[00:00:02]
[CALL MEETING TO ORDER]
AMANDA ARE ONLINE.AND WHO ELSE IS ON ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS ONLINE? WELL, WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
THANK YOU FOLKS FOR, FOR MAKING IT OUT.
UH, WE NEED, UH, AMANDA TO SEND HER SIGN AN INFO.
AMANDA, DID YOU HEAR THAT? OH, THANK YOU.
ALRIGHT, SO PENDING THAT WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
SO HAVING SAID THAT, THE AGENDA IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
I THINK WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF, UH, A COUPLE OF ACTION ITEMS HERE.
ONE OF THEM IS THE, UH, THE BUDGET IN VICTORIA.
YOU'RE GOING TO PRESENT THE BUDGET TO US, AND AFTER THE BUDGET, WE WILL, UH, JUMP INTO THE ANNUAL REVIEW.
I THINK THERE'S A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS ON THAT ANNUAL, UH, REVIEW THAT WE WANTED TO PERHAPS GET OUT OF THE WAY THIS EVENING.
AND THE REST OF, UH, THE AGENDA IS BASICALLY STAFF BRIEFINGS, RICHARD AND AND STAFF.
BUT, UH, TO MAKE A LONG STORY, SURE WE CAN GET STARTED HERE.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
APPROVAL.I DON'T THINK ANYBODY'S SIGNED UP.
IS THAT CORRECT? NO ONE SIGNED UP.
ALRIGHT, NEXT ITEM IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES, AND THAT'S FROM THE MAY 8TH, 2024 MEETING.
I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE MINUTES.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? YEAH, I'LL SECOND THAT.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MINUTES HEARING? NO DISCUSSION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.
ALL RIGHT, THE NEXT ITEM AGAIN
[2. Discussion and action regarding a recommendation on the FY 2024/25 Austin Resource Recovery Budget.]
IS THE, UH, LITERALLY BUDGET PRESENTATION BY VICTORIA.DO I NEED TO DO SOMETHING UP HERE TO BRING THE PRESENTATION UP OR, OH, YOU'RE DOING IT.
GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC.
MY NAME'S VICTORIA RIEGER AND I'M THE FINANCE DIVISION MANAGER FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
I'M HERE TO PRESENT THE DEPARTMENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025.
THE PRESENTATION THIS EVENING WILL BEGIN WITH AN OVERVIEW OF OUR CURBSIDE COLLECTION SERVICES, INCLUDING COST OF SERVICE, CUSTOMER COUNT, AND CART DISTRIBUTION, FOLLOWED BY AN OVERVIEW OF THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE.
AND FINALLY, WE'LL REVIEW THE DEPARTMENT'S PROPOSED BUDGET, INCLUDING A LOOK AT OUR FISCAL YEAR 26 PLANNED BUDGET AS PUT FORTH BY THE CITY MANAGER.
WE'LL LOOK AT OUR PROPOSED RATE CHANGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, AS WELL AS OUR PROPOSED FUND SUMMARY, OUR TOP 10 EXPENSE CATEGORIES AND OUR CIP OR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
ARRS CURBSIDE TRASH COLLECTION SERVICES ARE FUNDED BY TRASH CART, UH, FEES CARTS, BUILD CART FEES ARE BILLED TO CUSTOMERS WHO RECEIVE WEEKLY TRASH COLLECTION FROM A RR RESIDENTIAL TRASH COLLECTION CARTS ACCOUNT FOR 99% OR APPROXIMATELY 215,000 CARTS BILLED FOR OUR CURBSIDE COLLECTION CARTS WHILE 1% OR 3030 36, UH, ARE COMMERCIAL.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE PERCENT DISTRIBUTION OF RESIDENTIAL CARTS BILLED BY SIZE.
THE BLUE CHART AT THE TOP PROVIDES A HISTORY OF THE PERCENT DISTRIBUTION AMONG HER CART SIZES IN JANUARY OF THE YEARS, DISPLAYED THE CART SIZE DISTRIBUTION CHANGES ARE VERY SMALL ON A YEAR OVER YEAR BASIS, BUT GENERALLY WE'VE SEEN VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT TO SMALLER SIZED CARTS.
[00:05:01]
INCREASE IN THE USAGE OF THE EXTRA LARGE CART AS OPPOSED TO A DECREASE THAT WE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE AS THE PRICE OF THAT CART CONTINUES TO INCREASE.THE DEPARTMENT IS PROPOSING A 1 CENT PER GALLON INCREASE TO THE SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE CARTS, AND A 2 CENT PER GALLON INCREASE TO THE EXTRA LARGE CART TO ALIGN TO OUR COST OF SERVICE.
ANOTHER MAJOR A RR RATE IS OUR BASE CUSTOMER FEE.
THIS FEE ALSO SUPPORTS OUR CURBSIDE COLLECTION SERVICES SUCH AS RECYCLING, COMPOST, BRUSH COLLECTION, AND PROCESSING, AND BULK COLLECTION.
THIS FEE IS CHARGED TO ALL OF OUR A RR CURBSIDE CUSTOMERS, INCLUDING RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
AS THE CHART INDICATES, THE NUMBER OF CURBSIDE COLLECTION RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS COMPRISES 99% OF OUR CUSTOMER BASE, WHILE 1% IS COMMERCIAL IN NATURE, AND THESE COUNTS ARE AS OF MAY OF 2024.
A NEW BASE FUNDED SERVICE IN FISCAL YEAR 25 IS THE CITYWIDE ROLLOUT OF ON-CALL HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION.
OUR PROPOSED BUDGET INCREASES THE BASE RATE BY A DOLLAR 45 RATE INCREASES BEING PROPOSED WILL HELP US RECOVER OUR OPERATING RESERVE AS REQUIRED BY OUR FINANCIAL POLICY, AS WELL AS ONGOING COST DRIVERS SUCH AS WASTE WAGE, INCREASES, MARKET STUDIES, AND CONTRACTUAL INCREASES.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS THE HISTORY OF BASE CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS.
THE BLUE CHART SHOWS RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER COUNT INCREASING BY AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT ONE POINT A HALF PERCENT PER YEAR SINCE 2020.
AND THE MULTICOLORED CHART ON THE BOTTOM SHOWS A PROJECTED GROWTH IN OUR RESIDENTIAL BASED CUSTOMER COUNT AND A SMALL DECLINE IN COMMERCIAL BASED CUSTOMERS.
THE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER GROWTH ASSUMPTIONS ARE BASED ON PROJECTIONS PROVIDED BY THE CITY DEMOGRAPHER'S OFFICE.
THIS SLIDE PRESENTS THE COST OF SERVICE RESULTS FOR THE BASE CUSTOMER FEE AND THE TRASH COLLECTION FEE SUPPORTING THE SERVICES LISTED.
UH, AT THE LEFT ON THE CHART, THE TOTAL ANNUAL COST OF SERVICE FOR BASE SERVICES TOTALS 62.2 MILLION, WHICH TRANSLATE TO TRANSLATES TO A MONTHLY COST OF 2346.
AFTER OFFSETTING REVENUE WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE FOR THINGS SUCH AS RECYCLING, REVENUE SERVICE, SERVICE INITIATION FEES, AND INTEREST INCOME, THE NET MONTHLY COST TO PROVIDE SERVICES SUPPORTED BY THE BASE FEE IS APPROXIMATELY 2165.
FOR TRASH COLLECTION SERVICES, THE TOTAL COST OF SERVICE IS $35 AND 40 CENTS, TRANSLATING INTO A MONTHLY COST OF 1344, AND AFTER APPLYING OFFSETTING REVENUE PRIMARILY FROM EXTRA GARBAGE FEES, THE NET COST OF PROVIDING CURBSIDE TRASH COLLECTION SERVICE IS $13 AND 12 CENTS PER MONTH.
THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE IS ESTABLISHED BY ORDINANCE TO PROVIDE LITTER AND NUISANCE ABATEMENT, STREET CLEANING, HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE.
THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE IS BUILT ALL RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS IN THE A RR SERVICE AREA, WHICH INCLUDES APARTMENT COMPLEXES AND OTHER MULTI-FAMILY UNITS.
AS OF MAY, 2024, A RR CUSTOMERS WHO PLAY PAY THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE ARE COMPRISED OF OVER 449, UH, RESIDENT THOUSAND RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, AND OVER 25,000 COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
THE DEPARTMENT IS PROPOSING AN INCREASE TO THE RESIDENTIAL CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE OF 45 CENTS PER MONTH TO A TOTAL OF $5 AND 45 CENTS.
NO CHANGE IS PROPOSED FOR THE COMMERCIAL CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE CHARGE.
THE DEPARTMENT'S PROPOSED MAJOR RATE CHANGES FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, AS MENTIONED, INCLUDE AN INCREASE TO ALL OF OUR MAJOR FEES.
