU EMAILING ME THAT, ALEX? YES.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THAT LANGUAGE? OKAY.
WELL THEN I THINK AS SOON AS THE EMAIL COMES THROUGH, JUST SENT THAT
I WAS BEING IMPATIENT WITH THE INTERNET
[01:40:14]
OKAY.SO I GUESS I, THE, THE PIECE THAT IS, AFTER YOUR SEMICOLON ADDITIONALLY TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, IMPLEMENT A CITY OF AUSTIN TELEWORK POLICY, ARE YOU WANTING THAT LANGUAGE IN THE CLIMATE PLAN OR ARE YOU WANTING A POLICY IMPLEMENTED? I, I'M WANTING LANGUAGE IN THE CLIMATE PLAN OKAY.
IN INSTRUCTING THE CITY TO IMPLEMENT THIS POLICY.
I THINK THAT WE CAN DO, I THINK IF I WOULD SUGGEST MAYBE WHAT WE NEED IS ALSO AN ADDITIONAL, YOU KNOW, RESOLUTION OR RECOMMENDATION NEXT MONTH OR WHATEVER, IF YOU WANNA GET INTO THAT, IT SOUNDS LIKE IT MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE, BUT, UH, WE CAN DO THIS NOW.
SO NOW IT, IT HAS, AFTER THE RESOLUTION NUMBER THAT, THAT'S IN THE CURRENT DOCUMENT, IT SAYS, INCLUDING ENSURING THAT WHENEVER APPROPRIATE ALL NEW CITY TELEWORK AND REMOTE POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE GOAL OF ACHIEVING 25% AUSTIN RESIDENTS.
UH, IS THIS AUSTIN RESIDENTS WORKING FROM HOME BY 2039 AND ESTABLISHING, OR, AND HOLD ON.
I THINK WE, I'M JUST EDITING SLIGHTLY HERE TO, I GUESS WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT IS INCLUDE A STRATEGY, RIGHT? MM-HMM,
SO INCLUDING ENSURING THAT WHENEVER APPROPRIATE ALL NEW CITY, TELE CITY OF AUSTIN TELEWORK AND REMOTE WORK POLICIES CONTRIBUTE TOWARD THE GOAL OF ACHIEVING 25% AUSTIN REV RESIDENTS WORKING FROM HOME BY 2039 AND INCLUDE A STRATEGY TO IMPLEMENT A CITY OF AUSTIN TELEWORK POLICY OF NO LESS THAN 85% OF ELIGIBLE CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES SHALL WORK, SHALL WORK FROM HOME, OR MAY WORK FROM HOME.
SO I ORIGINALLY HAD PROPOSED MAY, AND THIS WAS ACTUALLY BACK IN THE WORKING GROUP.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT SHALL IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR EXISTING LANGUAGE IN THAT PLAN, UM, BUT LEAVES IT OPEN IN EITHER CASE, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY INCLUDE MAY, IF THAT'S PREFERRED.
I MEAN, I LIKE WORKING FROM HOME, BUT THERE'S DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, DOWNSIDES FOR SOME PEOPLE.
SO I WOULD MAYBE SUGGEST THE PERMISSIVE LANGUAGE, LEAVING IT UP TO THE EMPLOYEE MIGHT BE PREFERABLE.
AND JUST TO CLARIFY THAT, THAT 85% IS JUST OF ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ABLE TO WORK FROM HOME BASED ON THEIR, UH, JOB AND RESPONSIBILITIES WITH THE CITY.
AND I THINK THAT'S, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT MEANS THEN DOESN'T ELIGIBLE IMPLY THAT THEY MAY YEAH, I THINK I'M NOW NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS THE
AND, AND MAYBE I NEED TO WORD IT MORE CLEARLY.
WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS, OF THE EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ELIGIBLE TO WORK FROM HOME, 85%, THE GOAL IS THAT 85% OF THOSE WILL BE WORKING FROM HOME, OR MAY BE WORKING FROM HOME.
WELL THEN I GUESS THAT IS, IS A WILL.
UM, DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? I THOUGHT THE ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN KIND OF, UH, AT STAKE WAS LIKE, WHO'S ELIGIBLE AS, AS OPPOSED TO THOSE WHO ARE ELIGIBLE NOT CHOOSING.
I, I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY A PERSONNEL ISSUE THAT WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO
[01:45:01]
DEFINE HERE ON THIS COMMITTEE, BUT, UM, LEAVING THAT UP FOR THE CITY'S INTERPRETATION.MAYBE WE JUST, I THINK THEN, UM, WHAT ABOUT CHOOSE, SO 85% OF ELIGIBLE CITY OF AUSTIN EMPLOYEES CHOOSE TO WORK FROM HOME? YEAH.
SORRY, I, I REALIZE THIS LANGUAGE IS NOT YEAH, I'M NOT SURE WHAT WE'RE ACCOMPLISHING.
WAIT, I'M NOT SURE WHERE THIS IS GOING
BUT, UM, I'M HAPPY TO MOVE ON IF OTHERS ARE GOOD WITH IT.
AS LONG AS THE LANGUAGE IS SHOWING THAT WE'RE NOT IMPLYING IN ANY WAY THAT THE CITY EXPAND TELEWORK TO POSITIONS THAT CURRENTLY AREN'T ELIGIBLE.
I'M, I'M COMFORTABLE WITH IT PERSONALLY.
UM, AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR SCREEN.
THAT'S DEFINITELY HELPFUL TO READ IT.
ARE WE GOOD TO, ARE WE GOOD TO VOTE ON THIS?
ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
I, I THINK THAT'S ANY, WELL, ANY OPPOSED OR ABSTAINING? OKAY.
THEN I GUESS THAT WAS EVERYBODY VOTING IN SUPPORT.
LET'S GO ON TO OUR NEXT ITEM HERE.
[4. Discussion and action to approve Joint Sustainability Committee recommendations for the FY25 City Budget. ]
UH, WE HAVE DISCUSSION AND ACTION TO APPROVE NEW JSC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BUDGET.SO I THINK WE'LL DO THIS, UM, THE WAY WE, WE HAVE KIND OF DONE OUR POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS LAST TIME, JUST KIND OF GO AROUND TO THE, THE THREE, UH, WORKING GROUPS, UM, AND, AND EACH WORKING GROUP CAN KIND OF PRESENT YOUR IDEAS.
UM, SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO, YOU KNOW, THROW OUR SUPPORT BEHIND TODAY, WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE BENEFIT OF DOING THAT IS THAT THEN FOLKS CAN TAKE IT BACK TO HOME COMMISSIONS AND OTHERS.
UM, BUT WE ALSO HAVE TIME THAT WE CAN REVIEW THESE TODAY.
AND I THINK SOME OF THEM FOR SURE ARE IN DRAFT FORM.
UM, AND THEN WE CAN, WE CAN VOTE ON THEM NEXT MONTH AND THAT'LL STILL BE TIMELY.
SO, UH, CHRIS, DO YOU WANNA START WITH TRANSPORTATION? SURE, YEAH.
UM, YEAH, SO WE'RE, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE A LITTLE BIT ON A SLOW START THIS YEAR ON THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY BEEN HAVING SOME DISCUSSIONS ON IT.
UM, I THINK ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE WERE HAVING WITH THE WORKING GROUP WAS, UH, WE HAD RECOMMENDATION NUMBER EIGHT AND 10, WHICH, WHICH ARE LISTED KIND OF IN THOSE, UH, YEAH.
AND JUST THE, THE COMPREHENSIVE LIST.
AND NUMBER EIGHT WAS IN REGARDS TO, UH, DOING THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND ASSESSMENT.
THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT THAT IS ONE ALIGNED WITH ONE OF THE, THE CLIMATE ACTION, UH, GOALS.
AND THEN, UH, THE NUMBER 10 WAS IN REGARDS TO, UH, WORKING, CREATING AN AMBASSADOR PROGRAM THAT WOULD HELP EDUCATE, UH, THE COMMUNITY IN TERMS OF THE EV CHARGING PROCESS, UH, RAISING AWARENESS OF INCENTIVES AND, AND ALSO, UH, CONNECTING, UH, SYSTEMATICALLY EXCLUDED GROUPS WITH TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES.
WE WERE WONDERING IF WE SHOULD KEEP THOSE SEPARATE IN TERMS OF BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS OR IF WE SHOULD, THERE'LL BE A BENEFIT OF, OF COMBINING, UH, THOSE TWO.
CHRIS, DO YOU HAVE A DOCUMENT YOU COULD SHARE FOR US TO FOLLOW ALONG? SURE, YEAH, LET ME DO THAT.
I MEAN, NOT IF YOU GUYS, IF YOU GUYS SEE IT.
[01:50:01]
YEAH, SO THESE ARE THE ORIGINAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE PASSED SOME.SO IN REGARDS TO, WE ONLY JUST SPOKE IN REGARDS TO THE EV UH, RECOMMENDATIONS.
AND THEN OUR NEXT WORKING GROUP MEETING, WE'RE GONNA BE DISCUSSING MORE THE TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE.
BUT FOR THE EV RECOMMENDATIONS, I GUESS FIRST OF ALL, WE THOUGHT THAT NUMBER NINE, WHICH WAS MORE TARGETED OF GIVING INITIATIVES FOR, YOU KNOW, CITYWIDE INITIATIVES.
WE THOUGHT THAT, THAT AT THIS POINT, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT THE BEST IDEA JUST BECAUSE THERE'S ALREADY GOOD FEDERAL INITIATIVES.
SO THE, THE CONSENSUS WAS, YOU KNOW, TO JUST KIND OF LEAVE THIS ONE ALONE IN TERMS OF BUDGET AT THE MOMENT.
AND, YOU KNOW, FEEL FREE TO, IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINIONS, FEEL FREE TO SAY SO.
AND THEN THE, THE ONES THAT WE WERE THINKING ABOUT POTENTIALLY COMBINING WAS NUMBER EIGHT, UH, WHICH IS THE ONE IN REGARDS TO A COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT ONE, AND THE COMBINING IT WITH A, WITH AMBASSADOR ONE SINCE IN SOME WAY IT COULD BE, IT COULD BE RELATED.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF, UM, IF YOU GUYS HAD ANY THOUGHT ON WHETHER THERE'S ANY BENEFIT OF KEEPING THESE SEPARATE OR NOT.
SORRY, THAT WAS NUMBER EIGHT AND 10 THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT.
AND I THINK PART OF, PART OF THE IDEA HERE WAS THAT WE, WE'VE BEEN KIND OF GOING BACK AND FORWARD.
I THINK AT ONE POINT WE WERE THINKING, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO MAYBE GIVE THE AMBASSADORS A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, I GUESS TAKE MORE OF THE LEAD IN THESE, IN THESE TWO RECOMMENDATIONS, AND THEREFORE COMBINING THEM WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
BUT THEN WE WERE THINKING THAT IT MIGHT BE CHALLENGING FOR, YOU KNOW, AMBASSADORS TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY TAKE THE LEAD IN, IN CONDUCTING THE COMMUNITY AS ASSESSMENT.
YOU KNOW, MUCH MIGHT BE JUST TOO MUCH WORK.
AND SO WE'RE THINKING WE, WE MIGHT STILL INCLUDE THE AMBASSADORS AS, AS PART OF, UH, THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
BUT, UH, JUST MORE ON, ON, YOU KNOW, BASED ON GUIDANCE OF, YOU KNOW, ENTITIES SUCH AS, UH, CAB METRO AND CITY OF AUSTIN, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
UM, IT MIGHT NOT BE REALISTIC FOR THE AMBASSADORS TO TAKE THE LEAD ON, ON CONDUCTING THESE, THESE TWO.
SORRY, I CAN'T SEE EVERYBODY AT ONCE, BUT, UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON WHAT CHRIS HAS LAID OUT HERE? I HAVE A QUESTION.
YEAH, I, I THINK THESE ARE VERY WORTHY.
UH, ARE THERE PARTICULAR, UM, BUDGET REQUESTS OR AMOUNTS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TWO? AND DID YOU CONSIDER, UM, ANY ADVANTAGES OR DISADVANTAGES OF, OF COMBINING THEM INTO ONE FINANCIAL ASK VERSUS KEEPING THEM SEPARATE? YEAH, THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE KIND OF WRESTLING AT THE MOMENT.
UH, IN TERMS OF THE, THE BUDGET AMOUNTS, WE DIDN'T COME UP WITH THAT.
I THINK THAT'S OUR KIND OF NEXT STEP.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF COMBINING THEM OR, OR LEAVING THEM APART, I THINK THE BENEFIT OF POTENTIALLY LEAVING THEM SEPARATE WOULD BE THAT IF THE, IF COUNCIL WANTS TO APPROVE JUST PAR, YOU KNOW, PARTIALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW, A PAR A PARTIAL PART OF IT, IT MIGHT BE EASIER FOR THEM TO APPROVE, YOU KNOW, JUST ONE AND NOT THE OTHER.
