Apr 30, 2024 Special Joint Sustainability Committee

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AND WE

[CALL TO ORDER ]

SO I'M CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER.

DO WE

[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ]

ALL RIGHT.

HELLO, MY NAME IS CRAIG NAZER AND I'M AN ALTERNATE TO THE COMMITTEE AND I'M ALSO WAS ON THE NATURAL SYSTEMS WORKING GROUP, WHICH IS MY PASSION.

AND I ALSO THINK IT'S THE LOWEST HANGING FRUIT OF ANYTHING.

'CAUSE IF YOU GET THE NATURAL SYSTEMS WORKING RIGHT THERE, VERY INEXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN.

UM, I FOUND TWO REALLY INTERESTING THINGS WHEN I DUG DOWN ON THIS.

UH, ONE IS IT'S NOT READY YET, BUT VERY SOON.

LIDAR THEY THINK WILL BE ABLE TO TELL TREE SPECIES IN SIZE.

I DON'T THINK YOU CAN DO IT YET, BUT THE LIDAR HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO NEW LIDAR.

THEY COVERED THE UNITED STATES AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THE, THE VERY GOOD PROPOSAL WE HAVE FOR UH, PUBLIC TREES, THE CITY COUNCIL PASS IT.

WE COULD DO IT ON PRIVATE LAND TOO WITHOUT INVASIVE, WHICH WOULD BE HUGE I THINK WOULD BE VERY, VERY BIG.

THE OTHER THING THAT I FOUND OUT IS WITH RIPARIAN RESTORATIONS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HAVE THESE GOOD IDEAS, YOU GOTTA SEE HOW THE CITY'S GONNA DO IT.

AND THAT TURNED OUT TO BE THAT THERE'S A BOTTLENECK IN RIPARIAN RESTORATIONS.

AND I WAS SU VERY SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THE BOTTLENECK IS IN NOW GETTING NATIVE SPECIES OF TREES TO PLANT.

AND BECAUSE A WHOLE LOT OF NATIVE NURSERIES HAVE CLOSED DOWN.

I KNOW A FEW THAT CLOSED DOWN, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A BIG DEAL.

BUT IT APPARENTLY IT'S HAPPENING EVERYWHERE.

TREE FOCUS, TRYING TO START UP A NATIVE NURSERY.

I DON'T KNOW HOW THE CITY WOULD DO THIS, BUT ANY MONEY TO THAT WOULD BE A REALLY BIG HELP.

IF ANYBODY HAS ANY IDEAS IF I'M JUST TALKING OUT THERE.

BUT I THINK THIS IS A GREAT ENDEAVOR AND I THINK EVERYBODY'S DONE A REALLY GOOD JOB IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

AND THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING IT ON.

THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR MEMBERS, I'M XENOBI JOSEPH.

MY COMMENTS ARE IN THE CONTEXT OF TITLE VI OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RACE, COLOR, AND NATIONAL ORIGIN.

I DO RECOGNIZE YOU HAVE THE EQUITY ACTION PLAN ON LATER AGENDA ITEM, BUT I WANTED TO SPEAK MORE SPECIFICALLY TO HOUSING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND THE DISTANCE FROM TRANSPORTATION.

SPECIFICALLY, I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S ONE TO FIVE MILES TO THE NEAREST BUS STOP.

THERE'S A TRAVIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT AGENDA BACKUP ON DECEMBER 15TH, 2020 THAT ACTUALLY SPECIFIES THE DISTANCE BASED ON MY RECOMMENDATION AND MY REQUEST FOR THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT DEVELOPMENTS.

I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE AS WELL THAT THE SYSTEM IS INE EQUITABLE NORTH OF US.

180 3.

AND I KNOW THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER JUST SPOKE OF TREES.

I WOULD ASK YOU TO GO DOWN BREAKER LANE AND YOU WILL SEE THAT THEY'RE ABOUT TO RAISE THE LAND THERE.

THERE'LL BE ABOUT 500 UNITS THAT WILL BE DEVELOPED.

AND SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT WHILE MANY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT DENSITY AND TRANSIT, I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE NO SHELTERS IN THAT AREA.

THERE ARE OVER 2000 APARTMENT UNITS WITHIN ABOUT TWO MILES FROM SAMSUNG AND THERE'S NO TRANSPORTATION.

I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 2000 UNITS AS WELL ON YEAGER AND TECH RIDGE BOULEVARD AND THERE'S NO SHELTER THERE AS WELL.

I WANT YOU TO RECOGNIZE AS WELL AT THE MARSHALLING YARD, IT'S APPROXIMATELY A HALF MILE WALK FROM THE BUS STOP THROUGH ROUTE 20.

BUT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE 300 PEOPLE THAT ARE BEING WAREHOUSED THERE, AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE OVER SIX TIMES MORE LIKELY THAN THEIR WHITE COUNTERPARTS TO BE HOMELESS IN AUSTIN.

AND SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE DISCRIMINATION THAT YOU MENTIONED IN THE PLAN, THE 1928 PLAN IS BEING RE CODIFIED TODAY.

I WOULD ASK THIS COMMISSION TO ACTUALLY PUT FORTH AN AGENDA ITEM TO ACTUALLY GET COUNSEL TO SHOW YOU ARE FOR THE STAFF TO SHOW YOU THE DENSITY AND THE AREA MEDIAN INCOME OVER IN THE AREA WHERE THE MARSHALING YARD IS.

THERE'S ALSO CAMP ESPERANZA, I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND THAT'S WITHIN TWO MILES.

I ACTUALLY PUT IN AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST BECAUSE THE MAYOR DID A DEAL WITH THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS AND ACTUALLY WILL PUT APPROXIMATELY 700 MORE INDIVIDUALS THERE.

AND THEY DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING IN THAT AREA.

IT'S AN INDUSTRIAL ZONE.

AND SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT I CALL IT EQUITY IDA

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SIMPLY PUTTING EQUITY IN A PLAN DOES NOT MAKE THE SYSTEM EQUITABLE.

AND SO I WOULD JUST ASK YOU TO RECOGNIZE AS WELL THAT THIS DOES NOT AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHER FAIR HOUSING.

THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAD ITS FAIR HOUSING SUMMIT, OR ITS TWO-DAY CONFERENCE ON THE 16TH AND 17TH.

AND JUST ON THAT PARTICULAR DAY, I WAS TRYING TO GET TO SEE THE MAYOR GIVE THE PROCLAMATION.

I BELIEVE IT WAS FALSEHOODS, BUT I WANTED TO HEAR IT FOR MYSELF.

AND CAPITOL METRO ACTUALLY DIVERTED THE BUS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND MADE US WAIT SO THAT THE WHITE CHOICE RIDERS AT HOWARD STATION WHEN THE RAIL WENT DOWN DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT.

SO I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THAT THESE INEQUITIES HAPPEN ON A DAILY BASIS, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'LL GLADLY ANSWER THEM.

AND I DO HAVE A PRESENTATION, I'M JUST NOT SURE WHAT, HOW YOUR COMMISSION OPERATES.

IF YOU COULD JUST TELL ME, TECHNICALLY IF I GIVE IT TO A TXN OR EMAIL IT TO THE LIAISON.

THANK YOU.

YEAH, YOU CAN EMAIL IT TO RAHAN AND HE CAN CIRCULATE IT TO US.

THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.

DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? NO.

OKAY.

THEN FIRST UP WE

[1. Approval of minutes from the April 24th, 2024 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. ]

HAS EVERYBODY SEEN THEM? MOTION TO APPROVE THE MEDS? OKAY.