THE $2 AND 50 CENT INCREASE, AS YOU SEE ON THE CHART THERE AT THE BOTTOM, IS RELATED TO OVERALL DEPARTMENTAL GROWTH AND COST DRIVERS REQUIRED TO CONTINUE SERVICES.
OUR PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR 25 REVENUE IS 134.5 MILLION, 91.1 MILLION
[00:10:01]
OF THAT COMES FROM OUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS AND INCLUDES BASE REVENUE AS WELL AS TRASH CART REVENUE.3.1 MILLION COMES FROM COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS PAYING THE BASE AND CART FEES.
THIS IS JUST OVER 2.3% OF OUR REVENUE STREAM.
34.3 COMES FROM 34.3 MILLION COMES FROM THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEES PAID BY BOTH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS, AND THIS REPRESENTS 26% OF THE ARRS REVENUE STREAM.
THIS FUND SUMMARY SNAPSHOT OF OUR PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, IF YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS SHOWS AVAILABLE FUNDS OF 145.02 MILLION, AND THE TOTAL PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS OF 134.6 MILLION.
AND AGAIN, THAT'S IN THE SECOND TO LAST COLUMN UNDER TOTAL PROPOSED SMALL FOR YOU TO SEE.
AND THE COLUMN ON THE RIGHT IS OUR, UH, 26 PLANNED BUDGET.
SO IF YOU WANNA JUST KIND OF FOCUS ON THAT.
UH, NEXT TO LAST COLUMN ON THE RIGHT, UM, THE TOTAL PROPOSED REVENUE FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 OF 134.56 VERSUS TOTAL PROPOSED REQUIREMENTS OF 134.46 REPRESENTS A BALANCED BUDGET THAT WILL NOT REQUIRE THE USE OF OUR FUND BALANCE TO FUND CURRENT OPERATIONS, BUT RATHER TO MEET OUR RESERVE POLICY OF 30 DAYS OF OPERATING FUNDS.
IN OUR FISCAL YEAR, UM, 25 PROPOSED BUDGET, WE ARE INCLUDING NINE FTE.
AND HERE'S A LISTING OF THE FTE PROPOSED.
THE FIRST TWO ON THE LIST ARE RELATED TO THE, ON THE ROLLOUT OF THE ON-CALL HHW PROGRAM CITYWIDE.
UH, THE NEXT THREE POSITIONS, PROGRAM MANAGER, CREW LEADER, AND OPERATOR ARE FOR THE, UH, PLANNED OPENING OF THE FURNITURE REUSE WAREHOUSE.
AND, UH, THE LAST FOUR REMAINING POSITIONS ARE FOR THE, UH, DIVISIONS THAT YOU SEE THERE.
CARTS, UM, AN APPLICATION DEVELOPER FOR GIS, AN HR SPECIALIST, AND, UH, ONE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SPECIALIST THAT'S GONNA BE SHARED BETWEEN TWO DIVISIONS, HR AND FINANCE.
THIS IS A, A LOOK AT OUR, UH, TOP 10 FISCAL YEAR 25 PROPOSED EXPENSE CATEGORIES.
TO KINDA GIVE YOU AN IDEA WHERE A MAJORITY OF OUR PROPOSED BUDGET, UH, EXPENDITURES, UM, ARE COMPRISED OF, UH, THE LAST, LET'S SEE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, 86% OF OUR TOTAL BUDGET IS IN THESE TOP 10, UH, CATEGORIES OF EXPENSES.
THE OBVIOUSLY PERSONNEL, UH, IS TYPICALLY AT THE TOP OF THE LIST.
THIS LINE SUPPORTS, UH, FTE OF, UH, PROPOSED FTE OF 500 530 AND INCLUDES WAGES, OVERTIME, INSURANCES, INSURANCE, AND TAXES.
THE NEXT LARGEST CATEGORY IS VEHICLE MAINTENANCE, WHICH AMOUNTS TO 14.5 MILLION CAPITAL SPENDING ON VEHICLE REPLACEMENT AND EQUIPMENT ROUNDS OUT THE TOP THREE AT 11.7 MILLION OR 9% OF OUR BUDGETED SPENDING.
CITYWIDE ALLOCATION FOR SUPPORT SERVICES, INCLUDING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, REPRESENTS 6% OF OUR BUDGET, UH, AND FUEL, UH, THE LANDFILL DISPOSAL CONTRACT, WHICH INCLUDES TIFFING FEES FOR ALL OF OUR TRASH COLLECTION AND OUR PAYMENT OF DEBT FINANCED CAPITAL ITEMS EACH COMES IN AT ABOUT 3% OF OUR, UH, BUDGETED SPENDING.
THE ALLOCATION TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S NETWORK AND SUPPORT OF THE UTILITY BILLING SYSTEM IS ABOUT 2% OF OUR BUDGETED BUDGETED SPENDING.
AND FINALLY, UH, WE ARE BUDGETING 1.7 MILLION FOR VARIOUS DUMPSTER CONTRACTS, AND THIS ROUNDS OUT THE, THE LIST OF OUR TOP 10 EXPENSE CATEGORIES.
UH, THE FISCAL YEAR 25 PROPOSED CAPITAL BUDGET IS REPRESENTED, REPRESENTED BY THREE CATEGORIES OF SPENDING THAT YOU SEE ON THIS SLIDE, VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT BUILDING AND IMPROVEMENTS AND LANDFILLS.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THE 10.7 MILLION
[00:15:01]
IN VEHICLES AND EQUIPMENT IS PRETTY SELF-EXPLANATORY.IT'S AN ANNUAL TRANSFER, UH, THAT WE MAKE FROM OUR OPERATING INTO CIP TO FUND THE PURCHASE OF NEW AND REPLACEMENT VEHICLES, UM, UNDER BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS.
UM, THE 465,000 THAT YOU SEE THERE REPRESENTS 315,000 FOR POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR A FURNITURE REUSE WAREHOUSE.
150 IS FOR THE PLACEMENT OF A PORTABLE BUILDING AT OUR BRUSH PROCESSING OPERATION AT THE CITY'S HORNS V BEND LOCATION.
AND, UH, WE'RE ALSO TRANSFERRING 520,000 FOR CONTINUED WORK ON THE NORTH SLOPE STABILITY PROJECT AT THE, UH, CLOSED LANDFILL.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.
I'LL BE HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANY OF YOU HAVE.
THANK YOU, VICTORIA COMMISSIONERS.
UM, SO JUST A COUPLE QUICK ONES.
THANK YOU, BY THE WAY, VICTORIA.
IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO HEAR ALL THIS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU NOTED THAT THERE'S NO CHANGE TO THE COMMERCIAL COMMUNITY, UH, CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE.
IS THAT JUST BECAUSE IT'S HIGH ENOUGH ALREADY OR WHAT IS, I DON'T KNOW, THE REASONING, RIGHT? WHEN WE PERFORM OUR COST OF SERVICE STUDY EVERY YEAR, WHICH KIND OF CALCULATES WHAT RATES NEED TO BE, UM, WE SEPARATE THE CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE INTO THOSE RESIDENTIAL ACCOUNTS VERSUS COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS.
SO THAT ESSENTIALLY TELLS US WHAT WE NEED TO INCREASE OUR RATES BY.
AND THAT PARTICULAR, UH, THE SERVICES SUPPORTED BY THE COMMERCIAL CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE ARE ALREADY AT COST OF SERVICE, SO.
UM, THIS COULD BE A BIT OF A BIGGER QUESTION, BUT WHEN I LOOK AT THE PROPOSED FDS, I KNOW IN THE PAST WE HAD, UM, ADDED SOME PEOPLE, I THINK, IN TERMS OF ENFORCEMENT, AND I'M JUST WONDERING, HAS THAT BEEN EFFECTIVE? WHAT'S BEEN THE RETURN ON THAT? AND I NOTICED THAT THERE'S NOBODY FURTHER ON THIS SAYS, DO WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE GOOD ON THAT, OR THAT'S NOT A PRIORITY FOR THIS COMING YEAR.
ANY COMMENTS ON THAT? YEAH, WE DON'T, YEAH, I'LL DEFINITELY LET JASON TOUCH ON IT, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, WE DON'T HAVE ANY FTE, UH, FOR THIS COMING BUDGET HERE, BUT JASON CAN SPEAK TO THE PROGRAM.
JASON MCCOMBS, UH, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
I'M DIVISION MANAGER, UM, FOR OUR, UH, COMPLIANCE UNIT, WE, UM, ACTUALLY RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT ONE SUPERVISOR AND WE JUST HIRED OUR THIRD, UM, INSPECTOR.
SO WE'VE BEEN GROWING EACH YEAR FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS.