VERSUS IF WE COMBINE THEM AND IF THEY DON'T WANT TO APPROVE, YOU KNOW, BOTH, THEY MIGHT JUST LEAVE BOTH OF THEM OUT.
SO THERE'S, BUT THEY, BUT IT'S A, IT'S A LITTLE BIT HARD TO, TO, UM,
[01:55:02]
TO PREDICT.SO WE WERE, THOSE WERE THE TYPES OF QUESTIONS THAT WE WANTED TO BRING IT UP TO THE GROUP.
IF THERE WAS ANY, ESPECIALLY UK, IF YOU HAD ANY KINDA EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW, WITH THESE TYPE OF BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS, IS IT TYPICALLY BETTER TO GROUP THINGS UP AND COME UP WITH A LESSER AMOUNT OF, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS? OR IS THERE A BENEFIT OF JUST BREAKING IT DOWN AND GIVEN THAT THE QUANTITY WOULD BE LESS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL ONE, IF THERE'S A BENEFIT FROM THAT? I MEAN, I, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO KNOW FOR SURE, BUT I WILL SAY THAT LAST YEAR, UM, I KNOW THAT AT LEAST ONE OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, LIKE ONE PIECE OF IT WAS FUNDED AND THE OTHER WASN'T.
SO, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN DEFINITELY HAPPEN.
UM, OF COURSE THEY COULD ALSO JUST, YOU KNOW, ALLOCATE LESS, BUT IF, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S SUCH THAT, UM, HALF OF THE MONEY'S GOING TO, IF YOUR VISION IS THAT HALF OF THE MONEY GOES TO ONE OF THESE AND HALF TO THE OTHER, AND THEY, YOU KNOW, DECIDE TO ALLOCATE JUST HALF OF THE MONEY AND FOR THE TWO THINGS, AND THERE'S SOME THINGS WHERE HALF OF THE MONEY CAN STILL DO HALF OF THE WORK, AND THERE'S SOME THINGS WHERE LIKE, YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST PUT ALL THE MONEY INTO SOMETHING ELSE.
YOU KNOW, I GUESS IT'S KIND OF HARD TO SAY.
UM, IT SEEMS LIKE THESE, THESE THINGS DO LOOK TO BE LINKED AND THAT LIKE THE AMBASSADORS WOULD BE HELPING WITH THE COMMUNITY NEEDS ASES ASSESSMENT.
SO, YEAH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE TERRIBLE TO, TO COMBINE THEM.
I, I THINK IT, IT MAKES CLEAR THAT WHAT THE AMBASSADORS ARE TO AS HELP WITH THAT, UM, WITH THAT WORK.
AND THE REALITY IS THAT STAFF CAN AND DOES, YOU KNOW, DO WITH THE MONEY WHAT THEY SEE FIT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I I, I THINK, I DON'T THINK YOU, I DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S, I WOULDN'T SEE IT AS A BIG MISSTEP TO, TO MERGE THEM.
DID YOU HAVE A, A PRICE TAG IN MIND? NO, I MEAN, NOT, NOT, NOT NOT ANY KIND OF THOROUGH THOUGHT ON IT.
I MEAN, I, CHRIS, CHRIS, YEAH, IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL IF WE INQUIRED ABOUT KIND OF THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CLIMATE AMBASSADORS AND WITH THE WALK BIKE ROLE AMBASSADORS, AND THAT COULD HELP US PUT TOGETHER A COST ESTIMATE FOR AT LEAST THE AMBASSADOR'S PORTION.
UH, I, IS THERE ANY THOUGHTS ON JUST THAT QUESTION IN REGARDS TO WHETHER AMBASSADORS SHOULD BE MORE, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE ONES TAKING THE, THE LEAD, YOU KNOW, IN BOTH THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS OF THE COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT AND THEN, YOU KNOW, EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON INCENTIVES AND, YOU KNOW, CONNECTING PEOPLE, CONNECTING PEOPLE TO OPPORTUNITIES OR, OR ARE AMBASSADORS MORE JUST, YOU KNOW, COOPERATING, UH, BUT TAKING MORE OF A MAYBE LIKE, SUPPLEMENT ROLE TO, TO OTHER ENTITIES? WELL, I THINK WHAT WE HEARD FROM OUR LAST, UM, PRESENTATION, AT LEAST ON THE AMBASSADORS WITHIN THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A A AND THAT WAS A LITTLE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THEY WERE COMING UP WITH THEIR OWN PROJECTS.
UM, AND, AND I THINK IT TOOK A, SOUNDED LIKE IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK TO KIND OF COACH THEM THROUGH THAT, UM, THAT IT WAS MEANINGFUL, BUT IT TOOK A LOT OF WORK.
UM, THIS LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, UM, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, BUT I WOULD STILL SUGGEST, LIKE PROBABLY YOU TO HAVE A SOMEWHAT SIMILAR DYNAMIC WHERE STAFF NEEDS TO DO, YOU KNOW, THE HEAVY LIFTING AND THE AMBASSADORS ARE JUST THAT THEY'RE AMBASSADORS, THEY'RE TAKING INFORMATION TO THE COMMUNITY.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE BRINGING FEEDBACK AND INPUT BACK.
UM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, TAKE A LEAD SOUND MAKES IT SOUND LIKE THEY'RE DESIGNING THE PROJECT, THE, THE PROCESS.
AND THAT'S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST FROM WHAT WE HEARD LAST TIME, UM, THE,
[02:00:01]
YOU KNOW, THAT THAT'S PROBABLY NOT THE ROLE.AND SO I, I GUESS THAT KIND OF LEADS TO ANOTHER QUESTION ON THE KIND OF FIRST PART.
ARE YOU ENVISIONING EXISTING STAFF DOING THE ASSESSMENT? ARE YOU ASKING FOR AN FDE OR DO YOU THINK LIKE SOME SORT OF CONTRACT IS NEEDED TO DO THAT ASSESSMENT? YEAH, WE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY HAVING, UM, YEAH, JUST CONSULTANT OR, OR, OR SOMETHING IN THAT.
I'M, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THE OTHER, YEAH, SO WE, WE CONSIDER A CONSULTANTS AND I THINK WE'RE JUST KIND OF BRAINSTORMING WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO GO, UH, THROUGH THIS.
UH, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF ALONG THOSE LINES TOO, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING THAT WE WANT TO DO IS, 'CAUSE I KNOW BASED ON CAMERON'S PRESENTATION FROM AUSTIN ENERGY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY IN SOME WAY ALREADY HAVE DONE SOME SORT OF ASSESSMENT, BUT IT'S NOT VERY CLEAR, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH THEY DID OR LIKE WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS.
SO WE WANTED TO MAKE IT LIKE VERY CLEAR, YOU KNOW, LIKE IN TERMS OF IF THEY'RE DOING THE, THE, THE ASSESSMENT, YOU KNOW, JUST PUTTING WHAT THAT DOES THAT MEAN, LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD MEAN LIKE A REPORT AND THAT WOULD BE PRESENTED TO, YOU KNOW, UH, THE GAC OR, OR SIMILAR, UH, SO JUST MAKE IT A MORE SPECIFIC, SO THAT WE REALLY KNOW THAT THAT WAS, THAT THAT WAS DONE.
BUT IN TERMS OF WHO NEEDS TO DO IT, UM, WE'RE STILL NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE WE, WE WERE CONSIDERING, UH, CONSULTANTS COULD BE A POSSIBILITY.
BUT WE'RE, WE'RE OPEN, OPEN TO IDEAS IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY AT THE MOMENT.
ANY, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS TO SHARE? THANK YOU, CHRIS.
I APPRECIATE THE, THE WORK THAT YOU'RE, THAT YOU AND, AND THAT WORKING GROUP ARE DOING.
UM, YEAH, HOPEFULLY YOU CAN GET THESE, UH, INTO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU STILL HAVE SOME DETAILS TO WORK OUT, BUT, UH, AGAIN, TARGET IS TO VOTE ON THESE NEXT MONTH.
SO IF, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU BEFORE, BEFORE THE END OF THE MONTH, UH, WANNA CIRCULATE SOMETHING, THAT'D BE GREAT.
UM, I CAN GO NEXT WITH SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS.
OURS IS ACTUALLY PRETTY LIGHT.
UM, IF I CAN FIND THE DOCUMENT HERE WE ARE.
MOST OF THE, THAT DIDN'T WORK.
MOST OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE MADE IN THE FALL, IT SEEMED LIKE WE'RE HAD MORE LIKE POLICY IMPLICATIONS THAN, THAN PROGRAMMATIC, SO DIDN'T, UM, HAVE A LOT OF BUDGET NEEDS.
BUT THE PASSIVE HOUSE, UH, PILOT PROGRAM IS THE ONE, AND I HAVE IT HIGHLIGHTED BECAUSE IT IS DEFINITELY THE ONE THAT WE'VE SPENT THE MOST TIME ON.
UM, AND CREDIT TO, UH, TREY FARMER, UM, AND, UM, AND CAITLIN CAITLYN ESIG ON THE, ON THE WORKING GROUP FOR DOING, DOING GOOD WORK TO, TO MOVE THIS FORWARD.
UM, WE'VE HAD SOME MEETINGS WITH AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF ABOUT THIS.
UM, THE SUGGESTION IS TO, UH, ALLOCATE $4 MILLION, WHICH WOULD, UM, BE SPLIT INTO, UM, $4,000 PER UNIT.
AND I, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A QUESTION MARK THERE, BUT I THINK WE DID ANSWER THAT.
UM, AND THAT MONEY WOULD, UH, COME OUT OF THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES FEE BUDGET, WHICH IS, UH, COLLECTED THROUGH THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS CHARGE ON AUSTIN ENERGY BILLS.
SO THERE'S ALREADY A FUNDING MECHANISM, UH, TO UTILIZE HERE.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE, UM, KIND OF BIGGEST QUESTION IS JUST ABOUT GETTING, UH, THE PROGRAM UP AND RUNNING, ALTHOUGH, UM, IT SOUNDS ACTUALLY LIKE, IT'S PRETTY SIMPLE BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY, IT'S ALREADY BEEN DONE AND, UM, REALLY IT RELIES ON PASSIVE HOUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, FOLLOWING THEIR MODEL AND GOING THROUGH THEIR, UH, VERIFICATION PROCESS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT, IT SHOULD BE FAIRLY MINIMAL IN TERMS OF ADMINISTRATION STILL,
[02:05:01]
YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS STAFFING ISSUES AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE AUSTIN ENERGY HAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, JUST STILL KIND OF LEFT A QUESTION MARK ON THE ADMINISTRATION.SO, UM, I DIDN'T ACTUALLY TALK TO THEM, BUT TREY TALKED TO A NONPROFIT CALLED SLIPSTREAM THAT, UM, CAN ADMINISTER THESE KIND OF PROGRAMS. IT'D PROBABLY HAVE TO GO OUT FOR, OUT FOR RFP, UM, I'M GUESSING.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, JUST THERE IS, THERE ARE OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR THAT.
SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT WE WILL ADD SOME MONEY THAT WOULD BE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION, UM, WHICH WE'VE JUST KIND OF OUTLINED HERE WOULD BE ABOUT SEVEN YEARS BECAUSE, UM, THERE, YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD BE THE INITIAL KIND OF YEAR OR SO WHERE THE, UM, PROJECTS ARE GETTING, UM, SELECTED, BUT THEN THEY, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION TAKES A WHILE.
SO THERE'S THE FOUR YEARS, YOU KNOW, THAT MAYBE IS THROUGH THE PROJECT ACTUALLY GETTING COMPLETED.
AND BY THE WAY, THIS IS FOR, I SHOULD, I SHOULD WRITE THIS OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, PROJECTS.
AND, UH, AND THEN THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER THREE YEARS AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE PROJECTS FOR, UH, MONITORING THAT BUILDING, UH, PERFORMANCE.
AND, UM, THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, IT SAYS PASS OF HOUSE PILOT PROGRAM.
WHEN WE MADE THE INITIAL KIND OF POLICY RECOMMENDATION IN THE FALL, IT WAS KIND OF PASSIVE HOUSE OR LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE.
WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATION THAT MAKES ME THINK, YOU KNOW, LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE IS GREAT, BUT, UM, THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF IT THAT MAKE IT EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE, ESPECIALLY IN OUR CLIMATE BECAUSE OF THE WATER, UM, KIND OF REQUIREMENTS.
