Nov 13, 2024 Zero Waste Advisory Commission

[00:00:05]

OFFICIAL QUORUM VIA THE, UH, ONLINE REPRESENTATION.

I'D LIKE TO, CAN YOU HEAR ME? I'M SORRY.

I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS

[CALL MEETING TO ORDER]

IT IS, UH, WHAT TIME IS IT? UH, GOD, 6 0 1.

ALMOST ON TIME.

CONGRATULATIONS, COMMISSIONERS.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

UH, LET'S SEE.

LOOKING OVER THE AGENDA, IF IT WOULD BE THE WILL OF THIS COMMISSION, I'D LIKE TO SEMI RE REDO THIS AGENDA TO MAKE IT A LITTLE, UH, SMOOTHER AND GET THE, UH, GET THE, UH, BUSY STUFF OUT OF THE WAY AND TAKE CARE OF THE EASY STUFF LATER.

UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, LET'S SEE.

MOVE AN ITEM NUMBER ONE, LEAVING ITEM NUMBER ONE OF THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES AS IS, BUT BRINGING UP ITEM SIX TO THE NUMBER TWO SPOT, PUTTING ITEM TWO DOWN TO THE THREE SPOT, BRINGING ITEM FIVE UP TO THE NUMBER FOUR, SPOT LOWERING.

ITEM THREE TO THE, UH, NUMBER FIVE SPOT.

AND, UH, FOUR AND SEVEN.

ROUNDING OUT THE, UH, AGENDA THAT, UH, BE THE WILL.

THAT WAS TOUGH.

, MY BRAIN CAN'T COPY.

.

OH, GOD.

IS THAT OKAY? COMMISSIONERS? YES.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

MOVING ALONG HERE.

I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S, ANYONE'S SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, IS THAT CORRECT? S UH, ONE PERSON ON FOUR.

DO WE WE HAVE ONE PERSON.

ALRIGHT, I'M SORRY, PLEASE.

I, ITEM FOUR.

OH, ON ITEM FOUR TO THE, THE ITEM.

WHAT, WHAT USED TO BE FOR, OKAY, WHAT .

OKAY.

IT'S DOWN THERE THEN.

ANYWAY.

SO THE FIRST ITEM

[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]

ANY DISCUSSION ON THOSE? I MOVE TO APPROVE.

JAN MOVES APPROVAL.

DO I HEAR A SECOND? SECONDED.

I'M SORRY, MICHAEL, WAS IT? YES.

UH, THANK YOU.

I SECONDED THE MOTION.

THANK YOU.

TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.

ALL MICHAEL SECONDS.

ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS HEARING? NO DISCUSSION.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HANDS PLEASE.

THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS.

UNANIMOUS.

MOVING ALONG, ITEM NUMBER SIX.

[6. Staff briefing regarding the Equity-Based Preservation Plan by Cara Bertron, Program Manager, Austin Planning Department, and Rocio Peña-Martinez, Preservation Plan Working Group member]

AND THAT'S BY STAFF.

OKAY.

WHO, WHO OF STAFF? YEAH, WHO WAS OH, SHE'S JOINED THERE.

SHE'S GREAT.

OH, I DIDN'T, OH, VIRTUALLY.

OKAY.

I'M SORRY.

THANK YOU.

IS KARA OWENS IS, YEAH.

IS KARA OWEN, I'M SORRY, WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT.

I THINK I'M JOINED HERE BY OCIO PENYA MARTINEZ.

UM, I DUNNO IF SHE'S NOT BEEN LED IN AS A PANELIST, OR SHE JUST HAS NOT JOINED YET.

UM, BUT, UM, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN.

UM, SHOULD I SHARE MY SCREEN OR DO Y'ALL, DOES STAFF WANT TO PUT UP THE, THE PRESENTATION STAFF IS A, THERE WE GO.

WE HAVE IT.

IT'S UP.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT, SO, UM, OKAY.

MY, I'M, I'M HAVING A LOT OF LAG HERE, SO I HOPE IT'S NOT COMING THROUGH TO Y'ALL.

UM, AND I, I, NOW I SEE IT.

UM, SO THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO THE BRIEFING THAT I DID IN THE SPRING MM-HMM.

, UM, TALKING ABOUT THE DRAFT EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN, AND INVITING THIS COMMISSION TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON THE DRAFT.

UM, NOW I'M CIRCLING BACK TO, UH, OFFER, OR WELL TO, UM, REPORT ON THE FINAL PLAN, UH, AND TO TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS.

AND IF YOU WISH TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL REGARDING ADOPTION OF THE PLAN, IT IS HEADED TO COUNCIL NEXT WEEK.

SO IF, IF THIS COMMISSION WOULD LIKE TO, TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION, THIS IS THE, THIS WOULD BE THE, THE MEETING TO DO IT.

UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

OKAY.

SO, AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, I'M GONNA, UM, SEE, I'M JUST GONNA TEXT WITH YOU.

OKAY.

[00:05:01]

YOU COULD SEE THEM THERE.

THEY HEARD FROM 275 OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS THEY WERE DEVELOPING THE DRAFT PLAN.

AND, UM, I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE YOU'VE HEARD THIS, BUT YOU HAVE HEARD IT RELATIVELY RECENTLY.

SO I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO THE DETAILS, BUT THIS, UH, PRESENTATION IS POSTED AS BACKUP, AND I'M HA HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

OKAY.

SO HERE'S THE VISION FOR THE PLAN.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN AUSTIN ACTIVELY ENGAGES COMMUNITIES IN PROTECTING AND SHARING IMPORTANT PLACES AND STORIES.

PRESERVATION USES THE PAST TO CREATE A SHARED SENSE OF BELONGING AND TO SHAPE AN EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE, SUSTAINABLE, AND ECONOMICALLY VITAL FUTURE FOR ALL.

AND THIS VISION WAS BASED ON A COMMUNITY HERITAGE SURVEY VERY EARLY ON IN THE PLANNING PROCESS.

UM, REALLY COMES FROM THE COMMUNITY, AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S MUCH BIGGER THAN THE PRESERVATION PROGRAM AT THE CITY HAS, UH, A BIGGER ROLE THAN IT'S PLAYED IN THE PAST WITH MORE CONNECTIONS TO OTHER THINGS.

I, I THINK THAT'S REALLY EXCITING.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, SO THE PLAN HAS 107 RECOMMENDATIONS ARRAY UNDER 14 GOALS.

WROTE THROUGH ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS OR EVEN ALL THE GOALS.

I'LL JUST, I'LL PAUSE HERE ONLY TO SAY THESE ARE REALLY BROAD.

UM, I WILL TALK THROUGH THREE THEMES, UM, THAT THE GOALS FALL INTO.

AND IF THE FOLLOWING SLIDES, IF THEY SEEM, UM, FAMILIAR TO YOU, IT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE THEY ARE, BECAUSE WHEN WE DID OUTREACH AROUND THE DRAFT PLAN, WHAT WE HEARD FROM, UH, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WAS THAT, THAT THE GOALS AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE A LOT OF SENSE.

SO WE ADDED SOME, AND WE, WE ADJUSTED SOME, BUT, BUT THERE WEREN'T MAJOR CHANGES BETWEEN THE DRAFT AND THE FINAL PLAN.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO, THE FIRST FIVE GOALS, UM, THEY ARE UNDER THIS WHAT WE PRESERVE THEME.