WE'VE GOT A MOTION A SECOND AND A SECOND.

ANY EDITS, BUT FOR THE MINUTES.

OKAY.

ALL IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND, SAY AYE.

OKAY.

LOOKS LIKE EVERYBODY IS VOTING IN SUPPORT OF APPROVING THE MINUTES.

THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

UM, SO WE, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE

[2. Joint Sustainability Committee discussion and approval of recommendations for the Environmental Investment Plan, in the areas of Buildings and Energy, Transportation, Natural Systems, and Consumption. ]

UM, OTHER THAN THAT, I WOULD, UM, BECAUSE WE DID NOT GET TO, UH, THE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS RECOMMENDATIONS LAST TIME, CHARLOTTE DID SEND IN SOME QUESTIONS, WHICH I REPLIED TO.

HOPEFULLY THOSE GOT CIRCULATED.

UM, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAYBE FIRST JUST CHECK IN SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE DISCUSSION ON THAT AT OUR LAST MEETING.

UM, CHECK AND SEE IF THERE WERE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, UH, RE REGARDING ANY OF THOSE ITEMS. AND I DID, UM, JUST WANNA NOTE THAT BASED ON SOME FEEDBACK, UH, THERE ARE SOME FTES ADDED INTO THAT, KIND OF A LOT OF FTES ACTUALLY.

UM, SO JUST, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS A CHANGE FROM LAST TIME.

SO I'LL PAUSE THERE.

ANYBODY HAS ANYTHING ON THOSE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS ITEMS? CAN WE MAYBE PULL THOSE UP? OKAY.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S HELPFUL FOR FOLKS ONLINE.

IT'S PROBABLY NOT HELPFUL FOR US HERE, BUT , IS IT POSSIBLE TO ZOOM IN AND IF THERE'S NO, NO QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING IF YEAH, I NEED YOU TO SPEAK UP 'CAUSE I CAN'T SEE ANYBODY ONLINE NOW, BUT, UH, I'LL, I'LL LOG IN CHAIR.

YES, GO AHEAD.

HI, THANK YOU.

UM, IT WOULD, I DID NOT SEE RESPONSES TO, UM, THE QUESTIONS THAT I SENT IN, AND I, I DON'T, AND I DON'T WANNA TAKE A TON OF TIME, BUT I THINK SINCE WE DID NOT GET A CHANCE TO, TO DISCUSS OR LOOK AT THESE AT ALL LAST TIME, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO JUST MAYBE QUICKLY RUN THROUGH AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

THANK YOU.

AND SORRY THAT THE, I WAS, I WAS TRYING TO KEEP, KEEP US OUTTA TROUBLE, SO I THINK I DIDN'T REPLY TO YOU DIRECTLY.

UM, ALL RIGHT.

SO THE FIRST PIECE HERE IS REALLY JUST KIND OF A STATEMENT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE.

SO I'M GONNA SKIP OVER THAT.

FEEL FREE TO PULL IT UP ON YOUR COMPUTER TO READ IT.

BUT, UM, BASICALLY THE, THE FIRST SEVERAL ITEMS ARE, ARE ALL FOCUSED ON, UM, THE VARIOUS STRATEGIES TO DECARBONIZE AUSTIN ENERGY'S SUPPLY, WHICH ALIGNS WITH BOTH THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN, AS WELL AS THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.

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SO BOTH AN INCREASE IN, UM, BUDGET, WHICH, UH, I WAS TOLD SHOULD ALSO COME WITH AN INCREASE IN FTES, WHICH I THINK DOES MAKE SENSE WHAT THE RIGHT NUMBER IS.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ANY THOUGHTS ON.

UM, BUT, UH, THEN I GUESS I'M GONNA, I'LL JUST DESCRIBE THE NEXT ONE AS WELL.

'CAUSE IT'S VERY SIMILAR WITH THE DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAMS, UM, ALSO KIND OF RAMPING UP EXISTING PROGRAMS. BUT ON THIS ONE, UH, DEMAND RESPONSE FOR ANYBODY WHO'S NOT, UH, DEEP IN ENERGY STUFF IS, IS ESSENTIALLY DIFFERENT, UM, TECHNOLOGIES OR PROGRAMS THAT ALLOW THE END USER BE THAT RESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL, WHATEVER, TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE THEIR ENERGY USAGE.

UM, GENERALLY IN TIMES OF, OF HIGH ENERGY DEMAND AND HIGH ENERGY COST.

UM, SO THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO RAMP UP WHAT THEY HAVE, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE PROGRAMS ARE PRICE BASED SO THAT THE CUSTOMER IS GETTING A REAL SIGNAL THAT THERE'S, THERE'S A DIRECT BENEFIT TO PARTICIPATING, UM, AND TO EXPAND SOME OF THE, UH, WAYS IN WHICH, UH, DEMAND RESPONSE IS BEING IMPLEMENTED.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TECHNOLOGIES.

AND SO, AGAIN, THIS CAME WITH ADDITIONAL FTES AND ADDITIONAL BUDGET.

THESE ARE BOTH KEY TO GETTING TO GREENHOUSE ZERO GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS FOR AUSTIN ENERGY BECAUSE WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR OVERALL DEMAND, THAT'S THE EFFICIENCY PART, AND THEN BE MORE FLEXIBLE WITH DEMAND.

THAT'S THE DEMAND RESPONSE.

ALRIGHT, SO I'LL PAUSE THERE IN CASE FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS ON THOSE.

OKAY.

SPEAK UP IF YOU DO.

UM, NEXT UP IS BATTERY STORAGE.

AND, UH, SHARLA, I KNOW YOU HAD QUESTIONS, UM, ON THIS ONE WANTING, YOU KNOW, HOPING FOR MORE, MORE KINDA DETAIL.

UM, I CAN SAY THAT YES, DEFINITELY THIS IS, UH, CRITICAL FOR ENABLING A TRANSITION AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS AT AUSTIN ENERGY.

UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW THEY HAVE THEIR NATURAL GAS PLANTS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE RESOURCE THAT CAN RESPOND TO, UM, YOU KNOW, INCREASED COST AND, AND ENERGY NEEDS LOCALLY.

IF WE WANT THAT TO GO AWAY, WHICH THE PLAN DOES ENVISION, UM, BOTH PLANS ENVISION, THEN THERE NEEDS TO BE ANOTHER FLEXIBLE RESOURCE.

AND THAT'S WHAT BATTERIES, YOU KNOW, UM, ALLOW IS THAT FLEXIBILITY.

SO DOES DEMAND RESPONSE, BUT YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T DO IT WITH DEMAND RESPONSE ALONE.

YOU NEED, YOU NEED SOME ENERGY STORAGE AS WELL.

SO THIS IS MOSTLY FOCUSED ON THE UTILITY SCALE SIDE, BUT UM, REALLY THERE'S A NEED FOR BOTH UTILITY SCALE AND DISTRIBUTED, WHICH IS MENTIONED IN HERE, BUT THE PRICING THAT AE HAD HAD PUT FORWARD IN THEIR RESOURCE PLANNING PROCESS WAS, WAS FOCUSED ON UTILITY SCALE.

UM, THESE NUMBERS, UH, WERE THE BEST TESTS OF THE RESOURCE PLANNING WORKING GROUP FOR, FOR WHAT AUSTIN ENERGY MIGHT NEED TO ACTUALLY GET TO THAT CARBON FREE GOAL.