UM, SO WE MAY TRY TO INCORPORATE SOME ELEMENTS OF LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE INTO THIS RECOMMENDATION SPECIFICALLY AROUND, UM, USING KIND OF, UH, LOWER, UH, LOWER EMISSIONS PRODUCTS IN THE BUILDING, KIND OF GETTING, GETTING TO THE, THE POINT THAT WE'VE KIND OF BEEN VISITING IN THE LAST COUPLE MEETINGS ABOUT EMBODIED CARBON.
SO WE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS THAT PASSIVE HOUSE IS REALLY, UM, JUST ABOUT ENERGY USE IN THE BUILDING, WHICH OF COURSE IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S DOESN'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY.
SO STILL HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF REFINING HERE TO DO.
BUT I THINK YOU'LL SEE SOMETHING COMING FROM THIS GROUP THAT IS AROUND 4 MILLION MAYBE PLUS SOME FOR ADMINISTRATION.
UM, I'VE JUST LISTED HERE A COUPLE OF OTHER IDEAS THAT HAVE BEEN FLOATED, BUT I'LL SAY NOT VERY DEVELOPED AND WE'LL SEE WHERE THEY GO OVER THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS, WHETHER OR NOT WE TRY TO MOVE FORWARD.
BUT THERE IS, UM, POSSIBLY A NEED FOR A SUSTAINABLE CON CONSTRUCTION STAFF PERSON, UM, THAT DOES SEEM KIND OF IN LINE WITH SOME OF THE TOPICS THAT WE'VE BEEN COVERING.
AND THEN THIS IDEA OF HAVING KIND OF A ONE-STOP SHOP, UH, WEBSITE FOR ALL THE SUSTAINABILITY RELATED INCENTIVES, UM, LOCALLY AND THEN ALSO WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE WHAT'S A AVAIL AVAILABLE AT THE STATE FROM THE STATE AND AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
UM, MY GUESS IS THAT THERE'S PROBABLY SOME WORK TO BE DONE THERE BEFORE WE MAKE A BUDGET RECOMMENDATION, BUT, UM, WE'LL SEE POSSIBLE THAT WE COME BACK ON THOSE.
I'M GONNA STOP SHARING SO I CAN SEE Y'ALL, SEE IF ANYBODY HAS QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS.
BUT COULD YOU CLARIFY THE ITEM THAT MENTIONS SLIPSTREAM AND WHAT THEIR ROLE WOULD BE? YEAH, SO THAT WOULD BE ON ADMINISTERING THE, THE, WELL FOR NOW WE'RE CALLING IT THE PASSIVE HOUSE PILOT PROGRAM.
SO THE, THE MONEY GOES, UH, THE $4,000 GOES FOR ACTUALLY TO THE DEVELOPER FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, BUILDING UP TO THAT STANDARD.
BUT ALSO THERE'S ADDITIONAL, UM, UH, TESTING AND STUFF THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY TO GET DONE TO ACTUALLY PROVE THAT YOUR BUILDING IS, IT'S BASICALLY ABOUT MAKING A REALLY TIGHT BUILDING.
SO THAT'S THE STUFF THAT WILL BE, SOME OF THOSE COSTS WILL BE OFFSET WITH THE $4,000, BUT SOMEBODY NEEDS TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM.
UM, WE'RE HOPING THAT THAT WILL BE AUSTIN ENERGY.
'CAUSE THEY ALREADY HAVE GREEN BUILDING STAFF, THEY HAVE EFFICIENCY STAFF.
IT'S THE NATURAL KIND OF HOME FOR IT IN SOME WAYS.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IF THEY, UH, DON'T WANT TO, YOU KNOW, DEAL WITH ADMINISTERING ANOTHER PROGRAM, WE'VE IDENTIFIED,
[02:10:01]
YOU KNOW, A POSSIBLE OPTION OF HAVING A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTER THAT.AND, UM, I KNOW TREY WAS GONNA TRY TO GET A, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST A BALLPARK PRICE TAG, SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PUT IN HERE.
OBVIOUSLY WE WOULDN'T KNOW AN EXACT AMOUNT BECAUSE IT HAS TO GO OUT FOR PROBABLY, I'M, I'M ASSUMING WE'LL HAVE TO GO OUT FOR COMPETITIVE BID, BUT, MM-HMM,
SOMEBODY THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF DO THE PAPERWORK AND VERIFY, UM, THEY'RE NOT GONNA ACTUALLY BE DOING THE, YOU KNOW, ANY OF THE MODELING OR THE TESTING THEMSELVES THAT GOES THROUGH PASSIVE HOUSE, BUT THEY WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, KEEPING TRACK OF ALL THAT INFORMATION.
'CAUSE THE WHOLE IDEA HERE IS TO DEMONSTRATE THAT, YOU KNOW, I GUESS LIKE THE, THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY BENEFIT OF USING PASSIVE HOUSE AS A STANDARD AS OPPOSED TO, UM, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE AN IMPROVEMENT OVER BASELINE CODE, BUT EVEN AN IMPROVEMENT OVER LIKE AUSTIN ENERGY'S, UH, ONE STAR RATING, WHICH IS WHAT IS CURRENTLY REQUIRED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS.
COULD I PLEASE PUT THE LANGUAGE, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS, AND THIS MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.
THE ONLY PAUSE I HAVE IS PUTTING IN A SPECIFIC VENDOR'S NAME VERSUS SAYING, PUTTING THIS TO RFP.
IF AUSTIN ENERGY DOESN'T WANNA PROCEED YEAH.
FINDING A VENDOR SUCH AS SLIPSTREAM, SO THAT WAY UHHUH, WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IT, ONE, THE CITY ABSOLUTELY SHOULD PUT IT OUT TO RFP, BUT THEY SHOULD ALSO PUT THE BUDGET BEHIND IT TO DO AN EFFECTIVE RFP.
AND I THINK STATING SLIPSTREAM MAKES SENSE BECAUSE IT'S, LOOK, HERE'S AN EXISTING VENDOR IF THE CITY DOESN'T WANNA ADOPT IT, BUT ALSO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE VENDOR AGNOSTIC HUNDRED PERCENT IN ALL THINGS.
UM, JUST, I AM SORRY THAT IT'S STILL LIKE KIND OF ON THE SCREEN IS, BUT THIS IS JUST KIND OF NOTES, UM, THAT NEED TO BE REFINED INTO A ROOF, YOU KNOW, ACTUAL, UH, RECOMMENDATION FORMAT.
UM, WE WOULD ABSOLUTELY JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, 4 MILLION FOR THE INCENTIVES, PLUS X AMOUNT FOR ADMINISTER FOR, FOR AN INDEPENDENT, YOU KNOW, THIRD PARTY CONTRACT TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM.
UM, YOU KNOW, MAYOR SLIPSTREAM WAS JUST ONE THAT WE WANTED TO IDENTIFY SOMEBODY THAT LIKE COULD GIVE US SOME INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES TO, TO MANAGE A PROGRAM, UH, AS A THIRD PARTY.
SO THAT'S WHY THEY'RE IN THERE.
BUT YEAH, IT, IT WOULDN'T NECESSARILY BE THEM AND THEY WOULD NOT BE IN THE RECOMMENDATION.
IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS ON THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO CHARLOTTE FOR THE CONSUMPTION AND NATURAL SYSTEMS RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO SHARE.
UM, ACTUALLY, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME SETUP, SO I'M NOT SURE IF YOU KABA HAVE THE DOCUMENT.
YOU COULD SHARE THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
I JUST WAIT FOR IT TO COME UP.
SO THIS ONE IS FOR, UH, CONSUMPTION, UH, FOOD AND PRODUCT CONSUMPTION AND NATURAL SYSTEMS, OH, SORRY, I SHARED THE WRONG THING.
AND I'LL JUST PREFACE THIS BY SAYING I THINK, UM, MOST OF THESE ARE, ARE ALSO AT A DRAFT STAGE.
UM, THERE IS DEFINITELY SOME WORK TO BE DONE TO TIGHTEN UP WHAT THE, UM, FINANCIAL ASKS ARE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY SOME OTHER, UH, OPEN QUESTIONS AS TO WHAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, CURRENTLY HAPPENING VERSUS WHAT, UH, SOME OF THE OUTSTANDING NEEDS ARE.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA TRY TO GO THROUGH THESE QUICKLY, BUT I WILL SHARE THIS AROUND TO THE, UM, TO THE COMMITTEE SO YOU CAN, UH, READ THEM IN DEPTH.
UM, BUT IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, UM, THE FIRST ONE IS, UH, CONVERTING IMPERVIOUS COVER TO FUNCTIONAL GREEN SPACE.
SO THIS ONE IS ABOUT, UH, IN THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, UM, RECLAIMING PUBLIC SPACE, PRIORITIZING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND IDENTIFYING UNDERUTILIZED CITY OWNED PROPERTIES SUCH AS SURFACE LEVEL PARKING LOTS THAT ARE UNDERUTILIZED THAT COULD BE POTENTIALLY CONVERTED INTO GREEN SPACES.
UM, SO WE THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS, IS WORTHWHILE AND VALUABLE TO PURSUE.
UM, SO PLACEHOLDER, UH, NOT SURE, UM, HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST.
SO I'M STILL LOOKING INTO SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
[02:15:01]
FIRST STEP WOULD BE REALLY JUST CONDUCTING AN AUDIT TO IDENTIFY, UH, HOW, WHERE THOSE SPACES ARE, HOW MUCH, HOW MUCH THERE IS, WHAT'S FUNCTIONAL, WHAT ISN'T, UH, IN ORDER TO, UH, PREPARE A PLAN TO CONVERT THOSE INTO GREEN SPACES.UM, SECOND ONE THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IS, UH, NOMO SIGNAGE.
UM, THIS ONE IS SOMETHING I'VE GOT A, A QUESTION INTO WATERSHED PROTECTION, UM, ABOUT THIS.
I THINK THERE IS SOME OF THIS THAT, THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN THE CITY, BUT THE IDEA BEING THAT THERE ARE PLACES THAT LAND MANAGEMENT THAT THE CITY IS PUTTING UNDER A LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN THAT, UH, REQUIRES LITTLE TO NO MOWING IN ORDER TO RESTORE HABITATS.
AND, UM, SOMETIMES THOSE SPACES CAN APPEAR TO THE PUBLIC TO BE, UM, ABANDONED OR NOT CARED FOR.
AND SO, UM, JUST EMPLOYING SOME PERMANENT SIGNAGE TO COMMUNICATE THAT, UM, IT IS A RESTORATION OR IT ISN'T, UH, A DELIBERATE USE OF THAT LAND TO FEED POLLINATORS AND, UM, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, UH, AS A, AS A WAY OF EDUCATING AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY, UM, WITH THAT.
AND SO IF THERE ARE AREAS THAT ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY IN LOW INCOME AND BIPOC NEIGHBORHOODS, THOSE WE WOULD SEE AS AREAS TO BE, UM, PRIORITIZED FOR THAT KIND OF, UM, COMMUNICATION.
UM, LET'S SEE, SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING.
UM, AND THIS ONE, THIS THIRD ONE IS REALLY ONE I THINK OUR, OUR GROUP HAS SPENT QUITE A BIT OF TIME ON IS, UH, REALLY TRYING TO IMPROVE, UH, AND REFINE THE CITY'S SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING PROGRAM, UH, SO THAT IT CAN SERVE AS A MODEL FOR OTHER CITIES.
SO IT CAN SERVE AS A MODEL FOR, UM, INSTITUTIONAL PURCHASING, UH, AND REALLY REDUCING THE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FROM, UM, FROM ALL OF THE, ALL OF THE PURCHASING.
UM, AND SO AS PART OF THAT, THERE'S A, A COUPLE PARTS TO THAT.
UM, AND THEY DO HAVE TO DO WITH, UM, HEADCOUNT AND WITH GETTING STAFFING, UH, TO BE ABLE TO, TO DO THAT.
SO, UM, A SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING CONTRACTOR TO DEVELOP THE PLAN COVERING ALL PRODUCTS, MATERIALS AND SERVICES, UM, PURCHASED BY THE CITY, AND THEN A FULL-TIME, UH, SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING DIRECTOR.
UM, AND THAT WOULD BE AN INCREMENTAL POSITION TO THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND THAT'S PREFERABLE, BUT IF IT IS NOT, UM, FEASIBLE, THEN WE WOULD ASK THAT A, A TEMPORARY POSITION BE CREATED, UM, AND FUNDED.
UM, OKAY, I'M GONNA SKIP THAT ONE.
NUMBER FOUR, UM, KABA, YOU CAN PICK THAT ONE UP IF YOU WANT.
UM, AND, AND IF IT'S OKAY, I'LL JUST SHARE THAT CHARLOTTE IS GOING TO NEED TO, UH, RECUSE ON, ON, ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM AND, AND POSSIBLY SOME OTHERS AROUND KIND OF PRO CLIMATE PROHEALTH FOODS.