AND THE BIG IDEA HERE IS REALLY TO THINK BROADLY ABOUT WHAT WE PRESERVE.

SO TRYING TO, UM, BETTER TELL AUSTIN'S WHOLE AND COMPLEX HISTORY THROUGH OUR, UH, HISTORIC PROPERTIES, WORKING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND INTERPRETING OUT WHAT, UM, WHY, WHY WE ARE PRESERVING PROPERTIES TO BETTER RECOGNIZE AND PROTECT CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES, AND TO, TO CONNECT PRESERVATION TO OTHER IMPORTANT COMMUNITY PRIORITIES LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND DISPLACEMENT PREVENTION.

UM, NOT AS A, AND I PROBABLY SAID THIS IN THE SPRING, NOT AS, NOT AS A EA, NOT AS AN, NOT AS THE SOLUTION, BUT AS TOOLS THAT CAN HELP TO MEET THESE BROADER GOALS.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, THE NEXT THEME IS WHO PRESERVES.

AND THE BIG IDEA HERE IS REALLY TO INVITE, UH, MORE PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE AND SUPPORT THEM IN THAT PARTICIPATION.

UM, WE'VE, WE STARTED TO ENGAGE NEW PARTNERS AND AUDIENCES WITH OUTREACH AROUND THE DRAFT PLAN IN A REALLY EXCITING WAY.

AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT IN A MINUTE.

UM, BUT, SO WE WANT TO KEEP DOING THAT, REALLY TO PROVIDE MORE RESOURCES AND MORE ACCESSIBLE RESOURCES TO PEOPLE AND REALLY SUPPORT PEOPLE WHO ARE DOING THE WORK IN A VARIETY OF WAYS.

UM, PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN, LIVE AND WORK IN PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PROFESSIONALS WHO HELP US TO STEWARD OUR OLDER AND HISTORIC PROPERTIES, COMMISSIONERS AND CITY STAFF.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THE LAST THEME IS HOW WE PRESERVE, AND THIS IS, UH, REALLY THE NUTS AND BOLTS MM-HMM.

OF, OF PRESERVATION.

UM, SO WE WANT TO BE MORE, UH, UH, AT LEAST OF THE, THE PRESERVATION WORK THAT WE DO NOW.

SO WE WANT TO BE MORE STRATEGIC AND MORE EFFECTIVE.

SO MAKING SURE OUR DESIGNATION CRITERIA, UH, IS UP, UP TO MODERN STANDARDS.

UH, SUPPORT THE STEWARDS OF OUR HISTORIC PROPERTIES, MOSTLY PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS IN A WAY THAT'S EFFECTIVE AND EQUITABLE.

BE STRATEGIC WITH THE REVIEW WE'RE DOING, IMPROVE OUR ENFORCEMENT PROCESSES, AND IMPLEMENT THE PLAN COLLABORATIVELY.

AND THE NEXT SLIDE, WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.

THERE ARE SOME SELECTIVE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO, UH, DISC COMMISSION.

UM, THESE ARE MOSTLY, BUT NOT ALL UNDER THE SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY GOALS.

SO, UM, TO BASICALLY HOW CAN WE MAKE IT EASIER TO, UH, RETAIN OLDER PROPERTIES AND TO REDUCE WASTE THAT'S GOING INTO THE, INTO OUR LANDFILLS.

UM, SO PART THAT CAN BE DONE BY SORT OF, UH, STREAMLINING THE PROCESS TO, TO RETAIN, UH, OLDER BUILDINGS, NOT, NOT BY ZONING EVERYTHING HISTORIC, NOT BY REQUIRING PEOPLE TO DO THAT, BUT MAKING IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO, TO MAKE THE DECISION TO RETAIN OLDER BUILDINGS AS THEY'RE ADDING MORE UNITS, YOU KNOW, AS THEY'RE DOING OTHER THINGS ON THE PROPERTY, UM, TO, TO INCENTIVIZE ALTERNATIVES TO DEMOLITION.

WE ARE WORKING WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY ON, ON IDEAS AROUND THIS, MAKE IT EASIER TO RELOCATE BUILDINGS WITHIN AUSTIN.

UM, I KNOW THAT COUNCIL ABOUT A YEAR AGO, UH, PASSED A RESOLUTION TO, TO MAKE RELOCATION EASIER.

SO

[00:10:01]

SO WE, WE THINK PRESERVATION IS ALIGNED IN MANY WAYS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY AND LOW WASTE, AND WE WANT TO JUST, UM, MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS BETTER FOR PEOPLE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

OKAY, SO NOW I'M GONNA SPEND A FEW SITES TALKING ABOUT COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT.

THEN, THEN WRAP UP.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO WE HAD A FOUR MONTH ENGAGEMENT WINDOW FROM FEBRUARY THROUGH MAY.

UM, DID A LOT OF STUFF.

YOU CAN SEE HERE, I THINK 2,500 PEOPLE ENGAGED IS A VERY LOW COUNT.

THAT'S AT THE EVENTS WHERE WE COUNTED PEOPLE.

SO THERE WERE PLENTY OF, I NEVER COUNT, I PRESENTED TO MOST OF THE 49, UM, PRESENTATIONS YOU SEE THERE.

AND I DIDN'T ACTUALLY COUNT PEOPLE IN THE AUDIENCES.

SO I THINK, AGAIN, VERY CONSERVATIVE COUNT.

WE DID POPUPS AT COMMUNITY EVENTS AROUND THE CITY.

WE HAD SMALLER GROUP CONVERSATIONS.

WE DID THESE BIG CITY EVENTS.

UM, I THINK WHAT MADE OUR ENGAGEMENT PARTICULARLY SUCCESSFUL WAS, WAS MEANINGFUL AND SUBSTANTIAL PARTNERSHIPS WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

SO WE PAID NINE COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO ACT AS AMBASSADORS FOR THE PLAN, UM, ENGAGING THEIR NETWORKS ABOUT IT.

AND WE AWARDED MANY GRANTS TO FIVE COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, UM, TO, TO REACH OUT TO THEIR NETWORKS ABOUT THE PLAN.

AND WITH THOSE, UH, PROGRAMS, BOTH WERE PARTICULARLY AIMED AT REACHING HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.

UM, I THINK WERE, WERE REALLY SUCCESSFUL.

WE DIDN'T ASK THEM TO SHILL FOR THE PLAN.

WE DIDN'T ASK, YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO SUPPORT THE PLAN WHOLEHEARTEDLY, BUT WE DID WANT THEM TO GET THE WORD OUT TO PEOPLE THAT, THAT THEY KNEW AND, AND WHO TRUSTED THEM, UM, TO HOPEFULLY GIVE FEEDBACK ON THE PLAN, WHATEVER THAT LOOKED LIKE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, I THINK THAT THE NEXT ONE, UH, THIS IS WHO WE HEARD FROM IN THAT PROCESS.

SO, MOST PEOPLE GAVE FEEDBACK ON THE PLAN THROUGH A COMMUNITY SURVEY.

AND, AND HOPEFULLY MANY OF YOU TOOK THAT SURVEY, IT TOOK ABOUT FIVE MINUTES ON ONLINE, OR WE ALSO HAVE PAPER COPIES.

