[*A portion of the meeting does not contain audio]
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[CALL TO ORDER]
DELCO DRIVE, AUSTIN, TEXAS 7 8 7 5 2.UM, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION? NOPE.
[1. Presentation on Watershed Protection Department's Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, Programs, and Projects Overview and approve recommendations for their FY25 budget — Anupa Gharpurey, Financial Manager, and Pam Kearfott, Managing Engineer, Watershed Protection Department]
UP WE HAVE DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS. UM, PRESENTATION ON THE WATERSHED PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT'S FISCAL YEAR 2024, BUDGET PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS OVERVIEW.I BELIEVE STAFF HAS A PRESENTATION.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? I'M GETTING CLOSER.
UM, MY NAME IS JORGE MORALES AND I SERVE AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT.
AND WE'RE HERE TO PRESENT TO YOU AN OVERVIEW OF OUR CURRENT BUDGET, AS YOU ALL KNOW, UM, PER THE REQUIREMENTS, WE, UH, NEED YOUR FEEDBACK ON ANY, UH, INPUT YOU WANT TO PROVIDE US AS WE MOVE THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS BY THE END OF THE MONTH.
SO THAT'S WHY WE CREATED THIS SPECIAL MEETING.
SO WE HAVE OUR FINANCIAL MANAGER HERE ON NPA GARRI, AND PAM KER
SO WE'RE GONNA PRESENT OUR EXISTING BUDGET AND OUR CIP AND AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, WHAT THE ASK IS OF THE COMMISSION, IF YOU, YOU WOULD SHARE THE, YOUR PRIORITIES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE FOR US TO INCORPORATE INTO THE BUDGET.
WITH THAT, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO ANUPA.
I'M THE FINANCIAL MANAGER AT WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, I'M JUST GOING TO QUICKLY RUN THROUGH THE FY 24 BUDGET AND PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES, AND THEN I WILL TURN IT OVER TO PAM KER, OUR MANAGING ENGINEER OVER CAPITAL PROGRAM, UM, OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM TO GIVE THE HIGHLIGHTS ABOUT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AND THE HIGHLIGHTS, UM, SOME OF THE PROJECTS.
SO WE, UH, WE WERE HERE LAST YEAR AND, UH, YOU'LL FIND THIS, UH, PRESENTATION SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR.
BUT, UH, JUST TO, AS A REMINDER, UH, OUR MISSION, UH, WATERSHED PROTECTION'S MISSION IS TO, UH, PROTECT LIVES PROPERTY AND OUR ENVIRONMENT OF OUR COMMUNITY, UH, BY REDUCING THE IMPACT OF FLOODING, EROSION, AND WATER POLLUTION.
WE WERE ESTABLISHED IN 1991 TO PROTECT OUR CITY'S, UH, CREEKS AND MANAGING OUR CREEKS AND DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
UM, OUR PRIMARY SOURCE OF FUNDING IS, UH, DRAINAGE CHARGE ABOUT APPROXIMATELY 94%.
A LITTLE OVER 94% OF OUR BUDGET THIS YEAR IS COMING FROM THE DRAINAGE CHARGE, WHICH IS CHARGED ON OUR UTILITY BILLS.
AND THEN OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR OUR OPERATIONS INCLUDE, UM, UH, DEVELOPMENT FEES, INTEREST INCOME, AND THEN FOR CAPITAL PROGRAMS, WE HAVE THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS AND ALSO GRANTS.
AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, THIS WOULD BE FAMILIAR.
WE ARE, UM, FUNCTIONALLY ORGANIZED INTO FOUR BRANCHES.
OUR BIGGEST BRANCH IS THE FIELD OPERATIONS, WHICH IS THE INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR, UH, WORK.
WE CALL THEM FIELD OPERATIONS.
THE SECOND IS PLANNING, MONITORING, AND COMPLIANCE, UH, WITH 105.5.
THE, THIS IS THE GROUP THAT DOES OUR ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE PLANNING, OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING, UH, TECHNICAL REVIEWS.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE PROJECT DESIGN AND DELIVERY.
WE, THE, THE NUMBER THERE IS 62, I CAN'T EVEN READ, BUT IT'S 62, SORRY.
IT'S A, IT'S A SMALLER GROUP, BUT THEY HAVE A BIG PORTFOLIO OF LARGE CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT THEY MANAGE.
AND THEN SUPPORT SERVICES IS A GROUP THAT, UH, IS, THAT IS A BRANCH THAT ACTUALLY ENSURES THAT ALL OF THIS WORK IS BEING DONE SEAMLESSLY.
UH, FINANCE, IT, SAFETY, COMMUNICATIONS, ENGAGEMENT, UH, WATERSHED EDUCATION.
AND OUR DEPARTMENTAL ADMINISTRATIONS FALL UNDER THE SUPPORT SERVICES, INCLUDING HR AND OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR.
AND NOW WE ALSO HAVE AN OFFICE OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT.
SO FISCAL YEAR 24 BUDGET, UM, IS, UH, SORRY, JUST LOOK OVER HERE.
UH, OUR TOTAL BUDGET WAS 114.7 MILLION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024.
THE BIGGEST PIECE OF THAT PIE IS OUR FIELD OPERATIONS AT 28.5 MILLION.
UM, VERY CLOSE TO THAT IS OUR TRANSFER TO OUR CAPITAL PROGRAM.
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AMOUNT LAST YEAR WAS A LITTLE BIT BIGGER THAN, UH, THAN THIS YEAR.UM, BUT WE HAD TO ADJUST BECAUSE OF ALL THE CHANGES THAT, UM, CMO, UH, ASKED US TO DO.
WE HAD TO ADJUST OUR BUDGET AND STAY WITHIN OUR MEANS.
UM, AS OUR REVENUES HAVE SORT OF BECOME FLATTER OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE PAYING DOWN, PAYING OUR BILLS, UM, WITHIN THAT, UH, REVENUE THAT WE HAVE.
THE OTHER AREAS ARE PLANNING, MONITORING, AND COMPLIANCE AT, SORRY, UH, 14.6, PROJECT DESIGN AND DELIVERY, 8.6 MILLION.
UH, OUR OTHER TRANSFERS ARE TRANSFERS TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT SERVE US.
SO COMMUNICATION, TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT, THE LAW DEPARTMENT, THE CORPORATE FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE SUPPORT SERVICES AT 15.8 MILLION.
SO, AS I MENTIONED, OUR FUNDING SOURCES FOR OPERATIONS, PRIMARILY DRAINAGE UTILITY CHARGE.
THIS IS BASED ON THE AMOUNT AND PERCENT OF OUR, OF IMPERVIOUS COVER ON EACH PROPERTY.
UM, THERE IS NO REGARD TO LAND USE.
UM, THE OTHER FEES AND, UH, INTEREST INCOME INCLUDE SITE PLAN, SUBDIVISION FEES THAT WE CHARGE, THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY.
AND THEN ALSO INTEREST INCOME, WHICH HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL, UH, WITH THE FED RATES, UH, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
UH, FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, UH, WE HAVE THE CASH TRANSFER THAT WE DO.
AS I MENTIONED, THE 28 MILLION WAS THE CASH TRANSFERS THIS YEAR FROM OUR OPERATIONS.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS.
WE HAVE GRANTS THAT WE ARE ALSO GETTING FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND SOME FROM THE STATE GOVERNMENT AS WELL.
WE HAVE TAX INCREMENT FINANCING FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
UM, WALNUT CREEK DISTRICT IS ONE OF THEM.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE THE RSMP AND, AND URBAN STRUCTURAL CONTROL FUND PAYMENTS FOR, THOSE ARE PAYMENTS IN LIEU OF, UM, UH, OF DEVELOP OF, UH, WHAT ARE CALLED PONDS THAT THEY NEED TO BUILD PART OF THE DEVELOPMENT.
UM, THE QUICKLY RUNNING THROUGH THE SOURCES AND USERS OF OUR FUNDS.
SO OUR SOURCES ARE DRAINAGE UTILITY CHARGE.
THIS YEAR FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024, WE DID INCREASE OUR RATE.
UM, SMALL INCREASE OF ABOUT 3.2%.
AND THAT TRANSLATES TO ABOUT 37 CENTS FOR A SINGLE FAMILY HOME.
UM, MEDIAN SINGLE FAMILY HOME PER MONTH.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, THE INTEREST INCOME AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE BUDGETED AT 5.2 MILLION.
LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN WHAT HAD HAS BEEN IN THE PAST BECAUSE OF THE FED RATES.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE DEVELOPMENT LICENSE AND PERMIT FEES AT 1.4.
THE USES OF FUND, OUR BIGGEST PIECE IS THE PERSONNEL COST AT 48, 48 0.8 MILLION.
TRANSFERS ARE 47.2, WHICH INCLUDES OUR CIP TRANSFER.
AND THEN THE OTHER PROGRAMMATIC COSTS ARE 18.7 MILLION.
SO JUST RUNNING THROUGH SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT WE DO, UH, WITH OUR OPERATIONS AND WITH OUR FUNDING.
UM, OUR FIELD OPERATION, WE DO A LOT OF WORK ON THE DRAINAGE INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCE.
WE DO, UH, TRASH AND DEBRIS REMOVAL, UM, IN OUR CREEKS.
WE HAVE LAND MANAGEMENT AND POND MAINTENANCE.
UM, WE ALSO HAVE POLLUTION PREVENTION AND RESPONSE.
AS YOU'RE AWARE, UH, SOME OF THE FLOODPLAIN, MODING AND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW, AS I SAID, PLANNING, MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE GROUP IS IN INVOLVED WITH THAT ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS.
'CAUSE WE TRY TO DO OUR BEST TO STAY WITH SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, MOVE WITH SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE.
AND THEN ALSO, UM, WE DO STORM EVENT MONITORING, UM, REPLENISHING OF CREEK BEDS.
AND THEN COMMUNITY EDUCATION, UM, I APOLOGIZE, SORRY.
AND THEN COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.
UM, SOME OF THE YOUTH EDUCATION AND ALSO SOME ADULT EDUCATION, UM, THAT WE ENGAGE IN.
AND WITH THAT, I WILL TRANSFER OVER TO, UM, PAM AND SHE CAN WALK THROUGH THE OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
I AM A MANAGING ENGINEER IN THE PROJECT DESIGN AND DELIVERY BRANCH OF THE DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A QUICK OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE EXCITING THINGS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON THIS YEAR IN OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.
SO WE'LL FIRST START WITH AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM IS.
UM, AS MOST OF YOU KNOW, WE USE OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TO FUND OUR MAJOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
THESE ARE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TO ADD STORM DRAINS, UM, IMPROVE THE WATER CROSSINGS, WORK ON PONDS, BUT WE ALSO USE THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TO BUILD AND, AND MODIFY OUR OWN FACILITIES.
THE, THE BUILDINGS THAT OUR OWN STAFF OCCUPY,
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UM, MOST USUALLY OUR FIELD OPERATION STAFF, WHENEVER THOSE NEED IMPROVEMENTS.WE ALSO USE THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TO FUND OUR LARGE, UM, FLOODPLAIN STUDIES, UM, OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC STUDIES.
UM, A WIDE VARIETY OF THINGS THAT YOU'LL SEE IN OUR PORTFOLIO.
AND WE'LL, WE'LL, I'LL HIGHLIGHT A FEW OF THOSE AS WE GO ON.