UM, IT'S POSSIBLE THE NUMBER IS SOMETHING SMALLER OR SOMETHING BIGGER.

WE HAVE NOT REALLY GOT AE TO WEIGH IN ON WHAT THE OPTIMAL NUMBER IS.

AND IN TERMS, OH, I THINK YOU HAD ASKED ABOUT THE PAYBACK TIME.

YES.

I DON'T HAVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER.

UM, I KNOW THERE WAS, I CAN'T REMEMBER, MAYBE IT WAS ONE OF YOU HERE HAD TOLD ME ABOUT A UT YEAH, GO AHEAD ANNA.

YEAH, SO THERE'S A MASTER'S THESIS THAT, UM, OH, I'M FORGETTING THE, THE, THE YOUNG WOMAN'S NAME, BUT OUT OF, UH, DR. MICHAEL WEBER'S GROUP AT UT AUSTIN THAT DID THAT, LOOKED AT, UM, UTILITY SCALE STORAGE ON THE ORDER OF ABOUT, I BELIEVE IT'S ONE MEGAWATT, UM, WHICH IS, WHICH IS AN ERCOT LIMIT, UM, THAT BELOW WHICH WE DON'T TRIGGER CERTAIN REGULATORY CONSTRAINTS.

UM, BUT THEY SHOWED THAT IF YOU, YOU KNOW, DID ESSENTIALLY FANCY MATH AND, AND YOU FIGURED OUT WHAT WAS THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY TO DO IT, UM, YOU'D GET A PAYBACK THAT WAS WITHIN A COUPLE YEARS.

AND, AND THE ASTERISK THERE IS, IT DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF THE SYSTEM AND THE COST OF THE SYSTEM.

BUT, UM, WHEN I,

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AND, AND I ACTUALLY FOUND, UM, A, A A, A PROJECT IN, IN SOUTH TEXAS, UM, THAT WAS REPORTED ON IN, IN I BELIEVE LIZARD'S, UM, LEVELIZED COST OF ENERGY REPORT FROM, FROM LAST YEAR.

UH, THAT QUOTED AN AN INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN OF ABOUT, I THINK 20%, WHICH IS, I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S LIKE INSANE.

SO I THINK THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD REALLY BE ENCOURAGING THE CITY TO, TO LOOK AT, UM, QUITE STRONGLY.

AND I GUESS I, I AGREE THAT THERE'S SOME QUESTIONS HERE ON THE DETAILS.

LIKE I HAVE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, HEY, DO, COULD WE ADD IN SOME EIGHT HOUR BATTERIES, WHICH ARE, ARE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE, THE, UM, FOUR AND THE, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED HOUR COSTS.

UM, BUT I THINK IN, IN ANY, THEY'RE ALREADY OUT THIS, THAT'S PART OF THIS.

OH, GREAT.

UM, I THINK THERE CLEARLY NEEDS TO BE, YOU KNOW, BOTH THE FUNDING ALLOCATED AND, AND THEN PROBABLY A DEEPER POLICY LOOK AT SPECIFICALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE DETAILS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PAPER I WAS REFERENCING LOOKED AT, UM, PLACING, UH, BATTERIES AT SUBSTATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, ONE MEGAWATT BATTERIES AT SUBSTATIONS.

UM, AND SO THAT'S ABOUT A TRAILER SIZED, UH, SORRY, LIKE A SHIPPING CONTAINER SIZED BATTERY, WHICH YOU COULD IMAGINE HAVING.

UM, SO THESE ARE THE TYPES OF DETAILS THAT I, I THINK, NEED TO BE ACTUALLY PROPERLY WORKED OUT WITH, WITH A LOT OF THOUGHT.

BUT I, UH, I THINK THERE IS CLEAR MARKET EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, THAT CAN PAY YOU BACK AND, AND PAY YOU BACK, I THINK IN A RATHER , LIKE, I, I WISH I WOULD GET 20% IN MY BANK ACCOUNT.

SO I THINK AUSTIN SHOULD HAVE THE OPTION TO BE GETTING THOSE TYPES OF COST SAVINGS.

THANKS.

YEAH.

UM, I, I THINK THAT FOR SURE WE WOULD BE IN A, IT WOULD BE IDEAL IF THIS DETAILED ANALYSIS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE WE NEED TO MAKE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.

UM, I THINK, I THINK THE IMPORTANT THING HERE IS THAT WE SIGNAL THAT BATTERIES ARE AN IMPORTANT THING TO INVEST IN, AND CLEARLY AE STILL HAS WORK TO DO, WHICH I THINK THEY WILL BE DOING OVER THE COMING MONTHS TO KIND OF FIGURE OUT THE DETAILS.

CHARLOTTE OR OTHERS.

OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT THIS? COMMENTS? I GUESS I'D JUST LIKE TO ADD KIVA, I, I THINK I, I THINK THESE NUMBERS, THESE AE NUMBERS COME FROM NRE L'S, UH, LIKE REPORTS THAT THEY, THEY DO, THEY PUT TOGETHER THESE BIG LIKE LEVELIZED COST OF ENERGY REPORTS AND THOSE REPORTS DO FORECAST A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN BATTERY COSTS OVER TIME.

NOW, THAT'S NOT TO SAY WE SHOULD DELAY DOING THIS, UM, BUT TO SAY, I THINK THOSE ASTERISK, LIKE, LIKE THERE'S, THERE'S SOME SHORT TERM, YOU KNOW, MARKET CRUNCHES, LIKE IF EVERYBODY WANTS THESE, THE PRICE WILL GO UP.

YEAH.

BUT LONG TERM, THE PRICE WILL GO DOWN.

YEAH.

YEAH.

AND I THINK, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE RESOURCE PLANNING WORKING GROUP WERE TO, TO PHASE THIS IN OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS.

SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE WE'D BE BUYING, UM, YOU KNOW, LIKE AUSTIN ENERGY WOULD BE BUYING ALL THESE BATTERIES AT ONCE.

UM, AND IT MAY BE THAT SOME PORTION OF THIS CAN COME IN THE FORM OF DISTRIBUTED, UH, BATTERIES THAT AE MAYBE ONLY PAYS A PORTION OF BECAUSE THE CUSTOMER ALSO IS A PAIN, BUT THAT STRUCTURE NEEDS TO BE PUT IN PLACE.

HI.

YEAH, PLEASE, NOEL.

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION.

I THINK YOU RAISED A REALLY GOOD POINT THAT I WANTED TO, TO, TO DOUBLE DOUBLE CLICK ON, IF YOU WILL.

YOU TALKED ABOUT THIS RESOLUTION HELPS US SIGNAL TOWARDS THE IMPORTANCE OF INVESTMENT IN BATTERIES.

AND I, WITH THOSE OF US IN THE GROUP WHO ARE MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE ON THAT SUBJECT, I'D LIKE TO DISCUSS THAT MORE BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT WHEN WE LOOK AT NOT JUST WHAT ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS WE'RE MAKING AND IS THE STRATEGY STRONG, BUT WHAT DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION SIGNAL AND OTHERS, RIGHT? YEAH.

IT'S UNLIKELY THAT ALL OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GONNA BE, UH, ADOPTED EXACTLY AS WE WRITE THEM.

UM, I THINK THESE ARE, THESE ARE TOPICS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING ON A LIST AND OF COURSE IT'S, YOU KNOW, IDEAL IF WE CAN PUT OUR, OUR BEST INFORMATION FORWARD.

BUT I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE ALL FINDING THAT OUR, THAT OUR BEST INFORMATION STILL HAS GAPS.

