[00:00:01]
ARE YOU ON? THANK I AM.NOW WE DO HAVE A, AN OFFICIAL QUORUM THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR, UH, FOR JOINING.
[CALL TO ORDER]
UH, LET'S SEE.THE ACTUAL AGENDA, IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
IT'S, UH, LITERALLY JUST MAINLY STAFF PRESENTATIONS HERE.
AND, UH, BASED ON THAT, I'D LIKE TO JUST STICK WITH THE ACTUAL ORIGINAL, UH, UH, AGENDA THAT WAS PRESENTED.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
LET'S SEE.THE FIRST ITEM ON THIS AGENDA IS THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM OUR NOVEMBER 8TH MEETING.
AND AGAIN, I'LL ENTER, ENTERTAIN ANY MOTIONS AND OR QUESTIONS TO I MOVE THAT WE ACCEPT THE MINUTES.
COMMISSIONER AZAR MOVES ACCEPTANCE.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? I SECOND MELISSA SECONDS HEARING NO DISCUSSION ON THIS.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HANDS.
MELISSA, YOU HAVE TO BE VISIBLY PRESENT, I THINK TO VOTE ONLINE.
AND ANYBODY, I'M TRYING TO SUE US.
I, WHO ARE WE MISSING HERE? I'M SORRY.
I CANNOT SEE YOU MADELINE, THE VIDEO'S ON.
CAN, CAN NOBODY SEE ME? THERE YOU GO.
AND, UH, WERE YOU VOTING IN THE AFFIRMATIVE FOR THE, UH, OKAY.
SO WE DO HAVE, UH, I GUESS IT'S SIX.
YEAH, WE DID Y YEAH, HE VOTED.
JOHN, CAN YOU, UH, SHOW YOUR WONDERFUL FACE AGAIN? YEAH.
YOU'RE A WONDERFUL FACE FOR, CAN YOU SEE ME? I THINK WE ARE HAVING SOME CHALLENGES HERE.
I SEE YOU TRYING, BUT, UH, IT'S, YOU KNOW, ASSUMING THIS IS JUST A TECHNICAL ISSUE ON MY END, THERE'S TWO LITTLE BOXES.
SO ONE OF THEM HAS VIDEO ONE DOES THAT.
SO I AM ASSUMING IT'S A SIX OH VOTE AT THIS POINT, TO ACCEPT THE MINUTES AS WRITTEN, AS PRESENTED.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS.
[2. Presentation and Discussion of Litter Abatement Programs – Sam Gilbert]
BUSINESS IS THE, UH, DISCUSSION ITEM.IT'S THE, UH, LITTER ABATEMENT PROGRAM.
I THINK SAM, YOU WERE GOING TO ENLIGHTEN US ON, ON THE PROGRAM.
COMMISSIONER COYA, COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, O COYA, COMMISSIONERS DIRECTOR MIKHAIL, ASSISTANT DIRECTORS WITH A RR.
THE, WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS OUR LIT ABATEMENT PROGRAMS, AND IT IS OUR EFFORT TO KEEP THE CITY OF AUSTIN CLEAN.
UH, MY NAME IS SAMUEL GILBERT.
I'M WITH THE AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
I AM THE ACTING, UH, DIVISION MANAGER, UH, WITH LITTER ABATEMENT.
AND SO WE WANNA GO OVER A FEW THINGS.
AND MAINLY, UH, ONE OF THE AREAS OF FOCUS ON THIS PRESENTATION, UH, WILL BE OUR HOMELESS EFFORTS.
AND SO THE FIRST THING I WANTED TO DISCUSS WAS THE CITYWIDE HOMELESS, UH, THAT WE STARTED BACK IN 2019.
AND BASICALLY WHAT THAT IS, IS IT'S ARRS PARTNERSHIP, UH, WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS.
WE DEVELOPED WHAT WE CALL THE VIOLET BAG PROGRAM.
AND THAT PROGRAM WAS TO HELP ABATE LITTER IN PUBLIC PLACES.
AND OFTENTIMES WHEN YOU SEE, UH, INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, UH, THEY ARE CAMPED OUT IN PUBLIC AREAS.
AND SO THIS PROGRAM WAS A PROGRAM THAT WAS CREATED IN ORDER FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO DISPOSE OF WASTE IN THOSE PUBLIC PLACES.
AND SO WE STARTED OUT BY FIRST INSTALLING PURPLE KIOSKS IN THESE AREAS.
UH, THE NEXT THING WE ADDED WAS 96 GALLON CARTS, UH, TO THESE AREAS.
AND THEN WE ALSO PROVIDED THE, THOSE EXPERIENCE IN HOMELESSNESS, UH, WITH VIOLET BAGS.
AND SO FROM THERE WE SAW THE EFFORTS OF INDIVIDUAL, UH, ENC CAMPERS TO TRY TO KEEP THESE AREAS CLEAN.
AND ONCE THOSE BAGS WERE FILLED UP, THEY PLACE 'EM INTO THE CARTS,
[00:05:01]
AND THEN OUR DEPARTMENT WOULD GO, GO ALONG AND COLLECT THESE CARTS.AND AT THE HEIGHT OF THE PUBLIC ENCAMPMENTS, WE HAD APPROXIMATELY 50 AREAS, UH, THAT WE SERVICE WITH, UH, THAT HAVE VIOLET BAG KIOSKS.
BUT ONCE THE CAMPING BAN BEGAN TO TAKE EFFECT, UH, THAT NUMBER HAS DWINDLED DOWN TO ONE KIOSK, AND THAT KIOSK IS LOCATED AT CAESAR CHAVEZ AND IH 35 ONTO OUR NEXT SLIDE.
AND SO, CONTINUING WITH THE ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP, UH, THERE ARE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP.
UH, ONE BEING TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS RESPONSIBILITY IS TO CLEAN UP UNDER THE UNDERPASSES THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE HAVE A TOTAL OF ABOUT 30, UH, UNDERPASSES THAT THEY CLEAN ON A REGULAR BASIS, AS WELL AS, UH, ANYTHING THAT MAY POP UP IN SOME OF THESE UNDERPASSES.
AND ONE OF THE THING ABOUT CLEANING UNDERPASSES, UH, THERE'S A FREQUENCY DEPENDING ON, UH, THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE AT THOSE UNDERPASSES.
AND SO SOME UNDERPASSES ARE CLEAN WEEKLY, SOME ARE CLEAN BIWEEKLY.
AND WE'VE EVEN TRANSITIONED TO, UH, WATCHING TPW CLEAN SOME OF THOSE AREAS, UH, TWICE A WEEK.
THEN THERE'S AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
THE PARKS AND REC RECREATION DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ABATEMENT OF, UH, ENCAMPMENTS ON, UH, PUBLIC PARK LAND.
AND SO THAT PARK LAND EXTENDS DOWN INTO THE GREEN BELTS AS WELL AS SOME OF OUR, UH, WELL-KNOWN PARKS THROUGHOUT, UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND THEN THERE'S AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
AND WHAT WE DO AS A DEPARTMENT IS WE PARTNER WITH TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WORKS.
UH, WE PARTNER WITH THE PARKS AND RECS DEPARTMENT, AND IN THAT PARTNERSHIP, WE ARE ABLE TO ASSIST THEM IN CLEANING OF THE UNDERPASSES.
UH, WE ASSIST THEM WITH, UH, LARGE ABATEMENT REMOVAL, UH, FROM THE PARKLANDS, AS WELL AS, UH, GOING THROUGH AND BEING THE DEPARTMENT THAT ADMINISTERS THE MULTI-DEPARTMENT CLEANING CONTRACT, UH, WITH THE FORD VENDORS THAT ARE PART OF THAT CLEANING CONTRACT.
AND SO, WHEN IT COMES TO UNDERPASSES AND THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH TPW, IF YOU LOOK AT CAMERON ROAD, UH, THAT'S ONE OF THE UNDERPASSES THAT IS FREQUENTLY CLEANED, MAN.
SHAQ IS AN UNDERPASS, IS FREQUENTLY CLEANED.
SLAUGHTER LANE IS AN UNDERPASS THAT'S FREQUENTLY CLEANED.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE ENTIRE I 35 CORRIDOR FROM, UH, HOLLY STREET ALL THE WAY UP TO SEVENTH, EIGHTH STREET, 15TH STREET.
AND WE CLEAN THOSE NIGHTLY, UH, TO ENSURE THAT, UH, THERE ARE, THERE'S NO LITTER OR WASTE, UH, IN THE PURVIEW WHEN CITIZENS, UH, GET UP IN THE MORNING, UH, TO JOG EXERCISE OR WHEN INDIVIDUALS ARE COMING TO WORK IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
SO, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, UH, ALSO PARTNERS WITH SEVERAL CITY OF AUSTIN DEPARTMENTS TO PROVIDE ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OUTSIDE OF TPW AND, UH, PARKS AND REC.
AND WE ALSO HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THESE ENCAMPMENT LOCATIONS, UH, ARE IN SEVERAL AREAS.
WE HAVE ENCAMPMENTS THAT ARE LOCATED IN THE GREEN BELTS.
UH, THEY'RE LOCATED ON PARK LANDS, UH, UNDEVELOPED PRIVATE PROPERTY AND THE CORRIDOR UNDERPASSES.