SO, UM, THAT'S WHY I WILL SPEAK FOR, FOR THE GROUP ON, ON THOSE KIND OF ITEMS. UM, SO YEAH, WE, UH, PUT THIS IN OUR POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY PROVIDE, UH, INCENTIVE AND, AND I THINK JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, EDUCATION CAMPAIGN AROUND THE, UM, BENEFITS OF, UM, MAKING MORE PRO CLIMATE, UH, FOOD CHOICES.
AND, UM, SO THIS, THIS IS, YOU KNOW, JUST PUTTING, PUTTING SOME DOLLARS BEHIND THAT, TO BE HONEST, LIKE, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A GOOD SENSE OF WHAT THIS COST.
IS THIS MORE THAN IT COST? IS IT LESS, MY INSTINCT IS FOOD COST A LOT AND PEOPLE BUY A LOT OF IT.
SO IT DEPENDS IF WE'RE GOING TO WHOLE FOODS AND CENTRAL MARKET OR A GB.
YEAH, I MEAN, MY HOPE IS THAT WE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE START WITH WITH HEB, UH, AND, AND SOME OF THE SMALLER GROCERY STORES AS WELL, BUT, UM, PERHAPS NOT THE, NOT THE WHOLE PAYCHECK.
UM, IN ANY CASE, THIS IS, UM, FOLLOWING UP ON, ON THAT, UH, PAST RECOMMENDATION TO, UM, TRY TO ELEVATE, UH, THE AWARENESS THAT THERE ARE ALTERNATIVE FOODS TO THE MORE CARBON INTENSIVE MEAT AND DAIRY OPTIONS THAT ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TAKE UP A, A LARGER CHUNK OF OUR GROCERY STORES.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, SO PART OF IT IS EDUCATING PEOPLE THAT THERE ARE OPTIONS AND THEN, YOU KNOW,
[02:20:01]
KIND OF ENTICING THEM TO THOSE, THOSE OTHER, UM, THOSE OTHER OPTIONS WITH SOME SORT OF, YOU KNOW, COUPON TYPE SYSTEM AT GROCERY STORES.SO THIS ONE IS ON CARBON NEUTRAL PUBLIC LANDS.
SO IN LOOKING AT THE, UH, THE DASHBOARD FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION ON THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, UM, THERE'S A THEME THAT IN NATURAL SYSTEMS THAT, UH, CAME OUT, WHICH WAS, THERE'S REALLY A, A LACK OF STAFFING TO MAINTAIN, UM, A LOT OF THE, UH, PARKS AND GREEN SPACES.
SO, UM, SOME OF THEM ARE MISSING FUNCTIONING IRRIGATION, AND SO, AND THEY DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT STAFFING TO HAND WATER, UM, SOME OF THE TREES.
AND SO, UM, THAT LEADS TO THE, THE, UM, TREES GETTING WATERED AT THE WRONG TIME OR, UM, OR NOT BEING WATERED AND THEN HAVING TO, TO, UM, REPLACE, UM, DEAD VEGETATION.
UM, THERE'S ALSO, UH, HAS BEEN FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THAT LAND MANAGEMENT HAS HAD TO TURN DOWN FOR LACK OF STAFFING.
SO, UM, COUPLE OF ITEMS THAT, UM, WE CALLED OUT IN, IN THIS AREA WE'RE REALLY ABOUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND AGAIN, THIS IS IN, IN SORT OF DRAFT FORM.
THERE'S, I THINK THERE'S STILL SOME DETAILS THAT NEED TO BE IRONED OUT AROUND THIS.
BUT, UM, WANTED TO CALL OUT, UM, INSULATION AND MAINTENANCE FOR, UM, EFFICIENT IRRIGATION ON, UH, PARKS AND REC PROPERTY, UM, WITH NATIVE TREES AND LANDSCAPING, UM, WITH PRIORITY GIVEN TO UNDERSERVED AREAS, UM, LOWER ACCESS TO NATURE, PARTICULARLY IN THE EASTERN CRESCENT.
UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING, UH, ANNUAL FUNDING FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE EXISTING, UH, INSTALLATIONS AND IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. AND THEN, UM, REALLY IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOME OF THESE GRANTS, UM, AND, AND FUNDING FEDERAL FUNDING THAT, THAT, UM, THE CITY'S BEEN UNABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF DUE TO LACK OF STAFFING, UM, THAT WOULD BE A REQUEST FOR A FULL-TIME PROGRAM MANAGER TO, UM, UH, IDENTIFY THE PROJECTS AND APPLY FOR FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT THEM.
UM, I, I KNOW I THINK ANNA HAS BEEN, UH, ALL OVER THIS, SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANNA, YOU WANNA SPEAK TO THIS, THIS ONE? SURE.
UM, SO I THINK AS WE HEARD FROM THE PRESENTATION TODAY, UM, CONCRETE AND, AND LAST TIME, UM, CONCRETE'S A REALLY BIG PART OF OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IN PARTICULAR, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT DETERMINE THAT, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, ARE, ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO IT'S THE CHEMISTRY, UM, AND THE ENERGY THAT YOU USE TO DO THIS.
UM, AND SO, UH, THAT'S WHY WE THINK THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UH, CHARLOTTE, YOU AND KIVA ACTUALLY DRAFTED THIS LANGUAGE, UM, BUT LIKE, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S THE RATIONALE BEHIND IT.
UM, DO YOU GUYS WANNA TALK MORE ABOUT, UM, THE SPECIFICS OF THE, THE LANGUAGE? I, I MEAN, I CAN TAKE IT.
I, I, I PUT, PUT IT, PUT THE WORDS DOWN HERE.
UM, FRANKLY, I WAS HOPING TO BE ABLE TO FILL IN A DOLLAR AMOUNT WITH SOME, UM, CONFIDENCE AFTER TODAY'S PRESENTATION.
BUT OF COURSE, THERE'S PLENTY OF CONSTRUCTION THAT IS PRIVATE ENTITIES, UH, PURCHASING CONCRETE.
AND SO THIS IS, THIS IS TO START, UM, TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, GET THOSE, THOSE FOLKS TO, TO LOOK AT LOW CARBON CONCRETE AS AN OPTION.
AND IT'S STILL UNCLEAR TO ME, UH, YOU KNOW, IF THERE IS ACTUALLY A SIGNIFICANT FINANCIAL DIFFERENCE, BUT SOMETIMES EVEN IF THERE'S NOT A COST, A COST DIFFERENCE, YOU KNOW, FOLKS JUST STICK WITH WHATEVER THEY'VE BEEN DOING.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WITH THE, UM, PRO CLIMATE FOOD, THE IDEA WOULD BE TO ELEVATE
[02:25:01]
THAT, THAT THIS IS A THING, THAT THIS IS, UM, AN IMPORTANT WAY TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.THAT THERE IS, THAT THERE'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO REDUCE EMISSIONS IN THIS, WITH THIS PRODUCT.
AND, UM, ENCOURAGE, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION.
UM, YEAH, I STILL DUNNO WHAT THE NUMBERS SHOULD BE.
MAYBE JUST GETTING STARTED MATTERS.
SO THIS ONE, THE VALUES-BASED PROCUREMENT, UM, THIS LANGUAGE COMES DIRECTLY FROM A, UM, A RECOMMENDATION THAT WAS PASSED BY THE FOOD POLICY BOARD IN 2021.
UM, IT'S RECOMMENDATION NUMBER 20 21, 12 13, SUPPORTING VALUES BASED PROCUREMENT.
SO, UM, IT'S REALLY, AND, AND THIS ONE IS KIND OF, YOU KNOW, RELATED IN THE FOOD PLAN AS WELL.
SO THE FOOD PLAN PROCESS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.
UM, BUT I THINK THAT THIS ONE IS REALLY IN HERE, I GUESS IN SUPPORT OF THAT RECOMMENDATION THAT, UM, THAT THE FOOD POLICY PUT FORWARD FOOD POLICY BOARD PUT FORWARD TWO YEARS AGO.
UM, SO IT'S KIND OF A, A, YOU KNOW, STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY WITH THAT.
AND IT JUST INCLUDES VALUE-BASED PURCHASING TARGETS, UM, THAT HAVE TO DO WITH, UM, LET'S SEE, TRANSPARENCY, PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY, UM, CREATING AN INCENTIVE FUND TO SUPPORT, UH, VALUE CHAIN INNOVATION.
UM, YEAH, YEAH, THERE'S SOME OF THIS THAT I'M NOT SURE IS BUDGET RECOMMENDATION, LIKE HONESTLY THESE FIRST TWO, BUT YEAH, WE NEED TO, YEAH, PROBABLY REFINE THIS TO FOCUS ON THE BUDGET ASPECT.
SO THOSE, THOSE, CAN I JUST BRING UP ONE THING ABOUT THAT THOUGH, JUST BECAUSE OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT, UH, BASIC, I GUESS I WOULD JUST SAY THIS BECAUSE OUR CITY HAS DONE A LOT OF WORK OVER THE PANDEMIC IN ENSURING THAT SOME FOOD SCARCITY AND FOOD NEEDS ARE MET.
UM, I WOULD SAY MAYBE BE BRAVE AND PUT THOSE TARGETS IN THERE.
I KNOW, UM, UH, IN ECONOMIC PROSPERITY, WE HAD DEFINITELY PUSHED SOME OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS IN, INTO SPACES LIKE THIS.
AND IT IS, IT IS A, IT IS A REAL UNMET NEED.
UM, SO I, I, I DO THINK IT'S A, IT'S A WORTHY ENDEAVOR IF THERE'S A WAY TO TO, TO REFRAME THAT IN A WAY THAT WE'RE ALL COMFORTABLE THAT IT, IT FEELS LIKE AN ACHIEVABLE KPI IN A BUDGET SETTING.
UM, SHOULD, UNLESS SOMEBODY HAS A QUESTION ON ANY OF THESE OR, OR COMMENTS ON ANY OF THESE SPECIFICALLY, I'LL STOP SHARING.
UM, I KNOW WE HAVE MORE IN THIS GROUP, BUT JUST TO REMIND, WE ALSO HAVE MORE, WE HAVE TWO WHOLE SECTIONS OF THE CLIMATE PLAN, ALTHOUGH I KNOW TRANSPORTATION DOES AS WELL.
UM, BUT YEAH, ANY, ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS BEFORE I STOP SHARING? I HAVE A, A QUICK QUESTION ON ANY OF THIS, LIKE SIGNAGE OR EDUCATION.
UM, DOES THE COST THAT'S BEING SHOWN, UH, ALL, DOES THAT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ANY, UH, JUST MULTI-LINGUAL SIGNAGE THAT, UH, WE WOULD NEED TO DO, OR EDUCATION
[02:30:01]
THAT NEED TO BE, YOU KNOW, TAUGHT IN SEVERAL LANGUAGES? THAT'S A GREAT POINT.I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S DEFINITELY ROOM FOR REFINEMENT ON ALL OF THESE, UM, LIKE FIGURES.
SO, UM, THEY'RE, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE PRETTY ROUGH ESTIMATES RIGHT NOW, BUT I THINK THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
UM, I KNOW WE'VE, WE'VE, UM, PUT IN FOR SIGNAGE THAT IT SHOULD AT LEAST BE BILINGUAL.
UM, BUT YES, THAT MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION DEFINITELY IS IMPORTANT.
AND I THINK, UM, WE'LL MAKE A NOTE OF, OF MAKING SURE WE OUT, UM, ACCOUNT FOR THAT IN THE ASKS.
SO THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP.
YEAH, I THINK, UH, GOOD, GOOD THINKING.
I THINK ESPECIALLY ON THE FOOD, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T REALLY EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT, UH, FOOD WITHOUT SPEAKING IN THEIR PREFERRED LANGUAGE.
I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT THERE.
SO
I'M GONNA STOP SHARING SO I CAN SEE EVERYBODY.
OH, DO YOU WANT ME TO SHARE AGAIN? NO, NO.
I, I WAS JUST WONDERING, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE FOR KIND OF THE CURRENT DRAFT, UM, BUDGET AS TO BE SHARED, UH, AMONGST THE JSC? AND THE REASON WHY I'M ASKING IS BECAUSE I REALLY LIKE THE FORMAT OF THE ONES THAT YOU JUST SHOWED.
AND IF WE COME IN, HAVING THEM KIND OF FULLY BAKED AND IN THAT FORMAT FOR THE NEXT MEETING, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT'LL INCREASE OUR CHANCES OF HAVING THEM, UH, BE READY FOR SENDING TO COUNCIL.
YEAH, I THINK, I THINK CONSUMPTION, WE CAN, WE CAN SHARE, WE PROBABLY CAN LIKE, DO LIKE A LITTLE BIT OF REFINEMENT AND THEN, UH, SHARE IT OUT WITH THE, UM, WITH THE GROUP.