UM, AND JUST UNDER 2100 PEOPLE TOOK THAT, THAT SURVEY AND ANSWERED THESE QUESTIONS BELOW.

UM, WHEN WE COMPARE THE SHARE OF SURVEY RESPONDENTS TO PEOPLE IN AUSTIN, WE CAN SEE THAT A HIGHER PROPORTION OF PEOPLE OF COLOR, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, AND PEOPLE WHO ARE PART OF THE LGBTQA PLUS COMMUNITIES RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY.

UM, AND IT'S LOWER PROPORTION, WHICH IS ALL REALLY EXCITING.

UM, A LOWER PROPORTION OF RENTERS, UM, RESPONDED NEARLY 30% IS, IT'S, IT'S STILL PRETTY GOOD FOR A CITY PROCESS, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO WORK ON AS WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN.

WE WANNA KEEP, KEEP ENGAGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THINKING ABOUT WAYS TO, TO MOVE IN RENTERS.

UM, YOU CAN SEE ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT THAT PEOPLE FROM ACROSS AUSTIN PARTICIPATED IN THE PLANNING PROCESS, WHICH IS, IS EXCITING.

THIS IS, UM, HISTORICALLY PEOPLE FROM CENTRAL AND WEST AUSTIN HAVE BEEN REALLY INVOLVED, BUT WE WANTED THIS TO BE A PLAN FOR THE WHOLE CITY, AND I THINK PARTICIPATION REFLECTS THAT.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO PARTICIPATED ARE LONGTIME RESIDENTS.

UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN HERE HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A SHORTER TIME TOO, BUT WE HAD A LOT OF LONGTIME AUSTINITE SAYING THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND THEY WANTED TO PARTICIPATE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, WE ALSO GOT, AND THIS IS IN, OKAY, SO, UM, OH, SO IF YOU TOOK THE, THE SURVEY ONLINE, YOU'LL RECOGNIZE, YOU MAY RECOGNIZE THESE COMMUNITY PRIORITIES, WHICH ARE AGGREGATED VERSIONS OF THE PLAN'S 14 GOALS.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, I THINK THE QUICK TAKEAWAY FROM THIS SLIDE, THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION, BUT THE QUICK TAKEAWAY IS THAT PEOPLE SAID EVERYTHING, ALL OF THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.

ALL THESE GOALS ARE IMPORTANT.

UM, WHEN WE TRY TO GET A SENSE OF, OF PEOPLE'S PRIORITIES SAYING, WHAT SHOULD WE START WORKING ON FIRST? YOU KNOW, UH, PEOPLE SAID, A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE SAID, WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD KEEP PEOPLE IN BUSINESSES IN PLACE.

UH, 51%, ANOTHER 20% OF PEOPLE SAID, KEEP PLACES FEELING LIKE AUSTIN.

AND I THINK THAT IS A, AN ACCURATE REFLECTION OF, OF THE MAJOR, MAJOR ISSUES, UM, THAT THE CITY FACES RIGHT NOW.

UM, I'LL NOTE THAT 70, THAT, THAT ENCOURAGING ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IS FOURTH ON THE LIST WITH 77.3.

SO VERY STRONG SUPPORT.

UM, BUT YEAH, AGAIN, ALL OF THESE WERE REALLY WELL SUPPORTED.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UM, SO THE NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT, UH, SPECIFIC COMMENTS THAT WE GOT ON THE DRAFT PLAN.

SO WE GOT SOME SPECIFIC STAKEHOLDER COMMENTS IN THE DRAFT PLAN.

UM, UH, SOME OF THOSE WERE ACTIONABLE CHANGES, MEANING THAT THEY'RE IN THE PURVIEW OF THE PLAN AND THAT, UM, ACTION WAS REQUESTED.

UM, AND ALSO THAT THEY'RE ALLOW ALLOWABLE, BUT ALLOWABLE BY CITY CODE.

UM, HALF OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE DRAFT PLAN WERE REVISED TO GET TO THE FINAL PLAN.

SO WE REALLY DID, OR THE WORKING GROUP THAT MADE THE DECISIONS REALLY DID PAY ATTENTION TO COMMUNITY FEEDBACK.

AND EIGHT NEW RECOMMENDATIONS WERE ADDED TO THE PLAN.

UM, YOU CAN SEE THEM HERE, UM, SUPPORT FOR STEWARDS OF HISTORIC CEMETERIES, ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS FOR OLDER AND HISTORIC PROPERTIES, WHICH I THINK IS, UM, BUILDING, BUILDING MAINTENANCE, EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR PROPERTY OWNERS AND TENANTS AND SUPPORT FOR HERITAGE TOURISM SITES.

SO THESE ARE, THESE ARE HUGE THINGS THAT WERE MISSED IN THE DRAFT, AND IT WAS GREAT THAT THE COMMUNITY

[00:15:01]

THAT SHOULD BE IN THERE.

SO THOSE HAVE BEEN ADDED.

UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THE, THIS IS AN AT THE TIMELINE FOR THE PRESERVATION PLANNING PROCESS IN A NUTSHELL, THIS PLANNING PROCESS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR THREE AND A HALF YEARS.

YEAH.

SO IT'S BEEN A, A LONG, LONG STRETCH.

I'M NOT GONNA TALK THROUGH, IT'S JUST BEEN, YOU CAN KIND OF SEE, SEE WHAT'S HAPPENED HERE.

UM, YEAH, IT'S BEEN A REALLY NEAT PROCESS WORKING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGHOUT AS DECISION MAKERS.

I'LL MENTION THAT THE PLAN, UH, I SORT OF ALLUDED TO THIS, BUT THE, THE DRAFT PLAN WAS REVISED BY THE PRESERVATION PLAN WORKING GROUP AND THE PRESERVATION PLAN COMMITTEE OF THE LANDMARK COMMISSION THIS SUMMER.

SO IT CONTINUED WITH THIS COMMUNITY-BASED THEME, UH, TO GET TO THIS FINAL PLAN.

AND WE ARE, AS I MENTIONED, WE'RE HEADING TO COUNCIL FOR REVIEW AND HOPEFULLY ADOPTION OF THE PLAN, UH, NEXT THURSDAY.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS IS THE LAST SLIDE.

UH, JUST NEXT STEPS.

SO WE'VE STARTED TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN.

WE'LL START BY DOING WHAT WE CAN WITH THE RESOURCES WE HAVE AND ALSO, UM, LOOKING AT THE RESOURCES WE NEED FOR OTHER INITIATIVES.

UM, HOPEFULLY IN THE, UH, STARTING IN THE, THE 25, 26 FISCAL YEAR.

SO THIS UPCOMING BUDGET CYCLE, WE'RE WORKING IN A PUBLIC DASHBOARD TO TRACK THE PLAN'S PROGRESS.

ACTUALLY, WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN DASHBOARD AS A MODEL AND TALKING TO THOSE STAFF TO, TO REALLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO PRESENT A LOT OF INFORMATION IN A TRANSPARENT AND, UM, LEGIBLE WAY.

WE'LL KEEP WORKING WITH RELATED CITY DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER CITY PLANS, INCLUDING AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY STAFF, UM, ON IMPLEMENTATION AND CONTINUE TO THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING THAT HAVE REALLY BEEN AT THE HEART OF THIS PROCESS.

AND THEN I THINK THE NEXT SLIDE IS, THE LAST ONE IS THE WEBSITE.