AND SO ANYTIME YOU'RE DEALING WITH AN ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE DOWN BELOW, UH, THERE'S A MYRIAD OF DEBRIS THAT CAN BE SPREAD OUT OVER THESE CAMPS.
AND SO OUR GOAL IS TO GO IN AND ENSURE THAT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE BEGINNING IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AFTER WE COME THROUGH AND CLEAN UP.
AND SO WE'LL GO THROUGH AND THERE'S ABATEMENT OF THESE, UH, ENCAMPMENTS.
BUT THE ACCESSIBILITY CAN BE A CHALLENGE.
THE TERRAIN, UH, AT THESE LOCATIONS CAN BE A CHALLENGE, YOU KNOW, AND SO SOMETIMES YOU ENCOUNTER SITUATIONS WHERE YOU HAVE A LEVEL TERRAIN, AND THEN THERE MAY BE A DROP OFF.
AND TRYING TO GET DEBRIS OUT OF THOSE AREAS CAN BE A TOUGH CHALLENGE.
AND THEN THERE'S ALSO LOOSE AND BULK DEBRIS IN THESE AREAS.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE PICTURE HERE, THERE'S LARGE STRUCTURES.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A, A TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL BULK CLEANUP WHERE YOU GO AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'RE PICKING UP.
THESE STRUCTURES ARE VERY LARGE, WE HAVE TO REMOVE THEM.
AND IT SOMETIMES IT TAKES QUITE A BIT OF TIME TO GET THOSE STRUCTURES OUT OF THESE AREAS BASED ON, UH, THE TERRAIN AND THE ACCESSIBILITY.
MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE OUR VIOLET KEEPS SAFE STORAGE PROGRAM.
AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT PROVIDES A WAY FOR INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS TO STORE THEIR PERSONAL POSSESSIONS.
AND SO, INITIALLY WHEN THIS PROGRAM BEGAN, IT STARTED AT THE OLD HEALTH SOUTH BUILDING NEXT TO BRACKEN RIDGE, BUT THEN NOW IT'S MIGRATED DOWN TO THE, UH, OLD, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN MUNICIPAL COURTHOUSE.
AND SO WE STARTED OUT WITH 85 BINS, BUT THAT'S SINCE GROWN
[00:10:01]
TO 339 BINS, UH, THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE ABLE TO USE TO STORE THEIR BELONGINGS.AND SO IT FLUCTUATES IN, IN HOW MANY BINS ARE USED DAILY, BUT ON AVERAGE, UH, THERE'S ABOUT 60 INDIVIDUALS, UH, THAT USE THEM DAILY.
AND THE GATEKEEPER FOR THESE BINS IS THE, UH, COMMUNITY COURT AND JEREMY MYERS AND HIS PROGRAM.
WE HAVE WHAT IS, UH, A LOT OF INDIVIDUALS HAVE THAT ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE HOMELESS INITIATIVE.
UH, WE HAVE THE HOMELESS HILL SITES.
AND WHAT HILL MEANS, IT'S THE, UH, HOUSING FOCUSED ENCAMPMENT ASSISTANCE LINK INITIATIVE.
AND THIS IS FOCUSED ON CLOSING, UH, CAMPS THAT HAVE, HAVE BEEN DEEMED UNSAFE, UH, AND WHETHER IT'S UNSAFE BECAUSE OF THE INDIVIDUALS AND HOW THEY CAMP, OR IT'S A PUBLIC SAFETY RISK, OR IT'S JUST THE AREA IN ITSELF, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THEY'VE BEEN DEEMED UNSAFE.
AND IT OFFERS IN INDIVIDUALS A PATHWAY INTO, UH, THE SHELTERS STABLE HOUSING, AND IN AN EFFORT TO REDUCE PUBLIC CAMPING.
AND SO THAT PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS HAS SAFELY CLEANED AND CLOSED 16 HILL SITES.
AND CURRENTLY, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GOT UP EARLY ENOUGH THIS MORNING, UH, THEY TALKED ABOUT THE HILL SITE THAT IS LOCATED BEHIND THE IBC BANK, UH, OFF OF, UH, NEAR TOM MUELLER DAM.
AND, UH, WE'VE PARTNERED TO CLEAN THAT AREA UP.
WE STARTED IN THE FRONT, AND WE'VE ACTUALLY FINISHED OUR PORTION TODAY.
UH, BUT THERE'S AN AREA IN THE BACK THAT CONTRACTORS WILL COME IN AND CLEAN.
AND, AND WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT TERRAIN, THIS IS AN AREA THAT'S VERY TOUGH TO GET TO.
SOME INDIVIDUALS HAVE ENCAMPED ONTO TO THE LEDGE, LEANING DOWN TO THE, TO THE WATERFRONT.
AND SO IT'S BEEN A VERY TOUGH AREA TO GET CLEAN, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO REMOVE SOME LARGE STRUCTURES FROM THERE.
AND THEN THE CONTRACTORS ARE GONNA COME IN AND, UH, FINISH WHERE WE LEFT OFF.
NOW WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE PROGRESSION OF ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS, ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS BEGINNING, UH, WITH THE INCEPTION OF, OF THE PROGRAM BACK IN 2021.
UH, THERE'S THE TONNAGES HAVE INCREASED STEADILY EACH YEAR.
WE STARTED OUT WITH 380 TONS COLLECTED, UH, FROM ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS, AND THEN INTO 2022 THAT PROGRESSED TO 1,177 TONS.
AND THEN THIS YEAR WE HAD A WHOPPING 1,528 TONS OF DEBRIS, UH, REMOVED FROM SOME OF THE LARGE ENCAMPMENTS, SOME OF THE HILL SITES, UH, GAINES CREEK, UH, BOLDEN CREEK, UH, BARWOOD PARK, UH, IBC WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND EVEN CLEANING OUT THE, UH, ONION CREEK AREA.
AND SO WHAT WE'LL PROBABLY TREND TO IN THE COMING YEARS IS THAT THOSE NUMBERS WILL, UH, CONTINUE TO INCREASE.
AND THEN ONTO THE NEXT SLIDE, CLEAN CREEKS PROGRAM.
CLEAN CREEKS PROGRAM IS ONE OF THE MOST VITAL PARTNERSHIPS THAT WE HAVE, UH, IN AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
WHEN IT COMES TO ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP, THE, UH, CLEAN CREEKS PROGRAM CLEANS, UH, EMBANKMENTS ALONG THE, UH, CREEKS, UH, IN, IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
AND WE ALSO PARTNER WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION TO ENSURE THAT THESE, UH, CREEKS ARE KEPT, KEPT CLEAN.
NOW, WHAT AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY DOES IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO CLEAN THE EMBANKMENT.
UH, WATERSHED THEN GOES ON TO CLEAN ANYTHING THAT IS, UH, TRY TO REMOVE ANY DEBRIS FROM THE WATERWAYS.
BUT OUR MAIN GOAL IS TO GET THE DEBRIS OFF OF THE EMBANKMENT.
AND WE DO THIS CITYWIDE WITH ONLY SIX EMPLOYEES.
AND SO OFTENTIMES, YOU KNOW, THEY MAY GO OUT AND CLEAN AN AREA AND THEN HAVE TO GO IN AND REVISIT AN AREA, UH, BECAUSE THERE'S REPOPULATION OR DEBRIS HAS, HAS, HAS, UH, BLOWN BACK INTO THE AREA.
AND, UH, THERE'S A RESPONSIBILITY TO CLEAN UP.
CURRENTLY, WATERSHED HAS ABOUT 30 SITES THAT ARE DESIGNATED, UH, AS WELL.
AND WHEN THOSE POP-UP SITES COME UP, YOU KNOW, THEY CALL US, WE COORDINATE, AND THEN WE GO OUT AND TAKE CARE OF THE RESPONSIBILITY.
AND SO THE, UH, AS WE CONTINUE THIS PARTNERSHIP, WE'RE CONTINUING TO TRY TO LOOK AT WAYS, UH, TO BE, UH, INNOVATIVE AND INCREASE OUR EFFORTS IN KEEPING THESE AREAS CLEAN.
AND THE ONE THING ABOUT, UH, THE CREEKS, THEY PRESENT A CHALLENGE AS WELL BECAUSE OF, UH, WHERE THESE LOCATIONS ARE.
YOU CAN ENTER A CREEK IN A, IN A AREA THAT'S EASILY, UH, ACCESSIBLE, UH, TO ONLY FIND OUT THAT AS FURTHER ALONG YOU GET THROUGH THAT CREEK, UH, AREA.
IT BECOMES TIGHT AND HARD TO GET TO.
BUT THOSE EFFORTS ARE CONTINUING AND THE CONVERSATIONS ARE ONGOING.
[00:15:01]
CLEAN CREEK'S PROGRAM HAS ASSISTANCE, AND THAT ASSISTANCE COMES IN THE WAY OF WHAT WE DO IN OUR REGULAR PROGRAMS. WITHIN LITTER ABATEMENT, THE EFFORT TO KEEP A CLEA CLEAN, A CREEK CLEAN STARTS WITH THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE, UH, THAT COVER, UH, THE CITY STREETS.SO THE METHODS TO KEEP CREEKS CLEAN, YOU KNOW, AR PROVIDES SEVERAL PROGRAMS TO HELP PREVENT LITTER FROM ENTERING OUR, OUR WATERWAYS OTHER.