UM, WE'RE GETTING A LOT OF THE KIND OF EQUIPMENT COMING IN AS WELL, AND SO WE'VE ADDED, UM, THEY'VE ALL GOT THEIR OWN ELECTRIC VEHICLES NOW.
THEY'VE GOT BOLTS THAT THEY'RE DRIVING, THEY'RE BEGETTING ALL THEIR UNIFORMS ON THE LINE, KIND OF FORMALIZED AS WELL.
SO THEY'RE REALLY GETTING UP AND RUNNING, I THINK IN A TRUE KIND OF PROFESSIONAL SENSE RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE WE'VE JUST BROUGHT ON, UM, THIS THIRD ONE THIS YEAR.
I THINK WE'RE GONNA POTENTIALLY, UM, JUST HIT PAUSE.
UM, BUT WE WILL BE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY ADDING, UM, FUTURE INSPECTORS, I GUESS INSPECTORS IN THE FUTURE.
UM, BUT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW WITH THE THREE AND THE, THE, UH, FULL TEAM JUST NOW BEING IN PLACE, WE'RE KIND OF, WE'RE AT A, UH, WE WANNA SEE HOW IT'S GOING, WHAT WE CAN DO, AND WHAT KIND OF IMPACT WE CAN MAKE.
WE ARE SEEING A LOT OF RETURN ON THAT THERE.
WE ARE SEEING IMPACT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, BEFORE WE'VE HAD OUR BUSINESS OUTREACH TEAM PRIMARILY KIND OF ACTING A LITTLE BIT AS EDUCATION AND A LITTLE BIT OF THAT KIND OF COMPLIANCE ENFORCEMENT SIDE, AND WE'VE HAD THEM STEP BACK.
UM, IT DOES HELP AT A CERTAIN POINT TO HAVE SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, IN KIND OF A FORMAL UNIFORM AND A BADGE KIND OF SHOW UP, AND WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF, UH, VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE, UM, FROM THAT.
SO I DON'T HAVE ANY HARD DATA WITH ME HERE IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT, UM, I CAN TELL YOU JUST ANECDOTALLY SPEAKING, WE'VE SEEN GREAT RETURNS ON IT.
I MEAN, JUST FOR A FUTURE REPORT BACK TO, YOU KNOW, HAVE A FEW SLIDES MAYBE TO JUST KIND SHOW US OR JUST TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW IT'S GOING, OF COURSE, AND WHERE IT'S BEEN EFFECTIVE AND WHERE YOU MIGHT SEE THE PROGRAM GOING AND GROWING.
ANY OF THE QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, UM, THE USE OF THE SIZE OF THE CARTS, I MEAN, I WOULD THINK THAT WHEN YOU SEE THE SMALLER CART IS CHEAPER, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE USING THE SMALLER CARDS WOULD GO UP OVER TIME.
I MEAN, I WOULD THINK THEY'D FIGURE OUT IF I RECYCLE MORE AND IF I SEPARATE, BUT THEY'RE NOT.
AND I'M JUST CURIOUS IF YOU'VE THOUGHT ABOUT OR HAVE ANY INFORMATION, ANY DATA ABOUT
[00:20:01]
WHY THAT IS.UM, GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONER RICHARD MIKHAIL, DIRECTOR OF FROST AND RESOURCE RECOVERY.
YOU KNOW, A FEW YEARS BACK, UH, WE HAD A, UH, A, A RATE INCREASE FOR THE 90 GALLON, THE NINE, THE EXTRA LARGE AS WE CALL IT NOW.
AND WE ACTUALLY, FOR A WHILE, WE DID SEE, WE SAW A LOT MORE FOLKS WERE CHOOSING THE SMALLER CARTS, UH, AND LESS IN THE EXTRA LARGE CARTS.
THAT KIND OF STOPPED AFTER A WHILE AND IT KIND OF FLATTENED OUT AND IT ACTUALLY KIND OF REVERSED.
UM, YOU KNOW, MY ANECDOTAL THOUGHTS ON IT ARE, UM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF NEW PEOPLE COMING TO THIS COMMUNITY.
THIS COMMUNITY HAS, UH, A LOT OF THE FOLKS THAT WERE NOT ABLE TO, UH, LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY FOUND THAT UNAFFORDABLE HAVE KIND OF LEFT THIS AREA.
WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT HAVE COME IN THAT, UH, THAT DON'T HAVE THOSE FINANCIAL CHALLENGES.
SO THE LARGER, UH, THE, THE COST IS NOT AS MUCH OF AN IMPACT TO THEM, UM, BECAUSE WE'VE DEFINITELY SEEN A NUMBER OF 96 GALLON CARTS, UH, INCREASE.
SO THIS, UH, THE REASON FOR THE 1 CENT VERSUS THE 2 CENT, UH, INCREASE THAT WE'RE DOING IS, AGAIN, TO TRY TO DRIVE THAT CHANGE, UM, TO SEE IF FOLKS WILL THEN, UH, GO AHEAD AND, AND, UH, AND SWITCH DOWN TO THE SMALLER CARTS.
UH, LIKE WE SAW BEFORE, THE, THE 36 IS IN THE, IN THE 60 FOURS, UH, THEY KIND OF WERE STEADY, BUT, UH, WE DEFINITELY SAW, UM, EARLIER IN THIS PROCESS, UH, THE 24 GALLONS WERE AT ONE POINT THAT WE ACTUALLY HAD MORE PEOPLE IN THE 24 GALLONS, UH, THAN WE DID THE 96.
AND THAT, THAT TREND HAS REVERSED, UM, JUST SOME ANECDOTAL THINGS, UM, THAT WERE, WE'RE SEEING OUT THERE.
BUT WE DO NOTICE IT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO TRY TO DRIVE BACK FOLKS BACK INTO THOSE SMALLER CARTS.
MELISSA, I MEAN, THAT WAS THE QUESTION THAT I WAS GONNA ASK.
HOW AGGRESSIVE WE WERE GONNA BE TRYING TO PUSH PEOPLE INTO SMALLER CARTS.
YOU KNOW, QUICK THOUGHT HERE, I, I'M LOOKING AT, UH, ON THE CAPITAL SPENDING SIDE ITSELF, WHEN IT, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO THE FACILITIES, DOES THAT INCLUDE THE ACTUAL FEASIBILITY STUDY ON THE POTENTIAL OR POSSIBLE TRANSFER STATION? SO THAT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE 11.6 THAT YOU SEE IN THIS SLIDE, BUT WE HAVE, WE DO HAVE AVAILABLE FUNDING, UM, FOR THE FEASIBILITY STUDY, FOR THE TRANSFER STATION ALREADY IN CAP.
SO WE DON'T NEED ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR THAT.
SO THAT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THIS NUMBER.
IT'S ALREADY OUT THERE, CORRECT.
AND THEN, UH, THE BOY THAT DARN EIGHT 12 LANDFILL SLOPE STABILIZATION, IS THAT, UH, IS THAT GOTTEN TO BE A, IS THAT AN ANNUAL THING? I MEAN, WE'VE, WE'RE, WE'RE BEYOND OUR, THE TCEQ IS, WE'RE SIGNED OFF WITH THEM.
WE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE EVER SIGNED OFF.
I MEAN, WE
SO THERE WILL BE CONTINUING COST FROM, FROM HERE ON
AND THAT'S JUST AN ANNUAL THING THAT WE'VE ALWAYS EXPERIENCED.
I MEAN, SINCE, SINCE THE, UH, CLOSURE.
YEAH, WE, WELL, WE'VE HAD VARIOUS PROJECTS OUT THERE FOR, FOR DIFFERENT REASONS FROM EROSION TO SETTLING AND OTHER ISSUES.
SO THIS IS JUST PARTLY ONGOING MAINTENANCE OF THAT FACILITY THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF PROPERTY.
GOD, BIG, SPACIOUS, GORGEOUS VIEWS OF THE CITY SKYLINE.
OR MAYBE WE SHOULD RENT THAT TO SOMEBODY.
WELL, HOPEFULLY WE WILL HAVE, UH, AN AGREEMENT WITH, UH, TO HAVE SOME SOLAR OUT THERE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR, UH, STAFF, AMANDA AND THEN MELISSA? THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THE REPORT AND THE DISCUSSION.
UM, I HAD TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT PERSONNEL.
UH, THE FIRST IS RELATED TO THE HIGH TURNOVER ON SOME OF THE POSITIONS.
AND I REMEMBER, AND THINK IT WAS LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, I HOPE I'M REMEMBERING CORRECTLY, WHERE, UM, THERE WERE JUST BUDGETED BONUSES AND SOME ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES TO TRY TO GET SOME MORE STABILITY IN HIRING.