ALRIGHT.

UM, NEXT UP IS UTILITY OWNED OR CONTRACTED ROOFTOP SOLAR? UM, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE, THERE ARE KIND OF A SUITE OF RESOURCES THAT ARE NEEDED TO GET TO, UH, YOU KNOW, ZERO CARBON, ZERO EMISSIONS FUTURE FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.

THEY NEED TO REDUCE THE DEMAND, THEY NEED MORE

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THEY DO ALSO NEED LOCAL GENERATION.

AND IF WE WANT THAT TO BE CARBON FREE AND EMISSIONS FREE.

SOLAR IS, IS PRETTY MUCH OUR, CURRENTLY OUR LOCAL OPTION.

AND, UM, DUE TO HIGH LAND PRICES, THAT'S MORE THAN LIKELY GONNA BE ROOFTOP SOLAR PREDOMINANTLY WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS.

UM, SO THIS, THIS IS A, A STRUCTURE TO ENABLE GREATER DEPLOYMENT OF ROOFTOP SOLAR THAT DOES NOT RELY ON CUSTOMERS OR PROPERTY OWNERS INVESTING BECAUSE AUSTIN ENERGY'S CURRENT PROGRAMS, THEY'RE ALL INCENTIVE BASED, WHICH MEANS THE PROPERTY OWNER, THE CUSTOMER NEEDS TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT.

UM, AUSTIN ENERGY IS WORKING ON ANOTHER PROGRAM THAT SHOULD HELP ADDRESS THAT FOR COMMERCIAL ROOFTOPS.

THIS ONE'S FOCUSED ON RESIDENTIAL.

UM, AND, UH, IS IS REALLY, UH, DERIVED FROM, THERE'S AN EPA PROGRAM THAT IS THIS INCLUSIVE UTILITY INVESTMENT.

IT'S FOCUSED MOSTLY ON EFFICIENCY, BUT THERE ARE SOME UTILITIES THAT ARE NOW STARTING TO PILOT IT WITH SOLAR AND OTHER, UM, UTILITY INVESTMENTS AS WELL.

SO THE IDEA IS THAT THE UTILITY ACTUALLY IS PAYING FOR THESE INSTALLATIONS AND THEN THE CUSTOMER REPAYS THAT OVER TIME WITH A TARIFF WHILE THEY'RE ALSO EARNING FROM THAT SOLAR.

SO THEY'RE ALWAYS GETTING A NET BENEFIT ON THEIR BILL.

AND THEN AT, AT A CERTAIN POINT THEY NO LONGER HAVE TO PAY THAT REPAYMENT TARIFF, UM, AND THEN THEY JUST GET THE EARNINGS.

SO IT'S, IT'S A WAY TO, UM, ENABLE ULTIMATELY CUSTOMER OWNED SOLAR, BUT WITHOUT THE UPFRONT INVESTMENT BY THE, BY THE CUSTOMER.

AND THIS WOULD NOT BE A LOAN TO THE CUSTOMER.

IT'S, UM, TIED TO THE METER AND IT'S, IT'S MORE OF A UTILITY INVESTMENT IN SOLAR.

IT'S JUST ROOFTOP INSTEAD OF, INSTEAD OF SOLAR FARMS, LIKE WE'RE, WE'RE MAYBE USED TO WHEN WE THINK OF UTILITY PURCHASED SOLAR.

UM, I WILL SAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE POTENTIALLY SOME OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO THIS PARTICULAR STRUCTURE AND AM HAVING LIKE ACTIVE ONGOING CONVERSATIONS WITH, UM, WITH AUSTIN ENERGY ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, WHAT THE RIGHT PATH FORWARD IS AND HOW IT FITS IN WITH THE SOLAR FOR ALL GRANT THAT THEY JUST GOT.

UM, SO IT'S POSSIBLE THAT SOME OTHER SOLUTION EMERGES.

UM, BUT EITHER WAY THEY DEFINITELY NEED MORE STAFF ON THAT TEAM.

UM, AND I THINK THAT'S JUST KIND OF A THEME, UM, THROUGHOUT THESE, UH, AT LEAST THREE OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'VE JUST REVIEWED, NOT SO MUCH WITH THE BATTERIES THAT'S NOT QUITE AS STAFF, UM, STAB STAFF HEAVY, BUT WITH A LOT OF THESE CLEAN ENERGY RESOURCES, IT REALLY SWITCHES FROM YOU PAY NOW, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF COST IN FUEL, RIGHT? YOU PAY FOR GAS, YOU PAY FOR COAL.

WELL, WITH CLEAN ENERGY, YOU'RE NOT PAYING FOR YOUR FUEL, BUT THERE IS MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE LABOR NEEDED, WHICH I THINK IS A GOOD THING 'CAUSE IT'S PUTTING PEOPLE TO WORK.

BUT, UM, IT IS, IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO INVEST IN HAVING THE STAFF TO ACTUALLY DEPLOY LARGER PROGRAMS. SO REGARDLESS THE STAFF NEED IS THERE AND, UM, IF WE WANT AE TO INVEST, THEY NEED SOME, THERE NEEDS TO BE A POT OF MONEY TO DO THAT.

THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I, YEAH, I REALLY LIKE THIS PROGRAM AND I NOMINATE MY, MY HOME TO BE A GUINEA PIG FOR INSTALLATION.

UM, I WAS GONNA, I WAS GONNA MENTION THAT.

IS THIS, IS THIS PROGRAM BEING ADVERTISED ONLY FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOMES ARE, WITH THE GROWTH OF THIS PROGRAM, YOU ENVISION IT ALSO GOING TO MULTI-FAMILY TOWN, HOME CONDOMINIUM, COMMERCIAL ROOFTOPS, UM, OR IS THIS PRETTY MUCH STRUCTURED JUST FOR THE SINGLE FAMILY HOME TOP? HMM, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.

I COULD SEE IT WORKING FOR MULTIFAMILY GIVEN THE OTHER, UM, SOLAR KIND OF BILLING STRUCTURES THAT AE NOW HAS IN PLACE.

I THINK IT COULD WORK FOR MULTIFAMILY.

UM, TECHNICALLY YOU COULD DO IT FOR COMMERCIAL AS WELL.

UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS VERY MUCH IN THE EARLY STAGES OF, UM, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO WORK OUT THE DETAILS.

SO, UM, ALL TO BE DETERMINED, UM, I THINK, AND ALSO PROBABLY DEPENDENT

[00:25:01]

AND IF THAT'S SUPER SUCCESSFUL FOR COMMERCIAL, THEN, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THIS ISN'T A PATH THAT THEY REALLY NEED TO GO DOWN FOR COMMERCIAL.

I WILL SAY THE DOWNSIDE OF DOING IT FOR COMMERCIAL IS LIKE, THIS PROGRAM RELIES ON AUSTIN ENERGY MAKING THE INVESTMENT AND THEY GET THE MONEY BACK, BUT IT'S OVER 15 YEARS AND COMMERCIAL INSTALLATIONS ARE LARGER.

SO YOU WOULD BE PUTTING DOWN, YOU KNOW, THE UTILITY WOULD BE PUTTING DOWN A MUCH LARGER, UM, YOU KNOW, CAPITAL OVERLAY TO, TO GET TO THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO GET A CUSTOMER SET UP WITH AN INSTALLATION COMPARED TO, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTIAL BUT IS, YOU KNOW, GENERALLY AVERAGES AROUND SIX KILOWATTS.