FIRST BEING OUR BOULEVARD SWEEPING BOULEVARD, SWEEPING CLEANS THE MAIN THROUGH FARES THROUGHOUT AUSTIN.
UH, WE DO THAT CONSISTENTLY TWICE A MONTH.
AND SO TWICE A MONTH, ALL OUR MAJOR THROUGH FARES ARE CLEAN BY OUR BOULEVARD STREET SWEEPING TEAM.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR RESIDENTIAL STREET CLEANING.
RESIDENTIAL STREET CLEANING ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CLEANING THE ENTIRE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, WITH THE GOAL OF SIX TIMES PER YEAR.
AND SO BASICALLY, WE WANT TO SERVICE EVERY SINGLE COUNCIL DISTRICT SIX TIMES PER YEAR, UH, WITH RESIDENTIAL STREET CLEANING.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR LITTER CONTROL PROGRAM.
AND OUR LITTER CONTROL PROGRAM NOT ONLY COVERS THE DOWNTOWN AREA, BUT THEY ARE OUT, UH, CLEANING RIGHT OF WAYS.
THEY'RE OUT CLEANING ILLEGAL DUMP SITES, UH, THEY'RE OUT LITTER PICKING AREAS, AND THEY'LL EVEN KIND OF CROSS OVER AND HELP OUT WITH SOME OF THE ENCAMPMENT CLEANUP, UH, FROM TIME TO TIME.
AND THEN AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY WANTS TO ENSURE THAT NOT ONLY DO WE DO THIS AS A DEPARTMENT, BUT THAT WE PARTNER WITH OTHER ENTITIES TO HELP ASSIST IN CLEANING.
AND WE HAVE OUR KEEP AWESOME, BEAUTIFUL PROGRAM.
AND WHAT THAT DOES THAT ALLOWS VOLUNTEERS TO COME IN AND THEY, THEY'LL PICK DESIGNATED AREAS THAT THEY'LL GO OUT AND DO VOLUNTEER CLEANUPS.
AND ONCE THOSE CLEANUPS ARE DONE, UH, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY WILL COME IN, THE LITTER CONTROL TEAM WILL COME IN AND THEY'LL PICK UP THOSE BAGS AND DISPOSE OF THEM.
AND SOME OF THE AREAS THAT THEY OFTEN CLEAN UP ARE, UH, SOME AREA PARKS.
THEY OFTEN CLEAN UP, YOU KNOW, SHOW CREEK.
UH, THEY DO A LOT OF WORK IN THAT AREA.
AND WHAT YOU SEE FROM THAT, YOU SEE SHOPPING CARTS COME OUT, YOU SEE, UH, TIRES COME OUT.
YOU SEE A LOT OF THINGS THAT CAN END UP IN CREEKS, END UP IN, IN DRY CREEK BEDS END UP IN, IN RIGHT OF WAYS, UH, COME OUT OF THESE CLEANUPS.
AND WE'LL GLADLY ASSIST THESE PARTNERSHIPS AND VOLUNTEERS BY CLEANING, UH, BY REMOVING THE AREA.
AND THEN LASTLY, THERE'S OUR ENCAMPMENT CLEANUPS.
SO THE, THE CLEAN CREEKS PROGRAM IS A, IS ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT IS CONTINUALLY GROWING, UH, AS WE ARE PARTNERING WITH WATERSHED, AND THEY'RE LOOKING AT WAYS TO ENTER, UH, SOME OF THE, THE, THE CREEK AREAS, UH, MORE FREQUENTLY WE'RE SEEING MORE DEBRIS COME OUT OF THESE AREAS.
UH, STARTED OUT IN 2022 WITH 143 TONS OF DEBRIS, UH, THAT CAME OUT OF THE CLEAN CREEK PROGRAM.
AND WE'VE SEEN THAT STEADILY INCREASE IN, IN, UH, 2023, WE ENDED UP WITH 221 TONS OF DEBRIS THAT WAS REMOVED, UH, FROM THESE CREEK BEDS.
AND WHAT WE'RE ALSO DOING IS LOOKING AT WHATEVER, NOT ONLY ARE WE REMOVING, BUT WE'RE STILL TRYING TO LOOK AT DIVERSION BECAUSE OF OUR ZERO WASTE GOALS.
AND SO THERE'S THE TIRES THAT COME OUT, THEY GET DIVERTED SHOPPING CARTS THAT COME OUT.
WE TRY TO DIVERT THEM, METALS THAT COME OUT.
WE TRY TO DIVERT THEM, DIVERT THEM.
AND SO WE'RE, WE'RE NOT JUST PULLING IT OUT TO DISPOSE OF IT IN LANDFILLS, WE'RE PULLING IT OUT, TRYING TO DIVERT IT, UH, TO OTHER AREAS TO BE RECYCLED.
AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS LITTER AND ILLEGAL DUMPING.
WE HAVE OUR CLEAN AUSTIN PROGRAM KNOWN AS CAP.
AND WHAT CAP DOES, CAP IS BROKEN UP THROUGHOUT THE CITY INTO NINE CAP ROUTES.
AND THESE ROUTES ARE IN AREAS THAT STRATEGICALLY AND HISTORICALLY HAVE HAD A HIGH LEVEL OF ILLEGAL DUMPING, HIGH LEVEL OF BULK SET OUT WHEN IT'S, UH, WASN'T TIME TO SET OUT BULK.
AND WHAT WE DO IS WE, WE GO THROUGH EVERY THIRD SATURDAY OF THE MONTH, UH, TO CLEAN UP THESE AREAS AND TRY TO REMOVE, UH, DEBRIS THAT'S AT THE RIGHT OF WAY SET OUT AT THE CURBSIDE, UH, ILLEGALLY DUMPED IN CERTAIN AREAS.
AND SO WE REMOVE THESE, UH, EVERY THIRD SATURDAY OF THE MONTH, AND TO CONTINUE WITH KEEPING THE AREAS CLEAN.
THEN AGAIN, WE HAVE OUR LITTER CONTROL PROGRAM THAT DOES THE DOWNTOWN CLEANUP RIGHT OF WAYS AND ASSIST IN THE, UH, ABATEMENT OF ILLEGAL DUMPING.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR COMMUNITY DROPOFF EVENTS.
AND SO WE HAVE DIFFERENT EVENTS.
UH, WE HAVE MOVE OUT, A TX IS ONE DROPOFF EVENT THAT HAPPENS OUT IN WEST CAMPUS.
AND THEN WE HAVE ANOTHER DROP OFF EVENT WHERE CITIZENS ARE ABLE TO BRING MATERIAL TO DESIGNATED LOCATIONS.
AND, UH, A RR WILL REMOVE THAT, UH, DEBRIS FROM THOSE LOCATIONS.
UH, WE DO ENCOUNTER A LOT OF TIRES, A LOT OF FURNITURE, UH, FROM THESE DROP OFF EVENTS.
AND THE GOAL IS TO, YOU KNOW, JUST HELP
[00:20:01]
THE CITIZENS KEEP THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS CLEAN, KEEP THE RIGHT OF WAYS, CLEAN, UH, KEEP, UH, OTHER AREAS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY CLEAN.AND THEN THERE'S CUSTOMER EDUCATION, AND THERE'S ALL SORTS OF CUSTOMER EDUCATION.
I DON'T WANT TO STEP ON CARRIE'S TOES, UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE EDUCATION, BUT THERE'S THE WEBSITE ALSO RECYCLES.COM.
AND THEN WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, LITERATURE.
AND THAT CAN COME IN MANY FORMS, WHETHER IT'S LETTERS TO THE CITIZENS, WHETHER IT'S, UH, LITERATURE LEFT AT THE, UH, CURBSIDE, UH, FOR COLLECTION DURING THE COLLECTION PROCESS, WHETHER IT'S COMMUNICATION FROM SUPERVISORS OR, OR MYSELF OR OUR DIRECTOR, ASSISTANT DIRECTORS.
AND SO THERE'S A MYRIAD OF WAYS THAT WE TRY TO HAVE CUSTOMER EDUCATION, UH, ALONG WITH, UH, EVENTS, UH, FOR THE, UH, CITIZENS AND FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
UH, EVEN TONIGHT WE'RE HOSTING A, THERE'S A ZERO WASTE EVENT THAT'S GOING ON FOR SPECIAL EVENTS, AND THAT'S JUST ANOTHER WAY THAT WE'RE TRYING TO EDUCATE INDIVIDUALS, UH, WHEN THEY COME INTO AUSTIN.
WAYS TO DIVERT WAYS, WAYS TO HELP KEEP THINGS CLEAN, AND WAYS TO CONTINUE TO MAKE AUSTIN, UH, A CLEAN AND LIVABLE CITY.
AND LASTLY, WE HAVE THE PLASTIC REDUCTIONS INITIATIVE.