I WILL SAY, UM, I KNOW THAT CHARLOTTE HAS TO RECUSE HERSELF FOR THAT ONE, SO WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT IF WE'RE GONNA BATCH THE OTHERS AND KEEP THAT ONE SEPARATE, OR IF WE WANNA JUST VOTE ON THEM ALL INDIVIDUALLY.
SO, UM, JUST SOMETHING FOR US TO THINK ABOUT AS WE'RE FORMATTING.
ALTHOUGH WE CAN ALWAYS REFORMAT AFTER WE, AFTER WE VOTE IF, IF THE ESSENCE STAYS THE SAME.
UM, WELL, IT SOUNDS LIKE ALL OF OUR GROUPS HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL WORK TO DO BEFORE OUR NEXT MEETING.
UM, BUT, UH, I THINK WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE ON A PATH AND THAT WILL ALLOW US TO MAKE OUR RECOMMENDATIONS AT OUR FEBRUARY MEETING AND THEN BE ABLE TO TAKE SOME, OR ALL OF THEM AS WE, AS, YOU KNOW, AS IS APPROPRIATE, BACK TO HOME COMMISSIONS.
AND MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN THEN ALSO SHARE WITH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE COMMISSIONS PERHAPS, AND, AND TRY TO GET, UM, MORE SUPPORT FOR THESE GOOD EFFORTS.
[5. Discussion and action to approve a recommendation amend the Joint Sustainability bylaws, including to include representation from the Austin Travis County Public Health Commission on the Joint Sustainability Committee. ]
WE HAVE DISCUSSION AND ACTION TO APPROVE RECOMMENDATION TO AMEND JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE BYLAWS.AND, UM, THIS WOULD INCLUDE POSSIBLY ADDING REPRESENTATION FROM, UH, AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION.
BUT I BELIEVE THERE WAS SOME OTHER ISSUE THAT WE HAD ALSO DISCUSSED LAST TIME, WHICH I HAVE TO ADMIT, I NOW DON'T REMEMBER.
UM, DO WE HAVE, I CAN SPEAK TO THE, TO THE AUSTIN PUBLIC AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION ONE, BECAUSE THERE IS A, THERE'S A RECOMMENDATION, UM, FOR THAT, THAT'S PART OF THE AGENDA, OR IN THE BACKUP.
UH, IF WE COULD GET THAT ON THE SCREEN, OR WOULD YOU PREFER I SHARE, I I'M NOT ABLE TO SHARE THIS AT THIS TIME.
THAT'S THE ONE BY HAVING A HEALTH COMMISSIONER.
UM, SO I'LL JUST SAY, UH, I'M, I'M PUTTING FORWARD THIS RECOMMENDATION TONIGHT TO EXPAND THE JSC TO INCLUDE A MEMBER FROM THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION.
UM, AS EVERYONE ON THIS CALL, UH, I THINK UNDERSTANDS CLIMATE AND HEALTH ARE, UH, ISSUES THAT ARE VERY CLOSELY INTERTWINED.
WE KNOW THAT CLIMATE CHANGE DIRECTLY IMPACTS AIR QUALITY AND AIR QUALITY DIRECTLY IMPACTS PUBLIC HEALTH.
UM, WE KNOW THAT THE WORST EFFECTS OF THE WARMING CLIMATE INCLUDE UNJUST HEALTH OUTCOMES, AND THAT THOSE ARE EXPERIENCED DISPROPORTIONATELY BY,
[02:35:01]
UH, BLACK, BROWN, AND LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES.AND, UH, WE KNOW EXTREME HEAT IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY IN CENTRAL TEXAS, AND IT POSES SIGNIFICANT RISK OF HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES AND DEATH, PARTICULARLY IN ELDERLY AND UNHOUSED POPULATIONS.
UM, WE KNOW THAT OUR FOOD SYSTEM CONTRIBUTES TO BOTH INDIVIDUAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE CITY CODE, THE JSC IS DIRECTED TO PROMOTE CLOSE QUOTE, PROMOTE CLOSE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE COUNCIL, CITY MANAGEMENT, CITY BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, COMMITTEES, AND TASK FORCES, AND INDIVIDUALS, INSTITUTIONS AND AGENCIES CONCERNED WITH THE POLITICS, PROCEDURES, AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY CLIMATE PLAN AND THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, WITH THE GOAL OF COORDINATING ALL SIMILAR ACTIVITIES WITHIN THE CITY AND THE COMMUNITY IN ORDER TO SECURE THE GREATEST PUBLIC BENEFIT.
SO, UM, I, I THINK THAT THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY CUTS ACROSS MANY DIFFERENT CITY DEPARTMENTS AND BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S MY BELIEF THAT THE, THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN WOULD BENEFIT FROM HAVING A PUBLIC HEALTH VOICE REPRESENTED, UM, ON THE JSC AND IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, I WELCOME ANY THOUGHTS, FEEDBACK, QUESTIONS, UM, DISCUSSION.
I, I THINK THIS IS A NO BRAINER.
EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT RECOMMENDATION.
AND I THINK IT WOULD, WE'D BENEFIT GREATLY FROM HAVING, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH REPRESENTATION ON THE JSC, AND IT ALSO HAS IMPLICATIONS FOR CLIMATE PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE, AS WELL AS FOR SOME OF OUR, UM, ACTIONS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO PROMOTE AROUND SUSTAINABILITY AND GREENHOUSE GAS MITIGATION.
SO, I, I THINK THIS IS AN AWESOME RECOMMENDATION,
I'M GONNA START JUST A, JUST A CLARIFICATION FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
WE DON'T NEED TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION, WE JUST AMEND THE BYLAWS.
I SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN WITH YOU BECAUSE THAT YEAH, I, I KNEW THAT FROM LAST TIME.
UM, SO YEAH, WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IS WE BASICALLY REDLINE THE BYLAWS AND ADOPT THAT AS A RECOMMENDATION, AND THEN IT GOES TO THE CITY CLERK, AND THEN IT GOES TO CITY COUNCIL, AND THEY, YOU KNOW, CONSIDER AND, AND HOPEFULLY APPROVE THE CHANGES AND, OKAY.
IS THERE, DOES THERE NEED TO BE A VOTE? YEAH, THAT WOULD DO THAT.
UM, IT'S JUST, IT NEEDS TO LIKE, YEAH, LIKE LITERALLY BE A RED LINE OF WHERE WE WANT WORDS CHANGED.
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW, I GUESS WE COULD, ARE WE POST, LET ME JUST LOOK AT THE POSTING TO SEE IF WE COULD DO THAT.
I THINK WE TECHNICALLY COULD DO THAT.
UM, IT WOULD JUST BE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT IS THAT? I THINK YOUR, YOUR BACKUP MATERIAL IS HELPFUL, BUT, UM, NOT TO SAY THAT WE COULDN'T ADOPT THAT AS WELL, BUT WE WOULD JUST ALSO HAVE TO, UM, RED LINE THE, THE BYLAWS.
UM, SO IF IT WOULD HELP, I CAN SHARE OUR BYLAWS ON THE SCREEN.
SO I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD HAVE TO JUMP IN THERE.
WELL, AND WE'D, WE WOULD CHANGE 18 TO 19, UM, AND THEN THIS WOULD GO TO 13, AND WE WOULD ADD THAT COMMISSION INTO THIS LIST.
AND I THINK THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE IT.
UM, AND THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT WE CAN'T ALSO PASS THE RESOLUTION.
UM, I REMEMBER THE OTHER TOPIC THAT, UM, I HAD BROUGHT UP, YOU
[02:40:01]
KNOW, IF, IF WE ARE GETTING COUNSEL TO APPROVE A, A BYLAWS CHANGE, WE, YOU KNOW, UM, AND, AND THAT'S WHY IT KIND OF BROADEN THE, THE SCOPE OF THE POSTING JUST IN CASE THERE ARE OTHER THINGS THAT WE DO ALSO WANT TO ADJUST IN OUR BYLAWS.IT'S BETTER TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I GUESS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HAVE NOTICED, UM, BOTH WITH THE JSC AND I THINK ALSO, FRANKLY, WITH THE OFFICE SUSTAINABILITY, IS THERE'S NOT A, UM, BUILT IN PROCESS FOR EVALUATING, UM, PURCHASES AND CONTRACTS, UH, FROM A CLIMATE PERSPECTIVE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT PROBABLY MOST, IF NOT ALL OF OUR, OUR CITY COMMISSIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, VOTE ON A WHOLE BUNCH OF, UM, CONTRACTS AND WHATNOT THAT ARE, THAT ARE COMING FROM THE, THE DEPARTMENTS THAT, THAT THOSE COMMISSIONS PRIMARILY OVERSEE, AND, AND THEY'RE GOING ON TO COUNCIL.
UM, OBVIOUSLY WE DO NOT WANT ALL OF THAT STUFF COMING TO THE JSC OR WE WOULD BE INUNDATED.
UM, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT ZERO IS, IS, UM, IS LEAVING THE CLIMATE CONVERSATION OUT OF, YOU KNOW, IMPORTANT CITY DECISIONS.
SO, YOU KNOW, UH, KIND OF IN THE PURPOSE OF AND DUTIES, YOU KNOW, I WAS THINKING MAYBE WE CAN ADD, UM, YOU KNOW, REVIEW OF REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION THAT, UM, COULD BE EXPECTED TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.
IF ANYBODY HAS THOUGHTS, PLEASE SPEAK UP.
I, I THINK THAT, UM, I DIDN'T SAY THAT CHAIR.
UM, BUT, BUT I THINK THERE WOULD NEED TO BE, UH, A, YOU KNOW, SOME TIGHT DEFINITION AROUND WHAT EXPECTED TO HAVE CLIMATE IMPACTS MEANS, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST, SO, LIKE YOU SAID, IF EVERY CONTRACT CAME THROUGH, IT WOULD, WE'D BE INUNDATED AND IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO, TO GET A LOT OF THINGS DONE.
SO I THINK WE WOULD NEED SOME, YOU KNOW, SOME PRETTY CLEAR DEFINITION AROUND WHAT TYPES OF, OF PURCHASES OR, OR CONTRACTS, YOU KNOW, MAKE SENSE FOR US TO EVALUATE FOR
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY SUGGESTION ON WORDS THAT WE COULD USE
UM, I, YOU KNOW, IS IT, I DON'T SEE THIS BODY AS BEING THE BODY TO MEASURE THE EXPECTED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OF EVERY CONTRACT.
SO WHAT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT, WHAT KIND OF GUIDANCE, WHAT OUR GUIDANCE WOULD LOOK LIKE, AND WHAT TYPES OF CONTRACTS AND WHAT TYPES OF GUIDANCE WE, WE WOULD WANT.
I THINK THAT, UM, THAT NEEDS TO COME FROM THE STAFF SIDE, UM, TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, I THINK STAFF IS SUPPOSED TO BE, UM, EVALUATING ALREADY, BUT I THINK THE REALITY IS THAT DOESN'T REALLY HAPPEN.
UM, YEAH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ANSWER IS EXACTLY.
AND IF WE WANNA CON CONTINUE ON, YOU KNOW, UH, WITH OUR CURRENT, UH, JUST KIND OF FOCUS ON, ON POLICY, THAT'S, UH, THAT'S FINE.
COULD, COULD YOU GIVE EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'D ENVISION US KIND OF ASSESSING OR EVALUATING? YEAH, I COULD SEE LIKE, UM, FLEET PURCHASES OR WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE.
[02:45:01]
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, COMES FROM A VARIETY OF DEPARTMENTS.UM, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT MATTER, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW WHAT FORM THESE, UH, CONCRETE PURCHASES ARE COMING THROUGH.
YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
'CAUSE THE COMMISSIONS I'VE SERVED ON DON'T REALLY HAVE THAT AS PART OF, UM, LIKE I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY CONTRACTS FOR THAT.
UM, BUT I'M ASSUMING AT SOME POINT THOSE GO THROUGH A CONTRACT.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, MY GUESS IS THAT CURRENTLY THERE'S NOT REALLY ANY DISCUSSION OF LIKE, WAS THIS THE LOWEST EMISSIONS OPTION OR WAS IT JUST THE LOWEST COST OPTION? I MEAN, I THINK RIGHT NOW IT'S PROBABLY THAT IT WAS THE LOWEST COST OPTION, BUT YEAH.
DID YOU HAVE A, I MEAN, THE CONCRETE WOULD JUST BE A PORTION OF, YOU KNOW, LIKE A CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT THAT WAS BEING, UH, APPROVED BY A COMMISSION.