SO PROBABLY THIS PROGRAM WOULD BE BEST FOR RESIDENTIAL, BUT I COULD SEE, YOU KNOW, MULTI-FAMILY FITTING IN THERE.

YEAH.

AND MAYBE THE ROLES CHANGE FOR COMMERCIAL VERSUS, UM, FAMILY STRUCTURES.

SO, BUT YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S GOOD THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING TO THE BRAIN JUICES FLOW HERE.

OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS? SHOULD I MOVE ON? OKAY, NEXT UP FAYETTE, THIS ONE IS I THINK, FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD AND THAT FAYETTE'S LARGEST SOURCE OF THE AUSTIN COMMUNITIES GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.

AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY THE LCRA HAS, UM, BEEN SAYING THAT THAT THAT THE CITY NEEDS TO PAY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT TO CHANGE THE CONTRACT SO THAT THEY CAN GET, SO THAT THE CITY CAN GET OWNERSHIP OF A SINGLE UNIT AND ACTUALLY SHUT IT DOWN, WHICH IS THE STATED GOAL.

UM, SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, PUTTING FORWARD THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CITY SHOULD ALLOCATE MONEY TO DO THAT.

UM, IT MAY NOT BE IDEAL, BUT, UM, GIVEN THE LARGE PORTION OF EMISSIONS AND THAT WE LITERALLY CANNOT MEET OUR CLIMATE GOALS WITHOUT SHUTTING IT DOWN, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE AMOUNT EMISSIONS AND, YOU KNOW, THE SOCIAL COST OF CARBON, WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE HARM FROM THOSE EMISSIONS, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT A TERRIBLE DEAL FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.

I THINK IT'S, IT'S MORE JUST THAT LCA IS BEING A BIT PUNITIVE, BUT, UM, THIS RECOMMENDATION IS TO, YOU KNOW, ALLOCATE SOME AMOUNT OF MONEY.

UM, AND THAT'S KIND OF TO BE DETERMINED.

'CAUSE I THINK NEGOTIATIONS ARE NOW ONGOING AGAIN, UM, OR SO I'M TOLD.

UM, SO AGAIN, THIS, THIS IS, THIS IS A RANGE BECAUSE WE DON'T, WE DON'T REALLY KNOW.

THIS IS ALL CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION PARTS.

OKAY.

I HAVE A QUESTION.

YEAH.

UM, DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE LIKE A BALLPARK NUMBER FOR THAT SOCIAL COSTS? UH, YOU, YOU'RE SAYING THAT IT'S QUITE A BIT HIGHER.

UH, SO I WAS WONDERING IF, IF WE ARE ABLE TO GET THAT NUMBER MIGHT BE GOOD TO INCLUDE IT THERE TO JUST HAVE SOME YEAH.

PERSPECTIVE.

I SHOULD HAVE, I SHOULD HAVE INCLUDED THAT IN THIS.

UM, UM, IF YOU, YOU HAVE A HANDY, I DIDN'T DO THE SOCIAL COST OF CARBON, BUT I DID MOCK UP WHAT THIS WOULD BE FOR A SIMILAR SCENARIO.

IT WAS HALF AS MANY MEGAWATTS.

SO I DID 300 MEGAWATTS.

YOU DID 700, RIGHT? NO STORAGE.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT FAYETTE.

OH CRAP.

OKAY.

LET ME, LET ME DO SOME MATH AND MAYBE WE CAN COME BACK TO THIS AT THE END AND I'LL GET YOU THANKS.

'CAUSE WE JUST HAVE TO PLUG IN THE FAYETTE EMISSIONS, RIGHT? YEAH.

MULTIPLIED BY, YEAH, YOU JUST NEED TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE USING THE, UM, THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S PORTION AND NOT THE FULL EMISSIONS, UM, WHICH THEY DID GIVE TO US.

SO LET ME KNOW IF YOU CAN'T FIND THAT.

I THINK JUST WE CAN ADD THAT IT'S, IT'S BASIC MATH.

SO IF Y'ALL WOULD, IF WE CAN'T GET TO IT IN THIS MEETING, IF YOU CAN, IF YOU CAN TRUST US TO PUT IN THE NUMBERS, THEN, THEN I THINK WE SHOULD, UH, CHARLOTTE.

THANKS.

YEAH.

UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME UP IN PUBLIC COMMENT IN TALKING ABOUT THIS IS, UM, CLEANUP AND MITIGATION, UM, OF THE SITE.

SO I WONDERED IF THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS CONSIDERED AS, AS PART OF THIS RECOMMENDATION.

YEAH.

UM, SO AUSTIN ENERGY DOES HAVE A NON, A NON-NUCLEAR DECOMMISSIONING FUND.

UM, AND SO THAT'S DECOMMISSIONING FOR FAYETTE AND FOR THE GAS PLANTS.

UM, SO THAT'S WHY IT'S NOT INCLUDED IN HERE IS THAT, THAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE ALREADY BEEN COLLECTING FOR IT.

NOW.

I THINK IT'S A VERY VALID QUESTION TO ASK, HAVE THEY COLLECTED ENOUGH?

[00:30:01]

UM, AND AUSTIN ENERGY HAS NOT DONE A FULL DECOMMISSIONING STUDY ON FAYETTE, AND I THINK THAT IS DEFINITELY WELL PAST TIME, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THAT IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY SUPPOSED TO BE SHUT DOWN BY NOW.

UM, SO I THINK WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD PUSH ON THAT AS, AS A, YOU KNOW, POLICY OR WHATEVER AN ACTION THAT NEEDS, UH, DOING.

UM, AND IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THERE IS MORE MONEY NEEDED FOR THAT.

I JUST DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD PUT IN THERE, BUT I AGREE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT.

SORRY FOR THE MAYBE NOT SATISFYING ANSWER .

OH, THAT'S HELPFUL, THANK YOU.

OKAY.

UM, I'M GONNA MOVE ON FOR NOW.

WE CAN, WE CAN COME BACK IF, IF WE GET THAT NUMBER CALCULATED.

UM, WE HAVE A COUPLE HERE THAT ARE, ARE KIND OF SUBSETS OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY, I WOULD SAY, BUT SPECIFIC PROGRAMS. UM, AND, AND, AND CHARLOTTE, YOU ASK ABOUT THIS AIR CEILING TASK FORCE TRAINING PROGRAM AND TRAINING PROGRAM.

UM, AND AT FIRST I THOUGHT, OH YEAH, IT MAKES SENSE.

LET'S ROLL THAT IN WITH THE OTHER, UM, A CCC, UM, RECOMMENDATIONS.

AND THEN I READ AGAIN AND I CHECKED IN WITH TREY, WHO WAS THE, THE ONE WHO KIND OF PUT THIS ONE TOGETHER.

AND THIS REALLY ISN'T, IT'S, IT'S DIFFERENT THAN THE PROGRAMS THAT THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY, AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS, UM, RUNS IN THAT IT'S NOT REALLY TRYING TO BRING NEW FOLKS INTO THE WORKFORCE.

IT'S TRYING TO GIVE SPECIFIC LIKE CONTINUING EDUCATION YEAH.

FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY IN, YOU KNOW, WORKING IN THE FIELD.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE WHY IT'S SEPARATE? YEP.

THANK YOU.

OKAY.

OKAY.

UM, HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON THAT, BUT I'M GONNA GO ON FOR NOW TO PASSIVE HOUSE.

UM, THIS WAS ACTUALLY JUST, UM, SUPPORTED, UH, EARLIER THIS MONTH BY COUNCIL.