IT SAYS, THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS DEDICATED TO NEW INNOVATIONS IN THE REDUCTION OF PLASTIC, UH, WASTE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OUR ZERO WASTE BUSINESS REBATE, WHICH OFFERS UP TO $1,800 FOR RESTAURANTS AND AR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
AND THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY OFFERS WORKSHOPS, TRAINING AND EDUCATION AT CITY EVENTS AND NEW EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION.
AND WE, WE ARE ALSO A MEMBER OF THE US PLASTIC, UH, AND COLLABORATES DEPARTMENTALLY TO IDENTIFY PLASTIC PURCHASING TRENDS AND DEVELOP STRATEGIES TO REDUCE PLASTIC AND PACKAGING WASTE.
AND THEN THERE'S GONNA BE A C IMPLEMENTATION OF CITYWIDE ZERO WASTE AT CITY FACILITIES, UH, WITHIN THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR.
AND SO THERE'S A COMMITMENT TO PLASTIC AND THE REMOVAL OF PLASTIC FROM THE WASTE STREAM.
AND SO A CONTINUED GOAL OF, OF AWESOME RESOURCE RECOVERY AND LITTER ABATEMENT IS TO ENSURE THAT WHETHER IT'S ENCAMPMENTS, UH, WHETHER IT'S DOWNTOWN CLEANUPS, WHETHER IT'S BOULEVARD STREET CLEANING OR LITTER CONTROL, IS THAT WE PROVIDE A QUALITY EFFORT TO CONTINUE TO KEEP AUSTIN CLEAN.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, SAM.
THAT WAS VERY, THANK YOU, SAM.
THAT WAS VERY, VERY INFORMATIVE.
AND, UH, ACTUALLY JUST HAVING WITNESSED SOME OF THESE SITES, IT'S, UH, BOY, IT'S AN EVER, EVER GROWING CHALLENGE YES.
AND I, I, AGAIN, I'M OPENING THIS UP FOR QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS.
I HAD HEARD A RUMOR THAT THE CITY WAS TRYING TO WORK UP A NEW ORDINANCE FOR SINGLE USE PLASTIC, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY HEARD ABOUT THAT, THAT WOULD FIT INTO THE STATE, YOU KNOW, THE STATE LAW, UH, THAT THE SUPREME COURT OVERTURNED OUR OTHER, UH, SINGLE USE PLASTIC ORDINANCE? NOT AT THIS TIME.
'CAUSE THAT, THAT, THAT'S LIKE A HUGE COMPONENT OF CREEK CLEANUPS.
I KNOW I'VE DONE CREEK CLEANUPS, AND THAT'S IS MADDENING.
BUT NO, THAT'S A BIG PART OF IT.
UH, ALSO ANOTHER QUESTION IS, WHO EMPTIES THE RECYCLING CONTAINERS AND PARKS? IS THAT YOU OR IS IT PARD? UH, THAT'S GENERALLY, UH, PARD.
THEY'LL HAVE THEIR EMPLOYEES GO THROUGH AND, AND MAINTAIN ON THE PARK LANDS.
UH, WE GENERALLY DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW, OUR CONTAINERS DOWNTOWN THAT HAVE BOTH THE, UH, RECYCLE AND GARBAGE, UH, OPTIONS.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE CLEANUP OF THE PARKS, THOSE ARE PARK EMPLOYEES.
THAT'S OUR COMMUNITY SERVICE EMPLOYEES THAT DO THAT.
ON THE ACTUAL NUMBER OF FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN THIS.
AND YOU MENTIONED SIX, CORRECT? THAT IS SIX FOR THE CLEAN CREEKS PROGRAM AND THE HOME HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT, UH, THE HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT PROGRAM, UH, THEY HAVE SIX EMPLOYEES AS WELL.
THEY HAVE SIX, UH, REGULAR EMPLOYEES, FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, ALONG WITH A, UH, CREW LEADER AND THEN ONE SUPERVISOR.
IS THAT INCLUDED IN OUR BUDGET, OR IS THAT, UH, OKAY.
IS THERE ANY WAY TO PERHAPS INCREASE THE NUMBER OF BODIES JUST, UH, IN UNDERSTANDING HOW THIS IS HEADING NORTH? THE VOLUMES AND THE, UH, PARTICIPANTS ARE NOT GOING TO SLOW
[00:25:01]
DOWN ANYTIME SOON.I'M WONDERING IF PERHAPS WE SHOULD CONSIDER AN INCREASE IN EMPLOYEES.
UH, GOOD EVENING, UH, COMMISSIONERS, RICHARD MCHALE, DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE JUST ABOUT TO ENTER OUR, UH, BUDGET, UH, DISCUSSIONS.
SO NEW POSITIONS, UH, NEW EXPANSION OF PROGRAMS OR THINGS WE'LL BE LOOKING AT DURING THAT PERIOD.
SO THOSE ARE DEFINITELY THINGS THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING AT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? I HAVE A QUESTION.
UH, HOW SUCCESSFUL DO YOU THINK THE ZERO WASTE BUSINESS REBATE HAS BEEN SO FAR? DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY BUSINESSES HAVE ACTUALLY APPLIED FOR THIS? THE, I'LL DEFER TO JASON WITH OUR STRATEGIC STRATEGIC INITIATIVE.
JASON MCCOMBS, UH, STRATEGIC INITIATIVES DIVISION MANAGER.
SO, UM, YEAH, IT'S, UH, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME RIGHT NOW.
UM, BUT WE, UH, WE DID SEE IT.
WE, WE HAD PRETTY GOOD PARTICIPATION BEFORE THE PANDEMIC.
WE SAW A DIP KIND OF DURING THE PANDEMIC.
THIS YEAR WE'VE MADE A BIG PUSH TO TRY TO START OUR ADVERTISEMENT CAMPAIGN, UM, AND WE ARE SEEING OUR NUMBERS RISE AGAIN.
UM, WE HAVE NEVER SEEN HUGE PARTICIPATION THOUGH, AND IT'S SOMETHING I THINK THAT WE'RE CONTINUING TO KIND OF STRATEGIZE ON HOW TO GET BETTER AND HOW TO PARTNER AND GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THAT.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY.
WE LOOK FOR EVERY OPPORTUNITY FOR OUTREACH, UM, THAT WE CAN, UM, LETTERS, UM, WE DO SOCIAL MEDIA, UM, ALSO, YOU KNOW, PRINT ADVERTISEMENT AS WELL AROUND IT.
AND SO, UM, LIKE I SAID, WE, WE TRY TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT THERE AS MUCH AS WE CAN, BUT, UM, I'D SAY IT'S BEEN MODERATE, IT'S LIKE SUCCESSFUL, BUT IT KIND OF EBBS AND FLOWS, I THINK, DEPENDING ON THE YEAR.
BUT I CAN GET THAT INFORMATION, I THINK AS FAR AS HARD NUMBERS, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR YOU.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? SAM, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INFORMATION AND THE UPDATE.
[3. Presentation and Discussion of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Door-to-Door Pilot – Andy Dawson]
BUSINESS IS THE, UH, PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION ON THE HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE, UH, DOOR TO DOOR PILOT PROGRAM.UH, ANDY DAWSON, ASSISTANT DIVISION MANAGER WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
UM, BACK IN, I GUESS NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
UM, BACK IN SEPTEMBER, 2022, UH, WE BEGAN A DOOR TO DOOR, UH, HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION PILOT.
AS Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR, WE ARE LOCATED IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF TOWN, AND THE POPULATION HAS KIND OF BEEN GROWING AWAY FROM US.
UM, WE, WITH THE HELP OF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER FROM DISTRICT 10, WE KIND OF GOT THIS, UM, THIS IDEA STARTED TO HAVE AN ACTUAL DOOR TO DOOR PILOT PROGRAM.
UM, WE CHOSE 10 WITH THE SUPPORT OF, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER, AND THEN, UH, TO TRY TO SEE HOW WELL WE COULD BALANCE EAST AND WEST.
WE ALSO CHOSE DISTRICT FOUR, A LITTLE BIT SMALLER DISTRICT, A LITTLE BIT SMALLER POPULATION, BUT, UH, WE WANTED TO TRY TO BALANCE EAST AND WEST AND WORK KIND OF NORTH AND SOUTH, AND THAT SEEMED LIKE A PRETTY GOOD WAY, A PLACE TO START.
SO, INITIALLY WE HAD A LOT OF SUCCESS.
UM, THE START THE PILOT STARTED REALLY STRONG.
THESE ARE TON OF, UH, TOTAL POUNDS COLLECTED WEEKLY.
UM, BUT, UH, THE NUMBER STARTED FALLING OFF PRETTY QUICK.
WE GOT WITH OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE, AND, UM, THEY SENT A REMINDER LIKE, HEY, DISTRICT'S FOREIGN 10 ARE ELIGIBLE FOR, FOR THIS PROGRAM.
AND THAT'S WHERE THAT, UH, SECOND SPIKE IS RIGHT THERE.
BUT THE, AFTER THAT, THE NUMBERS FELL OFF AGAIN, UM, THEY, THE RESIDENTS OF FOUR AND 10 MAY HAVE JUST CLEANED OUT ALL OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD HAZARDS SPIKES.
UH, THAT MAY BE ALL THEY HAD, AND THEY DON'T REALLY GENERATE HHW VERY QUICKLY.
