* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] ONE. IT IS NOW 4:04 PM [CALL TO ORDER] ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16TH. UM, AND, UH, I CALL THE WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION MEETING TO ORDER. I AM PRESIDING OVER THE COMMISSION MEETING ON BEHALF OF CHAIR TERETTA WHO IS JOINING US REMOTELY TODAY. UM, SO I WILL GO THROUGH A ROLL CALL OF WHO IS PRESENT AND WHO IS, UH, REMOTE AND WHO IS ABSENT. SO AT PRESENT WE HAVE COMMISSIONER TUON, COMMISSIONER REYES, COMMISSIONER PENI, AND MYSELF, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES, AND THEN REMOTE. WE HAVE COMMISSIONER MORIARTY, COMMISSIONER NAVARRO, AND COMMISSIONER RETTA. ABSENT, WE HAVE COMMISSIONER PENN, AND AT THIS MOMENT, COMMISSIONER MARLO. OKAY. . OH. AND, UH, COMMISSIONER MUSGROVE. UH, THANKS. MM-HMM . ALRIGHT. AND SO WE HAVE A QUORUM. SO THE FIRST, UH, ITEM IS PUBLIC COMMUNICATION, BUT I BELIEVE NO ONE IS SIGNED UP. OKAY. SO NOW MOVE ON TO THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] FROM THE FEBRUARY 19TH MEETING OF THE WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION. SO, ARE THERE ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, OR REVISIONS OF THOSE MINUTES FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? NOPE. OKAY. WELL, UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE MINUTES? MOVE TO APPROVE. OKAY. I HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER TUON HAS MOVED TO APPROVE. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I SECOND. I SECOND. OKAY. WELL, I, UH, COMMISSIONER PENGU TO SECOND THE APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 19 MINUTES. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. YEP. OKAY. PASSES UNANIMOUSLY MM-HMM . AND THAT IS GOOD TO GO FOR THAT? YEP. ALRIGHT, MOVING ON TO THE DISCUSSION AND ACTION [DISCUSSION AND ACTION] ITEMS. UM, I WILL NOW GO THROUGH THE COMMISSIONERS TO ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR RECUSALS. SO, STARTING FOR COMMISSIONER'S PRESENT. UH, COMMISSIONER ION, NO QUESTIONS. NO RECUSALS. OKAY. COMMISSIONER REYES, QUESTION ON NUMBER ITEM NUMBER SIX. NO RECUSAL. COMMISSIONER PENGU? NO RECUSALS. QUESTION ON NUMBER SEVEN? OKAY. COMMISSIONER MORIARTY, NO QUESTIONS. NO RECUSALS. OKAY. COMMISSIONER NAVARRO, NO QUESTIONS? NO. RECUSALS COMMISSIONER TOTA. COMMISSIONER TOTA HERE. NO QUESTIONS? NO. RECUSALS. OKAY. PERFECT. ALRIGHT, SO IT LOOKS LIKE THE CONSENT AGENDA WILL BE FOR ITEMS NUMBER TWO, NUMBER THREE, NUMBER FOUR, NUMBER FIVE, AND ITEMS NUMBER EIGHT, NUMBER NINE, AND NUMBER 10. OKAY. SO DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THOSE ITEMS? I MOTION TO APPROVE. OKAY. COMMISSIONER RETTA A MOTIONS TO APPROVE I SECOND. AND COMMISSIONER, UH, TOON SECONDS. ANY, ANY DISCUSSIONS, ANY QUESTIONS? I GUESS NOT. SO PLEASE SHOW OF HANDS FOR APPROVAL. ALL RIGHT. VOTE CONSENT AGENDA IS UNANIMOUS. SO NOW WE WILL MOVE ON TO DISCUSSION [6. Recommend approval to conduct a public hearing and consider an ordinance regarding Undine, LLC’s proposal to increase water and wastewater rates for its customers located in the City’s corporate limits in the area known as Greenshores on Lake Austin. Funding: This item has no fiscal impact.] ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS APPROVE A RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC MEETING AND CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE REGARDING UDINE LLCS PROPOSAL TO INCREASE WATER AND WASTEWATER RATES FOR ITS CUSTOMERS LOCATED IN THE CITY'S CORPORATE LIMITS IN THE AREA KNOWN AS GREEN SHORES ON LAKE AUSTIN. THE FUNDING, UH, IS, UH, THAT THIS ITEM WILL HAVE NO FISCAL IMPACT. OKAY. COMMISSIONER REYES? YEP. UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY AS FAR AS WHEN AND HOW WE VOTE FOR THIS ITEM. SO MY UNDERSTANDING