SO, QUESTIONS RELATED TO THAT, ARE YOU STILL HAVING THAT ISSUE? AND IF SO, IS THAT ALREADY ACCOUNTED FOR? YOU KNOW, THOSE INCENTIVES, BONUSES, ET CETERA, IS THAT ALREADY ACCOUNTED FOR IN THIS BUDGET? SO ANY, ANY, UM, INCENTIVES ARE INCLUDED IN, IN THE BUDGET? UM, AS FAR AS OUR STAFFING LEVELS, WE'RE ACTUALLY IN A MUCH BETTER SHAPE TODAY THAN WE WERE EVEN SIX MONTHS AGO.
UH, WE WERE HOVERING IN EXCESS OF 15% VACANCY RATE AT ONE POINT,
[00:25:01]
AND THAT IS NOW DOWN TO ABOUT, UH, ABOUT 9.5%.SO DOING MUCH BETTER ON THAT FRONT.
FOLKS ARE TENDING TO STICK AROUND IN POSITIONS A LITTLE LONGER.
I GUESS THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY IN THE, IN THE, THE JOB, UH, JOB WORLD OUT THERE RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO NOT AS MUCH OF AN ISSUE AS IT WAS LAST YEAR.
WE WERE DEFINITELY STRUGGLING TO, TO RECRUIT FOLKS.
UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD, UM, SOME, SOME RATHER, UM, WELL-ATTENDED, UH, RECRUITING EVENTS.
UM, SO WE DO HAVE A LOT OF INTEREST FROM FOLKS.
SO, UM, JUST TO SUMMARIZE THE QUESTION, UH, IT'S NOT AS MUCH OF AN ISSUE NOW AS IT WAS BACK THEN.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER PERSONNEL QUESTION IS ABOUT, UM, DO YOU MIND SCROLLING BACK TO THE NEW FTE SLIDE PROPOSES? YEAH.
UM, I HAD A QUESTION ABOUT THESE FTES IN RELATION TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
UM, FROM OUR DISCUSSION OF THAT, I REMEMBER THAT MEASURES LIKE INTRODUCING NEW MEASURES, MORE FOCUS ON DATA AND ENGAGEMENT, WERE TWO BIG PRIORITIES THAT WERE SORT OF LIKE META PRIORITIES OVER THE DIFFERENT AREAS.
AND I'M NOT SEEING THAT DIRECTLY HERE.
SO I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE, HOW ARE THOSE INCREASED NEEDS FOR MORE DATA MANAGEMENT, MORE ENGAGEMENT BEING INCLUDED, IF NOT IN THIS BUDGET, THAN IN NEXT YEARS AND THE YEARS AFTER THAT? MM-HMM.
WHILE THERE'S NO ONE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED FOR THIS, UH, UPCOMING BUDGET, OUR, UH, QUALITY ASSURANCE DIVISION HAS BASICALLY TAKING OVER THE ROLE OF HANDLING ALL THAT DATA AND, AND, UH, IT IN A, PUTTING IT IN A USABLE FORMAT.
SO, UM, THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THE ADDITIONAL POSITIONS WON'T BE ADDED IN THE FUTURE.
THEY'RE JUST NOT THIS NEXT FISCAL YEAR.
SO YOU HAVE YOUR CURRENT STAFF ALREADY FOR THOSE NEEDS RELATED TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN SHIFT ON METRICS ALREADY IN PLACE.
THE LAST QUESTION IS ABOUT THE HORNSBY BEND, UM, BUILDING.
AND I JUST WANT, I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT.
WHAT TEMPORARY FACILITY IS NEEDED AT HORNSBY BEND FOR BRUSH AND, UM, IT, WHY, WHY TEMPORARY AND NOT PERMANENT IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA NEED OVER TIME? YEAH, SO CURRENTLY AT HORNSEY BEND, WE HAVE A, UH, WE OPERATE OUT OF ONE OF THE, UM, UH, BASINS OVER THERE, AND WE HAVE, UM, A, I GUESS YOU'D CALL IT A, A TRAILER.
UM, IT'S NOT IN VERY GOOD SHAPE.
IT'S PROBABLY, UH, SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED A LONG TIME AGO.
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY PUTTING A, WHAT WE CALL IT, A TEMPORARY BUILDING, IS ACTUALLY A, A PRE-DESIGNED, UM, STRUCTURE THAT WILL BE MOVED OUT THERE AND SET UP.
IT'S JUST A MORE COST EFFICIENT WAY TO HAVE IT, THAT, UH, BUILDING WILL HOUSE, KIND OF THE SCALE HOUSE OPERATION THERE.
SO WHEN FOLKS BRING MATERIAL OUT THERE, UH, CURRENTLY THEY HAVE TO GET OUTTA THE TRUCK AND WALK OVER TO THE, THE METAL SHED BASICALLY IS WHAT WE HAVE OUT THERE NOW.
SO, UM, THIS WOULD BE A LOT, UH, A LOT EASIER ON FOLKS THAT ARE USING THAT FACILITY.
UH, A LOT EASIER ON THE STAFF.
IT'LL ACTUALLY HAVE SOME FACILITIES IN THERE.
THE CURRENT FACILITY, I THINK DOESN'T EVEN HAVE, RON, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IT HAS, UM, CONTAINERIZED WATER OUT THERE, OR SO IT DOES, IT'S NOT EVEN HOOKED UP TO THE PLUMBING OUT THERE.
SO JUST SOME IMPROVEMENTS OUT THERE FOR STAFF.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING A LOT OF WORK ON THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER TO, UM, TO EVENTUALLY HAVE A NEW ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND A NEW SERVICE CENTER.
SO WE'RE REALLY IN THIS MODE OF TRYING TO UPGRADE OUR FACILITIES, AND THAT WAS PART OF THE MM-HMM.
AND, UM, ALTHOUGH THAT GOES ALONG WITH OUR, OUR PHILOSOPHY, UM, AT A CERTAIN POINT, THE, THE BUILDING IS NO LONGER SUITABLE, SO WE JUST WANNA PUT FOLKS IN SOME BETTER STRUCTURES OUT THERE.
SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU GOT SOME MANY YEARS OF USE OUT OF THAT SHED YES.
THE ONE THAT'S CURRENTLY THERE.
YOU'VE, YOU'VE PROVEN THE REUSE COMPONENT.
I JUST, I JUST WAS CURIOUS ABOUT THAT, UM, BECAUSE I JUST, I ENJOY LEARNING ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE HORNSBY EVENT FACILITY, SO I'M GLAD THAT, UM, YOU ALL HAD THAT IN MIND.
AND THEN JUST A QUICK QUESTION AS A FOLLOW UP TO THE CARD DISCUSSION, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND GOING TO THE VERY NEXT SLIDE THAT HAS THE PERCENTAGES ON IT.
I WAS JUST GONNA MAKE A COMMENT.
THE ITEM FOR FUEL FOR THE AR FLEET, AND THEN THE ITEM FOR PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS ON A RR FLEET.
AS THE FLEET MOVES TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES, THIS PERCENTAGE FOR THE BUDGET IS GONNA DRAMATICALLY CHANGE.
SO, UM, WHENEVER IT GOES COMPLETELY, EV WILL DEFINITELY HAVE MORE OF, UM, THE BUDGET TO
[00:30:01]
ALLOCATE FOR THE OTHER ITEMS, JUST, YOU KNOW, MAKING A STATEMENT ABOUT THAT.AND, UM, AS WE DO GO MORE AND MORE ELECTRIC, I'M EXCITED TO SEE, UM, WHAT THAT BUDGET LOOKS LIKE.
THE, THE QUESTION THAT I HAD ABOUT THE CARTS IS THAT SOME OF THE RESIDENTIAL HOMES ARE ABLE TO HAVE TWO CARTS, SO TWO RECYCLING PARTS, TWO LANDFILL CARTS, OR TWO COMPOST CARTS, OR HOWEVER MANY, I GUESS THE REQUEST IS THE FEE FOR THESE CARTS, UM, THE SAME, EVEN IF THEY HAVE MORE THAN ONE, OR IF YOU REQUEST TO HAVE AN ADDITIONAL CARD AT YOUR RESIDENTIAL SINGLE FAMILY HOME, IS THAT A DIFFERENT CHARGE RATE FOR THAT CARD? THANK YOU.
THE, THE RATES ARE THE SAME FOR MULTIPLE CARTS? NO, NOW I WAS GONNA SAY, IS THERE, THERE'S NO CHARGE CHARGE RECYCLING THERE.
SO IS IT MORE FOR COMPOST? YES.
IS THAT PART OF THE QUESTION? SO WE DO HAVE A, IF YOU HAVE AN ADDITIONAL TRASH CART, THERE'S AN ADDITIONAL FEE TO HAVE THAT CART.
IF YOU WANT ADDITIONAL RECYCLING OR, UH, COMPOST CARTS.
THERE'S NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR THOSE.