UH, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS TWO TO 4% OF HOUSEHOLDS USE PERMANENT HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITIES.
UM, WE'VE SEEN DISTRICT 10 SURPASS THAT, THAT AVERAGE, BUT DISTRICT FOUR IS, UH, RIGHT AT THAT NATIONAL AVERAGE AS WELL.
UM, THIS IS A LITTLE BIT HARDER TO SEE.
UH, SO DISTRICT FOUR, THE, THE BOTTOM LINE, THANK YOU.
UM, IN BLUE IS THE DROP OFF, UH, STILL THE DROP OFF NUMBERS AT THE HOUSEHOLD HAZARD WASTE FACILITY.
AND THE ORANGE CAP ON THESE LINES ARE THE, UM, THE NUMBER OF PICKUPS THAT, THAT WE DID IN, IN DISTRICT FOUR.
UM, THAT'S ABOUT 19% OF ALL OF THE TRAFFIC FROM DISTRICT FOUR CAME FROM THESE PICKUPS.
[00:30:01]
1,340 DROP OFFS AND ANOTHER 323 ADDITIONAL PICKUPS, UH, FOR FISCAL YEAR 23.DISTRICT 10 IS ONE OF OUR, UM, MORE ACTIVE DISTRICTS.
UM, SIMILARLY, UM, YOU CAN SEE THESE NUMBER, THE, THE BLUE ON THE BOTTOM IS THE DROP OFF, AND THE ORANGE ON TOP IS THE, THE ACTUAL PICKUP.
UH, THEY HAD ABOUT 3500, 3560 DROP OFFS AND 1,174 PICKUPS.
THE PICKUPS WERE ABOUT 25% OF THEIR TOTAL PARTICIPATION FROM THAT DISTRICT.
SO, A REAL QUICK SNAPSHOT OF THE DROP OFFS OF THE PARTICIPATION PER DISTRICT IS, UM, IN THIS CHART RIGHT HERE, UM, THE DISTRICT, WE FOUND THAT DISTRICTS THAT ARE MORE CLOSELY LOCATED TO THE RECYCLING REUS DROP OFF CENTER TYPICALLY HAVE THE HIGHER PARTICIPATION, UH, SPECIFICALLY DISTRICTS 2, 3, 5, AND EIGHT.
AND THOSE ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE, THEY, WE HAVE MORE PARTICIPATION COMING FROM, FROM THOSE GROUPS.
UM, DISTRICT FOUR, UM, ALSO HAS A LITTLE BIT OF A, IT'S GEOGRAPHICALLY SMALLER AND HAS KIND OF A ABOUT 20% SMALLER POPULATION.
SO THAT MAY ALSO KIND OF EXPLAIN WHY THERE'S A LITTLE BIT LESS IN DISTRICT FOUR THAN IN DISTRICT 10.
UH, UP NEXT, WE ARE EXPANDING TO, UH, I, I THINK IN THIS ORDER, DISTRICTS ONE, WHICH IS IN PURPLE, UM, DISTRICT SEVEN, WHICH IS IN THAT DARK NAVY BLUE OR BLACK COLOR.
AND THEN DISTRICT SIX, THAT'S IN THE FAR NORTHWEST.
UM, WE'LL BE REACHING OUT TO ALL THESE DISTRICTS IN THE COMING MONTHS.
UH, WE ARE AGAIN TRYING TO BALANCE EAST AND WEST, STARTING NORTH AND COMING SOUTH.
UM, AND THIS EXPANSION IS KIND OF, UH, I'M SORRY, WE'LL START WITH DISTRICT ONE HERE, IDEALLY IN THE NEXT, UH, COUPLE OF MONTHS.
BUT WE ARE KIND OF IN LINE BE BEHIND A COUPLE OF OTHER, UM, ITEMS THAT ARE BEING EXPANDED.
UM, THE, NOT TO LET THE CAT OUTTA THE BAG, BUT WE HAVE A, UH, AGENDA ITEM TO DISCUSS A, A COUNCIL ACTION ITEM, UM, FOR WITH THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER.
UM, SO WE'RE IN LINE BEHIND A FEW THINGS.
AND IDEALLY IN THE NEXT, UH, BY FY 25, WE'LL HAVE ALL FIVE OR FIVE NORTHERN DISTRICTS THAT WE'RE GOING DOOR TO DOOR TWO.
UM, SO AS FAR AS PUBLIC OUTREACH GO, UM, THE RESIDENTS OF DISTRICTS FOUR AND 10 WHERE THEY RECEIVED A LETTER, UM, NOTIFYING THEM OF THIS, THIS PILOT, THEY RECEIVED POSTCARDS AS REMINDERS.
UH, SINCE SEPTEMBER, 2022, UH, OUR RECYCLING USE DROP OFF PAGE HAS HAD, UH, 420,000 VIEWS.
UH, JUST PEOPLE INTERESTED IN, UH, YOU KNOW, RECYCLING SERVICES IN GENERAL AND HHW DISPOSAL.
UM, AND THE HHW, UH, COLLECTION PILOT SPECIFICALLY HAS HAD ALMOST 9,000 VIEWS INDIVIDUALLY TO, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, JUST TRYING TO GET MORE INFORMATION IF THEY'RE ELIGIBLE OR NOT.
AND SO, ADDITIONALLY, UM, A LOT OF SERVICE ALERTS WERE SENT OUT, EXCUSE ME, FOR THE RESIDENTS, UH, THAT HAD THE MOBILE APP.
AND, UH, DISTRICT'S FOUR AND 10.
UH, WE ATTENDED 75 EVENTS WITH, UH, OVERALL DROP OFF CENTER MESSAGING AND TARGETED INFORMATION.
UH, WERE GIVEN ADVENTS THAT WERE HELD IN DISTRICTS FOUR AND 10, SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT THERE.
UM, IT'S AGAIN, KIND OF A, A LOW USE.
UH, TWO TO 4% IS, IS PRETTY STANDARD, YOU KNOW, ACROSS THE NATION.
BUT, UM, YEAH, THAT'S, UH, WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT AND HOPEFULLY MAKE THIS A SUCCESS.
I THINK SOMEBODY'S PUPPY WAS UPSET.
ANDY, THANK YOU VERY, THAT'S ALL I GOT.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANDY? I, I DO HAVE A QUESTION.
LET'S SAY A, UM, NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP OR A POLITICAL GROUP, OR SOME, SOMEONE WANTED SOMEONE TO COME AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT THIS PROGRAM.
WHO, WHO WOULD THEY CONTACT YOU? UH, I AM A CONTACT, UH, WE, I TRY TO RUN THOSE THINGS THROUGH OUR PIO GROUP, BUT, UH, I WOULD PROBABLY BE ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT, THAT CAME AND SPOKE TO THE GROUP.
BECAUSE IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, SOMETHING LIKE THIS NEEDS TO WORK BETTER IS JUST MORE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT IT.
UH, THERE, THERE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A DIMINISHING RETURNS, UH, ASPECT TO IT.
FOLKS MAY JUST NOT ACCUMULATE THAT MUCH STUFF.
[00:35:01]
HEARD ABOUT THE PROGRAM, THEY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT AND THEY WON'T NEED IT FOR ANOTHER COUPLE OF YEARS.UH, I, I THINK, UH, ADDITIONAL OUTREACH THERE, THERE'S SO MUCH GOING ON IN THE CITY.
SOMETIMES IT'S HARD FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO JUGGLE OH BOY, EVERYTHING.
ANY QUESTIONS, MELISSA? I HAVE A QUESTION.
UH, WELL, FIRST I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I'M IN DISTRICT FOUR AND I PARTICIPATED IN THE PILOT PROGRAM AND I THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT.
UM, I ALSO USE THE RECYCLING CENTER.
I THINK THAT'S A GREAT PROGRAM THAT WE OFFER AS WELL.
UM, BUT I WANTED TO ASK IF YOU KNEW WHAT THE MOST COMMON ITEMS ARE THAT ARE BEING PICKED UP AND IF THERE'S A NOT NOTABLE DIFFERENCE IN THE ITEMS THAT ARE BEING PICKED UP IN DISTRICT 10 VERSUS FOUR, SINCE YOU SAID THAT DISTRICT 10 HAS SO MUCH MORE.
UH, TYPICALLY, UH, BATTERIES, OIL PAINT, AND ANTIFREEZE ARE GONNA BE YOUR MOST COMMON ITEMS. LATEX PAINT BEING THE MOST COMMON OF THOSE ITEMS. UM, BUT WE HAVE NOT SEEN A REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT EXACTLY WE'RE PICKING UP BETWEEN DISTRICTS.
IT'S ALL KIND OF THE SAME STUFF, ANYTHING THAT'S COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE TO THE CONSUMER.
DO, DO DEMOGRAPHICS MAKE A DIFFERENCE? AND I, AND I ASKED THAT, YOU KNOW, HERE, I'M A DISTRICT 10 GUY AND A DISTRICT FOUR PERSON, AND OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN LOOK AT THE H DIFFERENCE HERE.
AND, UH, PERHAPS MAYBE THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS THAT OUR, OUR ACTUAL INVOLVEMENT IS A LITTLE HIGHER.