YOU KNOW, THE CONCRETE WOULD JUST BE A PORTION OF THAT, RIGHT? IT WON'T BE LIKE, HEY, LET'S, UH, APPROVE THE CONCRETE BUDGET, RIGHT? IT'S PART OF THE WHOLE CONSTRUCTION BUDGET, YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT.
SO YOU, YOU CAN'T COME IN THERE AND, AND PROBABLY SAY LIKE, HEY, LET'S EXAMINE THE CONCRETE PORTION OF IT, YOU KNOW? MM-HMM.
SO THEY DON'T DO CONTRACTS WITH SPECIFIC, SORRY? THERE'S NOT LIKE CONTRACTS WITH A COMPANY TO DELIVER, UH, TO DELIVER PRODUCT.
NO, I, I, I WOULD THINK FROM A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT POINT OF VIEW, IT WOULD BE PER PROJECT, YOU KNOW, VERSUS LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE A, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR WHOLE CIP PRO, UH, SUITE OF PROJECTS, YOU'RE NOT GONNA JUST BUY FROM ONE CONCRETE PRODUCER TO SUPPLY ALL OF 'EM.
YOU'RE GONNA DO IT PER PROJECT.
YOU'RE TELLING ME IT'S, IT'S, WELL, THAT, THAT'S WHAT I BELIEVE IS, IS OKAY WHEN YOU, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE WHEN THE WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION WE, UM, APPROVE CONTRACTS, UM, FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, IT'S FOR THE WHOLE PROJECT.
SO, YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO COME IN AND, AND SAY, LET'S EXAMINE JUST THE CONCRETE TO MAKE SURE IT'S A LOW CONCRETE PROVIDER, LOW CARBON, SORRY.
IT WOULD BE SO YOU DON'T THINK, LIKE FOR SIDEWALKS OR ROAD CONSTRUCTION? THERE'S NOT, BECAUSE IT'S, I MEAN, IT'S GONNA, WELL, SO LIKE SIDEWALKS YEAH.
THE MAJORITY, YOU KNOW, MATERIAL IS CONCRETE.
BUT MOST PROJECTS ARE NOT LIKE THAT.
MOST OF 'EM HAVE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT MATERIALS I AGREE.
SO MAYBE IT'S NOT EVERYTHING THAT INVOLVES CONCRETE, BUT I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW.
I GUESS WE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN CLARIFICATION.
AND LIKE, ARE THERE, I'M JUST THINKING LIKE, YOU KNOW, AT AUSTIN ENERGY AND, UM, PENN, A RR, THEY HAVE LIKE CERTAIN CONTRACTS THAT ARE JUST LIKE, OKAY, WE HAVE CONTRACTS WITH THESE TWO OR THREE COMPANIES THAT WELL, A LOT OF TIMES PROVIDE, THAT'S LIKE PRODUCT SUPPLIERS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, LIKE A CHLORINE, YOU KNOW, FOR US.
CERTAINLY THERE'S CONTRACTS JUST FOR THAT.
BUT CONCRETE'S A DIFFERENT BEAST IN TERMS OF, BECAUSE IT'S PART OF, YOU KNOW, EVERY PROJECT AND NOT JUST, HEY, LET'S JUST HAVE A CONTRACT WITH ONE SUPPLIER.
SO, UM, A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO TRY TO GET INTO THAT PROJECT JUST TO EXAMINE WHO'S THE PRODUCER OF THE YEAH.
SO MAYBE THAT'S A BAD EXAMPLE.
IF, IF THAT'S NOT HOW ANY DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY DOES THAT.
I WAS KIND OF ASSUMING THAT LIKE, PUBLIC WORKS MAYBE WOULD HAVE THOSE KIND OF ONGOING CONTRACTS, BUT, UM, YEAH, I MEAN, I, I THINK THERE ARE, THERE ARE CERTAINLY OTHER, UM, OBVIOUSLY AS WE
AND IT'S FINE IF WE WANNA JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, TABLE THAT I THINK IT'S EASY TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ADDING THE MEMBER.
UM, IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN ON MY MIND AND, AND NOT SO MUCH JUST THE JSC, BUT I THINK THE, UM, THE ROLE OF THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY IN ALL KINDS OF, OF DECISIONS AROUND, UH, PURCHASING AND, UM, I MEAN POLICY DECISIONS AS WELL.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IF EVERYTHING IS SO SILOED THAT UNLESS, UH, SOMEBODY DETERMINES THAT, LIKE, THIS IS JUST FOCUSED ON CLIMATE AND EVERYTHING ELSE JUST GOES ON BUSINESS AS USUAL, WE ACTUALLY LIKE MISS MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, REDUCE EMISSIONS, UH,
UM, I GUESS I'M OKAY WITH LIKE, TABLING THIS FOR NOW, BUT ONE, ONE THING THAT I WAS THINKING COULD BE JUST LIKE THINKING ABOUT THE, THE AREAS OF HIGHEST EMISSIONS, YOU KNOW, JUST NOT, NOT NECESSARILY LIKE GETTING INTO THE NITTY GRITTY,
[02:50:01]
BUT JUST, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW ELECTRICITY IS A HIGH EMITTER, UH, TRANSPORTATION, UH, YOU KNOW, CONCRETE AND CONSTRUCTION, JUST COMING UP WITH THOSE MAJOR CATEGORIES AND THEN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE REWARDING THIS SO THAT WE CAN JUST SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE EVALUATING PROJECTS THAT HAVE THESE AREAS AS, AS THE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE, THE PROJECTS.AND MAYBE, MAYBE TACKLE IT THAT WAY.
UH, CHARLOTTE, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE ADDITION? UM, I WOULD RECOMMEND, UH, AMENDING, REDLINING THE BYLAWS TO, TO, UM, REFLECT THE ADDITION OF A MEMBER FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION.
UM, IF IT'S NON-CONTROVERSIAL, IF, IF THE, THE COMMITTEE AGREES WITH THAT.
UM, I DID GET ON THE AGENDA AT THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION FOR THEIR FEBRUARY MEETING TO, UM, TO TALK ABOUT THIS.
SO IT WOULD BE AWESOME IF I COULD GO AND, AND TELL THEM THAT THE, THE JSC SUPPORTS THIS.
UM, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IF IT, IF IT, IF THE COMMISSION, THE COMMITTEE AGREES.
SO HAVE YOU ALREADY TALKED TO, I GUESS I SORT OF THOUGHT YOU HAD ALREADY TALKED TO THEM.
HAVE, HAS THERE NOT BEEN A CONVERSATION YET? I'VE HAD A CONVERSATION WITH THE CHAIR, YES.
BUT I'M GOING TO TALK TO THE COMMISSION, UM, AT THEIR, AT THEIR FORMAL MEETING.
AND THE CHAIR IS SUPPORTIVE? YES.
UH, IF, YOU KNOW, IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE FEEL IS IMPORTANT, THEN THE CHAIR, UH, I BELIEVE WILL SUPPORT IT.
I THINK THAT'S THE KEY IS LIKE, IF, IF, UH, IF THEY DON'T, IF THEY, IF THEY WANNA JOIN
BUT I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S ALSO WHY, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I WANT TO ADDRESS THE, YOU KNOW, THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE.
THERE MAY BE CERTAIN MEMBERS FOR WHOM IT, IT IS MORE OF A, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY MAY BE MORE PASSIONATE ABOUT IT THAN OTHERS.
UM, IT WOULDN'T AFFECT, UH, QUORUM REQUIREMENTS.
UM, SO I MEAN, I CAN EITHER TRY TO DO THIS QUICKLY ON THE FLY OR I CAN JUST, I MEAN, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, THE CHANGE AGAIN, WOULD BE CHANGING 18 TO 19, RIGHT HERE IN ARTICLE THREE, SECTION A, AND IN THAT SAME SECTION, CHANGING 12 MEMBERS TO 13 MEMBERS, AND THEN ADDING THE, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION, SORRY, PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION.
AUSTIN TRAVIS, PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION TO THIS LIST OF COMMISSIONS.
AND THERE'S ALSO A FEW OTHER MENTIONS OF JUST LIKE THE TOTAL MEMBERSHIP DOWN BELOW.
LET'S SEE, LIKE NUMERICAL, LIKE IT SAYS 18 1 8.
WHICH NUMBER ARE WE ON? UM, ARTICLE SEVEN.
BUT IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE, LIKE YOU SAID, IT DOESN'T CHANGE QUORUM.
SO IN ARTICLE SEVEN H 18 WILL CHANGE TO 19, AND THERE'S TWO PLACES WHERE THAT'S TRUE.
JUST MAKE SURE THERE'S NO OTHER.
CHARLOTTE, DO YOU WANNA MAKE THE MOTION, UH, MOVE TO APPROVE THE EDITS TO THE BYLAWS TO RAISE THE MEMBERSHIP TO 19 BY INCLUDING A MEMBER FROM THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION? I SECOND THAT MOTION.
WE'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND.
[02:55:01]
SHARING SO THAT I CAN SEE EVERYBODY.UH, REMEMBER YOU NEED TO BE ON CAMERA TO VOTE.
ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
AND, AND HOPEFULLY THEY ARE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT, UH, SUSTAINABILITY.
SUSTAINABILITY AND, AND SENDING US, UH, BOTH A MEMBER AND AN ALTERNATE IF YOU CAN REMIND THEM THAT THEY'LL HAVE A LITTLE TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT.
'CAUSE I'M SURE COUNCIL WILL TAKE THEIR TIME.
BUT, UM, YES, WE NEED TWO VOLUNTEERS, IDEALLY.
UM, HE WAS SAYING THAT WE'LL HAVE INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF QUORUM, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE THANKFULLY NOT BEEN HAVING TOO MUCH TROUBLE WITH THAT.
UH, ALTHOUGH WE DID HAVE ONE TROUBLE RECENTLY.
[6. Discussion and action on encouraging low-carbon foods in the Austin-Travis County Food Plan.]
SIX, DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON ENCOURAGING LOW CARBON FOODS IN THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD PLAN.UM, THE CONSUMPTION, UH, FOCUSED WORKING GROUP HAS, UM, HAD SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS, THAT THE, UM, FOOD, FOOD PLAN DRAFT HAS A LOT OF GOOD, UM, OR AT LEAST THE DRAFT KIND OF GOALS AND STRATEGIES THAT THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD STUFF IN THERE, BUT NOTHING ACTUALLY SPECIFICALLY ON ADDRESSING THE LARGEST SOURCE OF EMISSIONS FROM FOOD, NAMELY WHAT PEOPLE EAT.
UM, SO, UH, WE HAD A REALLY PRODUCTIVE MEETING WITH, UM, ANGELA, BUT I ALWAYS SAY HER NAME WRONG, HER LAST NAME, BU COMB SOMEBODY, CORRECT ME IF I GOT IT WRONG.
AND THERE, AND, AND A BUNCH OF OTHERS FROM, FROM THE FOOD PLANNING TEAM.
UM, AND THAT WAS, UH, JUST ON TUESDAY.
AND THEN, UM, GOT A RESPONSE BACK.
THEY, UH, DID SOME KIND OF QUICK WORK TO GET SOME FEEDBACK FROM, UH, SOME FOLKS WHO HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING THOSE GOALS.
UM, WERE KIND OF DEBATING WHETHER OR NOT, UM, ADDING KIND OF, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGING PROLI FOODS INTO ONE OF THE EXISTING GOALS WAS THE WAY TO GO.
OR, UM, I SHOULDN'T SAY DEBATING, JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UM, OR WHETHER THERE SHOULD BE A STANDALONE GOAL.
AND IT SOUNDED LIKE, UM, THE BEST PATH FORWARD WOULD, WOULD BE TO HAVE A, A STANDALONE, UH, GOAL THAT JUST ADDRESSES THAT, UH, TOPIC.
SO, UH, I DRAFTED A RECOMMENDATION THAT I CAN SHARE.
I THINK THIS IS THE ONE I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, IT WAS REALLY ENCOURAGING TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE, HAVE JUST LIKE, UH, THIS FRANK CONVERSATION THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, I THINK SUPPORTIVE ON ALL SIDES AND, AND COMING TO WHAT I THINK WAS, YOU KNOW, A, A GOOD RESOLUTION THAT, YOU KNOW, YES, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT THING.
SO YOU CAN SEE HERE, UM, ADDING THIS LANGUAGE SUPPORT, INCREASING AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF CHOOSING PRO CLIMATE PROHEALTH FOODS, AND ADDRESS BARRIERS TO ACCESSING PRO CLIMATE PROHEALTH FOODS.
THIS IS VERY, UH, SIMILAR TO THE, UM, LANGUAGE THAT I WAS SENT TODAY WITH JUST SLIGHT TWEAK TO JUST KIND OF EMPHASIZE CHOICE, THAT, THAT THERE'S NOTHING IN HERE THAT IS TRYING TO FORCE ANYBODY TO EAT OR NOT EAT ANYTHING THEY DON'T WANNA EAT OR DO WANT TO EAT.