UM, THEY DIRECTED STAFF TO GO FORWARD AND, AND CREATE THIS PILOT PROGRAM.

UM, SO THIS IS REALLY JUST, UH, RECOMMENDING, UM, FUNDING OF SAID PROGRAM ONCE IT'S DEVELOPED.

UM, THE IDEA IS NOT NECESSARILY THAT THIS LEVEL OF 4,000 A UNIT WOULD LIKE CONTINUE, BUT THAT BY DOING A PILOT, UH, THAT IT WILL HELP DEMONSTRATE THAT PASSIVE HOUSE AND, YOU KNOW, JUST EVEN MORE GENERALLY BUILDING HIGHLY EFFICIENT BUILDINGS IS POSSIBLE AND THAT IT IS COST EFFECTIVE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, APPROPRIATE FOR THIS CLIMATE.

SO IT'S, IT'S KIND OF ABOUT, UM, GETTING A, GETTING A MARKET SHIFT GOING HERE.

'CAUSE I THINK THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO CERTIFIED PASSIVE HOUSE, UH, BUILDINGS, EXCUSE ME.

AND PASSIVE HOUSES JUST LIKE A SPECIFIC CERTIFICATION FOR SUPER TIGHT BUILDINGS THAT ARE NOT, UM, ALLOWING, YOU KNOW, UM, LEAKAGE FROM, FROM OUTSIDE.

ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THOSE TWO BEFORE I MOVE ON? OKAY.

DECARBONIZING MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS.

THIS IS REALLY, UH, JUST JUMPING OFF OF THE, UH, WHAT I'M, I'M GONNA GET THE NAME WRONG, BUT THE AUSTIN, THE, THE PRIORITY CLIMATE ACTION PLAN FOR THE AUSTIN METRO AREA.

I DON'T KNOW, I THINK I GOT SOME OF THOSE WORDS RIGHT.

OKAY.

UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THIS GENERAL STRATEGY, I DON'T KNOW, WE MAY NOT HAVE, UH, DUPLICATED IT EXACTLY, BUT BASICALLY RETROFITTING MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS, UM, IS PART OF THAT PLAN.

AND I KNOW THE CITY IS, UH, OR TRAVIS COUNTY IS APPLYING, I THINK FOR THE MONEY FOR THAT, BUT THAT'S GONNA BE, IF THEY GET IT SPREAD AROUND BUILDINGS IN FIVE COUNTIES.

UM, SO NOT, CERTAINLY NOT ENOUGH TO TAKE CARE OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND FOR THAT MATTER, NEITHER, NEITHER IS NECESSARILY THIS AMOUNT.

SO THERE'S MORE THAN 10 BUILDINGS.

BUT, UM, THE IDEA HERE IS TO, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY FULLY UPGRADE SOME BUILDINGS TO, UM, BOTH BE MORE EFFICIENT AND, UM, YOU KNOW, KINDA BE RESILIENCE HUBS AS WELL BY ADDING BATTERIES AND, UM, OTHER, OTHER, UM, OTHER MEASURES THAT THAT CAN, CAN MAKE THEM BOTH A DEMONSTRATION AND, UH, YOU KNOW, BENEFICIAL

[00:35:01]

QUESTIONS.

OKAY.

WE HAVE TWO ON WATER AND I'M KIND OF THINKING, CHRIS, DO YOU MIND TALKING ABOUT THESE TWO? 'CAUSE YOU'RE MUCH MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE THAN I AM ON EITHER OF THEM.

ABSOLUTELY.

SO I, WE WANTED TO OBVIOUSLY TRY TO PUT SOME SORT OF WATER CONSERVATION, UM, GOALS INTO, UH, THE RECOMMENDATIONS.

AND SO OBVIOUSLY YOU LOOK AT THE LOW HANGING FRUIT, AND SO THE FIRST ONE HERE IS, UH, WATER LEAK DETECTION PROGRAMS. UM, SO AS YOU SEE IN 2023, AUSTIN WATER LOSS, UH, 8.6 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER.

SO OBVIOUSLY THAT'S IN LEAKS IN THE GROUND, BUT THAT'S ALSO POTENTIALLY METER LOSS AS WELL.

UH, YOU KNOW, NOT ACCOUNTED FOR WATER THAT ACTUALLY PASSES THROUGH THE METERS.

SO IT IS USED, IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT, UH, ACCOUNTED FOR.

UM, AND SO, UH, THIS EQUATES TO ABOUT 21.7 GALLONS PER CAPITA PER DAY OF WATER LOSS.

SO A HUGE AREA, UH, OF IMPROVEMENT.

UH, I INQUIRED TO AUSTIN WATER ABOUT THEIR CURRENT BUDGETS FOR THIS, AND RIGHT NOW THEIR CURRENT BUDGET IS, UM, 140,000 FOR SMALL DIAMETER, UM, LEAK DETECTION PROGRAMS AND A MILLION DOLLARS FOR LARGER DIAMETER, UH, PIPE, UH, ASSESSMENT AND, UH, AND FIXES.

SO, UH, I GUESS THE ASSUMPTION WOULD BE, UH, AGAIN, JUST THE THOUGHT OF HOW MUCH TO ADD TO THIS.

UM, AND SO THEREFORE I THINK, YOU KNOW, TRIPLING THAT, SO I THINK THE NUMBER WOULD BE ABOUT 3.5 MILLION TOTAL ACROSS A LARGE DIAMETER AND SMALL DIAMETER.

SO THAT WOULD BE THE NUMBER THAT WE WOULD SLOT INTO THE, THE COST.

AND OBVIOUSLY THE BENEFITS ARE, ARE HUGE AS, UH, KAABA HAD, UH, ENUMERATED THERE ON THE BENEFITS THERE.

BUT THAT'S THE, UH, LEAK DETECTION PROGRAMS, UH, BULLET POINT.

ANY QUESTIONS FROM ANYONE ABOUT THAT? I HAVE A COMMENT TO MAKE YES, ABOUT THAT.

THE, UM, STATE AGENCY TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, THEY HAVE, UM, EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND, UM, OTHER MATERIALS TO HELP PREVENT WATER LOSS AND, UM, WATER LOSS DETECTION KITS AND REPAIR KITS THAT THEY OFFER TO THE PUBLIC.

SO, UM, THAT COULD BE A CONNECTION THAT AUSTIN WATER COULD USE AS, UM, ADDITIONAL RESOURCE.

CERTAINLY.

I MEAN, I KNOW THAT AUSTIN WATER TRIES TO DO A LOT OF EDUCATION ON THAT SIDE OF, OF LEAK, YOU KNOW, PREVENTION INSIDE THE HOMES.

SO OBVIOUSLY USING SOME OTHER RESOURCES FROM A STATE AGENCY WOULD BE BENEFICIAL.

SO, UM, YEAH, THERE'S SOME LANGUAGE I CAN TACK INTO THAT FOR, UH, UH, 'CAUSE THIS IS ALL, UH, THE TALKING ABOUT LEAK PREVENTION, YOU KNOW, BEYOND THE METER.

SO IN THE STREETS, UM, ON THE CONVEYANCE LINES, UH, ONCE IT GETS INTO THE HOME, THEN IT'S, UH, THE HOMEOWNER TO KINDA WATCH, UH, PROPERTY OWNER TO WATCH OUT FOR, UH, WATER WASTE AND LEAKAGE.

UH, BUT DEFINITELY.

GOOD, GOOD SUGGESTION.