I MEAN, WE'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF CRAZY STUFF STORED IN THE GARAGE, AND, UH, YOU FINALLY GET A CHANCE TO GET RID OF IT, AND YOU, AND YOU DO.
BUT, UH, I DO SEE A LOT OF MY NEIGHBORS AROUND THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS.
IT'S, I THINK IT'S A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM, AND IF WE SHOULD EXPAND THAT, I THINK IT'S LITERALLY JUST A, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO GET RID OF A LOT OF NASTY STUFF.
UM, THAT'S, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S BEEN KIND OF AN ISSUE FOR, FOR SOME TIME OUR, OUR LOCATION.
AND SO, UH, FOR NOW THIS IS KIND OF THE BEST ROUTE THAT WE FIGURED THAT WE CAN TAKE.
ANDY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? BY THE WAY, I FEEL LIKE A YOUNG, YOUNG GUY IN DISTRICT 10, SO
ANYWAY, ANDY, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
ALRIGHT, GUYS, MOVING ALONG HERE.
[4. Review and Discussion of Director’s Report (Multifamily Composting, Brownie Drive, Recognitions, Historic Preservation Plan, Compensation Update, Solicitations Update, Performance Reports, and Statistical Reports) – Richard McHale]
IS A MULTI-FAMILY COMPOSTING, UH, DIRECTOR'S REPORT.RICHARD, YOUR ENTIRE REPORT, I GUESS.
RICHARD MCHALE, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY DIRECTOR.
UM, IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU HAVE THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.
UM, JUST TO, I'LL TOUCH ON A FEW ITEMS HERE.
UM, WE DID, UH, HOST AN EVENT ON FEBRUARY 6TH WITH THE AUSTIN APARTMENT ASSOCIATION.
AND THAT, UH, PERTAINED TO EXPANDING THE, UH, MULTIFAMILY, UM, ACCESS TO ORGANICS, UM, FOR THE URO.
SO WE'RE BEATING THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
UM, WE'VE ALSO DONE A LOT OF WORK ON BROWNIE DRIVE.
I KNOW WE'VE HAD THAT DISCUSSION FOR A WHILE.
SO WE'RE CONTINUING OUR WORK OUT THERE.
AND, UH, DONE A LOT OF, UH, PUBLIC INFORMATION, A LOT OF WORK.
WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF CHALLENGES OUT THERE THOUGH, SO WE'RE STILL CONTINUING TO WORK ON THOSE AND, AND WORK WITH OUR OTHER PARTNERS ACROSS THE CITY TO SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE THE SITUATIONS OUT THERE.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE THINGS HERE.
UM, UH, OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTORS, UH, GINA MCKINLEY AND RON ROMERO ARE BOTH, UH, UH, ELECTED TO, UH, NONPROFIT BOARDS, UM, WHICH IS GREAT.
SO RON, UH, WAS, UH, ELECTED TO THE TEXAS PUBLIC WORKS ASSOCIATION IN CENTRAL TEXAS CHAPTER, UH, ON THEIR BOARD.
AND, UH, GINA TO THE NATIONAL RECYCLING CONGRESS.
WHAT'S THE COALITION? COALITION? MM-HMM.
SO, AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, I THINK YOU OFTENTIMES, YOU HEAR US TALK ABOUT HOW WE HANDLE ABOUT 15% OF THE WASTE IN THE CITY, AND WE TRY TO INFLUENCE THE OTHER 85%.
UM, SO THIS, UH, THIS ACTUALLY GIVES US A SEAT AT THE TABLE, AT THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL TOO.
SO, UH, NOT ONLY DO WE WANNA TRY TO INFLUENCE THINGS, UH, IN A POSITIVE MANNER IN, IN THIS AREA, BUT WE WANNA ALSO DO THAT ON THE STATE AND NATIONAL LEVEL.
SO THIS GIVES US A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND, UH, MAKE SURE WE'RE INVOLVED IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
AND, UM, I THINK IT PUTS US IN A GOOD POSITION TO, TO HELP OUT.
SO, UM, I, I APPLAUD THE, THEIR EFFORTS TO, TO GET ON THOSE BOARDS.
AND, UM, I'VE DONE THE IT IN THE PAST, AND IT'S A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY JUST TO MEET OTHER FOLKS FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES AND TO SHARE IDEAS AND, AND REALLY, UH, CREATE THOSE, UH, RELATIONSHIPS, UM, THAT REALLY PAY OFF IN THE FUTURE.
UM, THIS, UH, COMMISSION HAD ASKED FOR, UH, INFORMATION REGARDING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN.
WE, WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, AND THAT WILL BE ON NEXT,
[00:40:01]
UH, THE APRIL AGENDA, I BELIEVE IT IS.UM, SO WE WILL HAVE A PRESENTATION ON THAT, UH, FOR YOU ALL.
UM, AND WE DO HAVE SOME, UH, UPDATES ON COMPENSATION.
OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THAT'S BEEN A BIG CHALLENGE FOR US, AND NOT JUST US, BUT, UH, UH, THE ENTIRE CITY AND, AND LOTS OF INDUSTRIES AS WELL.
UH, JUST TRYING TO BE ABLE TO RETAIN AND ATTRACT FOLKS.
SO, UM, WE HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING, UH, SOME, UH, EFFORTS UNDERWAY.
ONE WAS A SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL EXPANSION.
SO WE HAVE OUR EARLY MORNING CREWS THAT DO CLEANUPS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA.
UH, THEY GET TO SHIFT PAY BECAUSE OF THE HOURS THAT THEY WORK.
EARLY MORNING HOURS, A LITTLE BIT HARDER TO GET FOLKS TO COME IN AT, YOU KNOW, TWO 30 IN THE MORNING.
UM, SO, UH, PRIOR TO THIS, UH, CHANGE, THOSE FOLKS WOULD JUST GET SHIFT PAY UNTIL, I BELIEVE IT WAS SIX O'CLOCK, UM, YEAH, SIX O'CLOCK.
SO THEY WOULD GET FOUR, THREE TO FOUR HOURS OF, OF SHIFT PAY.
AND THEN AFTER THAT WOULD BE REGULAR PAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, SINCE IT'S SUCH A HARD POSITION TO FILL, UH, IT'S NOT A WHOLE LOT, BUT WE WENT AHEAD AND PETITIONED THE CITY TO SEE IF WE COULD GET THAT SHIFT PAY FOR THEIR ENTIRE SHIFT.
AND THEY WERE AGREEABLE TO THAT.
UM, SO WE HAVE MADE THAT CHANGE.
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BUY ANY BMWS WITH THAT, BUT, UH, IT'S A LITTLE EXTRA.
AND THEN I'M, I'M GLAD WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT NOW, AND THAT, AND THAT WAS REALLY A SHORT TERM FIX BECAUSE, UM, EVERY DEPARTMENT HAS THEIR OWN, UH, POLICY ON SHIFT PAY THAT WE, WE TURN INTO THE CITY.
SO WE CAN MAKE INDIVIDUAL CHANGES LIKE THAT, BUT WE REALLY CAN'T CHANGE THE RATE THAT THEY'RE PAID.
SO THE NEXT STEP NOW IS TO KIND OF WORK WITH THE CITY TO SEE IF WE CAN LOOK AT THE, UH, THE SHIFT PAY RATES THAT IS BEING APPLIED ACROSS THE CITY TO SEE IF THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE.
'CAUSE THAT NUMBER HASN'T CHANGED IN A FEW YEARS.
SO, UH, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER CITIES, SEEING WHAT THEY'RE PAYING FOR SHIFT PAY AND SEEING IF WE CAN, UH, ADJUST THAT TO, AGAIN, MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR EMPLOYEES TO WORK ON THAT EARLY MORNING SHIFT.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE AN EMPLOYEE REFERRAL, UH, INCENTIVE.
UM, THIS IS, UH, A PROGRAM WHERE IF AN EMPLOYEE IS ABLE TO FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO COME INTO THE CITY, IF THAT, UH, INDIVIDUAL, UH, COMES ON, GETS HIRED, UH, IS ABLE TO STAY, UH, FOR THE SIX MONTHS TO COMPLETE THROUGH THEIR PROBATION, THEN THAT PERSON WHO REFERRED THAT EMPLOYEE TO US, UH, WE WOULD ABLE TO PAY THEM A $300, UH, STIPEND.
SO, JUST ANOTHER WAY TO TRY TO PUT SOME MONEY IN OUR FOLKS' POCKET, BUT WHILE ALSO BRINGING IN THAT STAFF THAT WE NEED.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW WE'RE STILL HOVERING AROUND A 12%, UH, VACANCY RATE, SO IT'S STILL PRETTY HIGH.
BUT, UM, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE PIPELINE.
SO WE, WE DO EXPECT THAT NUMBER TO, TO GO DOWN CONSIDERABLY HERE OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
SO, UM, WE ALSO HAVE A EMPLOYEE RETENTION CENTER THAT WE'VE HAD FOR A WHILE NOW.
THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE MAY OF OF 22.
UH, AND IT'S JUST A SERIES OF PAYMENTS, UM, FOR FOLKS THAT HAVE, UH, THAT'S, THAT ARE, UH, STICK AROUND.
UM, IT'S FOR A SERIES OF FOUR PAYMENTS, UH, TWO AT $500, AND THEN TWO AT $1,000.