AND THE REASON WHY THESE, THESE, THESE PROJECTS ARE IN THE CIP PROGRAM IS BECAUSE THEY'RE USUALLY VERY HIGH DOLLAR AND THEY HAVE A MUCH LONGER TIME SPAN, UM, TO DELIVER THAN SOME OF THE MORE OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES THAT WE DO TO INSPECT AND MAINTAIN AND DO ROUTINE MAINTENANCE ON OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO YOU MIGHT ASK, HOW DO WE DECIDE WHAT TO WORK ON IN THE CIP PROGRAM? UH, WE, AS YOU GUYS ARE FAMILIAR, WE HAVE A STRATEGIC PLAN IN THE DEPARTMENT THAT DEFINES METHODOLOGIES FOR IDENTIFYING PROBLEM AREAS, SCORING THEM, RANKING THEM, IDENTIFYING WHAT WE SHOULD TRY TO WORK ON NEXT.
HISTORICALLY, WE'VE ALWAYS TRIED TO WORK ON WORSE PROBLEMS FIRST, UM, AREAS OF THE HIGHEST RISK OF FLOODING, HIGHEST RISK OF EROSION, UM, HIGHEST IMPACTS FOR WATER, WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS. BUT IN DOING SO, WE ALSO TRY TO INTEGRATE ALL OF OUR PROJECTS.
WE TRY TO IDENTIFY AREAS WHERE THERE MIGHT BE A FLOODING PROBLEM AND AN EROSION PROBLEM, AND WORK ON BOTH AT ONCE.
UM, AND AT THE MINIMUM, WE DON'T WANT TO CAUSE A PROBLEM FOR ONE MISSION BY MAKING ANOTHER MISSION BETTER.
UM, WE ALSO ARE WORKING ON A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN THAT I THINK YOU GUYS HAVE HEARD ABOUT, UM, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS CALLED RAINER RIVER.
SO THIS IS A NEW REFRESH OF THE DEPARTMENT STRATEGIC PLAN TO HELP MAP OUT OUR FUTURE, HOW WE PROCEED WITH OPERATIONS, CIP, ET CETERA.
A LOT OF THE PROBLEMS ARE STILL THE SAME, BUT WE'RE JUST TAKING A NEW APPROACH MAYBE IN HOW WE LOOK AT THEM, THEM.
AND SOME OF THE KEY COMPONENTS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FOCUS ON IN THIS NEXT STRATEGIC PLAN ARE COMMUNITY INPUT AS WELL AS, UH, SOCIAL EQUITY DATA.
UM, SO MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY'S VOICES ARE HEARD IN AND THAT WE'RE HEARING THEIR INPUT AND WE'RE INCORPORATING THAT INTO OUR PLANNING, UM, TO HELP US IDENTIFY WHAT TO WORK ON, WHERE, WHEN, HOW.
UM, ALSO INCORPORATING THAT SOCIAL EQUITY DATA TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE LOOKING IN THE RIGHT PARTS OF TOWN THAT MAYBE HAVE BEEN HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED OR NOT, HAVE NOT RECEIVED AS HIGH OF A LEVEL OF SERVICE FROM US IN THE PAST.
SO NOW TO THE NOW TO THE FUN STUFF.
SO I'VE GOT THREE SLIDES TO SHOW YOU DIFFERENT WAYS OF LOOKING AT OUR FY 24 PORTFOLIO OF CIP PROJECTS.
THE FIRST, OBVIOUSLY THE MAP OF THE CITY, UM, SHOWING ALL OF THE PROJECTS THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY MAP.
UM, THE ORANGE DOTS REPRESENT PROJECTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN CONSTRUCTION OR ARE WRAPPING IN THEIR POST CONSTRUCTION WARRANTY PHASE RIGHT NOW.
UM, LARGER SET OF DOTS ARE THE GREEN DOTS, WHICH ARE WHAT WE CALL THE ACTIVE PROJECTS.
THESE ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE IN THEIR PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING PHASE OR IN THEIR DESIGN PHASE, OR THEY'RE, THEY'RE OUT FOR BID RIGHT NOW IN ORDER TO BE CONSTRUCTED.
THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS YOU THE PORTFOLIO BY TYPE OF PROJECT.
UM, SO I'VE BROKEN OUT HERE FOR YOU, UM, THE, WHAT WE CALL OUR CREEK FLOOD PROJECTS, RIGHT? PROJECTS THAT ARE TRYING TO REDUCE THE IMPACTS OF THE FLOODPLAIN ON ROADWAYS AND EXISTING BUILDINGS.
OUR LOCAL FLOOD PROJECTS, WHICH ARE THE ONES THAT DEAL PRIMARILY WITH STORM DRAIN SYSTEMS, IMPROVING THEM, ADDING MORE SYSTEMS WHERE THEY'RE NEEDED.
UH, OUR EROSION PROJECTS, WHICH ALSO CALLED STREAM BANK STABILIZATION PROJECTS, UM, ADDRESSING EROSION ALONG CREEKS THAT THREATEN, UM, ASSETS AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE, WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, UM, IMPROVING THE, THE QUALITY OF THE WATER IN OUR CREEK SYSTEMS. UH, YOU'LL SEE THAT ORANGE WEDGE IN THE BOTTOM LEFT.
PLANNING PLAN, STUDIES AND MODELING.
THIS IS WHERE ALL OF OUR ATLAS 14 FLOOD PLAIN STUDIES LIVE.
UH, THINGS LIKE THE REINER RIVER STRATEGIC PLAN ITSELF IS A CIP PROJECT.
UM, OTHER, LIKE THE ALGAE MONITORING PROJECT LIVES IN THIS CATEGORY.
AND THEN THE SMALLEST LITTLE PIECE OF THE PIE, UM, IS THE VEHICLES, FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT.
SO THIS IS OUR LARGE CAPITAL EXPENDITURES FOR, UM, OUR FLEET VEHICLES.
THE EQUIPMENT THAT OUR FIELD OPERATIONS CREWS USE, UM, OUR IT WORK TO SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS THE FACILITY WORK THAT WE DO.
FINAL WAY TO LOOK AT IT IS BY PHASE.
SO THESE ARE SOME MORE TRADITIONAL, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE TYPE PROJECTS.
SO YOU CAN SEE KIND OF WHERE THEY ALL ARE ALL IN THEIR PHASES.
UM, A GOOD HANDFUL OF THEM ARE IN THAT PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING FEASIBILITY ASSESSMENT PHASE.
THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE CURRENTLY IN DESIGN.
UM, WE'VE GOT A HANDFUL THAT ARE OUT FOR BID AWARD EXECUTION CURRENTLY, AND THEN A GOOD CHUNK THAT ARE IN CONSTRUCTION.
BUT I ALSO CALL THIS IMPLEMENTATION.
SO THINGS LIKE FLOODPLAIN STUDIES, YOU DON'T ACTUALLY BUILD THEM, BUT YOU IMPLEMENT THEM.
SO THOSE ARE ALL BEING IMPLEMENTED CURRENTLY.
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SO NEXT I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH QUICKLY SIX PROJECTS THAT WE JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT FOR THIS YEAR THAT REPRESENT OUR, OUR PORTFOLIO.THE FIRST IS THE OAK KNOLL FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECT.
UM, THIS IS A, WHAT WE CALL A LOCALIZED STORM DRAIN LOCALIZED FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECT.
IT'S UP IN THE WALNUT CREEK WATERSHED IN NORTHWEST AUSTIN.
UM, AND THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS TO ALLEVIATE, UH, REPETITIVE, UH, LOCALIZED FLOODING STORM DRAIN SYSTEMS THAT GET OVERWHELMED DURING LARGE STORM EVENTS, UH, FLOODS THE ROADWAYS, FLOODS, YARDS, HOUSES.
UH, SO THIS PROJECT, UM, HAPPILY JUST WENT TO COUNCIL TO HAVE THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT AWARDED, UM, AND WILL SOON BE STARTING CONSTRUCTION.
UM, AND WE ARE SO A COUPLE YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION, BUILDING NEW STORM DRAINS, IMPROVING EXISTING STORM DRAINS, AS WELL AS MODIFYING AN EXISTING DETENTION POND TO HELP CAPTURE SOME OF THAT, THAT INCREASED FLOW FROM THOSE STORM DRAINS.
SECOND PROJECT WE WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT IS WHAT WE CALL THE MOPAC STACK WATER QUALITY POND IMPROVEMENTS.
AS THE NAME IMPLIES, IT'S ALONG MOPAC NEAR STACK.
UM, IT'S A SERIES OF WATER QUALITY PONDS BETWEEN THE RAILROAD AND MOPAC, UM, THAT HAVE DETERIORATED OVER TIME.
ONE OF THEM WAS ACTUALLY IMPACTED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF A ROADWAY.
SO THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT IS TO GO IN, MODIFY THOSE PONDS, RESTORE THEM BACK, IMPROVE THE FUNCTION OF THEM AS THEY CAPTURE AND TREAT WATER OFF OF THOSE ROADWAYS.
UM, THIS PROJECT IS CURRENTLY FINISHING ITS DESIGN PHASE AND PERMITTING, AND IS EXPECTED TO GO TO CONSTRUCTION THIS FALL.
NEXT STEP IS NOT AN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT, BUT IT IS THE ATLAS 14 FLOODPLAINS STUDIES.
UM, 'CAUSE THIS IS A, A LARGE EFFORT, THIS IS A $15 MILLION EFFORT, UM, THAT OUR FLOODPLAIN GROUP IS WORKING ON.
UM, THEY'VE DIVIDED OUR, OUR FLOOD PLAIN AREAS UP INTO SEVEN DIFFERENT STUDY AREAS.
UM, THE DASHBOARDS AT THE BOTTOM JUST SHOW YOU PROGRESS IN EACH OF THOSE SEVEN AREAS.
UM, AND SO THE PURPOSE OF THESE RE STUDIES IS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE, UM, THE NEW RAINFALL DATA AND STATISTICAL DATA THAT CAME OUT OF THE ATLAS 14, UM, STUDIES THAT NOAH PRO PRODUCED IN 2018.
NEXT UP IS OUR BOGGY ARMY CORPS FLOOD CONTROL CHANNEL ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECT, LIKE LONGEST PROJECT NAME EVER.
UM, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WHO ARE FAMILIAR WITH BOGGY CREEK WATERSHED, THIS IS THE AREA, UM, FROM ABOUT AIRPORT DOWN TO 180 3.
UM, THIS WAS A, ORIGINALLY A PARTNERSHIP PROJECT WITH THE ARMY CORPS FOLLOWING THE 1981 FLOOD.
UM, IT WAS A VERY LARGE ENGINEERED FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT THAT TOOK THOUSANDS OF PROPERTIES OUT A THOUSAND PROPERTIES OUT OF THE FLOODPLAIN.
THE UPPER PART OF THE PROJECT IS A VERY LARGE CONCRETE ENGINEERED CHANNEL.
THE LOWER PART, THIS PART THAT YOU SEE ON THE MAP HIGHLIGHTED IN ORANGE WASN'T, IT'S STILL AN ENGINEERED CHANNEL, BUT IT'S A NATURAL CHANNEL.
BUT WHAT WE FOUND OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES IS, UH, IT WASN'T A VERY SUSTAINABLE NATURAL CHANNEL DESIGN.
UM, AND WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF DETERIORATION OF THE RIPARIAN HEALTH AND THE ECOLOGY IN THIS AREA.
AND WE SEE THE AREA TRYING TO REBUILD AND REESTABLISH A FLOW REGIME THAT IT WANTS TO FOLLOW.