IF YOU'LL, IF Y'ALL WANT TO VISIT AND SEE, UH, SEE THE PLAN ITSELF AGAIN OR, OR LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PLANNING PROCESS AND APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION.

UM, HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, THE FINAL PLAN OR THE PLANNING PROCESS OR, UH, IF Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO CONSIDER A RECOMMENDATION.

HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT.

THANK YOU, KIRA.

THANK YOU.

AND THE, UH, PRESERVATION PLAN COMMITTEE FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO THIS.

I MEAN, THIS IS VERY IMPRESSIVE.

IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS DONE OVER THE COURSE OF TIME, AND CONGRATULATIONS ON COMING CLOSE TO THE FINISH LINE HERE.

AND HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET ACROSS THAT FINISH LINE.

UH, COMMISSIONERS, ARE

[2. Discussion and action to recommend that Austin City Council adopt the Equity-Based Preservation Plan.]

YES.

I'M SORRY, MICHAEL, IS THAT YES.

OKAY.

THAT'S CORRECT.

UH, THANK YOU MICHAEL.

COMMISSIONER FROM DISTRICT ONE.

UM, KARA, IS THERE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR WE SHOULD, IN, IN MAKING OUR RECOMMENDATION, IS THERE ANYTHING WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND, PARTICULARLY IN HOW IT RELATES TO THE ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION AND ITS PRESERVATION PLAN? WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND THE MOST? SURE.

SO I THINK THE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT I, THAT I HIGHLIGHTED AS PART OF THE PRESENTATION, I THINK THOSE ARE, I DIDN'T, I REALIZE I DIDN'T PUT THE, UM, ENERGY EFFICIENCY RECOMMENDATION ON THAT LIST, BUT I THINK THAT THERE ARE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS THERE.

THOSE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT KIND OF HIT THE ZERO WASTE NAIL ON THE HEAD.

UM, BUT I THINK THE WHOLE, I THINK OUR HOPE IS THAT THE BROADER PLAN ALSO SUPPORTS ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY JUST BY KEEPING MORE PLACES STANDING AND VALUED.

I, I THINK, UM, I, I THINK IT ALL RELATES GENERALLY TO, TO THE OVERARCHING GOALS.

BUT THERE ARE THOSE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS LISTED IN THE PRESENTATION THAT I THINK, UM, MAYBE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO THIS COMMISSION.

AND IF YOU, IF YOU FEEL LIKE THERE ARE THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO HIGHLIGHT PARTICULARLY, UM, TO HEAR ABOUT THOSE, YOU MENTIONED DECONSTRUCTION AND MATERIAL SALVAGE.

IS THERE LIKE A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN PLACE? IS THAT WHO, UH, WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT? OR WOULD THAT BE SOMEONE ELSE INVOLVED ON THAT FRONT THAT, SO THE, THE FOLKS WHO WOULD HANDLE REAL PROGRESS ON THAT FRONT OR WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY? CORRECT.

AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH A RR STAFF IS PART OF THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP, CITY STAFF FOR THE PLAN.

AND, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE, UH, A COUPLE OF MEETINGS SET UP WITH A RR STAFF IN THE NEXT, UH, COUPLE OF MONTHS.

WE'VE PREEMPTIVELY SET UP IMPLEMENTATION MEETINGS IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY TO TALK ABOUT NEXT STEPS.

UM, LOOK AT WHAT DATA IS ALREADY BEING COLLECTED, YOU KNOW, STUFF, DATA, METRICS THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO, UM, PRACTICE PART OF PLAN PROGRESS IF THERE IS ADDITIONAL DATA THAT WE WANT.

AND, UM, LAYING OUT LOOKING AT A ROADMAP BASED ON WHAT A RR AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS ARE ALREADY DOING, WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE, AND HOW WE CAN SUPPORT THEIR WORK, UM, AND VICE VERSA.

SO A LOT OF THAT IS STILL TBD, BUT I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT A R HAS, HAS THOUGHT OF AND LOOKED INTO.

SO I THINK IT'S A MATTER OF KIND OF NAVIGATING IT AMONGST OTHER PRIORITIES.

OKAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

YEAH, KARA, THANK YOU FOR, UH, POINTING OUT THE, THE ITEMS THAT WE CAN SUPPORT YOU IN, I MEAN, WITH STAFF CAN, UH, SUPPORT AND AGAIN, WONDERFUL PRESENTATION.

[00:20:02]

I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION MOVE TO RECOMMEND.

ALL RIGHT.

SO WE HAVE A MOTION BY AMANDA TO, UH, RECOMMEND SUPPORT OF THIS ITEM.

I SECOND BEYOND SECONDS THAT, UH, SUPPORT.

DO I HEAR ANY, UH, DISCUSSION ON THE, ON THE MOTION HEARING? NO DISCUSSION.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.

UNANIMOUS.

KARA, THANK YOU AGAIN AND THE COMMITTEE FOR THE INCREDIBLE WORK AND THE PATIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COMMISSIONER.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT GUYS, MOVING ON.

AND THAT, UH, THE, UH, NEXT ITEM IS

[5. Staff briefing regarding the 2024 Austin Energy Green Building Program Overview by Heidi Kasper, Energy Efficiency Services Director, Austin Energy.]

AND REGARDING THE 2024 AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING PROGRAM OVERVIEW.

HEIDI, THANK YOU.

HI, THANK YOU.

YEAH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

UH, HEIDI CASPER, DIRECTOR OF GREEN BUILDING AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.

UM, NEXT SLIDE.

SO TONIGHT I'M JUST GONNA GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT WE DO AT AUSTIN ENERGY GREEN BUILDING.

UM, THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON A WHILE, SO MM-HMM, , THE PROGRAM WAS ESTABLISHED BACK IN 1991 WITH A GRANT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.

UM, SINCE THAT TIME, WE'VE BEEN UPDATING THE RATINGS, UH, CONSISTENTLY, AND WE'RE ON ABOUT A THREE YEAR CYCLE OF WHEN WE UPDATE OUR RATINGS AT THIS POINT.

UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

OUR WORK ENCOMPASSES THREE BROAD AREAS, RATINGS, EDUCATION, OUTREACH, AND POLICIES AND CODES.

SO WE OFFER RATINGS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION AND MAJOR RENOVATION ACROSS SINGLE FAMILY, MULTIFAMILY AND COMMERCIAL BUILDING SECTORS.

THE RATING SYSTEMS REWARDS SUSTAINABLE ABOVE CODE PRACTICES, UM, AND THEN WE USE THE EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TO BOTH DRIVE DEMAND FOR RATED BUILDINGS AND BUILD CAPACITY IN WORKFORCE.

SO WE EDUCATE BOTH GENERAL PUBLIC AND, UM, THOSE IN BUILDING DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION SO THAT THEY CAN DELIVER ON THE BUILDINGS.

AND THEN, UM, AS THE MARKET RECOGNIZES THOSE, UH, SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES AND THEY BECOME, UH, MORE COMMONPLACE, THOSE GET ROLLED INTO, UH, POLICIES, ORDINANCES, AND CODES, AND THEN WE UPDATE AND RAISE THE BAR.

NEXT SLIDE.