AND THEN, UH, IF NO OTHER QUESTIONS, THEN THE NEXT POINT IS, UH, TO IMPROVE THE REBATES FOR THE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPE, UH, CONVERSIONS.

SO, UM, YOU CAN JUST LOOK AT THE WATER DEMAND, UH, CHARTS OVER THE YEARS AND IN THE SUMMERTIME IT, YOU KNOW, WATER USE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, SPIKES LIKE YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE.

AND, UM, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS FOR IRRIGATION USE.

UH, THIS SPIKE IS FOR IRRIGATION USE.

SO THE IDEA IS THAT, UH, MORE REBATES SHOULD BE PUT TOWARDS GETTING HOMEOWNERS TO, UH, VOLUNTARILY CONVERT THEIR LANDSCAPING OR, OR COMMERCIAL BUILDING OWNERS AS WELL TO CONVERT THEIR LANDSCAPING IN SPECIFICALLY REDUCED TURF AREAS.

SO, UM, I'VE INQUIRED ABOUT THEIR BUDGET FOR THIS.

I WOULD BELIEVE IT'S PRETTY LOW.

UM, ALL OF 2023, WHAT IS IT? THERE WAS ONLY 19 REBATE APPLICATIONS IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, I'M ASSUMING APPLIED FOR SO VERY, VERY LOW UPTAKE.

UH, SO THE, THE PROGRAM COULD BE CHANGED A LITTLE BIT, UH, BUT ALSO INCREASING THEIR REBATE, UM, COULD HELP, UH, ENSURE THAT MORE PEOPLE WANNA DO THIS.

ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? THANKS, CHRIS.

UM, I

[00:40:01]

I GUESS WE CAN JUST SAY THE BUDGET SHOULD BE INCREASED.

UM, BUT YEAH, IT MAKES IT A LITTLE DIFFICULT THAT WE DON'T HAVE A NUMBER.

WELL, HOPEFULLY IN THE NEXT DAY OR TWO I'LL GET THE RESPONSE AND THEN FROM THAT, THEN WE CAN PUT SOMETHING IN.

YEAH, I GUESS, UH, I GUESS IT'S JUST A MATTER OF WHETHER PEOPLE FEEL YEAH.

COMFORTABLE.

COMFORTABLE, YEAH, COMFORTABLE.

I MEAN, IT IS GONNA BE A PRETTY LOW, UH, COMPARATIVE TO THESE OTHER ITEMS. YEAH, IT'S GONNA BE IN THE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS, I WOULD BELIEVE.

OKAY.

NOT THESE SORT OF MILLION.

SO IT'S A PRETTY LOW, UH, NUMBER THAT I THINK WILL GET SLOTTED IN THERE.

SO IF EVERYONE IS, UH, ON BOARD WITH THE IDEA OF INCREASING REBATES FOR THIS, BUT I DON'T THINK THE CITY OF AUSTIN HAS ANY SORT OF CRAZY BUDGET CURRENTLY RIGHT NOW FOR THAT PARTICULAR REBATE ITEM.

SHOULD WE JUST PUT FORWARD A NUMBER REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY HAVE BUDGETED NOW THAT WE THINK? SURE.

SHOULD.

I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE WE CAN PUT A PIN IN THAT AND YOU CAN YEP.

DO A LITTLE THINKING ON THAT WHEN WE ABSOLUTELY CIRCLE BACK.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THESE BEFORE WE MOVE ON? OKAY, SO, SO WE HAVE ADDED TWO NEW I, WELL TECHNICALLY ONLY ONE OF THEM IS NEW AND IT'S, IT'S ONLY NEW TO THIS CONVERSATION.

WE, WE ADOPTED IN OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS RECOMMENDATION FOR OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY TO, UM, COORDINATE OUTREACH FOR ALL OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN SUSTAINABILITY INCENTIVES.

UM, SO I THINK IT WAS CHARLOTTE SUGGESTED, UM, THAT WE REVIVE THAT RECOMMENDATION FOR, FOR THIS.

AND I KNOW THAT THERE HAD ALSO BEEN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT A WEBSITE TO CONSOLIDATE ALL THAT INFORMATION.

SO I DID MY BEST TO PUT THIS INTO ONE RECOMMENDATION, BUT PLEASE, PLEASE SPEAK UP WITH ANY OBJECTIONS OR CORRECTIONS OR EDITS OR ANYTHING.

ONE QUESTION I DO HAVE IS, WOULD THIS BE BETTER ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH AN FTE OR THROUGH AN RFP FOR AN EXISTING VENDOR? UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ABOUT WHY WE CHOSE TO GO FT? BECAUSE I MEAN, EITHER, EITHER WAY HAS BENEFITS, SO I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF THERE WAS A STRATEGY BEHIND GOING FTE VERSUS RFP FOR THE WEBSITE? OH, I DON'T THINK THE WEBSITE WAS IN, I THINK THE FTE WAS, UM, FOR THE COORDINATION FOR COORDINATING THE, THE OUTREACH, WHICH OH, I GUESS WOULD BE DONE MOSTLY VIA GRANTS AND CONTRACTS WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.

BUT YEAH, I THINK THE WEBSITE, I, I, I JUST DIDN'T EVEN SPEAK TO HOW THAT SHOULD GET DONE.

FIGURED OTHER PEOPLE CAN FIGURE OUT THAT OUT IF THEY HAVE SOME BUDGET TO DO IT.

I HAVE A CLARIFICATION QUESTION UNDER THE COSTS, 'CAUSE I SEE 500,000 AND THEN I SEE 200,000, WHAT IS THE 200,000? YEAH.

UM, REFERRING TO? YEAH, I KNEW THERE WAS GONNA BE CONFUSION THERE.

SO THIS WAS, WE HAD IN OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATION 200,000 FOR THE CONTRACTS.

SO THAT'S WHAT THAT IS REFERRING TO IS THE OUTREACH GRANTS, CONTRACTS AND STIPENDS.

UM, AND THEN WE JUST FOR THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATION HAD THAT 200,000 PLUS, I THINK IT WAS 120,000 FOR THE FTEI ADDED TO THAT THOUGH, TO GIVE BUDGET FOR ACTUALLY STANDING UP AND, AND MAINTAINING THE WEBSITE.

I HONESTLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THAT COSTS.

SO, UM, PLEASE, ANYBODY WAS INFORMED ON THAT STUFF, BUT THAT THE DEBT WAS THE 200,000 AND THAT JUST WAS TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM OUR BUDGET RECOMMENDATION.

, IF

[00:45:01]

UM, 'CAUSE IT DOES SAY THAT'S PART OF THE, UM, PART OF THIS POSITION.

OKAY.

UH, WHICH, WHICH SENTENCE? IT'S UNDER COST.

YEAH, IT'S IN THE LIST OF THINGS UNDER COST.

UM, OKAY.

IT SAYS WEBSITE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE.

YEAH, SO I, I I WAS PROPOSING THAT THAT BE PART OF WHAT THIS MONEY BE USED FOR.

OH, OKAY.

SO IT'S JUST NOT PART OF THAT POSITION R RIGHT, RIGHT.

MAY I MAKE A SUGGESTION? PLEASE.

UM, SO I THINK THIS WOULD BE CLEARER IF THE SEPARATE PIECES WERE, WERE, UM, SEPARATED OUT.

SO, UH, WHAT WE HAD IN OUR ORIGINAL RECOMMENDATION WAS $120,000 FOR THE FTE TO COORDINATE.

IT'S A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST, COORDINATE COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND PARTNERSHIP ACTIVITIES.