UM, SO WE ARE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH THE ARMY CORPS AGAIN, UM, WHO HAVE ALSO CHANGED THEIR PHILOSOPHY AND HOW THEY DESIGN SOME OF THESE PROJECTS, THEIR COST SHARING WITH US TO RESTUDY THIS BOTTOM PART OF THE CHANNEL AREA, UM, AND COME UP WITH A, A MODIFIED DESIGN THAT BOTH MAINTAINS THAT FLOOD CONTROL, UH, CAPACITY THAT IT WAS ORIGINALLY DESIGNED FOR, BUT ALSO PROMOTES, UM, NEW RIPARIAN HEALTH.
NEXT UP, ALSO NOT A TRADITIONAL STORMWATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT, BUT VERY, VERY IMPORTANT FOR US, UM, ARE THE IMPROVEMENTS AT THE HARALD.
THE HARALD COURT SERVICE CENTER, THE HARALD COURT SERVICE CENTER IS OFF OF 180 3 AND BOM ROAD IN EAST AUSTIN.
UM, SEVERAL CITY DEPARTMENTS ARE HOUSED THERE, INCLUDING WATERSHED PROTECTION.
PART OF OUR FIELD OPERATION STAFF ARE HOUSED OUT OF SOME OF THESE BUILDINGS.
THERE'S SOME SURFACE, UH, DRAINAGE ISSUES GOING ON.
THERE'S SOME SECURITY FENCING THAT IS NOT IN PLACE, UM, LEAVING SOME OF OUR TRUCKS AND OUR, OUR EQUIPMENT VULNERABLE.
UM, AND IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST, IT JUST NEEDS A LITTLE BIT OF A REFRESH AND, AND A MODERNIZATION.
SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CIP PROJECT THAT THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT IS GOING TO COUNCIL, I BELIEVE, EARLY IN APRIL, UH, TO AWARD THIS CONTRACT AND GET A CONTRACTOR IN TO MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS FOR US.
UM, SOME SECURITY CAMERAS, A DATA PORT FOR OUR TV INSPECTION TRUCKS, UH, PARKING LOT IMPROVEMENTS, UM, AND THAT SECURITY FENCING.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IS THE LOWER BUTTERMILK STREAM RESTORATION PROJECT.
SO THIS IS THE STRETCH OF BUTTERMILK CREEK FROM APPROXIMATELY CAMERON
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ROAD DOWN TO, UH, ITS CONFLUENCE WITH LITTLE WALNUT.UM, THIS IS A, A LONG STRETCH OF THE CREEK THAT HAS SEVERAL EROSION SITES, HIGH PRIORITY EROSION SITES FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.
SO THE PROJECT SEEKS TO RESTORE THE CHANNEL.
UM, THE IN IN PLACES THE EROSION IS THREATENING, UM, EXISTING BUILDINGS, INCLUDING THE APARTMENT COMPLEX THAT YOU SEE IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT PICTURE.
UM, THERE'S ALSO SOME EXPOSED AUSTIN WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN THIS CREEK THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH, WITH AUSTIN WATER TO PROTECT THAT INFRASTRUCTURE, UM, WHILE WE STABILIZE THE CREEK.
UM, THIS PROJECT IS CURRENTLY COMPLETING ITS PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING PHASE, AND WE'RE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO MOVE IT INTO CONSTRUCTION, UM, IN THE COMING YEARS.
SO I'M JUST GONNA LEAVE YOU WITH A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL RESOURCES IN CASE YOU WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CIP PROGRAM.
UM, OR YOU EVER HAVE QUESTIONS THAT POP UP ABOUT PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING AROUND TOWN? THE FIRST GOOD RESOURCE IS THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE.
UM, OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM MAINTAINS A PROJECT PAGE FOR US THAT HAS SEVERAL OF OUR PROJECTS LISTED.
YOU CLICK ON 'EM, THERE'S MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE PROJECT, WHO THE APPROPRIATE STAFF ARE TO, UH, TO GET MORE INFORMATION.
UH, SCHEDULE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND THERE.
THE NEXT IS A CITYWIDE RESOURCE.
IT'S CALLED THE CAPITAL PROJECT EXPLORER.
UM, THIS IS A, A MAP DASHBOARD THAT YOU CAN GO TO.
YOU CAN DRILL DOWN TO PROJECT TYPE, AND YOU CAN, YOU CAN, SO YOU CAN DRILL DOWN TO STORM WATER PROJECTS AND YOU COULD SEE THE PROJECTS THAT THAT WATERSHED HAS GOING ON.
WHAT YOU WILL SEE HERE, THOUGH, PRIMARILY ARE, ARE PROJECTS THAT ARE IN CONSTRUCTION.
UM, THEY DON'T OFTEN MAP THE ONES THAT ARE IN PRELIMINARY OR DESIGN PHASE.
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IS ANOTHER MAP DASHBOARD THAT OUR DEPARTMENT HAS CREATED, WHICH HELPS PEOPLE, WHICH WOULD HELP YOU AS COMMISSIONERS BE ABLE TO DRILL DOWN TO YOUR DISTRICT LEVEL AND SEE THE DIFFERENT PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE DISTRICT.
UM, AS WELL AS PROVIDES LINKS, LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION IF YOU WANTED TO LEARN MORE.
SO WITH THAT, WE WILL STOP AND OPEN IT UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK, UM, THAT YOU WOULD, THAT YOU HAVE.
THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, LET'S OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS.
ARE THERE ANY REMOTE COMMISSIONERS THAT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UH, START WITH COMMISSIONER FER.
UH, JUST SORT OF A PROCESS QUESTION.
IF THERE ARE ITEMS WITHIN YOUR BUDGET THAT ARE KIND OF SHARED BETWEEN CITY DEPARTMENTS, HOW HAS THAT KIND OF DELINEATED? I'M THINKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, UM, WE HAD TALKED PREVIOUSLY AS A COMMISSION ABOUT TREE SURVEYS WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT, UM, PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAYS AND FLOODING AND, UM, BUT ALSO WHEN IT COMES TO DEVELOPMENT AND THINGS.
SO WHERE DO THINGS LIKE THAT KIND OF GET DELINEATED IN THIS PROCESS? UM, YEAH.
SO WE DO, UH, WORK WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS ON, ON SPECIFIC PROJECTS OR SPECIFIC PROGRAMS. UH, WE, WE WORK WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY ON SOME OF THE CLEANUP, UH, WORK THAT WE DO.
WE WORK WITH AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION, RIGHT? I BELIEVE.
UH, AND THEN IT, IT'S BUILT IN.
WE WORK, IT DEPENDS ON WHETHER THE PROJECT IS A CIP PROJECT OR WHETHER IT'S A FIELD PROJECT.
LET ME THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION, COMMISSIONER.
JUST TO KINDA EXPAND ON IT, SINCE I USED TO OVERSEE THE CAPITAL DELIVERY FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND NOW WE HAVE A NEW DEPARTMENT, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES DEPARTMENT.
AND SO EACH PROJECT THAT'S BUILT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN IS ASSIGNED AS A PROJECT MANAGER.
AND SO MOST PROJECTS IN THE CITY DO HAVE MULTI-AGENCY COLLABORATIONS.
SO WE DO DESIGNATE, UH, FUNDING SOURCES BY PROJECTS BASED ON WHAT'S BEING DONE.
SO WE, IT GETS ALLOCATED, UH, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE DOING WORK IN THE RIGHT OF WAY.
YOU MAY HAVE WATER UTILITY PAYING COMPONENTS OF IT.
YOU MAY HAVE PUB A PUBLIC WORKS, TRANSPORTATION, PAYING FOR THE ROAD AND WATER SHIFT'S PAYING FOR THE STORM DRAIN.
BUT ULTIMATELY THE PRIMARY PROJECT, LIKE IF IT'S A STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENT, UH, HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR OUR PROJECT, WE'RE DISPLACING OTHER UTILITIES, THOSE WOULD BE INCORPORATED INTO OUR COST.
BUT IF, IF IT'S BETTERMENTS OR IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE OTHER UTILITIES, THEY WILL ACTUALLY HELP, UH, FUND THOSE PROJECTS AS WELL.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF FUNDING SOURCES ON, ON A TYPICAL PROJECT.
UH, WITH CIPI MEAN, I KNOW YOU HAD 13 STUDIES PLANS MODELS AND MOST OF THEM WERE VERY LARGE SCALE.
AND A LOT OF THE STUDIES OR THINGS THAT THIS COMMISSION SEEMS TO HAVE WANTED TO SORT OF DIG INTO ARE AT A SMALLER SCALE.
AND SO MIGHT NOT RAISE TO THAT CIP LEVEL.
UM, WHERE WOULD THOSE LIVE OR DO THEY SORT OF HAVE TO ALL BE WITHIN ONE DEPARTMENT? UH, I'M SORRY.
THEY WOULD, SO WE HAVE THE PLANNING, MONITORING AND COMPLIANCE GROUP.
AND SO WE DO HAVE, UH, PLAN STUDIES THAT ARE DONE THERE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE STUDIES AS PART OF THE CIP PROJECT.
[00:25:01]
BUT IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO RESULT IN SOME SORT OF A, UM, A REPORT OR A, YOU KNOW, A RESULT, SOMETIMES IT WILL HAVE, IT'LL QUALIFY FOR CIP AS WELL.SO THAT WILL BE FUNDED THERE AS WELL.
UM, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN, WELL, AT LEAST ONE OF MY QUESTIONS WAS ALREADY ANSWERED.
THAT HAD TO DO WITH THE OVERLAPPING WORK BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS.
UM, SO ONE THING IS, LIKE FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, CAPITAL IS USUALLY, UH, CONSTRUCTION AND, UH, MATERIALS AND WHATNOT.
DOES ANY, BUT, AND IT, IT APPEARS THAT SOME OF THE CIP PROJECTS ARE FOR, UH, PLANNING AND DATA ANALYSIS AND, UM, REPORT WRITING.
IS THAT THE CASE? BUT THE ATLAS 14 WORK, FOR EXAMPLE? YEAH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE TRADITIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT HAVE A CONSTRUCTION PHASE, ACTUAL ASSETS GOING INTO THE GROUND.
UM, THERE, BUT THERE ARE, THERE ARE, THERE'S A SUBSET OF THE PORTFOLIO THAT ARE THE, THOSE FLOODPLAIN STUDIES.
SO THE, THE DELIVERABLE THERE IS A REGULATORY FLOODPLAIN MODEL.
UM, SO A NON-TRADITIONAL ASSET FOR THE CITY.
WHAT ABOUT O AND M? DOES THAT GET INCLUDED IN, IN A CIP THE COST PROJECTIONS FOR IT, UH, ARE INCLUDED? WELL, I MEAN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN, BUT, YOU KNOW, CARRYING OUT THE IMPLEMENTATION.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR FIELD OPERATIONS STAFF AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PROGRAMMING IT CORRECTLY ON THE OPERATING SIDE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE RIGHT, UM, POSITIONS IN PLACE AND EQUIPMENT IN PLACE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN THE ASSETS LONG TERM.
UM, ALRIGHT, WELL THEN I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION, AND THIS IS A LITTLE BIT POLITICAL, BUT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A WATER WASTE WATER COMMISSION AND I'VE OFTEN WONDERED ABOUT THE OVERLAP BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION AND THE WATER WASTE WATER COMMISSION.