THE RATINGS SUPPORT A VARIETY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN SUSTAINABILITY GOALS SUCH AS THOSE IN THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN, CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, WATER FORWARD OF INTEREST TO THIS, UH, COMMISSION, THE ZERO WASTE PLAN, UM, CLIMATE.

YEAH.

UH, SO WE ALSO LOOK AT GOALS AND MEASURES THAT SUPPORT TRADITIONAL CONSERVATION, SO ENERGY EFFICIENCY, WATER EFFICIENCY, MATERIAL EFFICIENCY, AND THEN THOSE THAT ALSO SUPPORT QUALITY OF LIFE.

SO WE LOOK AT THINGS LIKE HEALTHY BUILDING MATERIALS AND OR EARTH QUALITY, UM, TRANSPORTATION, AND EVEN EQUITY ISSUES LIKE, UH, MAKING SURE THAT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ARE PAID AND KEPT HEALTHY AND SAFE.

NEXT SLIDE.

THE WAY OUR RATINGS ARE STRUCTURED, THERE IS A SET OF BASIC REQUIREMENTS.

IF ANY OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH LEAD RATING SYSTEMS, THESE WOULD BE AKIN TO THEIR PREREQUISITES PROJECTS THAT MEET ALL OF THOSE BASIC REQUIREMENTS.

EARN A ONE STAR RATING, AND THEN THERE'S A MENU OF POINTS.

UM, I BELIEVE THIS IS THE COMMERCIAL MENU OF POINTS.

MM-HMM, .

THE, THE TOTAL POINTS YOU NEED TO EARN VARIES BASED ON THE RATING, UM, VERSION AND WHETHER IT'S SINGLE FAMILY RATING VERSUS MULTIFAMILY OR COMMERCIAL.

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THOSE POINTS ARE IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.

MM-HMM, .

SO WE ADDRESS EVERYTHING FROM, UH, SUSTAINABLE SITE, UH, PREPARATION, HEALTH, ENERGY, WATER, EDUCATION, EQUITY, MATERIALS, AND RESOURCES.

NEXT SLIDE.

UM, OUR RATINGS DO HAVE A VERY BROAD IMPACT.

UM, WE END UP WORKING WITH ABOUT 20 TO 30% OF THE NEW CONSTRUCTION IN AUSTIN.

UM, PARTICIPATION IS DRIVEN THROUGH A VARIETY OF CITY AGREEMENTS.

UH, THESE INCLUDE OUR PUD ZONING DOWNTOWN DENSITY BONUS PROGRAM, AND A LONGSTANDING, UH, COLLABORATION WITH HOUSING THAT EVERYTHING THAT'S PARTICIPATING IN SMART HOUSING MUST EARN A ONE STORE GREEN BUILDING RATING.

SO WE FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHOULD BE NOT JUST CHEAP TO RENT, BUT CHEAP TO OPERATE AS WELL.

SO WE WANT YOUR UTILITY BILLS SLOW AS WELL.

UM, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

UH, THIS IS OUR OVERALL

[00:25:01]

SO WE STARTED REPORTING IMPACT BACK IN 2007.

AND SO THIS IS, UM, WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TRACKING SINCE THEN.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE, UH, WE, ONE OF THE METRICS THAT WE HAVE HISTORICALLY TRACKED HAS BEEN, UH, CONSTRUCTION, WASTE DIVERSION.

UM, NEXT SLIDE.

AND THEN, UM, SO OF INTEREST TO THIS COMMISSION, I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST HIGHLIGHT ARE ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE WORK WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS, UM, IN THIS CASE, CONSTRUCTION WASTE.

SO BACK IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS, UM, THERE WERE VERY FEW ALTERNATIVES TO LANDFILL.

UM, SO OUR PROGRAM STARTED PUTTING CONSTRUCTION WASTE INTO THE RATING, WORKING WITH LOCAL CONTRACTORS, UM, TO, LIKE I SAID, WORK ON HAVING SERVICE AVAILABLE TO CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND DRIVING DEMAND FOR THAT SERVICE.

UM, RESULTING IN BACK IN 2015, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, UH, PASSED AN ORDINANCE MAKING THAT REQUIRED.

UM, CITYWIDE, WE CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH, UH, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, UM, LOOKING AT HOW DO WE HELP THEM WITH COMPLIANCE WITH THE CODE EDUCATION AROUND THE CODE.

AND THEN WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS MOVING INTO THINGS LIKE LAMPS AND BATTERY RECYCLING.

UM, THE RECENT ORDINANCE WITH, UH, MULTIFAMILY ON, UH, COMPOSTING, MAKING SURE THAT NEW PROJECTS ARE AWARE OF THE ORDINANCE AND ARE SETTING THEMSELVES UP TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT.

UM, AND THEN LOOKING AT ISSUES, UH, LIKE CAROL WAS TALKING ABOUT, SALVAGE REUSE, UM, AND EVEN WITH NEW CONSTRUCTION, ENCOURAGING PROJECTS TO THINK ABOUT REUSE DOWN THE LINE.

SO DESIGNING FOR REUSE UPFRONT.

AND WITH THAT, I THINK I CAN TAKE QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU HEIDI.

VERY MUCH.

COMMISSIONERS ANY QUESTIONS FOR MS. CASPER? I THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I THINK IT'S QUITE INTERESTING.

ONE OF THE THINGS I AM CONCERNED ABOUT IS WHEN THEY, YOU KNOW, WE, WE PASS HOME ONE AND HOME TWO MM-HMM.

, AND YOU GET MORE DENSITY, AND EVERYBODY HAS THESE LITTLE CARTS, AND WE'RE EXPANDING PARKING, AND WE HAVE THESE LITTLE CARTS.

AND THE QUESTION IS, HOW DO WE DO ALL THAT WITH JUST LIKE MAYBE SOME OF THESE TWO LANE STREETS? HAS ANY THOUGHT BEEN PUT INTO COMING UP, UH, WITH A DIFFERENT WAY TO DO THIS? FOR INSTANCE, I KNOW IN SOME AREAS OF EUROPE, THEY HAVE A BUILDING AT THE END OF A BLOCK AND PEOPLE TAKE THE GARBAGE TO THAT BUILDING, AND THEN A BIG VAN COMES UP AND EMBASSIES IT FROM THE BUILDING.

NOW, WE, WE PROBABLY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT HERE, BUT I DON'T KNOW.

I MEAN, YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE A MUL, A MULTIFAMILY BUILDING, AND WE WANNA DIVIDE UP INTO A RECYCLABLE, AND COMPOSTABLE HAS THOUGHT BEEN PUT INTO HOW TO CONSTRUCT A BUILDING TO MAKE IT EASIER TO DO THAT.

SO I WOULD SAY ON THE NEW CONSTRUCTION SIDE, YES, WE'RE NOT REAL PRESCRIPTIVE ABOUT HOW THEY ACHIEVE THAT, BUT ON NEW CONSTRUCTION, WE ARE TELLING THEM UPFRONT, YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR THESE THINGS.

WE'RE POINTING OUT WITHIN THE ORDINANCE THAT THEY NEED TO BE EQUALLY CONVENIENT, UM, AND THE VOLUMES SO THAT THE DESIGNERS CAN THEN PLAN FOR THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE TRASH AND RECYCLING ROOMS OR CHS ORGANIZED.

AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT ON PLANS.