UH, JUST TO, UM, SOMEWHAT OF A INCENTIVE FOR FOLKS TO STICK AROUND.
WE HAD A LOT OF FOLKS THAT, UH, OFTENTIMES SEE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AROUND THE, THE CITY.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER AND THEY JUMP SHIP AND, UH, THEN WE LOSE THEM.
AND, UM, OFTENTIMES THEY COME BACK BECAUSE, UH, THEY FIND OUT THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT THEY THOUGHT.
BUT, UH, WE DON'T EVEN WANNA HAVE TO GO THROUGH THAT, BECAUSE WHEN THAT HAPPENS, WE DO HAVE TO GO BACK THROUGH THE TRAINING PROCESS.
AND, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF ADMINISTRATIVE OVERHEAD TO BRINGING ON NEW STAFF.
SO WE'D RATHER GO AHEAD AND KEEP THEM ON BOARD WHILE WE CAN.
SO, UM, WE ALSO, UM, THERE WAS SOME LIVING WAGE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WERE MADE BY THE CITY CITYWIDE, NOT NECESSARILY JUST TO OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT, UH, SO NOW IT MOVES THE CITY'S LIVING WAGE UP TO $20 AND 80 CENTS.
SO, UM, SO NO EMPLOYEE WOULD MAKE UNDER THAT, UH, WORKING FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, AND, UH, LOOKS LIKE COMING UP HERE, UH, WE SHOULD BE RECEIVING THE, THE BIG CHECK, IF YOU WILL.
MM-HMM,
WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
AND NOW WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIND A, A PLACE THAT, UH, UH, THAT WOULD BE SUITABLE FOR, SUITABLE FOR THIS PROGRAM.
BUT WE ARE EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO, TO GET THAT GOING.
AND, UH, JUST ONE OTHER KIND OF LAST NOTE THAT I HAVE.
UM, APRIL 1ST THROUGH THE THIRD, THE TEXAS CHAPTER OF THE SOLID WASTE ASSOCIATION IS HAVING THEIR CONFERENCE IN SAN ANTONIO.
SO IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE DOWN THERE, I WANT TO POP IN TO, UH, SEE SOME REALLY GOOD PRESENTATIONS BY NOT ONLY PRIVATE INDUSTRY FOLKS, BUT ALSO CITY STAFF FROM, UH, FROM CITY OF AUSTIN, CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, AND OTHERS.
UH, IT IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO, TO GET ON THAT.
IF YOU CAN'T MAKE IT TO THAT ONE, UH, DON'T WORRY, WE'RE GONNA TRY TO HOST THE ONE IN, UH, 2025 HERE IN AUSTIN.
SO, UH, AGAIN, IT'LL BE ANOTHER GREAT EVENT AND WE HOPE THAT Y'ALL CAN, UH, ATTEND.
SO, UH, WITH THAT, I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE.
UH, FIRST OFF, I THINK OUR, UH, ESTEEMED DIRECTOR WAS BEING MODEST AND, AND HUMBLE IN OMITTING HIS RECOGNITION CAPITAL AREA COUNCIL
[00:45:01]
OF GOVERNMENTS, UH, RECOGNIZE RICHARD AS THE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR.AND, UH, ALL OF YOU GUYS HAVE MADE THE CITY VERY PROUD.
YEAH, I WAS, UH, I WAS A BIT SURPRISED.
I ACTUALLY WENT TO THE LUNCHEON.
AND, UH, SO I WAS KINDA SHOCKED.
'CAUSE IT'S FUNNY 'CAUSE THEY SAID, WELL, THIS PERSON'S BEEN HERE A WHILE.
AND I THINK, WELL, THEY ALL HAVE, 'CAUSE THEY GAVE A LOT OF AWARDS IN THE PAST, AND I DON'T KNOW ANY OF THESE PEOPLE 'CAUSE IT'S ALL THE DIFFERENT GROUPS.
AND, AND THEN THEY SAID, WELL, THEY'RE ON THE SOLID WASTE COMMISSION.
I THOUGHT, OH, WELL I'LL KNOW THIS ONE THEN.
SO I'M JUST WAITING TO SEE WHO IT IS.
AND THEY CALLED MY NAME AND I WAS A BIT SURPRISED.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, THEY, THEY THANKED ME FOR MY SERVICE, MY YEARS OF SERVICE, AND ASKED ME HOW LONG.
AND, AND I, I, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HOW LONG.
AND, UH, THEY SAID, WELL, THAT'S GREAT.
AND THEN I TOLD 'EM, WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW I COULD GET OFF THIS THING IF YOU WOULD'VE TOLD ME I COULD GET OFF OF THIS COMMISSION.
I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN HERE THIS LONG.
AND I, IT'S SOMETHING I, UH, I DO APPRECIATE.
SO, YOU KNOW, I, AGAIN, THANK YOU GUYS AS A DEPARTMENT.
I MEAN, THIS IS, IT'S BEEN A LONG, LONG ROAD.
THERE'S STILL A LOT OF CHALLENGES THAT YOU GUYS ARE ADDRESSING.
I SEE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES, LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER SUCCESS.
AND, UH, AGAIN, THERE'S SOME, SOME, SOME ROADBLOCKS THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET AROUND.
WE GOT A LOT OF, LOT OF STUFF IN THE PIPELINE COMING UP.
A LOT OF FACILITY WORK THAT WE GOTTA DO.
SO IT'S GONNA BE A REALLY BUSY, UH, NEXT FEW YEARS.
SO, UM, YEAH, WELL THAT, THAT'S THE ENCOURAGING PART ABOUT THIS.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A LOT OF RCAS TO BE APPROVED HERE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
SO, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO DO, RIGHT? WE WANT TO WANT TO APPROVE THE GOOD PROGRAMS THAT GONNA BENEFIT THE ACTUAL COMMUNITY.
AND YOU GUYS ARE, ARE OUT THERE KNOCKING ON THE DOORS AND GETTING THEM DONE.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? MELISSA? I'M SORRY, I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, SO THE MULTIFAMILY COMPOSTING WEBINAR THAT HAPPENED MM-HMM,
HOW DID THAT GO? UH, I DIDN'T ATTEND, SO I WOULD HAVE TO DEFER TO, UH, TO CARRIE OR JASON.
SO, YEAH, IT WAS A, UH, LUNCH AND LEARN FOR THE APARTMENT ASSOCIATION.
UM, IT HAPPENED ON TUESDAY, I BELIEVE.
SO, UM, I DO NOT HAVE A FINAL REPORT THOUGH, WHICH IS USUALLY A GOOD THING.
UM, BUT I WILL LET YOU KNOW, UH, FOR SURE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, THOUGHTS? THANK YOU, RICHARD.
THANK YOU STAFF AGAIN FOR, UH, THE HARD DILIGENT WORK.
THE NEXT ITEM THAT WE HAVE IS THE DISCUSSION AND
[5. Review and Approval Supplemental Brush and Bulk Contract -Sam Gilbert]
ACTION ITEM.IT'S THE, UH, RCA, WELL, I'M SORRY, IT'S, UH, THE RCA SAM.
YOU'RE GONNA PRESENT THE BRUSH AND BULKY COLLECTION ITEM CHAIRMAN.
THIS IS THE, GONNA BE THE BRUSH AND BULK COLLECTION AND COMPOST HOLLAND SERVICE, UH, SOLICITATION, THE RCA, UH, FOR THAT.
AND SO WHAT THE, THE GOAL OF IT IS, IS THAT CONTRACTORS WILL PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL BRUSH AND BRUSH AND BULK COLLECTION, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AT TIMES OF NEED, AS WELL AS WE'LL HAVE A COMPONENT OF THAT THAT WILL HAVE THE, UH, COMPOST HAULING, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
AND THESE CONTRACTS ARE REPLACING A, UH, SHORT TERM CONTRACT AFTER REALIZING THE LONGER TERM NEED, UH, FOR THE SERVICE.
UH, THE REQUEST AUTHORIZATION AMOUNT WAS DETERMINED USING, UH, DEPARTMENTAL ESTIMATES BASED ON HISTORICAL SPENDS.
AND SO WITH THIS RCA, IT'S JUST GONNA PUT IN PLACE, UH, AN ABILITY TO CALL IN CONTRACTORS IF THERE'S EVER A NEED TO ASSIST WITH, UH, THE COMPLETION OF, UH, BRUSH AND BULK ROUTES TO KEEP US FROM HAVING TO SUSPEND SERVICES AS WELL AS THE COMPOST HAULING COMPONENT.
UH, CURRENTLY WE ARE PART OF THE CITYWIDE CONTRACT FOR COMPOST HAULING.
AND SO HAVING THIS COMPONENT IN THERE WILL ALLOW US TO UTILIZE COMPOST HAULING DURING OUR PEAK TIME.
AND SO WE'RE APPROACHING THAT TIME OF YEAR, UH, WHICH IS WHY THERE'S EXPEDIENCE ON TRYING TO GET IT RESOLVED.
AND SO THAT WAY WHEN WE GO INTO THE PEAK SEASON, WE'LL HAVE THE ABILITY TO UTILIZE ANOTHER ASPECT TO ENSURE THAT, UH, THE HAULING SERVICE IS THERE AND WHAT THE HAULING SERVICE DOES FOR US DURING OUR COMPOST, UH, PEAK SEASON.
