[*This meeting was joined in progress*]
[*Portions of this meeting are without audio*]
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[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
TO OFFER YOU TODAY, BUT I DID WANT TO, UM, SHARE MY SUPPORT FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE 2024 I INTERNATIONAL ENERGY CONSERVATION CODE, UM, HAS PUT FORTH BY STAFF.UM, I THINK THEY'VE DONE A REALLY GREAT JOB AT PUTTING THIS PROPOSAL TOGETHER AND JUST WANTED TO COMMEND THEM ON THAT.
AND, UH, FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEWER TO THE COMMISSION, WHICH, UM, MAYBE IT'S MOST OF Y'ALL, BUT THIS COMES BEFORE YOUR TIME, BUT THE RMCI THINK PASSED THREE DIFFERENT RESOLUTIONS SUPPORTING THE, UH, EV READY AND ELECTRIC READY PER PROVISIONS THAT ARE NOW, UM, IN THIS PROPOSAL.
SO I'M PERSONALLY REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
HAVING, UH, GONE THROUGH MY OWN, UH, ELECTRIC CONVERSION, UM, ISSUES WITH MY, AND, AND HAVING TO UNDERGO THE EXPENSE OF HAVING AN ELECTRICIAN.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN STOP MOVING HOMES THAT FORCE PEOPLE TO DO THOSE EXPENSIVE RETROFITS.
UM, SECOND, I WANTED TO SHARE MY SUPPORT AND PUBLIC CITIZEN SUPPORT FOR CONSERVATION BASED RATE FOR TEXAS STAFF.
THIS IS ALSO AN ISSUE THAT THE RMC HAS SPOKEN UP ON, UH, IN THE PREVIOUS RATE CASE AND, UH, IN OTHER PROCEEDINGS.
AND I WILL JUST, YOU KNOW, NOTE THAT AUSTIN ENERGY HAS DONE A GREAT JOB OF IMPLEMENTING TIERED RATES THAT ENCOURAGE CONSERVATION BY ALLOWING FOLKS TO ACCESS A, YOU KNOW, KIND OF MINIMUM AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY AT A LOWER RATE.
AND AS FOLKS START TO USE MORE, THEY PAY MORE PER UNIT.
AND THE SAME SHOULD BE TRUE FOR OUR STAFF, UH, BILLS AS WELL.
AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT THIS RESOLUTION DOES CALL OUT THE HIGH, UH, MONTHLY SERVICE FEE THAT TEXAS GAS CHARGES.
I UNFORTUNATELY AM STILL A TEXAS GAS CUSTOMER.
I HAVE ONE MORE CONVERSION TO MAKE BEFORE I CAN DITCH THAT, UH, BILL ENTIRELY AND THROUGH THE SUMMER I USE ZERO GAS, AND YET I PAY ONCE IT'S ALL THE FEES AND EVERYTHING ARE INCLUDED, I PAY ABOUT $30 A MONTH.
UM, THAT FEELS REALLY EXCESSIVE TO ME.
AND, UH, HAVING SUCH A HIGH FIXED MONTHLY FEE, UH, DOES NOT ENCOURAGE CONSERVATION BECAUSE FOLKS ARE PAYING SO MUCH OF THEIR BILL, WHETHER THEY USE GAS OR WHETHER THEY USE MUCH GAS OR NOT.
SO THE CURRENT, UM, RATE STRUCTURE,
UM, I KNOW THAT THE RMC IS ALSO TRYING TO, UH, STILL GET APPROVAL FROM THE CITY COUNCIL TO HAVE A BROADER
AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY, UH, SUPPORT YOU IN THOSE EFFORTS AND I, I HOPE THAT DOES GO THROUGH, UM, 'CAUSE THERE'S OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES, BUT I THINK THE STRUCTURE OF THE
SO I HOPE THAT Y'ALL DO APPROVE THAT RESOLUTION.
AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR, UH, VICE VICE CHAIR, UH, PAUL ROBBINS LEADERSHIP ON THIS AND, AND EVERYBODY ELSE WHO HAS BEEN WORKING ON IT.
UH, I'M, I'M CALLING AL BRADEN NEXT.
BRADEN, A DISTRICT SEVEN VOTER AND TEXAS GAS SERVICE CUSTOMER.
I'M HERE TO APPLAUD THE COMMISSION FOR WORKING TOWARD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ON OUR GAS UTILITY.
UNTIL NOW, THE CITY'S OVERSIGHT OF THIS UTILITY AND ITS RATES AND FRANCHISE AGREEMENT HAS BEEN HANDLED IN THE BACK HAULS OF THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
THEY TREATED THIS CRITICAL UTILITY AS THEY WOULD ANY OTHER SIMPLE FRANCHISE AGREEMENT LIKE A HOTDOG STAND OR A STREET VENDOR.