MELISSA, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, MELISSA.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR VICTORIA? HEARING? AND VICTORIA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION AND THE UPDATE COMMISSIONERS.
THIS IS A ACTION ITEM, AND IT'S, UH, I GUESS THE ACTION I WOULD HOPE THAT WE WOULD TAKE AS A COMMISSION WOULD BE TO SUPPORT THE, UH, THE BUDGET PRESENTATION AND, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, SUPPORT, UH, THE ONGOING CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING AS, AS A GROWING CITY, CITY, BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULOUS AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY, WHICH WILL LEAD TO ADDITIONAL COST CHALLENGES DOWN THE ROAD.
BUT, UH, ANYWAY, THIS AGAIN, IS A DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM, AND I WILL, UH, SUPPORT ANY, ANY ACTION THIS COMMISSION WANTS TO PRESENT.
THERE WAS, I THINK THERE WAS A PROPOSED, IT WAS KIND OF AN OLD, UH, AN OLD, UH, WHAT IS IT? UH, AN OLD DRAFT OF A RESOLUTION THAT WE HAD THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN THE ACTUAL PACKAGE.
IS IT THIS ONE ABOUT THE BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR CORRECT.
JUST SUPPORTING STAFF AND SUPPORTING THE, UH, BUDGET PRESENTATION AND SOME OF THE GOALS.
SO THIS HAS TO DO WITH EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION? YEAH.
THAT'S, UH, THIS, THIS, UH, RESOLUTION IS WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THAT'S JUST A STARTING POINT, RIGHT? UM, I LIKE THE RESOLUTION.
MY QUESTION IS, UM, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE HOPING TO GET OUT OF THIS? I'M, OH, I'M NOT SURE HOW, HOW THE CITY WOULD RECEIVE THIS.
I MEAN, I, I WOULD VOTE TO APPROVE THIS RIGHT NOW, PERSONALLY.
AND, AND AGAIN, IT'S BASICALLY GIVING STAFF SUPPORT, RIGHT? WITH THE PROPOSED, UH, BUDGET, MAKING SURE THAT WE AS A COMMISSION ARE IN LINE WITH, UH, WITH STAFF AND, AND, AND ITS GOALS, ITS FUTURE GOALS.
THAT'S KIND OF THE ONLY REASON THAT THIS RESOLUTION WAS DRAFTED.
THAT, THAT'S NOT ENTIRELY HOW I'M READING IT HERE, THOUGH.
IT TALKS ABOUT A THREE MONTH OPERATIONAL RESERVE.
I'M NOT SURE THAT'S WHAT'S BEING ASKED FOR OR PROPOSED BY, BY STAFF AT THIS POINT.
UM, SO I GUESS THAT'S THE QUESTION.
IS THIS SOMETHING WHERE WE'RE SUPPORTING STAFF OR WE WANNA DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT? BECAUSE ARE YOU, WOULD YOU LIKE ADDITIONAL MONEY TO SUPPORT EMPLOYEES OR TO EXTEND THE, UM, RESERVE TO BE GREATER THAN 30 DAYS, WHICH I, THE 30 DAYS I BELIEVE IN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS WITH WHAT THE CITY MANAGER, ET CETERA, HAS AGREED UPON.
RIGHT? SO IS THIS SOMETHING YOU WOULD, YOU FEEL IS SUPPORTIVE OR IS ACTUALLY NOT SOMETHING YOU NEED AT THIS POINT? THANK YOU, YOUR HONOR.
UM, IT'S NOT A CURRENT REQUEST OF THE DEPARTMENT TO, TO EXTEND THE RESERVE TO, TO, UH, THREE MONTHS.
[00:35:01]
AND SO A WORDSMITH OF JUST 30 DAYS.30 DAYS IS THE CURRENT POLICY.
WELL, AND I THINK THAT'S ALREADY IN THE POLICY, CORRECT.
I MEAN, IT'S A NEXT, WE STRONGLY ENDORSE YOU FOLLOWING THE POLICIES YOU'VE ALREADY AGREED TO
I GUESS MY FEAR IS THAT THAT NEXT STORM THAT COMES THAT WE'RE NOT PREPARED FOR, THAT'S THE SURE.
AND THAT'LL, THAT'LL ALWAYS BE OUT THERE.
BUT YOU KNOW, THE, WHAT THE CITY DID AT THIS PAST STORM MM-HMM.
SO IN EFFECT, UH, IT TOOK CARE OF ANY ISSUES OF THE DEPARTMENT BEING SHORTHANDED.
AND I'M, I'M ALSO SEEING HERE A BUDGET INCREASE TO PROVIDE MORE COMPETITIVE COMPENSATION PURSUANT TO MARKET CONDITIONS.
SO, UM, YEAH, I MEAN, I GUESS, DO WE FEEL LIKE THAT'S, WE DO HAVE A BUDGET INCREASE? YES.
SLIGHT INCREASE, RIGHT? SUPPORTING WHAT STAFF IS RECOMMENDING HERE.
SO MAYBE IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE IF WE WORDSMITH THIS INTO MORE OF A COMMENTARY AROUND THE BUDGET MM-HMM.
DOES THAT SEEM RIGHT? I'M OPEN TO THAT.
ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT? LIKE, AMANDA, I KNOW YOU'VE GOT EXPERIENCE IN DOING THIS TYPE OF THING,
IS IT TO MAKE IT, DOES IT GIVE US FLEXIBILITY? DOES IT GIVE, OR DOES IT GIVE THE DEPARTMENT FLEXIBILITY? DOES IT GIVE THE DEPART THE DEPARTMENT, UM, MORE, I DON'T KNOW, SPEED IN, IN RESPONSE.
SO IN TERMS OF OPERATIONS, WHAT'S THE GOAL? JOHN, YOU WANT? YEAH, I'M NOT SURE.
AND AGAIN, THIS IS JUST, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE PUT THIS TOGETHER, SO I'M, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER EVEN WHO INITIALLY SPONSORED, I MEAN, PART OF IT WAS YOUR CONCERN ABOUT THE GROUP, CORRECT.
IT SEEMS LIKE THAT WAS, DO WE STILL FEEL LIKE THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANNA PUSH FOR EXTENDING THE OPERATIONAL RESERVE? AND SHOULD WE DO THAT AS PART OF THIS BUDGET PRESENTATION DISCUSSION? OR SHOULD WE DO THAT SEPARATELY? YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS THE ACTUAL DOCUMENT ITSELF, I MEAN THE, UH, BUDGET INCREASE OR I THE RESERVE INCREASE, THAT CAN BE CHANGED QUICKLY.
THE, UH, AGAIN, THE GOAL OF THIS WAS BASICALLY TO SUPPORT STAFF IN THEIR EFFORTS.
THIS BUDGET THAT'S BEING PRESENTED IS PROBABLY NOT THE FINAL BUDGET.
IS THAT, IS THAT A FAIR THING TO SAY? I MEAN, CITY STAFF OR CITY MANAGEMENT MAY CHANGE IT A TWEAK HERE IN A TWEAK THERE.
IT HAS BEEN DONE IN, SO THIS WAS MEANT TO SUPPORT YEAH.
THE BUDGET IS NOT FINALIZED TO THE COUNCIL VOTES, RIGHT.
WHAT I'M WONDERING IS, SO ARE WE, GO AHEAD, PLEASE.
ARE WE TRYING TO EMPHASIZE THAT IF ANYTHING, THE BUDGET SHOULD BE INCREASED AND WHAT IS BEING PRESENTED IS LIKE NO LOWER THAN WHAT STAFF HAS PRESENTED YOU? IDEALLY YOU WOULD GIVE THEM EVEN MORE SO THAT THEY CAN ADDRESS THE NORTH, THE TRANSFER STATION, MORE SPEEDILY, ADDRESS, STAFFING NEEDS, ET CETERA.
I, I WOULDN'T WANNA MUDDY THE WATERS IN TERMS OF CREATING DISCUSSION AROUND THE BUDGET, UM, THAT ISN'T NECESSARY.
BUT IF, IF THE INTENTION IS TO SORT OF HIGHLIGHT THAT THIS, THIS IS NEEDED, DO NOT SHAVE A RR DOWN ANY FURTHER THAN WHAT YOU SEE IN FRONT OF YOU.
UM, I, I THINK THAT THAT MAKES SENSE, BUT THEN IT SHOULD BE ALIGNED.
I WOULD GO WITH THE 30 DAYS INSTEAD OF THE THREE MONTHS.