THEN WE HAD 200,000 FOR GRANTS CONTRACTS AND STIPENDS FOR COMMUNITY LEADERS AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS TO DO DIRECT OUTREACH.

UM, SO THAT LEAVES JUST DOING THE MATH 180,000 FOR WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT.

I PERSONALLY THINK THAT'S EXORBITANT.

UM, I, I THINK WE CAN GET SOME WEBSITE DEVELOPED FOR FAR LESS THAN THAT, BUT WHATEVER THAT AMOUNT IS, I THINK IF WE PUT THOSE IN THOSE THREE BUCKETS, THEN IT'LL BE CLEARER TO, TO FOLKS WHAT THAT'S ABOUT.

OKAY.

I'M MAKING BULLET POINTS.

UM, YEAH, SORRY.

AND ALSO JUST TO, TO SPEAK FURTHER TO THAT, LIKE WHILE WE'RE, WE'RE SAYING ALLOCATE THIS MUCH TOWARDS THIS INITIATIVE, BUT CHARLOTTE'S RIGHT, I'VE BUILT WEBSITES THAT COST A MILLION DOLLARS AND I'VE BUILT WEBSITES THAT COST $500.

SO LEAVING, SO SETTING, YOU KNOW, DEDICATE BUDGET TOWARDS COMMUNITY OUTREACH BECAUSE THAT'S IMPORTANT.

DEDICATE BUDGET TOWARDS FTE BECAUSE WE WANT THIS TO BE A PERMANENT PART OF YOUR DEPARTMENT AND CREATE AN RFP FOR A COMPETITIVE WEBSITE TO BE EXECUTED INTERNALLY OR EXTERNALLY.

I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO UNDERLINE FOR THEM HOW MUCH TO SPEND ON THE WEBSITE.

AND I THINK IN ALL HONESTY, THE FULL BUDGET YOU GIVE, IF THE WEBSITE WASN'T INCLUDED, BUT YOU SAID BE COMPETITIVE, I WOULD STILL BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE DOLLARS THAT YOU PROPOSED BASED ON THE INITIATIVES AND THE GOALS THAT ARE OUTLINED.

OKAY.

THAT MAKES SENSE.

SO BASICALLY WHAT I'VE JUST DONE IS BREAK THAT INTO THREE BULLET POINTS, 120,000 FOR THE ONE ADDITIONAL FDE 200,000 FOR THE OUTREACH GRANTS, CONTRACTS AND STIPENDS, AND THEN JUST WEBSITE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE, UM, VIA COMPETITIVE RFP , ALTHOUGH WE DON'T EVEN PROBABLY NEED TO BE THAT SPECIFIC.

I THINK WE COULD JUST SAY WEBSITE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE.

I THINK PUT YOUR TOTAL, I THINK YOU COULD PUT YOUR TOTAL PROGRAM ALLOCATION BECAUSE, UH, ONE 20 FTE MAY GET IT DONE AND MAY NOT.

MM-HMM.

, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT I, BUT I, I DO THINK YOU'RE, YOU'RE WISE TO PUT A A, A TOTAL, THAT TOTAL 500 THERE.

OKAY.

BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU NEED TO PUSH TO, TO RESTRAIN TO, TO HOW, HOW THAT, UH, ALL HOW THOSE THREE BULLETS ACROSS THE BOARD ARE SPENT.

LIKE, I THINK I, I THINK THAT'S, YOU'RE PUTTING UNDUE PRESSURE ON YOURSELF.

THERE ARE, ARE YOU SAYING WE SHOULD JUST SAY STAY SILENT ON ALL THE AMOUNTS? OKAY.

YEAH.

YOU'RE LIKE HALF A MILLION TO COMPLETELY FIGURE IT OUT.

YEAH.

I'M, I'M GOOD WITH THAT.

IS EVERYBODY GOOD WITH THAT? YEAH.

LIKE THAT.

COOL.

ALRIGHT, THANKS.

AND SORRY THAT MY WRITING WASN'T THE MOST CLEAR NO, THIS IS GREAT.

YOU'RE THE, YOU, YOU DIALED IN ON WHAT WE NEEDED THEM TO DO.

SO THAT WAS REALLY HELPFUL FOR ME.

COOL.

ALRIGHT.

UM, THE OTHER ITEM THAT WE, IT'S, IT'S NOT NEW BECAUSE IT WAS IN, I THINK, BUT IT'S MERGED.

UM, SO WE NOW HAVE ONE ITEM THAT ADDRESSES THE AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS.

BOTH THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE COMING FROM NATURAL SYSTEMS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE COMING FROM, UH, SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS.

SO MAYBE WE CAN JUST MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS MEETING EVERYONE'S

[00:50:01]

CAN WE BRING THAT ONE UP PLEASE? OH, THE, UM, GOSH, WHAT IS THE FILE NAME? CIVIL AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS RECOMMENDATION.

OKAY.

SO THE FORMATTING IS DIFFERENT AND I'M REALIZING THERE'S A TYPO THAT SHOULD SAY THIS INCLUDES THE SOLAR TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM AND I KNOW THAT AFTER I SENT THIS, I SAW YOUR EMAIL CHARLOTTE, AND YOU WERE SUGGESTING TO ALSO INCLUDE AT A CC, THE, WHAT WAS IT, SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS. IS THAT RIGHT? THAT WAS, THAT WAS JUST A THOUGHT.

I KNOW, UM, JOHN HAD MENTIONED THAT IN HIS CONVERSATION WITH THE A CC PERSON, THEY, THEY HAD A SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE TRACK, BUT, SO I I'M NOT INSISTENT ON THAT .

YEAH.

I MEAN, MAKES SENSE TO ME.

SO I'VE JUST ADDED THAT TO THE LAST END OF THE LAST SENTENCE UNDER DETAILS.

THEY HAD ALSO ADDED, HAD A, A WIN PROGRAM, BUT ALL OF THIS IS BASED ON THE DEMAND.

SO IT WAS, IT WAS DORMANT, BUT THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE, UH, PROGRAMS OVER THERE AT A CC IF THEY GET THE, THE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN TAKING THOSE COURSES.

SO.

OKAY.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE LANGUAGE HERE IS GENERAL ENOUGH, UH, TO SUIT THAT NEED OR, YEAH, I THINK SO.

OKAY.

BECAUSE I, I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY MORE THAT HADN'T BEEN, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN, HAVEN'T BEEN THOUGHT OF OR CREATED YET, SO.

OKAY.

UM, I WILL SAY WHAT I, I DID, I DID WHAT I COULD IN TERMS OF TRYING TO TAKE THE INFORMATION THAT, THAT JOHN HAD GATHERED, UM, ABOUT THE FTES AND THE TEMPORARY STAFF AND THEN TRY TO APPLY THAT TO LIKE, WELL IF YOU'RE ADDING NEW ENERGY FOCUSED PROGRAMS, UH, ON MULTIPLE TRACKS, LIKE WHAT MIGHT THAT NEED LOOK LIKE THEN? UM, IT'S PROBABLY NOT EXACT, BUT, UM, DID ADD I THINK TWO FTES AND THEN I THINK DOUBLED THE TEMPORARY STAFF BUDGET, UM, IN ADDITION TO ADDING TO THE OVERALL, UM, BUDGET.

I KNOW A LOT OF YOU CARE ABOUT THIS PROGRAM.

IS THIS WHAT WE WANNA BE SAYING? IS EVERYBODY HAPPY WITH IT? ? YEAH.