THE GAS UTILITY IS IMPORTANT FOR THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN, BOTH IN ITS RATE IMPACT AND ITS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.
TONIGHT WE ARE DEALING WITH THE RATE.
I APPLAUD YOUR PROPOSED RESOLUTION ON THE PENDING RATE CASE.
THIS MECHANISM, LIKE THE RECENT ELECTRIC RATE CASE, IS WHERE UTILITY RATES ARE SET FOR THE COMING YEARS.
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CITIZENS OF AUSTIN HAVE WORKED FOR YEARS TO CREATE A PROGRESSIVE RATE STRUCTURE FOR OUR OWN AUSTIN ENERGY THAT LIMITS MONTHLY CONNECTION FEES AND CHARGES PROGRESSIVELY HIGHER RATES FOR HIGHER USES.THIS CREATES INCENTIVES FOR BOTH CONSERVATION AND EQUITY.
THE TEXAS GAS SERVICE RATE STRUCTURE IS EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE, HAS SHOWN IN THEIR PUBLIC NOTICE THAT PROPOSED RATE CHAIN, UH, THAT WAS SENT OUT THIS SUMMER.
SMALL USERS PAY THE HIGHEST PRICES PROPOSE TO MORE THAN DOUBLE NEXT YEAR.
HIGH VOLUME MORE YOU LEARN THE 34% INDUSTRIAL.
WHAT THERE, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO TO THAT, THE REVIEW FROM HIM.
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SO I THINK WE ARE AT A POINT WHERE WE CANNOT FIX THE SOUND ISSUE.SO THE ACTIONS NEED TO TAKE TONIGHT ARE 50 MINUTES AND THE TWO RCAS, BUT IT'S GONNA BE HARD TO HAVE A MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION ON ANY OF THE DISCUSSION ITEMS. WE COULD DO A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING.
I CAN WORK WITH YOU GUYS ON A, A DIFFERENT DATE SOONER THAN SEPTEMBER.
[1. Approve the minutes of the Resource Management Commission Regular Meeting on July 16, 2024.]
YEAH, I CAN HEAR YOU.[00:15:01]
COMMISSIONERCOMMISSIONER, UH, IS THERE A MOTION? IS THERE A SECOND? SO WE CAN'T HEAR YOU.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE VOTING FOR AT LISA.
IS DINO, CAN YOU SEE IF IT'S ON? HE'S NOT MUTED.
YEAH, YOU DO YOU WANT ME TO READ IT AGAIN? YES, PLEASE.
SO WHERE ARE WE ON THE AGENDA? AND I THOUGHT I HEARD YOU SAY THAT WE WILL NOT BE VOTING ON NUMBER FOUR, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.
[2. Recommend approval of a capacity-based incentive to Travis County Healthcare District, for installation of solar electric systems on their facility located at 7050 Elroy Road Del Valle, TX 78617, in an amount not to exceed $80,280.]
TWO, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.SHALL I READ IT AGAIN? NO, THEY'RE JUST, IF YOU DON'T MIND, PLEASE.
RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF A CAPACITY BASED INCENTIVE TO TRAVIS COUNTY HEALTHCARE DISTRICT FOR INSTALL.
UH, I'M GONNA CALL THE ROLL AGAIN.
AYE, UH, COMMISSIONER FARMER, CAN YOU PLEASE TURN YOUR CAMERA ON? YES.
COMMISSIONER SCOTT BEATTY? YES.
COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN AND I VOTE.
[3. Recommend approval of a capacity-based incentive to St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, for installation of solar electric systems on their facility located at 8134 Mesa Drive Austin, TX 78759, in an amount not to exceed $99,086.]
THREE.RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF SOLAR, THE AMOUNT, NOT 99 AND $6.
IS THERE, IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND.
MOTION HAS BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE? I CALL THE ROLE COMMISSIONER DAVIS.
COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN? YES.
AND I VOTE AYE HE PASSES EIGHT
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ZERO TO ZERO.[5. Discussion and recommend approval to support conservation-based rates in the Texas Gas Service rate case.]
WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA PUT IT UP ON THE BOARD.WE'RE GONNA DISPLAY IT SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO READ IT.
WE'LL PUT IT UP SO THEY CAN SEE IT.
[4. Recommend approval to consider an ordinance repealing and replacing Article 12 of the City Code Chapter 25-12 (Technical Codes) to adopt the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code and local amendments and creating offenses.]
AND THIRD, WHAT, UH, AS INDIVIDUAL CURRENTLY LIMITS ON AND HOW, THAT'S WHY I HAVE IN PERSON OR BY PHONE.UH, I, A POWERPOINT THAT I, I'M NOT ALL CONFIDENT THAT
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TECHNICAL PROBLEMS YOU HAD, BUT YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE SHOULDA BEEN SENT TO YOU BY EMAIL.AND YOU THAT CHARGE PEOPLE MORE WHEN THEY MORE PEOPLE WHO DO THIS.