AND THEN MAYBE IF THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL, YOU KNOW, IF WE DO WANNA GET INTO THE BENEFITS OF THE THREE MONTHS, UM, AGAIN, WHAT'S THE INTENTION THERE? IS IT FLEXIBILITY? IS IT SPEED OF
[00:40:01]
OPERATIONS? IS IT, UM, SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT AS LONG FOR FEMA REIMBURSEMENT? LIKE WHY HAVE THE THREE MONTH INSTEAD OF THE 30 DAY? THAT PROBABLY MEANS ITS OWN SET OF ARGUMENTS LAID OUT THAT ARE A LITTLE, UH, THAT ARE SEPARATE FROM A BUDGET, UH, RECOMMENDATION.YEAH, I WHOLLY AGREE WITH THAT.
I THINK, I'M NOT SURE HOW TO PHRASE THIS, BUT IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE THERE ARE A FEW KEY AREAS, PART OF WHICH WE'VE DISCUSSED TODAY, THAT, UM, WHERE WE CAN PROVIDE OUR SUPPORT FOR THE BUDGET AS IT STANDS.
IN OTHER WORDS, ONE HAS TO DO WITH MAINTAINING THE 30 DAYS AS NECESSARY.
WE CAN SAY WE STRONGLY SUPPORT THIS BUDGET AS IT CONTINUES TO SUPPORT SERVICES FOR WITHIN THE 30 DAY BUFFER.
UM, THE CART, THE GROWTH OF THE CART FEE IN ORDER TO CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE REDUCTION IN, UM, WASTE.
WE ARE SEEING GROWTH IN THE BIGGER CARTS, WHICH IS AT LEAST AS YOU SAID, ANECDOTALLY, SHOWING THAT PERHAPS THERE'S LESS PRICE SENSITIVITY WHEN IT COMES TO THE BIGGER CARTS.
AND SO IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO JUST BARELY NUDGE THOSE CART FEES UP A LITTLE BIT AND SEE IF PEOPLE REACT BY, UM, WE'RE NUDGING THEM TOWARDS BENEFICIAL BEHAVIOR.
RIGHT? SO THAT'S ANOTHER THING.
AND THEN THE OTHER IS WHEN IT COMES TO ADDITIONAL, UM, UM, SALARY, WELL, THERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL PEOPLE TO, TO SUPPORT ADDITIONAL INITIATIVES SUCH AS THE FURNITURE, UM, AS WELL AS REMAIN COST COMPETITIVE.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THOSE MAY BE, WHAT IS THAT THREE AREAS WHERE WE COULD SAY, LOVE THIS BUDGET, HERE'S WHY YOU SHOULDN'T CUT ANYTHING OUT OF IT HERE.
THERE ARE OTHER AREAS YOU'D LIKE US TO MAKE A POSITIVE STATEMENT ABOUT.
AND AGAIN, THIS RESOLUTION IS, IS BASICALLY ONE IN, IN WHICH WE CAN LITERALLY TABLE AND SIMPLY VOTE ON APPROVING THE BUDGET AS PRESENTED.
AND I'LL, AGAIN, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR A SIMPLE APPROVAL IN SUPPORT OF THE CURRENT PRESENTED BUDGET.
I WOULD, UH, PROPOSE THAT WE GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
SO I, JAN MOVES APPROVAL OF THE BUDGET AS PRESENTED.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? I SECOND THAT.
SECONDS THAT, DO I HEAR ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT HEARING? NO DISCUSSION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.
[3. Discussion and action on the Annual Internal Review of the Zero Waste Advisory Commission for July 2023 through June 2024.]
A, UH, WHAT IS THAT? THE, UH, INTERNAL REVIEW, THE ANNUAL INTERNAL REVIEW AND HONOR, YOU HAD SOME THOUGHTS ON THAT? YES.UH, I WISH I HAD A PREPARED STATEMENT, BUT BASICALLY THE, UM, THE ANNUAL REVIEW AS IT STANDS, WHICH I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S INCLUDED IN HERE AT ALL, BUT IN TERMS OF A TEMPLATE, IS IT IN THERE? UH, NO, I HEAR YOU.
WHEN, UM, BUT ESSENTIALLY IT TALKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST YEAR, RIGHT? IT'S ESSENTIALLY A, A SUMMARIZATION OF THE MINUTES FOR THE PAST YEAR, AND THEN IT INCLUDES SOME STATEMENTS ABOUT OUR OBJECTIVES FOR THE COMING YEAR.
AND MY, MY FEEDBACK IS THAT, UM, FIRST I'LL, I'LL STEP BACK FOR A SECOND.
I THINK SOMETIMES I FEEL THAT WE'RE A LITTLE BIT RUBBER STAMPING HERE AS A COMMISSION.
THINGS ARE LOOKING REALLY GOOD.
AND I WILL JUST SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND SAY THAT OCCASIONALLY I FEEL LIKE WE'RE STANDING IN THE WAY OF PROGRESS, UH, BY ASKING QUESTIONS A LITTLE BIT POST FACTO, RATHER THAN BEING ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS.
AND I KNOW STAFF IS SUPER BUSY, SO I DON'T WANNA SLOW THINGS DOWN THAT WAY EITHER.
UM, BUT WHAT I'M PROPOSING IS, ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN A PERHAPS OF KEY, A KEY FEW INITIATIVES, UM, A LITTLE BIT DEEPER AND A LITTLE BIT EARLIER IN THE PROCESS TO ASK SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS EARLIER AND HELP MOVE THINGS FORWARD? UM, I'LL JUST BRING OUT THE ELECTRIFICATION SLASH TRANSFER STATION DISCUSSION THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS.
ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY GET INVOLVED IN THAT PROCESS A LITTLE BIT AND HELP PACKAGE IT UP IN A WAY THAT WE CAN SHARE WITH OUR FELLOW COMMISSIONERS AND PERHAPS WITH THE COMMUNITY AS, AS A WHOLE, UM, HOW THAT PROJECT IS GOING, WHERE IT'S GONNA BE GOING IN THE FUTURE, AND PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK TO STAFF
[00:45:01]
AS TO HOW OUR COMMUNITY FEELS ABOUT IT AND THEREFORE HELP MOVE THINGS FORWARD.SO ARE THERE A COUPLE KEY INITIATIVES THAT WE COULD ENGAGE IN AND HAVE ON THIS DOCUMENT AS THINGS THAT WE WOULD, UH, ONE OR TWO OF US WILL BE REPRESENTATIVES IN THE NEXT YEAR TO, UH, HELP MOVE THOSE PROGRAMS FORWARD? AM I MAKING ANY SENSE? I'M, I, I TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BEFORE THE MEETING, SO AMANDA, MELISSA, ROTHROCK, IF YOU HAVE THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS, LET ME KNOW.
I MEAN, THIS MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME.
UM, BECAUSE YEAH, I SHARE YOUR SENSE THAT OFTEN WE'RE HEARING THINGS WHEN THEY'RE SO FAR ALONG THAT ANY SUGGESTIONS WE HAVE, THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT OFTEN AFFECTING THE OUTCOME OF THINGS OTHER THAN YES, NO.
UM, RATHER THAN, THAN BEING MORE FORMATIVE.
UM, IT DOES OCCUR TO ME THAT THIS IS SOME OF WHAT OUR COMMITTEES SHOULD BE DOING MORE OF.
AND I KNOW WE JUST HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT OUR, OUR CHARGE, BUT IT MAKES ME WONDER ABOUT THE ALIGNMENT OF THOSE COMMITTEES.
AND IF THOSE AREAS ARE REALLY, YOU KNOW, STILL, ARE THOSE STILL THE BUCKETS THAT WE NEED, UM, FOR, FOR OUR SUBCOMMITTEE STRUCTURE? THE, UM, IN ADDITION TO ELECTRIFICATION, BECAUSE I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU.
I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT COULD BE HELPFUL FOR US IS TO HAVE A SUBGROUP OF US THAT ARE FOCUSED ON, UM, THE UPCOMING CONTRACTS AND, UH, RFPS, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S REGULARLY IN THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT.
WE TALK ABOUT THEM AT VARIOUS STAGES.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE TO SEE IT IN THE REPORT, ASK PARTICULAR QUESTIONS FOLLOW UP.
SO MAYBE IF THAT'S ANOTHER LIKE, SUB AREA WHERE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HAVE A FEW OF US WHO, THAT'S OUR MAIN TASK IS KEEPING TRACK OF WHAT'S GOING ON WITH, UM, RFPS CONTRACTS AND THAT PROCESS SO THAT WE HAVE A LITTLE MORE DISCUSSION EARLIER IN THE PROCESS FOR THOSE.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER AREA THAT I, I WOULD SUGGEST WE, WE CONSIDER FOR THIS SORT OF EARLIER DISCUSSION.
YEAH, SO, SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT, UH, I THINK I SHARED THIS WITH A COUPLE OF THE COMMISSIONERS, THE, UH, ACTUAL ITEM ITSELF.