IS THIS BASICALLY THE SAME KIND OF THING YOU WOULD SHOW THEM? OR COULD YOU HIGHLIGHT WHAT THE DIFFERENCES WOULD BE? SO THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO UTILITIES IS THE WATER UTILITY FOCUSES ON DRINKING WATER, POTABLE WATER WASTEWATER, AND RECLAIM WATER.
WE FOCUS ON THE WATER THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY, THE RAINWATER, THE WATER QUALITY WATER, RIGHT.
SO WE HAVE DISTINCTIONS, BUT THERE IS OVERLAP AS YOU KNOW.
UH, SOME OF THE RECENT, UH, BOND FUNDING FOR THE WATER PROTECTION LANDS.
THE, OUR DEPARTMENT EXPERTS WILL HELP IDENTIFY THOSE LANDS ONCE WE PURCHASE THEM.
WE DO TRANSFER 'EM TO THE WATER UTILITY AND THEY MAINTAIN THOSE, UH, LANDS IN THE, MOSTLY IN THE WESTERN, UH, DRINKING WATER, UH, DISTRICT.
AND SO WE DO HAVE MULTIPLE PROGRAMS THAT DO BENEFIT EACH OTHER.
UH, AND WE CAN JUST GO DOWN THE LIST.
WE COLLABORATE QUITE A BIT WITH OUR UTILITY DEPARTMENT, BUT, UH, WE ARE FUNDED THROUGH THE DRAINAGE UTILITY CHARGE.
AND OUR, OUR ASK OUR TASK IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE CHARGE THAT YOU'D PAY, THE RATE CHARGE FOR THE WATER UTILITY, WHICH IS BASED ON THE USAGE OF WATER.
AND, AND THEY, THEY CALCULATE IT VERY DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO.
I THINK THAT'S ALL I HAVE FOR NOW.
YEAH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATIONS.
UM, RIGHT NOW I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE DISTRICT LEVEL BREAKDOWN OF DATA AND HAVING THAT PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT WILL REALLY BE HELPFUL IN ADDRESSING SOME OF THE EQUITY CONCERNS THAT MANY IN THE COMMUNITY HAVE HAD FOR A LONG TIME.
ALSO HELPS PEOPLE KNOW WHICH COUNCIL MEMBER TO REACH OUT TO IF THERE ARE ANY ISSUES.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR CATEGORIZING SOME OF THE DATA IN THAT WAY.
COMMISSIONER EINHORN, I ALSO WANNA THANK YOU GUYS FOR DOING THE PRESENTATION FOR US THIS, THIS EVENING.
UH, I THINK I, I THINK I HEARD YOU CORRECTLY SAY THAT WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE, THE SOURCES OF REVENUE AND, AND THE TS AND YOU MENTIONED THE WALLER CREEK TIP, BUT I THINK, I THINK I HEARD YOU SAY THAT THERE WERE OTHER TIPS THAT, THAT PROVIDE REVENUE FOR WATERSHED PROTECTION.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT SOME OF THOSE ARE? RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST THE WALLER CREEK DISTRICT THAT PROVIDES FUNDING.
UM, AND THEN I SAW A SLIDE WHERE YOU TALKED ABOUT SORT OF TRASH AND DEBRIS REMOVAL AS, AS A, AS A PROJECT THAT'S SORT OF ONGOING.
AND I HAVE NOTICED A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT UPTICK IN, IN TRA I, I'M A TRAIL RUNNER, SO I SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN GREEN BELT SET ALONG CREEKS AND I'VE SEEN A, A, A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT UPTICK.
SO I'M JUST WONDERING HOW MUCH IS, HOW MUCH IS ACTUALLY GOING INTO THAT CLEANUP AND, UH, HOW DOES IT TRACK YEAR OVER YEAR? I MEAN, IS THAT KIND OF SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA, AS IS A, IS A COST CENTER THAT'S KIND OF GROWING OVER TIME? THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
SO, UM, THAT'S, THAT SLIDE THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO IS BASED ON, WE WERE JUST SHOWING SOME OF THE PROGRAMS UNDER, UNDER OUR OPERATIONAL BUDGET THAT WE DO ANNUALLY.
AND, UH, BECAUSE OF THE WINTER STORM WE DID HAVE LAST YEAR, WE DID HAVE A MAJOR UPTICK IN THAT NEED.
AND SOME OF IT WAS DONE UNDER THE AUSPICE OF THE EMERGENCY THAT WAS LED BY RESOURCE RECOVERY AND YEAH, TRANSPORTATION, PUBLIC WORKERS, WE SUPPORTED THOSE EFFORTS.
SO, SO THE NUMBER, THE DATA GOT SKEWED, IF YOU WILL, AND THIS YEAR WE WE'RE STILL
[00:30:01]
SEEING SOME, SOME AREAS.AND SO AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCIL WHEN WE HAD THE FLOODING LAST YEAR IN APRIL, WE DID ACTUALLY SPEND A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT, UH, TOWARDS THE END OF 2023 AND AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS FISCAL YEAR, UH, TO GO AND LOOK AT THE AREAS OF THE CREEK WHERE THERE'S DEAD BRUSH AND START REMOVING IT.
SO WE'VE BEEN TACKLING THAT ALL YEAR LONG.
SO YOU, THE DATA'S GONNA BE HIGHER THIS YEAR BECAUSE WE'RE STILL PICKING UP A LOT OF THE DEAD DEBRIS FROM THE PREVIOUS WINTER STORM AND I'M, I'M MINDFUL OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SORT OF DEBRIS THAT CAN KIND OF MM-HMM.
I, I'VE JUST NOTICED A, A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT UPTICK IN ACTUAL TRASH, NOT, NOT EVEN LIKE BRANCHES AND DEBRIS.
AND I'M WONDERING IF, IS THAT PART OF THAT CLEANUP PROCESS IS KIND OF GOING THROUGH AND GETTING TRASH OUT OF THE WATERSHED? YES, THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE DO.
AND I, I DO WANT TO POINT TO YOU, IF YOU WEREN'T HERE WHEN WE PRESENTED THE TRASHING CREEK STUDY THAT WE ACTUALLY DID, WHERE IT, IT ACTUALLY USED DATA WHERE WE ANALYZED, UH, HALF OUR CREEKS AND, AND WE IFIED WHERE THE DATA, THE TRASH WAS COMING, IT DID NOT QUANTIFY THAT IT WAS SPECIFICALLY, THERE'S A LOT OF SOURCES, IS WHAT I'M SAYING.
AND, AND PART OF IT, UM, ALSO HAD BEEN THE PANDEMIC DID AFFECT VOL.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE PARTNER WITH KEEP AUSTIN BEAUTIFUL AND OTHER NONPROFITS THAT HELP US KEEP OUR CREEKS CLEAN.
AND WE DID SEE THE VOLUNTEER NUMBERS GO DOWN AND THEY, THEY'RE STARTING TO GO UP.
SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH IT AS WELL, YOU KNOW, MORE 'CAUSE WE CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO WE RELY ON 3 1 1 AND WE REQUIRE ON OUR COMMUNITY AND THE WORK THEY DO OUT THERE.
AND, AND SO YES, ENCAMPMENTS MAY HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.
AND WE DO HAVE TARGETED AREAS THAT WE, WE STRATEGIZE NOT ONLY WITHIN OUR DEPARTMENT, BUT THROUGH THE HOMELESS STRATEGY OFFICE.
AND THAT'S A PART OF THE CLEANUP CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE THAT HAVE EXPANDED OVER THE LAST FOUR YEARS YEAH.
BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, THE, THE TRASH HAS INCREASED.
I MEAN, THAT'S JUST A, AS, AS A CITY GROWS, I THINK THAT'S JUST A PROBLEM THAT COMES ALONG WITH GROWTH.
SO, UM, WITH REGARDS TO THE CIP, UH, DO Y'ALL TRACK SORT OF THE PERCENTAGE OF THE PROJECTS THAT ARE COMPLETED SORT OF ON TIME AND ON BUDGET AND WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN TERMS OF PERCENTAGES OF COST OVERRUN? TO WHAT EXTENT DOES INFLATION PLAY A ROLE IN THAT? UM, VERSUS JUST KIND OF DELAYS IN? YEAH, I'LL GIVE YOU THREE GUESSES IN THE FIRST TWO, DON'T COUNT
UM, WE DO TRACK, UH, WE HAVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE THAT WE USE TO TRACK BUDGET SCHEDULE, UM, ET CETERA.
UM, I'LL SAY WE ARE NOT AS ON SCHEDULE AS WE WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD BE.
UM, THERE, THERE, THERE ARE THINGS THAT POP UP DURING DESIGN PHASE, PERMITTING PHASES OF PROJECTS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LEARN FROM THOSE AND WE TRY TO BUILD THOSE INTO OUR SCHEDULES SO THAT WE CAN DO BETTER MOVING FORWARD.
UM, THERE'S ALSO SOMETIMES EITHER POLITICAL THINGS THAT GET IN THE WAY OR PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO SLOW DOWN OR SPEED UP OUR PROJECTS IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO SYNC UP WITH THEM.
SO SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE TRULY OUT OF OUR CONTROL ON SCHEDULE.
BUDGET COST HAS BEEN A BIG ISSUE.
WE HAVE SEEN JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE EVERYBODY HAS SEEN IT IN THEIR PERSONAL LIVES.
LIKE WE ARE SEEING IT TREMENDOUSLY ON THE CONSTRUCTION SIDE OF THINGS AS WELL.
UH, THE COST OF SERVICES HAS GONE UP TREMENDOUSLY DURING THE PANDEMIC AND AFTER THE COST OF MATERIALS HAS GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY.
UM, AND WE ARE, WE ARE DEFINITELY FEELING THE PINCH OF OUR DOLLARS NOT STRETCHING AS FAR, UM, AS WE USED TO.
SO I, SO I WORK IN THE CAPITOL AND OF COURSE THE LEGISLATURE PASSED AN, UH, AN ESG BILL WITH REGARDS TO, YOU KNOW, FINANCIAL, YOU KNOW, BOND HOUSES THAT DO BUSINESS IN TEXAS AND REQUIRING AND SORT OF NOT ALLOWING THEM TO HAVE ESG POLICIES, WHICH WE'VE SEEN NATIONALLY HAS LED TO SORT OF INCREASED BORROWING COSTS.
HAVE, DO Y'ALL TRACK THAT SPECIFICALLY? 'CAUSE I THINK THREE OF THE LARGEST, YOU KNOW, BOND ISSUANCE FINANCIAL ENTITIES HAVE ACTUALLY STOPPED DOING BUSINESS IN TEXAS BECAUSE OF THAT.
YEAH, I, I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT.
BUT, UH, I DO WANT TO JUST KIND OF, WE JUST HAD A MEETING WITH OUR PARTNERS CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES THIS MORNING AS, AS WE'RE TACKLING THAT, THAT DEPARTMENT IS ACTUALLY CREATING A PROJECT CONTROLS TEAM AND THEY, THEY WILL BE LOOKING AT CONSTRUCTION TRENDS, COST TRENDS AND THAT KIND OF INFORMATION.
BUT AT THIS POINT, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION THAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO, BUT THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.
AND THEN MY LAST QUESTION WITH REGARDS TO THE SORT OF THE FINANCING FOR THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, DO Y'ALL HAVE A PREFERRED FINANCING MECHANISM, DESIGN BID, DESIGN BID BUILD? DOES IT KIND OF DEPEND ON THE PROJECT? IT DOES DEPEND, BUT I WOULD SAY THE MAJORITY OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ARE DESIGNED BID BUILT.