DOES ANYONE ON THE FOOT? I DO.
DOES ANYONE ON THE PHONE HAVE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? I, I HAVE A QUESTION.
I COULDN'T FIND THE HAND TO RAISE IT.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT'S AT ON THIS DEVICE, BUT ANYWAY, UM, IS THERE SOMEONE FROM FROM TEXAS GAS THAT CAN SPEAK TO THIS A LITTLE BIT? UH, YES, THERE IS.
IF THEY, IF THEY WISH TO, YES.
IF NOTHING, MR. GRAHAM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT YOU CAN, HAS A SPECIFIC QUESTION.
ARE YOU SPEAKING SPEAKING? YES.
AND SO I WANTED TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE RATE INCREASE.
UH, VICE CHAIR WAS STATED THAT, THAT FOR CLARITY THAT IF YOU USE LESS, YOU PAY MORE.
AND IF YOU USE MORE, YOU PAY LESS.
IF YOU CAN JUST PROVIDE CLARITY, I GUESS, TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE, THE INCREASE THAT WE'RE WE'RE DISCUSSING, PLEASE FOR YOU'RE ON TIME.
I VERY MUCH WISH I, I UNDERSTAND AND I APPRECIATE YOUR WILLINGNESS TO DO THAT.
BUT I THINK, UH, WHAT I, WHAT IT WAS EMAILED OUT THIS AFTERNOON, UH, BY THOSE RATES AND IF YOU GO TOWARD YOU, I'M
[00:30:21]
ABLE TO FIND, YOU CAN HEAR US BECAUSE I THINK THEY TURNED THE SPEAKER OFF.COMMISSIONER ROBINSON, YOU CAN'T HEAR US RIGHT REST.
OH, WE WERE TALKING AND YOU WERE, YOU WERE SPEAKING.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS THAT I HAVE THE DOCUMENT.
MY, MY REQUEST WAS FOR TEXAS GAS.
I WANTED TO HEAR FROM YOU FROM THEM.
AND MS. HI STATED THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION AND THAT'S ALL I NEEDED.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR PUTTING IT TOGETHER.
BUT I WANTED TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM TEXAS GAS BEFORE I, UH, RENDER MY VOTE.
I I UNDERSTAND UH, WE ARE TECHNICALLY CHALLENGED HERE, BUT I'M GLAD YOU FOUND IT.
UH, ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN.
THANK YOU MRS. COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN, IT'S NOT WITHIN PURVIEW ALSO FROM THE, AND THAT THERE IS A LOT OF, DON'T DETERMINE HOW COSTS ARE BEING AND THEN ROLLED INTO IF WE DID HAVE THAT ATTITUDE, I MORE TRUCTURE WHETHER SUPPORT CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATION TO RECOMMEND TO THE OPTION THAT THIS, UM, REGRESSIVE BE DESIGNED SO THAT RATHER THAN CHARGE PER RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER DESIGNED TO INCREASE YOUR RATHER THAN DECREASE.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? COMMISSIONER DAVIS, IF SHE HAS HERS, SHE CAN USE.
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OF THEIR RESIDE.UH, THE REASON WAS WAS ONE I'VE BEEN DOING THAT WAS MORE GENERAL IN 2020.
AND SO I THOUGHT DIDN'T IMAGINATION UM, SAY THAT IF YOU USE BELOW A CERTAIN STRETCH LEVEL, YOUR BETTER OFF ONE AND YOU USE ABOVE THEY THAT THEY WILL, UH, TEND ON HOWEVER, BECAUSE I PROVISIONS WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE MANY ARE THAT
[8. Discussion regarding the low-income energy programs, including air conditioning replacement.]
THE PROBLEM THAT YOU, WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST FOR WE[00:40:09]
WILL SUMMARY PROPOSAL SAFETY THERE? ANY SECOND? SECOND QUESTION.UM, WE'RE GONNA CALL THE ROLL AND PLEASE TURN ON YOUR CAMERA WHEN YOU VOTE.
COMMISSIONER SILVERSTEIN? YES.
SO I BELIEVE THAT WOULD BE 7 0 1.
AND HERE, UH, SO DO WE NO
WE WILL JUST BRING IT BACK AUTOMATICALLY NEXT MONTH.
WE CAN WORK WITH YOU ON DATES, VIA EMAIL.
WHY DON'T WE JUST SEND OUT AN EMAIL TO THE GROUP AND IF YOU WANNA MEET TOO, WE'LL WORK WITH YOU ON THOSE DATES.
IT WOULD BE A TUESDAY OVER THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, THREE WEEKS.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE AND APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY FOR THE ISSUES TONIGHT.