IT ALLOWS US TO USE, UH, SOME TEMPORARY LOCATIONS TO HAUL FROM AND THEN STILL, UH, CONTINUE ON, UH, WITH OUR ROUTE SERVICES.
COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS ON THE RCA IN FRONT OF US? THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM, SO WE DO HAVE TO TAKE ACTION.
[00:50:01]
A GOOD STEP FORWARD YES.IN ENSURING THAT THE PUBLIC HAS AND, AND, AND THE NEEDS ARE MET.
AND, UH, I GUESS IS THIS THE, THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST, UH, TIME THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY GONE OUT AS A DEPARTMENT TO OUT, I, I AM GONNA USE THE WORD OUTSOURCE TO OUTSOURCE THIS IN A NON-EMERGENCY.
ANY COMMENTS? ANY QUESTIONS? MELISSA? I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR ALL OF THE BRUSH MATERIAL THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY BE PICKED UP.
CURBSIDE, IS ALL OF THIS GOING TO BE DROPPED OFF AT OUR, AT OUR, UM, COMPOST BENDER? NO.
THE, THE LARGE BRUSH COLLECTION IS, UH, DISPOSED OF GENERALLY AT, UH, HORNSBY BIN, UH, OUT OFF OF, UH, 9 73.
AND, UH, THAT IS THE, UH, WATER TREATMENT PLANT.
AND SO IT'S DISPOSED OUT THERE.
THE, SOME OF THE, THE SMALLER, UH, LIMBS THAT ARE SET OUT DURING THE COMPOST COLLECTION, THE WEEKLY COLLECTION, UH, THOSE ITEMS ACTUALLY GO OUT TO THE COMPOST BENDER FOR COMPOSTING.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? HEARING NO OTHER QUESTIONS? I AM, UH, OPEN TO A MOTION.
I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THIS, UH, PROPOSAL.
IS IT WHAT YOU CALL IT, CORRECT.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? I'LL SECOND MELISSA SECONDS.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? HEARING? NO FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND AND THOSE ONLINE SHOW YOUR WONDERFUL FACES AS YOU'RE VOTING FULL.
THANK YOU, YANNA, YOU STILL THERE? ALRIGHT, THERE YOU BEAUTIFUL.
THANK YOU, SAM, AGAIN FOR THE PRESENTATION.
[6. Review and Approval of Digital Solutions for Waste Management Contract – Keri Greenwalt]
ITEM IS THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF A DIGI DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT CONTRACT.CARRIE, ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ONE? GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
I'M KERRY GREENWALD, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION AND MARKETING, UH, MANAGER FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY IS REQUESTING A FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION TO THE AMENDMENT TO CONTRACT NC 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2.
FOR DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT.
WITH ROUTE WEAR, BUY $52,200 FOR A REVISED TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $297,130.
THIS CONTRACT PROVIDES AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY'S CUSTOMER FACING MOBILE APPLICATION AND WEBSITE WIDGET.
SEVERAL TOOLS ARE BUNDLED WITHIN THESE, WITHIN THE WIDGET AND APP, AND THOSE INCLUDE THE CUSTOMER COLLECTION CALENDARS, THE SERVICE ALERT MESSAGING, THE CAMPAIGN MESSAGING, OUR WHAT DO I DO WITH TOOL, THE WASTE SORTING GAME, THE SCHEDULING FOR THE RECYCLE AND REUSE DROP OFF CENTER AND SPECIAL COLLECTION SCHEDULING FOR OUR ON-CALL PROGRAMS, INCLUDING, INCLUDING ON-CALL BULK, ON-CALL BRUSH, AND ON-CALL HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE.
UM, SO THE CURRENT CONTRACT EXPIRES DECEMBER 4TH, 2024, AND WE ARE GOING OUT TO BID FOR A NEW CONTRACT.
UM, BUT THE REQUESTED AMENDMENT WILL AFFORD AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, THE ABILITY TO EXPAND THE ON-CALL SERVICE, UM, SCHEDULING TOOL FOR THE CITY'S ON-CALL BULK ON-CALL BRUSH, AND ON-CALL HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION PROGRAMS SO THEY CAN GROW BEYOND PILOT TESTING TO CUSTOMER WIDE PROGRAM OFFERINGS.
AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY DOES NOT HAVE THE PROGRAMMING CAPABILITIES NECESSARY TO PERFORM THESE SERVICES ON THEIR OWN.
SO IF A CONTRACT AMENDMENT IS NOT SECURED, THE ON-CALL BULK BRUSH AND HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION PROGRAMS CANNOT BE EXPANDED AND OFFERED CITYWIDE TO ALL AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY CUSTOMERS.
CARRIE
BUT, UH, QUICK QUESTION AGAIN.
WHAT DOES THE CURRENT CONTRACT EXPIRE? SUCKED IT, IT EXPIRES DECEMBER 4TH, 2024.
DECEMBER, THE END OF THE YEAR.
UM, VITAL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT HERE NEEDED VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE TRUCKS GOING EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
BUT, UH, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS, ANY
[00:55:01]
CONCERNS? ANY THOUGHTS? HEARING NONE, I'LL UH, ACCEPT A MOTION I'LL MOVE TO, UH, ACCEPT THIS PROPOSAL.I HEAR A, A MOTION FOR ACCEPTANCE.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? DO I SEE A SECOND UP ON THE SCREEN THERE? I SECOND.
I'M SORRY, MADELINE, IS THAT, DID YOU SECOND? YES.
SO WE DO HAVE, UH, WE HAVE A MOTION AND WE HAVE A SECOND.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE ITEM HERE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, UH, RAISE YOUR HANDS.
WE NEED TO SEE YOU AGAIN, BUDDY.
THANK YOU CARRIE, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, WE HAVE WRAPPED UP, SURPRISINGLY, WE'VE WRAPPED UP BEFORE.
OH MY GOD, BUT FOUR MIDNIGHT
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]
ITEMS. I THINK WE'VE DISCUSSED ONE ITEM, THE PRESERVATION, UH, ISSUE.ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON FUTURE ITEMS? I, I THINK RICHARD, YOU AND I MAY HAVE CHATTED BRIEFLY ABOUT JUST THE OVERALL GAME PLAN FOR THE, UH, FOR THE DEPARTMENT.
I KNOW WE'VE GOT BUDGETS COMING UP COME APRIL, WHICH IS GONNA BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
UH, LET'S SEE, JUST THE, THE THOUGHTS AND ON HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET FROM THIS POINT, UH, THE WONDERFUL ASPIRING GOALS THAT WE'VE SET OUT FOR THE, FOR THE COMMUNITY.
I MEAN, WE CAN JUST GET, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF A BRIEF UPDATE ON THAT FOR, FOR APRIL.
AND, UH, I DON'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S GONNA BE A SHORT MEETING TOO.
SEE WE GOT ANY THOUGHTS, IDEAS, GUYS ON FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? I, MELISSA, I, I WAS JUST THINKING OF SOMETHING EARLIER AND I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYONE REMEMBERS, BUT THERE WAS THIS SHORT SERIES THAT A RR PUT ON THIS, UM, REALITY TV SERIES WHERE THEY HAD THREE OR FOUR FAMILIES COMPETING ON HOW TO BE THE MOST ZERO WASTE FOR RE REDUCING THEIR TRASH AND THEIR UM, RECYCLING.
I WONDER IF SOMETHING SIMILAR COULD IS IN THE WORKS FOR THE FUTURE TO INCORPORATE THAT WITH COMPOSTING.
I THINK THAT SERIES PROBABLY LED TO DIVORCE COURTS AND
JUST, JUST KIDDING, JUST KIDDING.
BUT, UH, WASN'T, BUT NONETHELESS, COMMISSIONERS, THAT'S NOT A BAD IDEA.
I MEAN, ANY THOUGHTS ON, ON ENCOURAGEMENT? I BELIEVE YOU'RE REFERRING TO THE RECYCLING GAMES AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT TOOK PLACE EIGHT OR NINE YEARS AGO.
IT WAS ACTUALLY THE FIRST THING I WORKED ON.
WELL THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD COME TALK ABOUT IT.
WE DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE PLANS TO DO ANYTHING SIMILAR, BUT I DO LIKE THAT IDEA AND WE CAN EXPLORE, UM, THAT FURTHER AS WE GO INTO COMPOSTING MORE.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS ON FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS? HEARING NONE, UH, IF SOMETHING POPS UP, YAEL, YOU'RE GONNA BE OBVIOUSLY HEARING FROM US, BUT, UH, ANYWAY, COMMISSIONERS.
I WILL NOW ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT.
DO I HEAR ANYBODY MOVING? I'LL MOVE TO ADJOURN.
ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND PLEASE, JAN.
THIS IS THE LAST TIME WE GET TO SEE YOU.
JAN, ARE YOU STILL THERE? OH YEAH, BECAUSE WE CAN'T ADJOURN IF YOU DON'T WAVE
THANK YOU GUYS ONLINE AND UH, GOD, HAVE A WONDERFUL MONTH.