UM, COMMISSIONER SHIRA? YEAH, THANK YOU.
HI, MELINDA SHIRA, UM, COMMISSIONER FOR DISTRICT FOUR.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR, YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY.
UM, AS FAR AS PROJECTS GO, YOU, YOU'VE KIND OF INDICATED THE ONES THAT ARE, UM,
[00:35:01]
THEY'RE BEING PREPPED FOR CONSTRUCTION AND ALSO THE STATUS OF IN CONSTRUCTION.UH, HOW MANY OTHER PROJECTS ARE, ARE PENDING? LIKE HOW MANY ARE YOU, ARE YOU ABLE TO INDICATE THE, THE DIFFERENT STATUSES OF THOSE PROJECTS? UM, HOW MANY ARE, ARE KIND OF NOT PRIORITIZED JUST YET, IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF.
SO THERE'S TWO LEVELS OF ANSWER THERE.
UM, SO THE, THE ONES THAT YOU SAW IN THOSE PIE CHARTS ARE THE ONES THAT ARE ACTIVE, WHICH MEANS THEY HAVE FUNDING FOR WHATEVER PHASE THAT THEY'RE IN.
I WOULD SAY FOR EVERY ONE PROJECT THAT'S REPRESENTED ON THOSE PIE CHARTS, THERE'S ANOTHER FOUR OR FIVE WAITING IN THE WINGS THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AS PROJECTS.
WE JUST NEED TO WAIT TILL WE HAVE FUNDING AND CAN FIT THEM INTO OUR PROGRAM.
UM, I WOULD SAY BEYOND THAT, THERE'S PROB FOR EVERY ONE PROJECT THAT YOU SEE IN THE PIE CHART, THERE'S PROBABLY ANOTHER 20 THAT ARE STILL BACKLOGGED, AWAITING LOWER PRIORITY.
MAYBE THE RISK ISN'T QUITE AS SEVERE, BUT IT'S STILL AN ISSUE THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS IN THE FUTURE.
UM, BUT JUST HAVEN'T HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY DIVE IN AND UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM AND THINK ABOUT WHAT A SOLUTION MIGHT BE TO EVEN GET IT INTO THAT PIPELINE FOR DELIVERY.
UM, I GUESS I'D ALSO WANT TO JUST REITERATE OR SUPPORT THE BUDGET FOR THE TRASH AND DEBRIS REMOVAL.
UM, DISTRICT FOUR, WE HAD FLOODING, UM, LAST YEAR THAT CAUSED DAMAGE TO, UM, TWO BLOCKS OF HOMES OR SO, AND THAT, THAT DEFINITELY AFFECTED THE, THE COMMUNITY QUITE A BIT.
SO I, I DEFINITELY SEE THE IMPORTANCE.
UM, DO YOU, DO YOU, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT THE STORM IS NOT KIND OF IMPACTING THE, IN THE WAY THAT IT DID, UH, IN, IN THAT SCENARIO WITH ALL THE, THE STORM DAMAGE.
UM, DO WE, DO WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE IN A PRETTY GOOD PLACE AS FAR AS PREVENTION OF A, A SIMILAR SCENARIO? THANK YOU.
UH, THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF LESSONS LEARNED AFTER THAT EVENT.
OBVIOUSLY THAT FOLLOWED RIGHT AFTER WE HAD HAD THE WINTER STORM THAT A THIRD OF THE CANOPY WAS DAMAGED AND IT WAS STILL OUT THERE.
AND SO THAT'S WHEN WE ACTUALLY SPENT THE, THE LA LATTER PART OF THE SUMMER AND THE FALL OF LAST YEAR CLEANING UP THROUGHOUT THE CITY, NOT JUST THAT AREA.
SO THAT PARTICULAR AREA, WE HAVE VISITED QUITE A BIT OF TIME.
WE'VE EVEN DREDGED SOME OF THOSE CHANNELS THAT ONCE WE WERE OUT THERE, WE REALIZED WE NEEDED TO DO SOME MORE IMPROVEMENTS.
AND SO LAST YEAR, BASED ON THE FEEDBACK, THE COMMISSION, YOUR COMMISSION PROVIDED, WE DID ADD A WHOLE NOTHER CREW FOR THE OPEN LAND MANAGEMENT FOR THE, FOR THE VEGETATION.
SO WE HAVE ADDED RESOURCES AND WE'VE ALSO ADDED MORE CONTRACT CAPACITY FOR THE CONTRACTORS TO SUPPORT US.
AND AS A CITY AS A WHOLE, UH, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY HAD LEARNED FROM THE PREVIOUS WINTER STORM AND WE ACTUALLY HAD, UH, CONTRACTORS ON STANDBY READY TO START HELPING US WITH DEBRIS MANAGEMENT.
SO WE WILL, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, CONTINUE TO MONITOR.
WE'VE CREATED DASHBOARDS, WE'VE MADE IMPROVEMENTS ON HOW WE MONITOR THE DEBRIS AND THE CLEANUP AS WE'RE DOING IT.
AND ONCE AGAIN, WE CONTINUE TO DO THAT.
BUT, UH, THAT PARTICULAR DIVISION IN FIELD OPERATIONS HAS BEEN ADDED MORE RESOURCES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONTINUE TO STAY ON TOP OF IT.
AND I WILL JUST ADD THAT WE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE BUDGET FOR THAT THIS YEAR JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY, THEY WOULD HAVE ENOUGH CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO HANDLE THOSE SITUATIONS AND THEY'RE WORKING WITH CONTRACTORS ON THAT.
UM, I SIT ON THE, THE, LIKE THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF URBAN TREE FORESTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.
AND WE HAD A MEETING EARLIER TODAY AND WE WERE, YOU KNOW, OVERALL DISCUSSING OUR GOALS AND PERHAPS A, A GOAL FOR THE, THE TREE CANOPY BEING FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN BEING 50%.
I AM CURIOUS IF THE BUDGET INDICATES ANY SORT OF GOALS OR SUPPORT THAT GOAL IN ANY WAY.
AND IF SO, IN IN WHAT WAY? IT DOES.
SO LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD THE BUDGET DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COUNCIL, THIS CAME UP, UH, THERE WAS ACTUALLY A, A, A BUDGET AMENDMENT FROM ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO INCREASE TREE PLANTINGS PROGRAMS. AND SO WE DID, UM, I DON'T THINK THE AMENDMENT MOVED FORWARD, BUT WE DID COMMIT TO ADD MORE FUNDING.
SO WATERSHED, WATER UTILITY AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS ADD INCREASED.
I THINK WE DOUBLED THE CAPACITY OF THAT, UH, TREE PLANTING PROGRAM.
SO TO SPECIFICALLY TO INCREASE MORE CANOPY.
AND SO AS IT RELATES TO SOME OF THE OTHER URBAN CABIN CANOPY, UH, WE'RE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE, UH, THE SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE AND OTHER AREAS TO SEE WHAT STRATEGIES WE CAN CONTINUE TO IMPLEMENT TO CONTINUE TO INCREASE THE CANOPY IN THE CITY.
AND SO WHAT, WHAT PROGRAM WAS THAT? THAT WAS, UM, THERE WERE, UM, I THINK IT WAS THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, THAT MIGHT BE ONE SPECIFIC, BUT WE ALREADY HAVE, UH, CONTRACTS WITH OTHER NONPROFITS THAT HELP WITH THAT.
[00:40:01]
AND, AND SO WE WENT AHEAD AND INCREASED, UH, SOME OF THE CAPACITY ON THOSE CONTRACTS.DOES THE, SO WHEN A, A SITE PLAN IS COMPLETED AND THERE'S A REQUIREMENT FOR ADDITIONAL TREE PLANTINGS AND, UH, WATERSHED, IT IS JUST CONFIRMING WATERSHED IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BUDGET OF THE PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT SITE PLAN REVIEW.
IS THAT CORRECT? SO MANY OF THE REVIEWERS FALL UNDER THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT, UH, SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT TIES TO TREES.
IF YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY ASKING TREES.
SO YEAH, I THINK THAT MAY BE A BUDGET LINE ITEM OF, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES MERGE WITH CODE AND IT, AND THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THAT LARGER DEPARTMENT, BUT I THINK IT IS A SUB COMPONENT OF THEIRS.
BUT WE DO HAVE STAFF IN WATERSHED THAT REVIEW SITE PLANS AS WELL FROM FLOOD PLAIN OR ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW.
SO DO WE HAVE STAFF THAT REVIEW ALL THAT? BUT WHEN, IF YOU'RE SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT TREES, YEAH.
I BELIEVE THAT PROBABLY FALLS ON THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES SIDE OF THE, UH, I HAD A FEELING IT MIGHT.
THOSE ARE ALL OF MY QUESTIONS.
APPRECIATE YOUR, UH, TIME AND YOUR PRESENTATION.
I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE, UH, FLOODPLAIN, UH, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT, UH, HOMES.
DO YOU ALL, WHO HANDLES THE PURCHASE OF HOMES THAT ARE IN THE FLOODPLAIN OVER THE YEARS? THE CITY HAS, UH, PARTNERED WITH THE FEDS TO PURCHASE HOMES WITHIN THE FLOODPLAIN.
AND DOES THAT FALL UNDER YOUR PURVIEW OR IS THAT SOME OTHER PART? IT, IT'S OUR PURVIEW AND YES, WE'VE DONE MULTIPLE PROJECTS, SO IF YOU HAD ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS, KER FOR, OR I COULD PROBABLY ANSWER IT.
SO IS, SO ARE, IS THE CITY STILL HAVE FUNDING TO PURCHASE HOMES WITHIN THE FLOODPLAIN AND IS THAT STILL AN ACTIVE THING OR IS THE MONEY RUN OUT FOR THAT? IT'S, SO IT'S, IT'S, WHEN WE DO BUYOUTS IN ANY NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, WE LOOK AT IT AS IT'S A PROJECT, RIGHT? IT'S 'CAUSE WE'VE GONE THROUGH THAT PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING PHASE AND WE'VE EVALUATED, YOU KNOW, IS IT, CAN WE PUT IN A DETENTION POND TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM? CAN WE MAKE THE CHANNEL BIGGER TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM? CAN WE DIVERT THE WATER AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM? IN SOME CASES, THE ANSWER IS IT JUST NEEDS TO BE A BIAS.
SO WE TREAT IT AS A PROJECT JUST LIKE WE WOULD ANYTHING ELSE THERE HAVE, YOU'RE RIGHT THOUGH.
WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL PROJECTS WHERE WE'VE GOTTEN A, UM, A LOT OF FEDERAL ASSISTANCE, UM, TO HELP LEVERAGE OUR LOCAL FUNDING FOR IT.
UM, WE DON'T, I'M NOT CURRENTLY AWARE OF ANY PROJECTS IN OUR PORTFOLIO THAT HAVE BUYOUTS RIGHT NOW AS THE IDENTIFIED SOLUTION.
UM, WE DO THOUGH TRY TO FUND, KEEP A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY, UM, RELATIVELY SMALL AMOUNT OF, OF OUR CIP MONEY ASIDE FOR IF, USUALLY WHEN WE'VE DONE BUY IT'S 'CAUSE IT'S LARGE NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, LARGE CLUSTERS OF HOMES.