AND, UH, TO JAN'S POINT, I, I AGREED THAT PERHAPS WE SHOULD IDENTIFY SOME SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT WE FEEL WE WANNA FOCUS ON THIS YEAR AND WORK WITH STAFF IN ACCOMPLISHING AND, AND ACHIEVING THOSE, THOSE, UH, THOSE GOALS, OR AT LEAST WALKING TOGETHER DOWN THE PATH TO ACCOMPLISHING THAT GOAL OR THOSE GOALS.
AND AGAIN, THIS INTERNAL REVIEW IS DUE AT THE END OF THIS MONTH.
SO WHAT I CAN DO IS SIT DOWN WITH, UH, WITH A COUPLE OF, UH, COMMISSIONERS HERE AND WE CAN WORDSMITH THIS AND, UH, GET IT BACK OUT AND PRESENT THAT IN A, IN A TIMELY, IN A TIMELY MANNER TO CITY CLERK'S OFFICE.
YEAH, IT SOUNDS, I AGREE WITH AMANDA'S SUGGESTION.
ACTUALLY, I, I WAS ACTUALLY EVEN GONNA THINK ABOUT THAT EXACT THING IS THERE'S KIND OF THE STANDING ITEMS MM-HMM
AND THEN A COUPLE OF KEY, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE ELECTRIFICATION, IF, I THINK THAT TIES WITH TRANSFER STATION 'CAUSE THEY'RE SO CLOSELY LINKED IN SOME WAYS AT LEAST.
AND THEN MM-HMM,
SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THAT PUT TOGETHER, CORRECT.
AND THEN PUT SOMETHING IN THE REPORT.
THE GOAL IS TO GET THIS PRESENTED TIMELY HERE.
SO I'M GONNA REACH OUT TO AMANDA, YOU RAISED YOUR HAND, SO I'M GONNA REACH OUT TO YOU AND TO JAN AND, AND TO ANYONE ELSE WHO'S VOLUNTEERING HERE SO THAT WE CAN AGAIN, PRESENT THIS DOCUMENT AND PRESENT A, A GOOD DOCUMENT.
BUT ANYWAY, COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU.
WE WILL, UH, DEFER THIS AND I'LL GET THIS PRESENTED AND, AND, UH, BACK TO YOU FOR REVIEW.
ALRIGHT, SO THAT, UH, CONCLUDES THAT ITEM THERE.
UH, THE NEXT ITEM'S ON THE, UH,
[Items 4 & 5]
ON THE AGENDA, LITERALLY, UH, DISCUSS OR, UM, STAFF BRIEFINGS BY RICHARD.[00:50:01]
UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS HAD COME UP, UH, I THINK IT WAS MAYBE TWO, TWO MEETINGS AGO ABOUT THE LOSS CREEK DIS ANNEXATION OR DE ANNEXATION, UM, UH, ABOUT THE FINANCIAL IMPACT.
UM, SO WE'LL BE REMOVING ABOUT 3,500 CARTS FROM ABOUT, I THINK IT WAS AROUND 1300 OR SO CUSTOMERS OUT THERE.
SO, UH, THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE ABOUT $579,000.
NOW, THERE, THERE WILL OBVIOUSLY BE SOME, UH, DECREASED EXPENSES AS WELL.
'CAUSE WE WON'T HAVE DISPOSAL AND, AND TRUCKS GOING OUT IN THAT AREA.
SO IT'S NOT A, A TOTAL, UH, OF 5 79, BUT IT'LL BE LESS THAN THAT.
BUT AS FAR AS REVENUE, IT'LL BE $579,000.
UM, WE EXPECT THAT TO HAPPEN HERE, UH, NEXT MONTH.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT, SO WE'VE BEEN, UH, TALKING WITH CITY PLANNING STAFF AND, UH, REACHING OUT TO THE LOST CREEK COMMUNITY, UH, TO HAVE THEIR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE TRANSITION.
'CAUSE WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE WANTED TO STILL MAINTAIN SOME SORT SERVICE OUT THERE.
AND THERE'S NO INTERRUPTION IN SERVICE, UH, MULTIFAMILY COMPOSTING.
UM, AGAIN, NOT TOO MUCH REPORT ON THAT.
UM, SOME, UM, UH, CORRESPONDENCE HAS GONE OUT TO, UH, THE MULTIFAMILY, UH, UH, UNITS, UM, UH, NOTIFYING THEM OF THE REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE COMPOSTING AT THEIR FACILITIES BY OCTOBER, UH, 2024.
SO THAT'LL BE RAPIDLY APPROACHING.
SO I WOULD IMAGINE HERE COME, UH, PROBABLY IN THE FALL WE'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION AS TO THE STATUS OF THAT AND, UH, FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE RECEIVED.
UM, OUR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES DIVISION, UM, HAS A LOT OF PROJECTS GOING ON A CIRCULAR AUSTIN ACCELERATOR, UH, FIX AT AUSTIN CLINIC AND THE MOVE OUT A TX, WHICH IS COMING UP, UH, ACTUALLY THAT IS THE, I THINK THE OTHER TWO HAVE ACTUALLY ALREADY OCCURRED.
I THINK THE ACCELERATOR MAY STILL BE GOING ON, BUT, UM, AND THE FIX IT CLINICS ARE ONGOING.
UH, BUT THE MOVE OUT A TX IS, UH, I BELIEVE NEXT WEEK, UH, THE 27TH THROUGH THE 31ST OR THE 30TH, NO, EXCUSE ME, THE 31ST.
UM, THERE'S A LINK ON THERE, THE MOVE OUT ATX.ORG.
YOU CAN CLICK ON THAT AND IT'LL GIVE YOU THE LOCATIONS OF ALL THE PLACES THAT WE'LL BE ACCEPTING MATERIALS.
I THINK WE HAVE 10 DROP OFF LOCATIONS THIS YEAR.
UH, ALSO THERE IS A, A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEERS, SO WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU OUT THERE AND VOLUNTEERING.
AND, UH, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BE PART OF THE, THE SOLUTION, THEN WE WELCOME YOU TO COME ON OUT ON A NICE WARM JULY DAY AND HELP MOVE FURNITURE AROUND.
WE'LL, UH, WE'LL HAVE STAFF OUT THERE, UH, WORKING AS WELL IN VOLUNTEERING.
SO IT'S A GREAT EVENT I'VE DONE THE LAST TWO YEARS AND, UM, IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY, IT'S, IT'S A GOOD FEELING WHEN YOU CAN SEE FOLKS THAT REALLY DON'T HAVE A, A LOT OF STUFF TO BE ABLE TO GET SOMETHING NEW, SOME FURNITURE THAT THEY MIGHT NEED FOR THEIR, FOR THEIR HOUSE.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THIS IS KIND OF THE IMPETUS FOR US GOING WITH THE, UH, THE FURNITURE REUSE WAREHOUSE AND KIND OF EXPANDING UPON THIS PROGRAM AND BEING ABLE TO DO THIS AND START PROVIDING, UH, FURNITURE TO, UM, FOLKS THAT, UM, MAY HAVE BEEN, UM, UM, IN NEED OF THAT MATERIALS AND JUST UNABLE TO GET IT.
SO SOME REALLY GOOD PROGRAMS, UM, THAT ARE HAPPENING OVER THERE, UM, CURRENTLY.
SO, UM, AND WITH THAT, I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ON THE, THE, UM, THE REPORT HERE.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR STAFF AND RICHARD ON THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT? AMANDA? YEAH, I, I HAVE ONE.
UM, I, I LOVE THE MOVE OUT A TXI KNOW WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS BEFORE, UM, THAT THE OTHER UNIVERSITIES LIKE ST.
EDWARDS AND HOUSTON TILLSON, UM, DON'T HAVE THE SAME INFRASTRUCTURE AS UT IN TERMS OF THEIR OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY FOR SUPPORTING, YOU KNOW, MAYBE PARALLEL EFFORTS.
UM, BUT IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT THE SAME VOLUME, BUT IT, IT STILL WOULD BE MM-HMM,
SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND ASK OUR, UH, JASON MCCOMBS TO COME UP TO SPEAK TO THAT.
UM, BUT YES, I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND THE, UM, THE ISSUE THERE.
UM, AND I THINK, UH, THERE'S, I'M SURE WE CAN FIND SOME SOLUTIONS ON HOW TO MOVE THAT.
CHASE MCCOMBS, DIVISION MANAGER, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
YEAH, SO THE MOVE OUT, UM, SO THE ORIGINAL DRIVING KIND OF ISSUE WITH THE MOVE OUT, ESPECIALLY IN THE UT WAS THE WEST CAMPUS AREA AND THAT IT'S A VERY DENSE AREA AND, UM, WE WERE FACING A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF ILLEGAL DUMPING IN THE AREA.
UM, IT CAN STILL CONTINUES TO BE THE PROBLEM KIND OF IN THE WEST CAMPUS AND KIND OF THE SURROUNDING AREAS AS WELL.