UM, BUT IT'S ABOUT EDUCATION AND, UM, OTHER STRATEGIES TO HELP EXPAND ACCESS.
AND I JUST KIND OF ADDED SOME RATIONALE HERE.
AND THEN I, YOU KNOW, I JUST KIND OF ADDED, LIKE, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY EACH GOAL, LIKE IN THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, WILL HAVE STRATEGIES UNDERNEATH IT TO ACTUALLY ACHIEVE THAT GOAL.
SO JUST KIND OF GAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FLAVOR, UM, ON THAT.
UM, PRETTY, PRETTY BROAD, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A WHOLE, UH, PROCESS SET UP FOR THAT.
BUT HOPEFULLY, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR WORKING GROUP CAN CONTINUE TO CONTRIBUTE TO, TO THAT.
AND THEN JUST, THIS IS JUST SOME RATIONALE HERE, IF I'LL LEAVE IT THERE FOR A SECOND SO YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK.
[03:00:04]
AND, UM, I WAS DOING THIS, IT WAS SENT TO ME WITH THIS SLASH THING, AND I DON'T LIKE THAT.ANY THOUGHTS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS ABOUT ANY OF THIS LANGUAGE? AND IF I SHOULD MOVE BACK UP, I CAN DO THAT.
I'LL SETTLE, MAKE A MOTION, I GUESS.
YEAH, I'LL, UH, MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE RECOMMENDATION.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? THANK YOU BOTH.
I'M ALL FOR THE VEGAN BURGERS,
ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
WE'VE GOT UNANIMOUS APPROVAL OF THAT.
MOVING ON DOWN THE LINE, BACK TO OUR AGENDA.
WE ALREADY DID OUR, UM, OUR RESOLUTION.
[8. 2023 JSC Strategic Plan review ]
OR OUR PRESENTATION, JSC STRATEGIC PLAN REVIEW.ROHAN, DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD TAKE IT, PUSH THAT TO NEXT MONTH? GIVEN THE TIME? HOW, HOW DOES EVERYBODY FEEL ABOUT PUSHING THAT? I'M TO NEXT MONTH FOR THAT
I FIGURED I'D BE IN GOOD COMPANY THERE.
UM, SO WE HAVE, IT LOOKS LIKE FOUR COMMISSIONS, UM, WITH UPDATES.
AND I CAN TELL YOU I DON'T REALLY HAVE TOO MUCH OF AN UPDATE FROM THE EUC, SO, UH, THAT'LL KIND OF TAKE US DOWN TO THREE.
[9. Update from Water and Wastewater Commission ]
AND WASTEWATER.UM, AT OUR LAST MEETING, UH, LAST WEEK, WE WERE GIVEN A PRESENTATION, UH, BY AUSTIN WATER, UH, FOR THEIR WINTER PREPAREDNESS, UH, PLAN AND THE, UH, DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES THAT THEY ENGAGE IN, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
IT'S NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, DURING THE WINTER TIME, BUT THEY'RE DOING THINGS, UH, TRAINING AND SUCH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
SO I JUST WANNA RUN THROUGH SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS, UH, FROM THAT PRESENTATION.
UH, I GUESS ULTIMATELY IT WAS VERY COMFORTING, UH, TO KNOW THE, UH, TYPE OF, UH, WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IN THE BACKGROUND, UH, YEAR ROUND, UH, TO PREPARE FOR, UM, UH, WINTER MONTHS AND, UH, WINTER STORMS. UM, SO THEY HAVE A INCIDENT, UH, MANAGEMENT TEAM, UM, BASICALLY THAT THEY PUT TOGETHER.
AND THERE'S, UH, THREE ROTATING SHIPS BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, UH, WATER CAN GO OUT ANY TIME OF THE DAY AND NIGHT.
UM, THERE'S, UH, UH, 34 POSITIONS IN THIS INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM.
UM, AND, UM, BUT THEN BELOW THOSE 34, I GUESS THIS LIKE MANAGEMENT KIND OF POSITIONS.
UH, BUT THEN BELOW THAT THERE'S 154 NAMED AND TRAINED STAFF, UH, THAT ARE, IS IN THIS INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM.
UM, AND THEY RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, TRAINING ALL YEAR LONG, YADA YADA, UH, WAS INTERESTING AS THEY HAD KINDA LIKE A DEF COM KIND OF, UM, HIERARCHY OF, YOU KNOW, IS IT DEF COM ONE DEF? THEY DON'T CALL IT THAT, BUT, UH, ESSENTIALLY THEY HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT THRESHOLDS IN ORDER TO ALERT, UM, THE INCIDENT, UH, MANAGEMENT TEAM.
UM, AND THEN, UM, THEY'RE USING A, A CERTAIN TYPE OF, UH, UH, REPORTING SYSTEM, UM, IN ORDER TO REPORT THESE INCIDENTS, BUT ALSO TO WHAT THEY DID THIS YEAR IS THEY IMPLEMENTED THE USE OF THAT JUST FOR ROUTINE COMMUNICATION.
SO THEN, UM, ALL THE STAFF MEMBERS WOULD BE TRAINED IN THIS SYSTEM, AND IT WASN'T JUST BE, UM, HAVING TO KIND OF RELEARN IT WHENEVER AN INCIDENT, UM, UH, HAPPENS.
UM, AND THEN, UH, JUST FROM AN OPERATIONAL READINESS, UM, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS HERE IN AUSTIN, WE HAVE THREE, UH, THEY MAINTAIN A BASELINE CAPACITY OF, UH, 235, UH, MILLION GALLONS A DAY.
UM, BUT THEN, UH, THEY, THEY TALKED ABOUT HOW DURING THE WINTER MONTHS WE GET DOWN TO ABOUT 120 MILLION GALLONS A DAY.
BUT THEY LEFT THE CAPACITY UP DURING THIS MOST RECENT FREEZE EVENTS.
AND IT WAS GOOD THAT THEY DID, BECAUSE THEY WERE SEEING
[03:05:01]
SPIKES OF UP TO 160 TO 175 MILLION GALLONS A DAY.AND THAT WAS, AT FIRST, I WAS THINKING, WHAT IS THAT FROM? AND THAT WAS FROM WHEN PIPES FROZE, AND THEN THEY STARTED TO THAW ON BREAK AND PEOPLE WEREN'T THERE TO SHUT THESE THINGS OFF.
AND SO ALL THESE BRAKES ALL OVER THE CITY JUMPED THE, UH, UM, DISTRIBUTION OF WATER, UM, UP, SO THEY HAD THE PLANT SOCK OPERATING AT MAX CAPACITY FOR THIS TIME.
SO THERE WASN'T NO LOSS OF PRESSURE OR ANYTHING.
UM, AND THEN, YEAH, THEY JUST, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT THE GENERAL STUFF OF HAVING EXTRA GENERATORS, UH, WINTERIZING A LOT OF STUFF, UM, IN THE VARIOUS, UH, TREATMENT PLANTS.
UM, YEAH, SO IT REALLY A, A GREAT PRESENTATION AND REALLY GAVE ME A LOT OF COMFORT IN KNOWING, UH, THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE WORKING TO ENSURE THAT WE ALL HAVE WATER RUNNING, UM, THROUGH THESE, UH, WINTER STORMS. SO, UH, THAT'S IT.
MAYBE THIS IS PIE IN THE SKY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, THING WITH THE PIPES BURSTING.
UM, AND IT JUST OCCURS TO ME LIKE NOW THAT THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE AUTOMATED METERS, LIKE IS THERE ANY WAY THAT LIKE, I MEAN, I'M THINKING ABOUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF MY SOLAR SYSTEM STARTED TO WIG OUT AND SOMEHOW SEND LIKE SOME CRAZY HIGH VOLTAGE LIKE ON LIKE, YOU KNOW, I'M SURE THERE'S LIKE, THERE'S LIKE AUTOMATED SHUTOFF, LIKE YEAH, IT'S NOT AUTOMATED SHUTOFF, YOU KNOW, UH, 'CAUSE THAT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE SOPHISTICATED FROM A AT THE METER STANDPOINT.
BUT THE, THE NEW A MI SYSTEM, THEY WILL HAVE THE ABILITY WHENEVER THEY SEE A SPIKE IN YOUR WATER USE TO IMMEDIATELY SEND YOU A MESSAGE THROUGH THE MY A TX PORT, UH, WATER PORTAL.
UM, SO ABSOLUTELY THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE.
AND, AND HOPEFULLY AS THE YEARS GO BY AND, AND MORE PEOPLE ARE USING THAT TYPE OF SYSTEM AND GETTING ACQUAINTED WITH THE AUTOMATIC METER, UH, READING SYSTEMS THAT WE, WE CAN, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN CATCH THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, AT THE BEGINNING AND NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, LET A LOT OF WATER TO BE WASTED.
IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE A FUNCTION.
UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD, I, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO PRESS ON THEM ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE A WAY TO USE AI TO BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, LEARN HOW YOU USE YOUR WATER.
SO AT THEN, UH, THESE, THESE THINGS CAN KIND OF TRACK.
AND WHENEVER YOUR HOUSEHOLD IS SPIKING, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU GET SOME SORT OF MESSAGE, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S HOPEFULLY LONG TERM, BUT THERE'S ALSO PRIVACY CONCERNS AND FROM A CITY STANDPOINT.
LIKE, DOES THAT MEAN YOU'RE IN THE SHOWER AND SOMEBODY YEAH, YEAH.
SO THERE'S, THERE IS, UH, SOME CONCERNS THERE, WHICH IS GOOD FOR THAT, UH, TO BE, YOU KNOW, IN THE DISCUSSIONS AS WELL.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, AND I WANTED TO BRING THIS POINT OUT, YOU KNOW, THIS WEEK WE'VE RECEIVED, YOU KNOW, FOUR TO FIVE INCHES OF RAIN HERE IN AUSTIN.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE LCRA HYDRO MET SYSTEM OUT INTO THE WATERSHED, I MEAN, LITERALLY A HALF AN INCH TO MAYBE A INCH AND A HALF IN THE WATERSHED OF THE HIGHLAND LAKES.
AND SO IT, IT GIVES PEOPLE A FALSE, UH, THOUGHT THAT, RIGHT, MA'AM, WE JUST WENT THROUGH FIVE INCHES OF RAIN HERE IN URBAN AUSTIN, SO WE MUST BE DOING GOOD FROM A WATER AVAILABILITY STANDPOINT.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU THESE, THESE STORMS ARE GONNA BARELY MAYBE PUT HALF A PERCENTAGE INTO LAKE TRAVIS AND LAKE BUCHANAN.
SO, UM, SO OBVIOUSLY BEING ON TOP OF HOW PEOPLE USE WATER, UH, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT WE'RE GETTING, YOU KNOW, INSTANTANEOUS READS, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY EVERY, UH, I FORGOT WHAT THE REFRESH RATE IS, BUT, UM, YEAH.
IT, BUT SO YES, THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR MESSAGING IMMEDIATELY TO PEOPLE, UM, WHEN THOSE ISSUES COME UP.
AND I HAD A QUESTION YOU MENTIONED, UM, THE PORTAL.
I THINK MY A TX WATER, YOU SAID, IS THAT LIKE A WEBSITE OR A APP? THAT'S A WEBSITE.
AND THEY DON'T HAVE A APP JUST YET, BUT I MAY BE MISTAKEN ABOUT THAT.
BUT I KNOW I HAVE, I DON'T HAVE A A METER AUTOMATIC METER AT MY RESIDENCE YET, BUT I DO HAVE A, AN ACCOUNT AND SO, BUT IT JUST BASICALLY DOES IT AT THE END OF THE MONTH.
UM, AND SO, UM, I'M NOT FOR SURE, I DON'T THINK IT'S AN APP JUST YET ON THE PHONE.
'CAUSE I KNOW I, FOR ELECTRICITY USAGE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY OF AUSTIN SENDS US EMAILS BEING LIKE, OH, YOU USED 16% MORE ELECTRICITY THIS WEEK THAN LAST WEEK, OR WHATEVER.
SO IT'D BE INTERESTING IF THEY DID THE SAME THING WITH WATER.
AND, AND I, I BELIEVE THAT'S IN THE, IN THE WORKS AND THE PLANS.
UM, GOOD TO KNOW THAT MY GARDEN'S FLOODED, BUT WE'RE STILL IN
[03:10:01]
A DROUGHT.[10. Update from Electric Utility Commission ]
YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST SAY THAT THE, UM, THE WORKING GROUP THAT'S WORKING ON, UH, THE UPDATE TO THE RESOURCE PLAN, UH, WE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD PUT TOGETHER, UH, FOUR DIFFERENT PORTFOLIOS FOR AUSTIN ENERGY TO RUN THROUGH THEIR MODELING.UM, AND WE GOT THOSE RESULTS BACK ON THE 10TH.