BUT WE OCCASIONALLY FIND THAT THERE'S LIKE ONE HOUSE OR TWO HOUSES THAT ARE DEEP IN THE FLOODPLAIN BY THEMSELVES AND JUST THE WAY THE PRIORITIES WORK, IT WOULD BE A LONG TIME BEFORE WE GOT TO THEM.
SO WE WANNA BE ABLE TO ACT QUICKLY WHEN WE, WHEN WE REALIZE THAT THOSE ARE THERE AND THAT THE RISK IS PRESENT.
UM, IF BY OUT WERE THE RIGHT ANSWER, WE WOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT, BUT THAT WOULD ALL BE LOCAL FUNDING.
UH, WITH REGARD TO THE TRASH PICKUP, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WORK WITH NON-PROFITS.
DO YOU CALL UP A NON-PROFIT, SAY THE AUSTIN PARKS FOUNDATION AS AN EXAMPLE, AND HAVE THEM TARGET SOMETHING? OR DO YOU, I MEAN, HOW DOES THAT WORK SPECIFICALLY? WE WOULD NORMALLY HAVE A CONTRACT WITH, UH, OR AN AGREEMENT WITH A NONPROFIT.
WE WOULD NEGOTIATE, HAVE AN AGREEMENT, GO TO COUNCIL, GET AN APPROVAL, AND THEN MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT.
BUT IF THERE WAS A SPECIFIC NEED BECAUSE OF, SAY A STORM CAUSED A LOT OF TRASH TO ACCUMULATE, SAY IN BULL CREEK AND SOMEONE REPORTED TO THE CITY AND IT WOUND UP ON YOUR DESK, UH, WOULD YOU, I MEAN, HOW WOULD THAT BE MANAGED? WOULD YOU SEND A CREW OUT THERE OR? YES.
SO THOSE WE WOULD OPERATIONALLY MANAGE THROUGH OUR CREWS OR THROUGH THE CONTRACTS WE HAVE NOT, NOT THROUGH NON-PROFITS.
THESE ARE FOR PRO FOR-PROFIT CO CONTRACTORS THAT WE HAVE ON STANDBY.
UH, THE NON-PROFITS WE HELP FUND, BUT PROGRAMMATICALLY THEY MANAGE THROUGH VOLUNTEERS AND A LOT OF TIMES THE COMMUNITIES WILL SEEK OUT, UH, SUPPORT FROM LIKE KI US BE OR OTHER THAT WILL PROVIDE RESOURCES, RIGHT? THOSE ARE DONE PROGRAMMATICALLY THROUGH THOSE NONPROFITS THAT WE DON'T TELL 'EM, GO CLEAN THIS UP BECAUSE WE SOMEBODY CALLED 3 1 1.
THOSE WE MANAGE, UH, OPERATIONALLY ON OUR OWN.
SO HOW DO YOU, HOW, HOW DO DOES A DEPARTMENT LIKE YOURS ENGAGE THE NONPROFITS TO DO THIS TYPE OF THING? CONTRACTUALLY.
SO LIKE APA SAID, WE ACTUALLY HAVE CONTRACTS WITH SOME NONPROFITS ALREADY.
UH, NOW I BELIEVE YOU SAID SOMEONE SAID THAT THE, UH, DRAINAGE CHARGE WAS INCREASED BY 3.4% LAST YEAR? 3.2.
[00:45:01]
IT THIS YEAR AS WELL? UH, WE ARE STILL PREPARING OUR BUDGET FOR, FOR THIS YEAR, SO WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT, WHAT THAT MIGHT HAPPEN.WE PROBABLY WILL REQUIRE, WILL NEED TO SUBMIT SOME INCREASE, BUT IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT, UM, THE CITY MANAGEMENT WANTS US TO DO.
SO I'M JUST GONNA BE A LITTLE MORE FORWARD SINCE I'M THE DIRECTOR, I CAN BE MORE FORWARD WITH YOU, BUT YES, WE, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE NEED TO INCREASE THE FEE OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS WHEN WE'VE PRESENTED THE BUDGET.
AND SO WE, WE INCREASED IT VERY SMALL LAST YEAR, 3.2, AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE NOT INCREASED THE DRAINAGE FUND IN EIGHT, NINE YEARS.
AND SO FOR US TO, UH, OFFSET THE COST OF EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING, UH, MARKET STUDIES FROM THE COST OF MATERIALS, WE ARE GONNA HAVE TO INCREASE THE FEE.
SO WE WILL BE RECOMMENDING AN INCREASE WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
WE DON'T HAVE A FINAL NUMBER YET.
SO AS WE GO THROUGH THIS BUDGET PROCESS AND ANY OTHER PRIORITIES THAT YOU MAY SAY, HEY, MAKE SURE YOU INCORPORATE THIS INTO YOUR BUDGET, THEN WE'LL DO THE NUMBERS AND WE'LL, WE'LL BE ABLE TO FINALIZE THAT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK MAIZE, WHEN WE ACTUALLY GET TO THE FINAL, WHERE WE FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT MIGHT BE, AND WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK, BUT WE DO ANTICIPATE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO INCREASE THE, THE, THE FEE THIS YEAR.
WELL, I, I ASKED BECAUSE COMMISSIONER EINHORN BROUGHT UP, UH, YOU KNOW, THE INCREASED COST DUE TO INFLATION AND, AND OTHER, OTHER ISSUES AS FAR AS THAT GOES.
AND, UH, BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, THERE'S AN INCREASED FREQUENCY OF THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED AS OPPOSED TO KIND OF WHAT HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN CONSIDERED RUN RATE.
NOW THERE'S A NEW RUN RATE THAT'S MUCH FASTER.
SO, YOU KNOW, SITTING HERE, YOU KNOW, AS A TAXPAYER AND AS SOMEONE WHO PAYS THE DRAINAGE FEE EVERY MONTH, UH, I WOULD UNDERSTAND IF THE DRAINAGE FEE WENT UP BECAUSE I'M GOING TO ASSUME THAT YOUR COST OF DOING BUSINESS IS UP A WHOLE LOT MORE THAN 3.4%.
JUST AS A, AS AN EXAMPLE, PERSONNEL MATERIALS, THAT SORT OF THING.
SO IF I WERE TO VOTE, IT'S A VERY ACCURATE STATEMENT YOU JUST MADE
SO LIKE I SAID, IF, IF I WERE APPROVING IT, I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, OUT GO, GO FOR IT.
UM, HOW MUCH IS YOUR COST OF DOING BUSINESS GONE UP OVER THE PAST YEAR? SO I WOULD SAY THAT TYPICALLY WE SEE AN INCREASE OF ABOUT FOUR TO 5 MILLION.
BUT THIS YEAR WE ARE SEEING CLOSER TO SEVEN TO 8% INCREASE IN JUST OPERATIONAL.
BUT WE ARE ADJUSTING, WE HAD TO ADJUST LAST YEAR OUR CIP TRANSFER SO THAT WE WERE ABLE TO AFFORD THAT, UM, BECAUSE WE WERE NOT PERMITTED TO INCREASE OUR RATE ANY MORE THAN 3.2%.
SO WE HAD TO ADJUST OUR CIP TRANSFER.
I UNDERSTAND BUDGET BALANCING TRICKS AND ALL THAT SORT OF THING, BUT CLEARLY THERE'S A NEED TO, YEAH.
IT, IT HAS GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY FOR SOME OF THE CONTRACT MATERIAL.
COST FOR EXAMPLE, HAS GONE UP SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSE TO LIKE 17, 18%.
SO WE ARE, WE HAVE TO MANAGE, UH, THOSE INCREASES.
I DON'T HAVE A SPECIFIC INFLATION SPECIFIC INFLATIONARY NUMBER FOR YOU, BUT IT JUST DEPENDS ON WHAT THE MATERIALS ARE.
A LOT OF US SHOP AT HOME DEPOT,
ZILKER PARK, THE PISTOL RANGE AND THE BUTLER LANDFILL.
UM, ARE, ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO ANYTHING WITH THAT AT SOME POINT, YOU KNOW, TO COMPLETELY REMEDIATE THAT? SO I DON'T, I CAN'T ANSWER THE QUESTION.
I, I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK IF WE ACTUALLY HAVE ANYTHING IN THE WORKS RIGHT NOW.
NO, WE DON'T THINK WE DO, BUT, UH, THIS IS A PARTNERSHIP.
OBVIOUSLY THIS HAS BEEN PRESENTED, UH, WHERE PARKS DEPARTMENT, THE LAND THERE, SO, UH, I'LL HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THAT, BUT I DON'T THINK WE HAVE RIGHT NOW A CIP PROJECT SPECIFICALLY TO ADDRESS THAT.
OH, I DIDN'T THINK YOU DID, BUT I WAS WONDERING IF THAT'S KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF YOU MENTIONED THAT WE HAVE THIS LAUNDRY LIST OF THINGS THAT ARE FUNDED AND THEN WE HAVE THIS LIST OF UNFUNDED THINGS THAT ARE MM-HMM.
SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF THIS IS SITTING ON A LIST SOMEWHERE, WE CAN CHECK ON THAT AND GET BACK TO YOU.
'CAUSE WE DO IT, WE DO CREATE, LIKE YOU SAID, THE UNFUNDED LIST AND SO WE CAN CHECK TO SEE IF THAT'S AND RESPOND BACK TO YOU.
AND MY LAST QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH COMMUNITY INPUT.
UM, WHEN YOU ASK FOR COMMUNITY INPUT EXACTLY, HOW DO YOU GATHER THAT? SO IT DEPENDS, LIKE FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE THAT WE'RE DOING RAINER RIVER, UH,
[00:50:01]
WE, WE USE MULTIPLE STRATEGIES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GOT THE FEEDBACK RIGHT.WE WORK WITH, UH, COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS THAT WERE PAID TO GO BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY AND GIVE US FEEDBACK.
WE HAD A LOT OF, UM, UH, TABLES, UH, THAT WE WENT TO ON A LOT OF COMMUNITY EVENTS THAT WE WERE OUT THERE AS WELL.
UH, WORKING WITH A CONSULTANT.
UH, WE JUST, UM, WOULD ALSO GET SOME, UH, SOME OF THE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH, THROUGH THAT FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
SO WE COLLECTED A LOT OF DATA, UH, FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR CIP PROJECTS, IT'S BASED ON REGION NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND SO THROUGH OUR PIO WE ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE WITH THE, THE COMMUNITY.
UH, WE DO, UM, MANY TIMES WE'LL DO A VIRTUAL MEETINGS AND WE WILL RECORD THE MEETINGS AND THEN WE PUT IT ON THE WEBSITE.
SO IF YOU GO TO THAT WEBSITE THAT PAM SHOWED WHERE WE HAVE ALL OUR PROJECTS, YOU'LL SEE THE PRESENTATIONS WE'VE GIVEN TO THOSE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
AND SO IT, WE ALSO GO IN PERSON, RIGHT? UH, BUT, UH, WE'VE EVEN DONE HYBRID MEETINGS WHERE WE DO IT IN PERSON, BUT WE'RE STILL RECORDING IT BECAUSE AS WE KNOW, MANY PEOPLE ARE WORKING AND CAN'T MAKE IT TO OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT FOR THE CIP PROJECT.
SO WE TRY TO KEEP THOSE ON THE CIP WEBSITES AND WE HAVE SURVEYS THAT WE PUT OUT AS PART OF THAT AS WELL.