SO A NEW CONSTRUCTION, I WOULD SAY THAT THAT IS BEING CONSIDERED.

AND, UM, UPFRONT IT GETS A LOT HARDER WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A RETROFIT SITUATION.

AND UNFORTUNATELY, UM, STARTS GETTING OUTSIDE OF MY PERFUME BECAUSE JUST TO POINT OUT KIND OF A, A FLAW WITH OUR SYSTEM, AND I'M, I'M NOT MAKING A BIG HUGE CRITICISM.

IT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GREW YEAH.

JUST OUT OF, WITHOUT A WHOLE LOT OF FORWARD PLANNING.

BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE CONTAINERS AND YOU DUMP THE CONTAINERS AND THEY TRYING TO GET DOWN THE STREET, AND THAT WHOLE PROCESS STUFF FALLS OUT OCCASIONALLY.

YEP.

AND ONE OF MY JOBS ON WEDNESDAY MORNING, MM-HMM.

IS I GO OUT THERE AND KIND OF CLEAN UP MY STREET A LITTLE BIT, BUT I, IT SEEMS LIKE SOME PLANNING COULD BE PUT INTO THIS, PARTICULARLY WITH MULTIFAMILY, YOU KNOW, WITH THESE NEW BUILDINGS THAT THEY'RE STARTING FROM SCRATCH TO MAKE THAT WORK EASIER FOR THE COLLECTION CREWS AND FOR THE PEOPLE, BECAUSE IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO GET PEOPLE TO SEPARATE THINGS OUT, BUT IT, THE EASIER YOU MAKE IT, THE MORE LIKELY IT IS TO HAPPEN.

YEAH.

I WOULD SAY ON MOST MULTIFAMILY YOU HAVE, YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THE ADVANTAGE THAT THEY'RE NOT USUALLY USING CARTS.

UM, SO MOST OF THOSE ARE USING DUMPSTERS AND PRIVATE, UH, RECYCLING COLLARS, VALET SERVICE.

UM, WE HAVE EVEN SOME MULTI-FAMILY

[00:30:01]

UM, BUT YEAH, I GUESS, I GUESS WHEN WE START GETTING INTO O UH, OPERATIONS OF BUILDINGS, BECAUSE OUR RATING SYSTEM ENDS, UH, WITH A CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY, UM, WE CAN TRY AND DO WHAT WE CAN TO GET PEOPLE SET UP FOR SUCCESS TO OWN AND OPERATE THE BUILDING, BUT IT'S, YEAH, IT'S GONNA HAVE TO BE, COME FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE TO SEE HOW THAT FOLLOWS FROM.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

YEP.

ANYTHING ELSE? ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? HEIDI? I'VE GOT A COUPLE OF QUICK ONES FOR YOU HERE.

YEP.

YOU KNOW, THE SLIDE THAT, UH, ACTUALLY GIVES US THE RATINGS, UH, LET'S SEE.

THE COMMERCIAL SLIDE THAT'S GREATER THAN SEVEN STORIES ARE MULTIFAMILY, GREATER THAN SEVEN STORIES WOULD FALL UNDER COMMERCIAL RATING OR A COMMERCIAL BUILDING USE.

YEAH.

OKAY.

WOULD NEED TO PROVIDE THE, THE LEAD, UH, AND OR GREEN BUILDING.

UH, YEAH.

SO DEPENDING ON YOUR CITY ORDINANCE.

OKAY.

UM, IT, THE RATING MIGHT APPLY TO ANY, ANY SCALE OF BUILDING.

WE HAVE A MULTIFAMILY SPECIFIC RATING THAT APPLIES TO BUILDINGS THAT ARE MULTIFAMILY USE BUILDINGS THAT ARE SOVEREIGN STORIES.

AND LESS, ONCE YOU GET TO SOMETHING TALLER THAN THAT, A HIGH-RISE MULTIFAMILY, WE HAVE THEM SWITCH OVER TO OUR COMMERCIAL RATING.

UM, OKAY.

SO, SO ANYTHING UNDER SEVEN IS, IT'S A MULTI-FAMILY RATING, MULTI-FAMILY RATING.

OKAY.

AND ABOVE IS, AND THEN THERE WAS A OTHER, THE, I GUESS IT WAS A WASTE MANAGEMENT IMPACT SLIDE.

MM-HMM.

HERE, I'M LOOKING AT THAT AND, AND PLEASE, PERHAPS I WAS REMISS IN SLEEPING AT ONE OF THESE MEETINGS, BUT, UH, UH, WHAT IS IT? UH, ITEM NUMBER THREE HERE, AUSTIN ENERGY HELPED, UH, OUT CONTRACTORS SECURE A CITY OWNED SITE WHERE CONSTRUCTION WASTE COULD BE SORTED.

YEAH.

WHERE AND WHEN WAS THAT DONE? UM, THAT WAS PRE 2010, WHICH IS WHEN I STARTED WITH AUSTIN ENERGY .

SO I, I'M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHEN, UM, BUT YEAH, SOMETIME IN THE, UH, TWO THOUSANDS IS WHEN THAT HAPPENED.

UM, WOW.

CAN YOU GET IT WAS TRIAD.

YEAH, .

OH MY GOD.

OKAY.

WELL, THAT'S NO LONGER AROUND.

NO, UNFORTUNATELY THEY'RE NOT.

SO AGAIN, I THINK THAT IS A TOPIC THAT WE REALLY NEED TO CONTINUE DISCUSSING.

YEAH.

I MEAN, AS A, AS A, UH, COMMISSION, AS A, AS A DEPARTMENT OF AUSTIN ENERGY WHO'S WANTING TO PROMOTE THIS AND CONTINUE THIS YEP.

UH, THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, A LOT OF CONFUSION AS TO WHERE THIS MATERIAL CAN BE TAKEN.

GREAT, GREAT OPPORTUNITIES, NEW CONSTRUCTION'S EASY.

AND IT'S JUST THE, IT'S THE, UH, DEMO STUFF THAT IS A NIGHTMARE.

AND THAT'S WHERE YOU HAVE TO EITHER A DECONSTRUCT AND OR, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA BE LANDFILLING MOST OF THAT MATERIAL.

YEAH.

IT, IT'S HARD.

UM, SOMETHING THAT WE'VE TRIED TO PARTNER WITH A R ON MM-HMM.

IS GETTING MORE, UM, RECYCLING FACILITIES TO BE THIRD PARTY CERTIFIED, UM, SO THAT THEY'RE OPENING THEIR BOOKS AND SHOWING THEIR DIVERSION RATES.

AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE, WE HAD A THIRD PARTY CERTIFIED, UH, PROCESSOR WHO, UM, UNFORTUNATELY IS NO LONGER OPERATING.

UM, WE'VE HEARD RUMOR THAT THERE MAY BE ANOTHER ONE, UM, COMING SOON.

UM, WE THINK THAT IS REALLY THE PATH FORWARD.

WE'VE MADE IT EASIER IN OUR RATING IF YOU CAN USE A THIRD PARTY PROCESSOR.

CORRECT.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO INCENTIVIZE IT THERE.

MM-HMM.

, UM, BY STREAMLINING WHAT YOU NEED TO PROVIDE, UH, IF YOU CAN LOCATE ONE.

SO WE'RE TRYING TO CREATE THE DEMAND FOR IT.

YEAH.