AND SO THIS, THAT WAS THE DRIVING KIND OF FORCE CREATING
[00:55:01]
OF THE, CREATING THE MOVE OUT, UM, PROGRAM.UH, THAT BEING SAID, AS FAR WE HAVE, HAVE HAD TALKS JUST KIND OF OVER THE YEARS WITH BOTH SANTA EDS AND HOUSTON TILLSON.
UM, BUT A LOT OF IT, JUST LIKE YOU SAID, HAS TO DO WITH DENSITY AND VOLUME, UM, AND THE AVAILABILITY OF STAFF.
I DON'T THINK IT IS SOMETHING I THINK THAT WE ARE, UM, INTERESTED IN CONTINUING TO DISCUSS TO SEE HOW WE COULD MAYBE, YOU KNOW, MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.
UM, BUT, UM, BUT I THINK THE, THE, THE KEY THERE I THINK IS JUST DENSITY RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND WE, WE SEE A, A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, ATTENDANCE AND VOLUME, I THINK DOWNTOWN, YOU KNOW, DOWNTOWN WEST CAMPUS AREA VERSUS, UH, WHERE WE WOULD SEE IN AT, UH, HOUSTON TILLSON AND, UH, SANTA ED'S.
LIKE I SAID, WE WERE, UM, VERY OPEN TO THE IDEA OF DISCUSSING, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW WE COULD POTENTIALLY FIND PARTNERSHIPS TO MAKE IT WORK THOUGH.
COULD, COULD YOU ENVISION THAT IF THE ST ED'S AND HT MATERIALS CAME TO THE SAME DROP OFF CENTER AS THE UT LIKE IF THAT WERE, IF THEY WERE GETTING TO THE SAME PLACE, SO PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING FOR THE FURNITURE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO TO LIKE A CENTER BY HT OR ST.
ED'S THAT MIGHT NOT HAVE AS MUCH, UH, TO CHOOSE FROM.
THEY CAN JUST GO TO THE SAME WEST CAMPUS SITE AND WE, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, RESOURCES, PARTNERS, WHATEVER THAT ARE TAKING THE STUFF FROM ST ED'S AND FROM HT AND BRINGING THEM TO YOUR SITES.
OH, LIKE ACTUALLY DELIVERING TO THE SITE.
YEAH, I THINK THERE'S POTENTIAL THERE.
IN, IN THEORY THE, THE MOVE OUT A TX SITES, WE DO NOT LIKE DISCERN LIKE IF, ARE YOU A A STUDENT HERE OR NOT? AND WE CAN, WE WILL TAKE IT FROM ANYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO I THINK, RIGHT, YES, THAT COULD IN THEORY WORK.
UM, I OBVIOUSLY THE VOLUME AND THE ABILITY TO, YOU KNOW, THE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS THAT WE HAVE WORKING TO BE ABLE TO INTAKE THAT, RIGHT? WE'D PROBABLY NEED TO MEASURE.
UM, BUT, UM, BUT NO, I THINK IT'S AN INTERESTING IDEA.
I THINK ONE WE COULD DEFINITELY POTENTIALLY LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE EXPLORING.
YEAH, I MEAN, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR SAYING EDWARD WAS AT ALL, BUT I KNOW THAT WE, WE TALK ABOUT IT ALMOST EVERY SEMESTER, LIKE
AND WE, WE, WE SOMETIMES, UH, ENGAGE GOODWILL AND OTHERS, BUT IT'S NOT THE SAME AS, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH, UM, REUSE DIRECTLY BACK TO AUSTIN RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW? RIGHT, RIGHT.
UM, YEAH, WE'LL DO, WE CAN DEFINITELY CONSIDER IT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? RICHARD? THANK YOU GUYS VERY MUCH.
THE NEXT ITEM HERE IS, WELL, I GUESS THAT CONCLUDES BOTH BRIEFINGS HERE, SO WE'RE MOVING ALONG.
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
I THINK, CRAIG, YOU WANTED A, DID YOU WANT A PRESENTATION ON? YEAH, FROM UH, UM, UH, WHAT IS THE ORGANIZATION? THE, THE, THE EDUCATION PROGRAM.I, I THINK THE WHOLE TRICK TO THIS IS GETTING PEOPLE EDUCATED MORE ABOUT HOW WE NEED TO DO THINGS IN THE FUTURE.
SO I THINK THAT'D BE A NICE LITTLE PIECE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW THEY DO IT AND A LITTLE, YOU KNOW.
ANY OTHER FUTURE AGENDA THOUGHTS, MELISSA? UM, YES.
FOR THE NEXT ONE, I WOULD LOVE TO TALK ABOUT WHERE A RR IS IN THE PROCESS OF APPLYING WITH TCEQ FOR THE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND CHARGERS.
'CAUSE WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT WORKING ON A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION TO MAKE AT THE NEXT MEETING, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT ISN'T NECESSARILY SOMETHING YOU NEED BASED ON A CONVERSATION I HAD WITH RICHARD EARLIER.
UM, SO TRYING TO GAUGE HOW MUCH FORMAL SUPPORT YOU NEED FROM WAC IN THAT PROCESS.
UM, WE CERTAINLY COULD ALREADY HAVE A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION READY TO GO WITH THE NEXT MEETING.
JASON, JASON MCCOMBS, FUTURE MANAGER, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
SO YEAH, WE'VE ACTUALLY, UM, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN ACTIVELY DISCUSSING THIS, UM, INTERNALLY, UM, QUITE A BIT.
WE'VE ALSO HAD SOME, UM, EXTERNAL MEETINGS WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND ABOUT WAYS WE COULD POTENTIALLY PARTNER AND KIND OF MOVE FORWARD AS FAR AS THE TCQ UM, GRANT ITSELF.
UH, WE, UM, JUST KIND OF OUR INITIAL KIND OF RESEARCH INTO IT IS IT'S NOT PROMISING RETURN.
A LOT OF THE VEHICLES, UM, THAT WERE REQUIRED MADE TO BE 2009 OR EARLIER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS REBATE, WHICH NONE OF OUR VEHICLES CURRENTLY ARE.
WE ARE CONTINUING TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS RIGHT NOW WITH
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THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND, IS THE BEST WAYS WE CAN PARTNER, UM, TO KIND OF DEVELOP SOME SORT OF STRATA, UH, STRATEGIC PLANNING OR PLANNING AS FAR AS ELECTRIFICATION.IT'S VERY EARLY THOUGH, BUT, UM, THOSE, UM, CONVERSATIONS ARE, ARE HAPPENING AND WHEN WE'VE HAD A COUPLE MEETINGS WITH THEM NOW, UM, WITH A LOT OF OUR TEAM AND STAFF, UM, AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER.
SO JASON, I GUESS MY, MY QUESTION JUST IS WHETHER OR NOT YOU FEEL THAT WE DO NEED TO MAKE A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION, UM, REGARDING A R WORKING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND AND MOVING FORWARD WITH THE ELECTRIFICATION EFFORTS? UM, NOT AT THIS TIME.
UM, I THINK IT'S VERY EARLY RIGHT NOW.
I THINK WITH, WITH THEM WE ARE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, OPPORTUNITIES WITH THEM, YOU KNOW, TO PROVIDE RESEARCH, UM, YOU KNOW, DEVELOP PLANS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO GET A LITTLE FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD WITH THEM, I THINK, TO DETERMINE IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE AS A CITY AND THEM AS, YOU KNOW, AS A NONPROFIT CAN DO.
UM, BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK THINGS ARE PROMISING.
UM, I THINK WE'LL BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT THAT THOUGH.
I COULD DEFINITELY PROVIDE UPDATES HERE IN THE NEXT, UH, YOU KNOW, MONTH OR TWO HERE, SO, AND WHERE WE ARE.
BUT AT THIS TIME, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY NEED FOR A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION RIGHT NOW, SO.
MELISSA, AND, YEAH, UH, JUST REAL QUICK, UM, SINCE YOU'RE UP THERE ALREADY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT PRESENTING SOMETHING ABOUT HOW THE ENFORCEMENT TEAM IS OPERATING, GROWING? WE CAN, NO, I, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK AT AT FOR A FUTURE MEETING.
UM, AT, AT BARE MINIMUM I'D LOVE FOR YOU GUYS TO MEET THE NEW ENFORCEMENT STAFF AND BE ABLE TO SEE 'EM AND, UM, YOU KNOW, KINDA GET THEM IN FRONT OF THIS BODY.
KIND OF HEAR WHAT'S WORKING, WHAT ISN'T WORKING.
Y ANY OTHER THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? I WILL NOW ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? A SECOND, MELISSA SECOND.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS HEARING? NO DISCUSSION OR NOT WANTING TO HEAR ANY DISCUSSION? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND PLEASE.