SO, UH, WE TRY TO FIND MULTIPLE STRATEGIES TO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY SO WE CAN GET THE FEEDBACK AS WE'RE MOVING FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING ALL THE WAY TO CONSTRUCTION PHASE OF THE, OF THE PROJECTS AS WELL.
THE REASON I ASK FOR THIS, AND SOME OF THE COMMISSIONERS HAVE BEEN ON FOR A WHILE, WELL, WILL REMEMBER THIS IS A CONSTANT REFRAIN OF MINE IS THAT, UH, I'VE BEEN AN HOA PRESIDENT FOR 15 YEARS AND I'VE NEVER BEEN CON OUR HOA HAS NEVER BEEN CONTACTED BY ANYONE IN THE CITY.
AND THERE'S A PAGE ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE THAT LISTS ALL THE HOAS IN THE CITY.
NOW, I CAN'T VOUCH FOR HOW ACCURATE THE EMAIL AND PHONE DATA IS FOR THOSE, YOU KNOW, FOR EVERYONE THERE.
UH, I MIGHT RECOMMEND YOU USE THAT AS A SOURCE FOR DISTRIBUTING INFORMATION AS FAR AS MEETINGS OR SENDING LINKS TO SURVEYS OR THAT SORT OF THING.
THE OTHER THING IS THAT, UH, FREQUENTLY I GET, I RECEIVE A, UH, EMAIL FROM MY COUNCIL MEMBER THAT SAYS, UH, HEY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE A MEETING OR CHECK THIS LIST FOR A SURVEY OR I DUNNO, WHATEVER'S GOING ON, YOU KNOW, UH, FEEDBACK ON WHO THE NEXT CITY MANAGER IS, WHATEVER, WHATEVER THE STORY IS.
AND, UH, THAT ENABLES ME AS A SUBSCRIBER TO MY, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL MEMBERS' NEWSLETTER TO DISTRIBUTE THAT OUT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE A HOA.
UM, FREQUENTLY WE GET FEEDBACK THAT I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS MM-HMM.
AND SO I THINK THE CITY NEEDS TO WORK ON IMPROVING WHATEVER COMMUNITY INPUT MEANS.
SO I'M JUST RECOMMENDING THAT YOU REACH OUT A LITTLE BIT BROADER THAN WHAT YOU HAVE.
AND THIS IS, IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S EVERYONE THAT SHOWS UP THAT MM-HMM.
SO I APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK AND WE'LL DEFINITELY MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING IT.
I KNOW, I KNOW WE DO REACH OUT TO THE HOAS IN THE PARTICULAR NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT WE'LL DOUBLE CHECK WITH YOU BECAUSE MAKE SURE YOUR HOAS ACTUALLY LISTED ON IT.
BUT WE DO TRY TO, UH, DO THAT.
WE ALSO GO TO COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO WILL HAVE THEIR TOWN HALL MEETINGS.
WE'LL ATTEND, UH, DIFFERENT COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE MORE, UH, ACTIVE IN ASKING US TO COME TO THE, TO TABLE, UH, SESSIONS OR WHATEVER.
BUT I ALSO ANNUALLY TRY TO, TO MEET WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SHARE THE TOOLS.
SOME OF THE TOOLS WE SHARED WITH YOU TODAY, WE SHARED WITH THEM.
AND SO THEY CAN USE THAT INFORMATION AS THEY CREATE THEIR NEWSLETTERS.
THEY CAN GO AND SEE THE STATUS OF OUR PROJECTS.
BUT, UH, I, IT'S BEEN NOTED, SO THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT.
I JUST HAD A, A FEW QUESTIONS.
I WAS KIND OF CURIOUS IF YOU COULD LIKE, ELABORATE HOW SOME OF THE IN-PERSON FEEDBACK HAPPENS.
LIKE, DOES IT OCCUR AT LIKE A SCHOOL, A LIBRARY, OR LIKE WHAT'S THE SPACE THAT Y'ALL USUALLY ACCOMMODATE? YEAH, ALL OF THE ABOVE.
UM, IT DEPENDS ON IF YOU HAVE A PROJECT IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS.
SOMETIMES THERE'S A SCHOOL REALLY CLOSE BY THAT'S A GOOD MEETING PLACE.
WE'VE USED REC CENTERS, WE'VE USED LIBRARIES, WE'VE USED CHURCHES.
UM, SOMETIMES WE BRING, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE, WE HOST MEETINGS IN CITY, LIKE ONE TEXAS CENTER, UM, OR CITY HALL TYPE.
IT'S JUST REALLY DEPENDS ON THE LOCATION.
WE USUALLY TRY TO WORK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS OR THE HOAS TO FIND A PLACE THAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE, UM, FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO, TO GATHER WHAT, UH, SEEMS TO BE LIKE THE MOST, UM, POPULAR TIMEFRAME.
IS IT LIKE SIX AFTER WORK? IS IT ON THE WEEKENDS? USUALLY WEEKDAY EVENINGS.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, OUR PROJECT TEAMS, OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TEAM AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONTACTS WORK TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT, UH, WHAT MIGHT MAKE THE MOST SENSE.
UM, AND, AND I'VE WORKED ON PROJECTS THAT ARE MUCH LARGER IN SCALE WHERE WE WOULD ACTUALLY HOLD THE MEETING THREE TIMES.
[00:55:01]
THEN WE WOULD HOLD THE SAME MEETING ON A WEEKEND DAYTIME, JUST SO THAT WE CAN CAST AS WIDE OF A NET AS WE CAN.HONORING PEOPLE'S WORK SCHEDULES AND SCHOOL SCHEDULES.
UM, WHAT SEEMS TO BE ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP TO THOSE MEETINGS? IS IT LIKE 20, 30, 50? I WOULD HAZARD A GUESS THAT IT'S ON AVERAGE A COUPLE DOZEN.
IT REALLY, I MEAN, IT DEPENDS RIGHT? SOMETIMES THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE DOING IMPACT HUNDREDS OF HOUSEHOLDS.
UM, SOMETIMES PROJECTS ONLY IMPACT A COUPLE OF HOUSEHOLDS.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WOULD, WE WOULD ADVERTISE MEETINGS FOR MUCH LARGER AREA THAN THAT.
BUT, UM, IT, IT REALLY JUST DEPENDS, UM, ON THE, THE PART OF TOWN, THE, THE, THE, THE, UH, THE TYPE OF PROJECT, HOW EXCITED OR UPSET PEOPLE MIGHT BE ABOUT US COMING IN TO DO A PROJECT.
AND, UM, SO DO YOU EVER HAVE LIKE MEETINGS THAT HAPPEN IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES? IS IT LIKE MOSTLY ENGLISH OR DO YOU HAVE LIKE SPANISH OR LIKE YEAH, WE, UM, WE, WE DEFINITELY PROVIDED, UM, TRANSLATION SERVICES.
I'VE, I'VE WORKED ON PROJECTS WHERE WE'VE HAD, UM, AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS.
'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT'S A NEED IN THE COMMUNITY.
UM, I'VE ALSO WORKED ON A PROJECT WHERE WE KNEW WE HAD SOME FAMILIES THAT WHOSE PRIMARY LANGUAGE WAS VIETNAMESE.
SO WE BROUGHT IN, UH, TRANSLATORS SPECIFICALLY FOR THEM AS WELL.
AND I KNOW Y'ALL HAD MENTIONED THAT YOU SEND OUT SURVEYS LIKE AFTER OKAY.
SO LIKE YOU, YOU RECORDS YOUR MEETINGS AND THEN YOU LIKE SEND OUT SURVEYS TO KIND OF GET MORE FEEDBACK, UM, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND.
I WAS CURIOUS, LIKE IS THERE, UM, THE AMOUNT OF SURVEYS THAT YOU GET BACK, LIKE THE AMOUNT OF FEEDBACK THAT YOU GET FROM THE PEOPLE THAT MISSED THE MEETING AND FILLED OUT THOSE SURVEYS, DOES IT SEEM TO BE LIKE, ARE YOU CATCHING A WIDER NET WITH THAT OR NOT REALLY? OR ABOUT THAT? I DON'T KNOW.
I, I HAVEN'T SEEN ENOUGH RESPONSE RATES FOR DIFFERENT PROJECTS TO KNOW.
UM, LET'S SEE, WHAT ELSE DID I HAVE? UM, I THINK Y'ALL ALREADY KIND OF COVERED THIS, BUT I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THE CANOPY.
UM, LIKE IF THERE'S BEEN AN ASSESSMENT OF THE TREES THAT HAD BEEN LOST IN LIKE, UM, LIKE WITH DIFFERENT FREEZES OR DIFFERENT, LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AND THEN LIKE HOW MUCH OF KETCHUP DO WE HAVE TO MAKE TO GET TO THE CITY'S GOAL OF THE 50% CANOPY? I BELIEVE LIKE IF THERE'S BEEN KIND OF A COMPARISON TO BE LIKE, OKAY, WE LOST THIS MUCH, BUT WE HAVE X AMOUNT TO GO TO GET TO THAT, I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO SPEAK TO THAT JORGE.
SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT, UM, QUESTION AND MAYBE IN A PRESENTATION THAT WE CAN HAVE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COME IN AND PRESENT THAT.
WE DID DO SOME ANALYSIS, YOU KNOW, JUST GETTING INFORMATION OF THE LOSS OF THE ACADEMY, BUT THE STRATEGY TO GET BACK TO ON TRACK, I THINK IT WOULD FALL ON THEM AND SO RIGHT.
WE CAN DEFINITELY PASS THAT ALONG TO THEM AND, YOU KNOW, UH, HAVE THAT QUEUED UP AT A LATER MEETING.
AND I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE THAT IS ALL I HAD WITH THE QUESTIONS FOR, FOR MYSELF, UM, ARE OKAY.
COMMISSIONER EOR, I, SOMETHING, SOMETHING COMMISSIONER BRIER WAS TALKING ABOUT SORT OF THE INCREASED NEED FOR WATERSHED SERVICES IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND KIND OF EX KIND OF SPARKED MY THINKING ABOUT, UH, WHETHER Y'ALL ARE SORT OF MONITORING AND WHETHER YOU'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN FEDERAL FUNDING MADE AVAILABLE FOR WATERSHED PROJECTS, ELIGIBLE PROJECTS THROUGH EITHER THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT AND THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW.
AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ARE SEEING THAT, IS THERE A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL CITY INVESTMENT TO SORT OF LEVERAGE SOME OF THOSE FEDERAL DOLLARS AND, AND CAN YOU, CAN YOU QUANTIFY THAT? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND THAT CAME UP LAST YEAR AND SO WE DO HAVE A FULL DEDICATED STAFF MEMBER THAT HELPS US GO AFTER GRANTS AND WE'VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN RECEPTION OF THAT.
AND SO, UH, WE RECOGNIZE THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING WE HAVE TO JUST KIND OF INVEST MORE.
AND SO WE DO THINK DOWN THE ROAD WE MAY, MAY NEED TO GROW OUR INTERNAL CAPACITY TO GO AFTER SOME OF THAT FUNDING BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST GOING AFTER IT, IT'S ALSO THE AUDITING AND EVERYTHING THAT COMES ALONG WITH IT.
BUT YEAH, WE'VE ALREADY RECEIVED SOME, UH, SOME, SOME FUNDING FROM FEDERAL FUNDING, STATE FUNDING AS WELL AS ANUPA SAID.
AND SO, UH, WE'RE LEANING ON SOME OF THOSE EXTERNAL FUNDING SOURCES, UH, HEAVILY, UH, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
'CAUSE SOME OF THOSE FUNDS MAY BE ONLY AROUND FOR THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS.