UM, THOSE PORTFOLIOS WHERE, YOU KNOW, FULLY CLEAN ENERGY COMBINATION OF RENEWABLES, INCLUDING A LOT OF LOCAL SOLAR EFFICIENCY BATTERIES, DEMAND RESPONSE.
UM, AND, AND THEY ACTUALLY PERFORMED FAIRLY WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY DID NOT MEET, UH, ALL OF AUSTIN ENERGY'S, UH, STANDARDS.
UH, BUT I, YOU KNOW, WON'T, WON'T BORE YOU WITH THE DETAILS RIGHT NOW, BUT I THINK IT'S TO SAY THAT, UM, THE, THE WORKING GROUP HAS, I THINK, MOVED THE BALL FORWARD IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING MORE OF A REALISTIC KIND OF, UH, MIXING AND MATCHING OF THE DIFFERENT RESOURCES THAT CAN BE USED TO, UM, REPLACE FOSSIL FUEL USE.
UM, SO WE'LL BE, WE'RE, WE STILL HAVE NOT COMPLETED RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT I THINK THAT'S GONNA BE HAPPENING END OF END OF THIS WEEK, START OF NEXT WEEK.
THEY WILL ACTUALLY BE FINALIZED.
UM, AND THEN GOING TO THE EUC, UH, ON FEBRUARY 12TH.
SO I'LL HAVE MORE OF AN UPDATE FOR YOU NEXT MONTH ON THAT.
AND POSSIBLY AN ACTION ITEM DEPENDING ON WHERE THINGS STAND.
[11. Update from Environmental Commission ]
ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.YEAH, SO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MET LAST WEEK, UH, AFTER TAKING A BREAK FOR THE WINTER BREAK, HOLIDAY BREAK, WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT.
UM, IT WAS A PRETTY SHORT MEETING.
WE JUST WENT OVER THE, UH, PARKS AND REC HAD, UH, A PRESENTATION ON THE, THE VENDORS, UM, THAT, UH, ARE ON THE LADY BIRD LAKE, TOWN LAKE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALSO BEEN KICKING AROUND THE IDEA.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN KICKING AROUND FOR A WHILE.
UM, YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER WHEN, WHENEVER THERE WAS A BIG UPROAR ABOUT 35 BEING, UH, STARTING TO, YOU KNOW, TXDOT STARTING THE RECONSTRUCTION PROCESS, YOU KNOW, CITY COUNCIL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY RECOMMEND, RESOLUTION, I THINK A RECOMMENDATION THAT THEY PASSED.
I FORGET EXACTLY WHAT, BUT IT WAS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, EXPLORING, UM, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IF WE CAN REROUTE, YOU KNOW, SEMIS AND BIG RIGS THAT ARE, ARE GOING THROUGH, THEY'RE PASSING THROUGH AUSTIN TO INSTEAD USE ONE 30 INSTEAD OF I 35.
AND SORT OF WHAT, YOU KNOW, INCENTIVES THE CITY COULD GIVE OR, OR WHAT KIND OF PROGRAM WE COULD DO TO HELP REDIRECT THAT TRAFFIC.
AGAIN, ESPECIALLY AS I 35 IS GONNA BE UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR LIKE THE NEXT DECADE OR SO.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM WILL REALLY ONLY GET WORSE, UH, UNTIL IT'S SOLVED.
AND WHEN IT'S SOLVED, THERE WILL PROBABLY JUST BE MORE CARS ON THE ROAD, SO WILL IT EVEN REALLY BE SOLVED.
UM, SO YEAH, SO, UM, I TALKED TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, COMMISSION STAFF AND THEY SUGGESTED THAT I ALSO BRING IT UP TO THE JSC BECAUSE THE JSC IS, UH, YOU KNOW, PRETTY SORT OF, UM, MADE UP OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE, DIVERSE PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS.
UM, SO PEOPLE CAN, CAN COMMENT AND SORT OF TAKE IT TO THEIR OWN COMMISSIONS AND SORT OF WORKSHOP IT.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHETHER A WORKING GROUP IS THE BEST WAY TO DO IT OR, OR BRING A RECOMMENDATION RESOLUTION FORWARD, BUT THEY RECOMMENDED THAT, UH, THAT COME TO THE JSC AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, UM, HAVE SOMETHING TO BRING TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
SO FIGURE IT OUT, GET SOME FEEDBACK ON IT, AND THAT'S THE UPDATE.
WELL, SOUNDS LIKE DEFINITELY A GOOD IDEA TO GET THE, GET THE THROUGH TRAFFIC GOING AROUND.
YEAH, MAN, YOU WANNA BE POPULAR IN AUSTIN.
SAY YOU WANNA FIX TRAFFIC, YOU KNOW,
I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY FIXING TRAFFIC, BUT, UH, STILL I'D RATHER DRIVE WITH CARS THAN RIGHT TRACTOR TRAILERS.
I MEAN, I WONDER IF THAT WOULD MAKE IT, YOU KNOW, FOR THEM TO JUST GO FASTER, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH IT'S LIKE A LONGER ROUTE.
YOU KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT LIKE THE EXPERT, RIGHT? BUT BASICALLY LIKE SOME KIND OF PRO, AND YOU BRING UP A POINT, YOU KNOW, THE SPEED LIMIT THERE IS 85, I BELIEVE, UM, INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, 60 OR 50 IF YOU'RE IN THE CITY AND, AND FOLLOWING LAWS, WHICH I MEAN, I'LL REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING ON THAT, BUT, UH, YEAH.
[03:15:01]
YOU KNOW, WHAT I WAS IMAGINING IS LIKE SOME KIND OF PILOT PROGRAM WHERE, YOU KNOW, TRUCKERS BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WITH A CDL LICENSE AND A TRUCK, RIGHT? JUST LIKE, HEY, I HAVE PROOF THAT, YOU KNOW, I DROVE FROM ONE END OF ONE 30 AND 45 TO THE OTHER END OF ONE 30 AND 45, RIGHT? OR JUST ONE 30 OR WHATEVER.UM, YOU KNOW, THE TOLLS THAT I PAY RIGHT, ARE THEN COMPENSATED TO ME IN, IN SOME WAY BY THE CITY OR SOMETHING.
UM, AND THEN WE, WE MEASURE WHAT KIND OF IMPACT THAT HAS.
UM, KNOW NOT ONLY SORT OF TRAFFIC WISE BUT ALSO JUST SORT OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, EMISSION WISE, RIGHT? BECAUSE I MEAN, THESE ARE TONS OF EMISSIONS THAT WE'RE SEEING.
I MEAN, THINK ABOUT HOW CLOSE I 35, IT'S LITERALLY IN THE HEART OF THE CITY, RIGHT? SO PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY WALKING AROUND BREATHING THE AIR FROM ALL THESE CARS.
UM, SO IT'S NOT ONLY JUST LIKE A TRAFFIC AND QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUE, BUT IT'S ALSO A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE AS WELL.
BUT I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT, THE CITY HAS TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT WE CAN SERVE, DO THIS.
'CAUSE AGAIN, ONCE THAT 30 FIVE'S UNDER CONSTRUCTION FOR A DECADE, THE TRAFFIC ISSUE IS JUST GONNA GET WORSE.
I BELIEVE THAT THE I 30 CHARGES THE SEMI-TRUCK, A HIGHER RATE TO TAKE THE TOLL BECAUSE THEY CHARGE PER AXLE.
SO IT DECENTIVIZES THE SEMI-TRUCK TO DIVERT OFF OF 5 35.
YOU KNOW, IT WAS MORE OF AN INCENTIVE FINANCIALLY FOR THE SEMI-TRUCK TO DIVERT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE EVER, IF YOU'RE EVER UP LATE NIGHT LIKE I AM ON THE ROAD, YOU KNOW, UM, IF YOU'RE COMING IN FROM PFLUGERVILLE HEADED SOUTH OR EVEN NORTH, RIGHT.
ESPECIALLY WITH THE CONSTRUCTION THAT THEY'RE DOING ON NORTH I 35, YOU KNOW, SOUTH I 35 IS ALWAYS, UH, IT'S ALWAYS FUN, YOU KNOW, AROUND WILLIAM CANNON SLAUGHTER, STANE 71.
UM, SO I MEAN, CLEARLY THERE'S LIKE A LOT OF BIG RIGS THAT ARE COMING IN LATE NIGHT, BUT ALSO DURING THE DAY AS WELL.
YOU KNOW, SO IF WE CAN TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET THEM AWAY FROM THE URBAN CENTER OF AUSTIN INTO, YOU KNOW, A PLACE THAT'S LESS POPULATED, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S, UH, A PUBLIC HEALTH WIN.
AND I WOULD ALSO THINK, UM, I MEAN ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS LIKE TRAFFIC JAMS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT EFFICIENT RIGHT? FUEL WISE FOR THEM TO BE, YOU KNOW, KINDA IDLING THEIR WAY DOWN THE ROAD.
UM, I MEAN, DRIVING TOO FAST IS ALSO NOT FUEL EFFICIENT, BUT UM, THEY MAY NOT, THERE CAN BE A HAPPY MEDIUM.
THERE CAN BE, UM, OR A LESS UNHAPPY ANYWAY.
I, I WONDER, YOU KNOW, UH, WITH MELISSA'S COMMENT THERE LIKE MAKES ME THINK LIKE SOME SORT OF PARTNERSHIP WITH TEXT DOT MAYBE RIGHT.
OR CA OR WHATEVER, OR WHOEVER IT IS THAT YEAH.
MANAGES THAT WHERE, YOU KNOW, THE CITY.
TPO DOESN'T OWN THE TOLL ROAD THOUGH.
UM, YEAH, WE LIKE CITY, CITY OF AUSTIN, LIKE PAYS, THAT'S WHAT I'M THINKING THE TOLL DIRECTLY TO THEM FOR.
AND IF IT LEADS TO A QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENT, UM, THEN, I MEAN, ARGUABLY THAT'S MONEY WELL SPENT.
[12. Update from Design Commission ]
UH, JOHN, YOU HAVE UPDATES? YES.SO WE, UH, DIDN'T MEET THIS THIS MONTH.
UH, WE WOULD'VE MET ON MONDAY, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROJECTS OR ANY BRIEFINGS, SO WE CANCELED THAT MEETING.
UH, SO I'M TRYING TO COORDINATE WITH, UH, DAVID CARROLL ON, HE'S LEADING ALL THE VARIOUS GROUPS, THE ADVISORY GROUPS, UM, ON THE, UH, UPDATES.
AND SO EVERYTHING HAD TAKEN A PAUSE UNTIL THIS MONTH.
AND SO I JUST NEED TO CONNECT WITH THEM TO SEE IF WE ARE, IF WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH, UH, THE UPDATES, COORDINATING THAT WITH STAFF FOR THE, THE DESIGN GUIDELINES.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM THAT THEY KNOW THEY WANNA GET ADDED FOR NEXT MONTH? OF COURSE YOU CAN ALWAYS EMAIL AS WELL.UM, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU CAN SPEAK IT NOW.
BUT I'LL GIVE AN UPDATE ON SWAC FOR OUR NEXT MEETING.
DOES ANYBODY ELSE WANNA SAY NOW THAT THEY WILL DO AN UPDATE FROM THEIR COMMISSION? YES.
UTC CANCELED THE LAST COUPLE OF MEETINGS BECAUSE OF THE QUORUM, BUT I'M SURE WE'RE GONNA HAVE A NEXT ONE, SO I'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE AN UPDATE.
[03:20:01]
A PLANNING COMMISSION UPDATE AT THE NEXT MEETING.DIDN'T MEET THIS MONTH FOR DUE TO QUORUM, SO YOU CAN EXPECT AN UPDATE NEXT MONTH AS WELL.
AND ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION CAN DEFINITELY BE ON THAT LIST.
HARRIS, DO YOU WANNA BE ON THE NEXT AGENDA TOO OR DO YOU WANNA WAIT AND SEE? UM, I MEAN, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEETS TWICE A WEEK OR TWICE A MONTH RATHER.
SO THERE'S, YOU'LL HAVE SOMETHING.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S PUT ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION ON THERE TOO.
AS FOLKS HAVE OTHER, UM, ITEMS, UH, DEFINITELY SEND THEM OUR WAY.
THANK YOU ALL FOR STICKING AROUND FOR A LENGTHY MEETING, BUT I THINK WE, WE DID SOME, SOME GOOD WORK TONIGHT, SO THANKS.
DO WE HAVE TO MOTION TO ADJOURN? UH, MOTION.