YOU KNOW, I HAVE A LOT OF OUR MEMBERS, I'M ON, ON THE, UH, US HISPANIC CONTRACTORS BOARD, AND, UH, A LOT OF THE MEMBERS ARE CONFUSED.

AND, AND ON TOP OF THAT, THE, UH, COST CHALLENGES YEP.

OF DIVERTING THIS MATERIAL IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.

AND A LOT OF TIMES, A LOT OF TIMES THAT'S NOT PART OF THE ACTUAL PROPOSED COST THAT WAS SUBMITTED.

SO IT, IT'S JUST A CHALLENGE.

AND I, I KNOW WE'VE HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH, UH, A RR ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PERHAPS LOOKING FOR AN ALTERNATIVE SITE THAT A RR COULD BE A PARTICIPANT IN AND, AND PROVIDE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE, UH, FOR THE, UH, RESPECTIVE CONTRACTORS.

I MEAN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING A SITE IS NOT EASY.

DEVELOPING THIS SITE AND MAKING IT WORK AS IS ANOTHER CHALLENGE ALTOGETHER.

[00:35:01]

CONSIDER SOONER THAN LATER, ESPECIALLY IF WE WANNA PROMOTE THIS AND CONTINUE TO GROW IT.

YEAH.

THAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.

I MEAN, THERE'S A LOT OF CRANES OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, SO I'M GONNA, I THINK ONE OF THE OTHER CHALLENGES IS MAKING SURE THERE'S, UH, SECONDARY MARKETS FOR THE MATERIALS.

EXACTLY.

YEP.

I THANK YOU.

CORRECT.

GO AHEAD.

YEAH, I HAD ONE.

HE REMINDED ME WHEN YOU SAY THE CERTIFICATION WITH THE CIRCLE, ONE OF THOSE LITTLE SEGMENTS SAYS SITE MM-HMM.

, HOW IS THE SITE EVALUATED WITHIN THE LEADS RATING? SO, I'M NOT GONNA SPEAK TO THE LEADS RATING 'CAUSE I, I WILL JUST CLARIFY THAT OUR RATING IS DIFFERENT THAN LEAD.

OKAY.

UM, THEY ARE SIMILAR IN HOW THEY APPROACH THINGS.

UH, WE DEVELOP OUR OWN SPECIFIC TO AUSTIN AND SPECIFIC TO AUSTIN'S BASELINES IN TERMS OF WHAT OUR CODES AND GOALS ARE HERE.

UM, IN TERMS OF SITE THOUGH, WE ARE LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE WATER MANAGEMENT, STORM WATER RUNOFF, UM, HER COVER, UH, NATIVE LANDSCAPING.

OKAY.

AND THOSE TYPE OF ISSUES.

OKAY.

THANKS.

I, YEP.

A QUESTION FOR YOU REGARDING SITES AS WELL.

MM.

GO AHEAD, KATE.

UH, RELATED TO SITES, IS THERE AN INCENTIVE IN YOUR RATING FOR SELECTING THINGS LIKE BROWNFIELD SITES YES.

AND DEVELOPING THOSE? YEAH.

COOL.

THANK YOU.

MM-HMM.

.

THANK YOU, CAITLIN.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? STAFF? I'M STAFF.

I'M SORRY.

COMMISSION.

.

WE'RE GONNA LEAVE YOU ALONE.

STAFF, I PROMISE YOU.

YEAH.

.

SO ANYWAY, HERE WE KNOW OTHER QUESTIONS.

HEIDI, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR TAKING TIME OUT TO, TO SHARE THIS WITH US.

I APPRECIATE IT.

OF COURSE.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT GUYS.

OH GOD.

THIS REVISED AGENDA.

IT'S KIND OF CONFUSING HERE.

SO WE'VE HIT HEIGHT.

YEAH.

WHO CAME UP WITH THAT? YEAH, EXACTLY.

, THE NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS IS ITEM, ACTUALLY ITEM TWO, WHICH IS THE, UH, WELL, WE'VE DONE THAT ONE.

I'M SORRY.

ITEM NUMBER THREE,

[3. Discussion and action to amend the ZWAC By-laws to disband the sub-committees.]

YES.

SO HERE WE ARE.

BACK TO THAT.

AND I THINK WE HAD TALKED, UH, WHAT WAS IT LAST, UH, MEETING? WAS IT LAST MEETING THAT, UH, WE DISCUSSED? PROBABLY DOING MORE WORKING GROUPS AS OPPOSED TO SUBCOMMITTEES AND A WORKING GROUP IS A LITTLE EASIER TO, UH, COORDINATE EFFORTS WITH.

AND IF, AGAIN, IF, IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANT TO START, START WORKING ON AND BEING A PART OF AS OPPOSED TO THE SUBCOMMITTEES, I WOULD LOVE FOR US TO ADDRESS THAT THIS EVENING AND, AND MAKE IT, UH, A MOVING FORWARD ITEM.

YES.

I, YEAH.

COMMENT.

I, UM, I BELIEVE THAT WE, WHAT THE COMMISSION SHOULD DECIDE HOW IMPORTANT THE SUBCOMMITTEES ARE BECAUSE ACTUALLY, UM, IT, BECAUSE IF THEY'RE THAT IMPORTANT TO US, WE HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH PEOPLE WHO WILL VOLUNTEER TO BE ON THEM AND THEN MAKE THE EFFORT TO MEET.

'CAUSE WE HAVE TO MEET FOUR TIMES A YEAR.

I MEAN, IT, AND IT HAS TO BE WORTH IT TO US BECAUSE IT'S ALSO TIME FROM THE, UM, THE STAFF.

BECAUSE WITH A COMMITTEE LIKE THAT, YOU HAVE TO HAVE STAFF SUPPORT.

SO I THINK WE REALLY HAVE TO DECIDE IF THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE WANNA DO.

AND THAT INCLUDES ARE THERE ENOUGH PEOPLE HERE TO MAKE THE COMMITMENT MM-HMM.

TO DO THAT.

SO I THINK REALLY THAT'S THE BASIS OF IT.

WELL, IF I MAY YES, PLEASE.

PLEASE.

UM, I THINK THE ISSUE IS NOT CREATING NEW SUBCOMMITTEES.

IT'S TAKING THESE SUBCOMMITTEES AND TURNING THEM INTO WORKING GROUPS.

SO AT THIS POINT, DO WE HAVE ANY CONCERNS? CORRECT.

OR IS KIND OF THE FLIP OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID, CRAIG, IS THAT WE WILL BE PULLING FOCUS FROM THE SUBCOMMITTEES IF WE CHANGE THEM INTO WORKING GROUPS.

IS THAT A CONCERN YOU HAVE OR ARE THERE OTHER CONCERNS FROM THE COMMISSION ABOUT MAKING THIS CHANGE REALLY ACROSS THE BOARD WITH OUR SUBCOMMITTEES? IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.

AND ACTUALLY, I, I, ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE SUPPORT THAT WOULD BE GIVEN THAT WOULD BE GIVEN VERSUS THE, UH, WORKING GROUP VERSUS THE, UH, SUBCOMMITTEE SUPPORT STAFF IS PART OF US WHEN IT'S A SUBCOMMITTEE WORKING GROUP.

WE'RE ON OUR OWN TRYING TO FIND SOLUTIONS AND, UH, AND TAKE ON IDEAS.