SO, SO WE, WE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE AS MUCH ADVANTAGE AS WE CAN ON THAT.
OH, SORRY I DIDN'T NO WORRIES.
UM, I WAS WONDERING IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND GOING INTO A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE DRAINAGE UTILITY CHARGE AND HOW IT'S CONNECTED TO THE AMOUNT
[01:00:01]
AND PERCENT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER.SO THE DRAINAGE UTILITY CHARGE IS A, BASICALLY, UH, IS CALCULATED USING A FORMULA.
WE RUN AN AERIAL MAPPING EVERY TWO YEARS OF ALL OF THE CITY.
AND WE, UM, CALCULATE THE AMOUNT AND THE PERCENT OF IMPERVIOUS COVER ON EVERY SINGLE PARCEL.
AND BASED ON THAT WE HAVE A FORMULA, UM, USE, USING THAT DATA WE CALCULATE WHAT THE MONTHLY DRAINAGE CHARGE WOULD BE.
AND THE, SO THE ONE FACTOR IN ADDITION TO THAT IS THE RATE THAT WE IMPOSE ON THAT.
SO IT'S A RATE TIMES THE, UM, AMOUNT OF IMPERVIOUS COVERS TIMES THE ADJUSTED, UH, PERCENTAGE OF IMPERVIOUS COVER.
SO INEVITABLY, AS THE AMOUNT AND PERCENT OF IMPERVIOUS CO COVER INCREASES IN THE CITY, THE RATE ALSO INCREASES, BUT THE QUESTION IS TO WHAT DEGREE THAT HAPPENS? UM, SO THE, THE CHARGE WILL INCREASE BASED ON THE AMOUNT IN IMPERVIOUS COVER.
UM, YOU, IF YOU WOULD LIKE, THERE'S A, OUR DRAINAGE, OUR WEBSITE HAS A LINK SO YOU CAN LOOK UP FOR EVERY SINGLE PROPERTY WHAT THE DRAINAGE CHARGE IS.
UM, THE FORMULA HAS A CERTAIN FACTORS INCLUDED IN IT, AND IT'S BASED ON, IT WAS CALCULATED SCIENTIFICALLY BASED ON THE TOPOGRAPHY OF AUSTIN.
UH, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU, HOW A PERCENTAGE OF IMPERIOUS COVER WOULD IMPACT, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH THE WATER SEEPS INTO THE GROUND, THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND SO BASED ON THAT, IT'S A, THERE'S A SCIENTIFIC FORMULA THAT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT THIS, UM, WHICH CALCULATES THE DRAINAGE CHARGE PER MONTH IF, IF THAT HELPS.
IS IT UNIQUE TO EACH HOME OR IS IT YES.
THE FORMULA IS THE SAME, BUT THE CHARGE IS UNIQUE TO EACH PROPERTY.
SO YEAH, I I THINK I'LL HAVE TO GO TO YOUR WEBSITE TO LOOK MORE, 'CAUSE I'M CURIOUS HOW THAT IMPACTS PEOPLE LIVING IN, YOU KNOW, APARTMENT BUILDINGS OR THINGS LIKE THAT WITH HIGHER IMPERVIOUS COVER.
BUT THEIR NET PORTION OF THAT IMPERVIOUS COVER, OF COURSE, WOULD BE SMALLER THAN SOMEONE LIVING IN A BIG MANSION, SAY.
SO THE APARTMENT COMPLEXES ARE CHARGED FOR, THE ENTIRE APARTMENT COMPLEX IS CHARGED FOR THE DRAINAGE CHARGE.
SO IT'S CONSIDERED LIKE A ONE CHARGE TO THE GENERAL, TO THE MANAGED PROPERTY MANAGEMENT.
AND THEN THE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CAN ALLOCATE IT EITHER IN RENT OR, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER ADDITIONAL WAY THEY WANT TO DO IT.
SO EACH INDIVIDUAL UNIT IS NOT CHARGED.
IT'S THE ENTIRE COMPLEX THAT IS CHARGED ON ONE CHARGE.
I'M GONNA LOOK INTO THAT MORE.
UM, AND THEN YOU ALSO ASKED US FOR FEEDBACK ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE OUR PRIORITIES.
SO I WANTED TO ANSWER THE QUESTION THAT YOU GAVE US,
UM, SO EVERYTHING IN YOUR PRESENTATION I KNOW IS IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE TO THE CITY.
UM, I JUST WANNA SAY A COUPLE OF THE THINGS THAT DO RISE TO THE TOP FOR ME THAT YOU LISTED.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH AUTHORITY YOU ALL HAVE OVER SETTING, UM, YOU KNOW, INCOME RATES OR HOW MUCH OF THAT IS HR.
BUT THAT BEING SAID, I KNOW AUSTIN IS AN INCREASINGLY EXPENSIVE CITY TO LIVE IN AND I BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE WORKING IN THIS DEPARTMENT DESERVES, YOU KNOW, A WAGE THAT IS, UM, ON PAR WITH LIVING IN AN EXPENSIVE CITY AND PERFORMING A VALUABLE TASK.
SO I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, WAGE INCREASES WOULD BE TOP OF MIND FOR ME.
UM, ALSO REPLENISHING THE CREEK BEDS.
I THINK THAT IS JUST SO CENTRAL TO THE WORK THAT YOU DO AND TO THE WELLBEING OF THE CITY AND OUR PLANT AND ANIMAL LIFE.
SO THAT IS ALSO AT THE TOP FOR ME.
AND THEN I WAS WRITING DOWN ONE OTHER THING AND I RAN OUT OF TIME.
OH, POLLUTION PREVENTION AND RESPONSE.
UM, THAT TO ME IS ALSO A HIGH PRIORITY.
AND IN TERMS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, FLOODING MITIGATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT, FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, LIKE I WOULD ALWAYS RATHER THAT WE LOOK TO NATURAL SOLUTIONS, WHETHER IT'S RAIN BEDS OR NATIVE PLANTING OR WHAT HAVE YOU OVER, YOU KNOW, MORE PIPES FOR STORM DRAINAGE.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S MY SHORTHAND FEEDBACK FOR YOU ALL.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? DISCUSSION IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE THROWING OUT, UH, SOME ID SOME IDEAS FOR PRIORITIZATION FOR THE DEPARTMENT, YOU KNOW, UH, THE I 35 EXPANSION PROJECT IS GONNA BE MOVING FORWARD AND PART OF THAT IS GOING TO HAVE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT, UM, UH, UH, STORM WATER CHANNEL.
AND WHAT I MIGHT SUGGEST IS THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, POTENTIALLY LOOK AT INVESTING SOME MONEY IN SOME WATER QUALITY MONITORING RIGHT AT THAT OUT, RIGHT AT THAT OUTFLOW
[01:05:01]
TO TO, SO THAT WE CAN QUANTIFY THE IMPACT OF THAT.YOU KNOW, THAT'S BEEN A BIG DISCUSSION WITH TDOT AS WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS PROJECT AND I KNOW THAT WE, THEY'VE COME A LONG WAY, NOT NEARLY AS MAYBE AS FAR AS THIS COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE, BUT WE WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SEE THAT MONITORED VERY SPECIFICALLY.
SO WE CAN ACTUALLY POINT TO THAT AS A POINT SOURCE.
UM, YEAH, AND WE ARE ACTUALLY, WE DO ACTUALLY HAVE A PROJECT IN OUR PORTFOLIO THAT IS TO CAPTURE A LOT OF THAT RUNOFF FROM TX DOTS NEW THE HIGHWAY AND PUT IT INTO A LARGE WATER QUALITY POND, UH, SO THAT IT CAN GET TREATED BEFORE DISCHARGED INTO THE RIVER.
SO WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE FUNDING FOR IT, BUT WE'RE WORKING ON IT.
YOU HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THAT ZILKER LANDFILL.
IT DOES LOOK LIKE IT'S A PART PROJECT FOR THE PARK, THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT.
IT'S ON THEIR PROJECT RADAR, UH, TO ADDRESS IN THE FUTURE.
SO I DON'T THINK YOU'LL SEE IT COMING FROM WATERSHED, BUT IT WILL BE, SHOULD BE COMING FROM THE PARKS DEPARTMENT.
UM, WELL WITH THAT, LET ME GO AHEAD AND READ THE MOTION THAT WE HAVE SO FAR.
WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION WAS PRESENTED THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENTS, UH, FISCAL YEAR TWO, 2024 BUDGET.
AND WHEREAS THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION UNDERSTANDS THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENTS, ANNUAL FINANCIAL FORECAST IS STILL BEING PREPARED AND THE FINAL PLAN WILL BE PROVIDED TO COUNCIL IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
AND THEREFORE THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION SUPPORTS THE WATERSHED PRODUCTION DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS AS PRESENTED TO THE COMMISSION WITH THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, WHAT I HAVE SO FAR, RESEARCH FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING AVAILABLE TO SUPPLEMENT, UH, CITY FUNDING FOR APPLICABLE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
UM, ALSO INVEST MONEY IN WATER QUALITY MONITORING TO QUANTIFY THE IMPACT OF THE I 35 EXPANSION.
UM, REPLEN, I HAVE REPLENISHING CREEK BEDS, BUT I WANTED TO KNOW IF COMMISSIONER UH, KRUGER HAD MORE TO ELABORATE WITH THAT.
UM, OR IS THAT REPLENISHING CREEK BEDS? IS THAT GOOD ENOUGH? I JUST PULLED THAT LANGUAGE FROM THEIR PRESENTATION.
UM, AND I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING MORE SPECIFIC THAN THAT.
I THINK THAT'S A PRETTY ALL ENCOMPASSING TERM.
DOES ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD TO IT? ADD TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, CHAIR, I THINK YOU SAID FY 24, BUT IT'S FY 25.
COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN, WE, WE PRESENTED FY 24 I YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 20.
MM-HMM,
UM, ONE THING I ADDED WAS CONTINUED, UM, TO SUPPORT THE FUNDING FOR TRASH REMOVAL AND WORKING WITH, UM, PROFIT AND NON-PROFIT CONTRACTS FOR TRASH REMOVAL IN THE COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOODS.
I GUESS THAT ONE'S MORE OF A DSD THING.
WE REMOVE THAT, BUT I HAD MENTIONED MAYBE LIKE WITH THE TREE CANOPY, BUT THAT'S MORE OF A DSD THING, RIGHT? SO LET ME REMOVE THAT.
UM, AND ALSO I HAD POLLUTION PREVENTION AND RESPONSE.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF COMMISSIONER KRUEGER WANTED TO ELABORATE MORE WITH THAT OR WAS THAT GOOD? UM, I THINK THAT'S GOOD.
I THINK PERSONALLY LEAVING IT BROADER MIGHT, MIGHT BE HELPFUL.
I'LL SECOND IT TO KEEP US MOVING.
WELL WE HAVE A SECOND, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND VOTE ON THAT.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.
[01:10:03]
LOOKS LIKE IT'S UNANIMOUS.COFER SULLIVAN, KRUGER, EINHORN, SHERA, BEDFORD AND BRIMER.
AND ELIZABETH, I'LL, I'LL EMAIL YOU.
OH, UH, ELIZABETH FUNK WATERSHED.
UM, SINCE IT'S A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING, THERE IS NO SECTION ON FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS. YOU'RE GOING FINE.
I KNOW