WELL, STAFF WOULD BE OPTIONAL.

CORRECT.

IT'S, IT'S AT THEIR DISCRETION, I SUPPOSE.

RIGHT.

YEP.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

THIS IS MY, UH, FIRST MEETING.

SO, UH, APPRECIATE

[00:40:01]

BUT I GUESS MY UNDERSTANDING IS WITH A WORKING GROUP, THE, THE GOAL WOULD BE TO, UH, DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS OR IDEAS, KIND OF A, A BRAINSTORMING SESSION FOR, TO PRESENT IDEAS TO COUNCIL, OR WHAT IS THE, THE GENERAL FOCUS OF THAT E EXACTLY.

I MEAN, THE, THE WORKING GROUP IS A, IS A GROUP THAT, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, WE HAVE THE WHAT, THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE WORKING GROUP.

AND THAT GROUP WOULD BE BASICALLY TASKED WITH OVERSIGHT OF THIS UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE.

WHEREAS WITH THE SUBCOMMITTEES THAT WE HAD, THE SUBCOMMITTEE ACTUALLY HELPED TO DEVELOP THE ORDINANCE ALONG WITH THE COMMUNITY.

AND, UH, AGAIN, STAFF WAS PART OF THIS.

UH, IT'S THE, UH, THE DIFFERENCE.

HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN A GOOD, UH, A GOOD COMPARISON WITH THE DIFFERENCE IN THESE TWO COMMITTEES IS SUBCOMMITTEES IS A LOT, IS A LOT MORE CITY STAFF AND OTHER, OR SUBCOMMITTEES HAVE STAFF ASSISTANTS AND WORKING GROUPS ESSENTIALLY DON'T.

IS THAT KIND OF THE BASIC DIFFERENCE? THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

WELL, THERE'S ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE, WHICH IS A WORKING GROUP CAN USE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ON THE COMMISSION.

YOU CAN CORRECT.

YOU CAN, UH, UH, THAT'S WHY I FIRST GOT STARTED ON, ON COMMISSION WORK AS I WENT TO A COMMISSION AND THEY FORMED A WORKING GROUP, AND THEY SAY, YOU WANNA BE ON THE WORKING GROUP? I SAID, WOW.

YEAH.

OKAY.

AND, AND THEN THE WORKING GROUP ONLY LASTS UNTIL IT MAKES IT RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN IT DISAPPEARS.

IT DOESN'T LAST.

UH, WHEREAS THE, THE, THE COMMITTEES, THE SUBCOMMITTEES ARE SUPPOSED TO MEET FOUR TIMES A YEAR.

I THINK THAT'S THE REQUIREMENT.

MM-HMM.

THAT, IS IT QUARTERLY AT LEAST? YES.

SO YEAH, THERE'S MORE, UH, TIME REQUIREMENT FROM BOTH STAFF AND THE COMMISSION ITSELF, COMMISSION MEMBERS WHO WERE ON THE, THESE SUBCOMMITTEES.

AND, UH, AGAIN, IT'S JUST WHAT DIRECTION DO WE WANT TO HEAD? WE'VE PRETTY MUCH HAVE IMPLEMENTED THE, UH, THE, UH, UNIVERSAL CY RECYCLING ORDINANCES.

I MEAN, THAT IS THE, UH, THAT WAS A BIG FOCUS FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WHICH WE WERE WITH STAFF SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THAT APPROVED AND, UH, MOVING FORWARD.

SO I, YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK WHEN IT COMES TO THE URO, UNLESS I'M MISTAKEN, THAT'S PROBABLY, I'M NOT SURE WE'RE GONNA GET A LOT OF PUSHBACK ON TURNING THAT INTO A POTENTIAL WORKING GROUP IF WE WANT TO.

BUT KATHY, AS YOUR HAND, YEAH.

KATHY, PLEASE.

YEAH, GO AHEAD KATHY.

UH, YES.

I WANT TO, UH, SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE SUBCOMMITTEES THAT, UM, WHEN WE, WHEN WE DID THE URO MEETINGS, UH, IT WAS VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE THE SUBCOMMITTEE BECAUSE WE WANTED SHAREHOLDERS TO BE THERE.

AND SO THE CITY STAFF TO HELP GET ALL THE, THE, UH, PUT THE PUBLICITY OUT TO GET THE SHAREHOLDER.

SO I THINK IN THE WORKING GROUP, YOU MISS THAT BEING ABLE TO GET THEIR FEEDBACK RIGHT.

AND FOR THEM TO GIVE THEM INFORMATION AS WELL.

OKAY.

DO YOU THINK THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE THE URO SPECIFIC SUBCOMMITTEE, THOUGH? AT THIS POINT? YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M NOT SURE.

I DON'T KNOW AT THIS POINT.

IT'S, IT'S BEEN VERY DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT TO DO ON THAT.

UH, RIGHT NOW WITH THE MULTI-FAMILY COMPOSTING, IT'S GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE, UH, IT'S BEEN IMPLEMENTED SINCE OCTOBER AND THERE'S NOT REALLY ANY DATA OUT THERE.

UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF AT A STANDSTILL AND HAS BEEN FOR A WHILE.

UH, I WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE IT IF, IF, UH, IF WE HAD THE INTEREST IN THAT.

SO, SO LET ME ASK STAFF.

IS THERE ANYBODY WHO'S ACTUALLY ADDRESSING THE SUBCOMMITTEE ISSUES ON STAFF? OR QUESTION I SHOULD SAY? NO, I'M SORRY.

I MEAN, JUST A SIMPLE FOR ME.

NO, NO, I, I MEAN, SIMPLE QUESTIONS HERE.

AND, AND IT'S LITERALLY, I MEAN, HERE WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF CURRENT, UH, EXISTING SUBCOMMITTEES.

NOW THOSE PROGRAMS OB OBVIOUSLY THE, UH, MULTIFAMILY, UH, ROLLOUT OF, UH, COMPOST IS ON.

WE DON'T QUITE HAVE THE RESULTS YET.

IS THAT CORRECT? OF THE, UH, FIRST, UH, TALLIES.

IT'S JUST STARTING, WE'RE STARTING TO GET SOME NUMBERS IN RICHARD MCHA, DIRECTOR FROST RESOURCE RECOVERY.

CORRECT.

YEAH.

IT JUST EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1ST.

SO IT'S EARLY TO REALLY HAVE ANY INFORMATION FROM THAT PROGRAM AT THIS POINT.

SO TO YOUR POINT, KATHY, I MEAN, WOULD KEEPING A SUBCOMMITTEE IN PLACE UNTIL YOU'RE PERHAPS GETTING SOME OF THE, UH, SOME OF THE RESULTS IN THAT YOU CAN, UH,

[00:45:01]

'CAUSE I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE FOLLOW UP MM-HMM.

, UM, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE DATA THAT COMES IN AND SEE IF THERE'S OTHER THINGS THAT, UH, WE HAVE IDEAS TO, TO DO, UH, FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IT.

OKAY.

ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONER.

SO I, AGAIN HERE IT'S SIX AND ONE HALF DOZEN.

THE OTHER, I MEAN, WE'VE GOTTEN THE, THE HEAVY LIFTING DONE, WHICH WAS THE, UH, IMPLEMENTATION OF THESE TWO PROGRAMS. THEY'RE UP AND RUNNING.