FOR THIS AND CORRECTLY THIS IS THE QUESTION, IS IF WE WERE VOTING YES TO THE MOTION TO APPROVE THIS, WE'RE ALLOWING A PUBLIC HEARING AND THE CONSIDERATION OF AN ORDINANCE, BUT IF WE VOTE NO, THEN WE ARE ESSENTIALLY VOTING SO THAT IT DOES NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH A CONSIDERATION FOR AN ORDINANCE. IS THAT, IS THAT CORRECT? [00:05:04] AND HEATHER, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, UH, JOSEPH GONZALEZ, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL SERVICES WITH AUSTIN WATER, UM, A A YES VOTE IN, IN MY UNDERSTANDING WOULD BE, UH, TO SUPPORT STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION TO, UM, DENY THE RATE INCREASES FOR, UM, FOR DY FOR, UM, CUSTOMERS WITHIN AUSTIN CITY LIMITS SERVED BY GREEN SHORES. OKAY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. I THINK THAT PROVIDES A CLARIFICATION BECAUSE YEAH. AUSTIN WATER'S RECOMMENDATION IS TO, UM, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M MISSPEAKING, UM, THE, THE DENIAL OF THE INCREASE. SO VOTE YES. IS FOR TO AGREE WITH THAT A VOTE YES. IS SUPPORTING STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. UH, NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. OKAY, GREAT. OKAY. SO IF NO FURTHER QUESTIONS THEN, UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION FOR THIS ITEM TO APPROVAL? FOR APPROVAL? A MOTION TO APPROVE. OKAY. COMMISSIONER REYES, UH, MOTIONS TO APPROVE. DO I HAVE A SECOND? I SECOND IT. OKAY. COMMISSIONER PENI SECONDS. UM, ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. OKAY. VOTE IS UNANIMOUS. OKAY. MOVING ON TO DISCUSS DISCUSSION [7. Recommend approval to authorize a contract for 2025 Facilities - Emergency and Lift Station – IDIQ for Austin Water with Rangeline Utility Services, LLC, in the amount of $7,000,000 for an initial term of one year with up to two one-year extension options for a total contract amount not to exceed $21,000,000. Funding: $7,000,000 is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Water.] ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, RECOMMEND APPROVAL TO AUTHORIZE A CONTRACT FOR 2025 FACILITIES EMERGENCY AND LIFT STATION IDIQ FOR AUSTIN WATER WITH RANGELINE UTILITY SERVICES LLC IN THE AMOUNT OF $7 MILLION FOR AN INITIAL TERM OF ONE YEAR WITH UP TO TWO ONE YEAR EXTENSION OPTIONS FOR A TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 21 MILLION FUNDING OF 7 MILLION IS AVAILABLE IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET OF AUSTIN WATER. OKAY. QUESTIONS? I HAD A VERY SIMPLE QUESTION ACTUALLY FOR YOU, CHARLES. UM, WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF THIS EMERGENCY, UH, AND LIFT STATION? IDIQ? LIKE WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS FALL IN THAT BUCKET? UH, CHARLES SOLAR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN WATER, THE IDIQ. UH, THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT HAS GEARED MORE TOWARD, UH, HANDLING SOME OF OUR SMALLER FACILITIES SUCH AS LIFT STATIONS. SO IF A PUMP GOES OUT, RAIL FALLS OFF, UM, ALSO PUMP STATIONS, THEY CAN GO OUT THERE AND DO THAT IF, IF, IF NEEDED. UM, OF COURSE IN THEN OF OUR EMERGENCIES. UM, SO THE EMERGENCY WOULD COVER ALMOST ALL ASPECTS 'CAUSE IT THAT THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT HAS A REQUIREMENT THAT THE CONTRACTOR HAS TO SHOW UP AT SITE AFTER NOTIFICATION WITHIN CERTAIN HOURS. SO THAT COULD BE A WASTEWATER OR WATER, UH, FACILITY, AND THEY WOULD'VE TO SHOW UP FOR THAT. AND THEN THE OTHER PART OF THAT, THE OTHER BID ITEMS IN, IN THE, IN THE BID WAS MORE GEARED FOR SMALLER PROJECTS. GOT IT. THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S WHAT I WANTED. SO EMERGENCY HAS A TIME CONSTRAINT TO IT AS WELL? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. YES. THAT MAKES, THAT'S ALL I HAVE. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. HEARING NO MORE QUESTIONS. DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE? I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. OKAY. COMMISSIONER PENGE MOTIONS TO APPROVE. DO I HAVE A SECOND? SECOND. COMMISSIONER TA ION SECONDS. ALL IN FAVOR? PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. VOTE IS UNANIMOUS FOR ITEM NUMBER SEVEN. ALL RIGHT. YES. WE'RE NOW MOVING ON TO, SO NOW WE'RE MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER 11, THE [11. Discussion and possible action to conduct elections for officer positions for the Water and Wastewater Commission.] DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO CONDUCT ELECTIONS FOR OFFICER POSITIONS FOR THE WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION. SO I GUESS TO START THINGS OFF IS BASICALLY ASKING DO WE HAVE ANY, UH, NOMINATIONS FOR THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR? UH, I'D LIKE TO MAKE A, A NOMINATION, ACTUALLY. TWO, PLEASE. UH, FOR CHAIR, FOR CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE, UH, OUR VICE CHAIR CURRENTLY, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES, IF YOU ARE WILLING. UH, AND SECONDLY, FOR VICE CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO NOMINATE, UH, MARCELLA ONG. UM, I WOULD ACCEPT AS WE DISCUSSED OFFLINE. SO THANK YOU . THANK YOU FOR THE NOMINATION. IT'S ALL RIGHT. SURE. SAME, I GUESS. THANKS, . GREAT. [00:10:01] DO I HEAR ANY OTHER NOMINATIONS FOR CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR? OKAY. ALRIGHT, WELL THEN I GUESS WE'LL TAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THAT. UH, THE NEW CHAIR WILL BE MYSELF, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES AND THE VICE CHAIR. I GUESS, DO WE HAVE TO DO A SEPARATE NO, CAN DO AGAIN. OKAY. AND THE VICE CHAIR WOULD BE COMMISSIONER TEON. SO A MOTION TO APPROVE. DO WE OR DO WE JUST VOTE? UH, MOTION'S. GOOD. OKAY. GO AHEAD AND TAKE A MOTION. OKAY. A MOTION TO APPROVE THE VICE, UH, CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR. I MAKE A MOTION. OKAY. SO COMMISSIONER PENANG, UH, MOTIONS. SO I HIRE A SECOND. I'LL SECOND. OKAY. COMMISSIONER REYES. SECONDS. OKAY. UH, ANY COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? SEEING NONE, UM, EVERYONE VOTING IN APPROVAL, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS, I GUESS. . OKAY. ALRIGHT. THE MOTION WAS UNANIMOUS. SO THE NEW CHAIR WILL BE MYSELF, COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES AND VICE CHAIR IS COMMISSIONER ION STARTING. WHEN, WHEN IS THE, THESE NEW OFFICER ROLES WILL BE EFFECTIVE WITH THE MAY COMMISSION MEETING? MAY OKAY. AND I'LL RELAY THIS INFORMATION TO THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE, SO IT'LL BE OFFICIALLY RECORDED WITH THEM. OKAY. THANK YOU, HEATHER. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THE NEXT, UH, ITEM IS, UH, ITEM NUMBER 12, [12. Discussion and possible action on appointment of Budget Committee members including Chair and Vice Chair.] DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION OF APPOINTMENT OF BUDGET COMMITTEE MEMBERS FOR THE WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION, INCLUDING THE CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR. SO WITH THIS, UH, WE JUST NEED VOLUNTEERS BASICALLY TO, UM, BE ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE, AND THEN FROM THESE VOLUNTEERS, WE WILL DETERMINE WHO WANTS TO BE THE CHAIR AND THE VICE CHAIR, UM, OF, OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE. AND I DUNNO, JOSEPH, IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE TIMING OF COMMITMENTS AND TIME. SURE. THE, THE BUDGET COMMITTEE PROCESS IS, UH, TYPICALLY A TWO TO THREE MONTH PROCESS, UM, SINCE THIS ITEM WAS ON THE AGENDA FOR LAST MONTH'S MEETING, UH, WHICH DIDN'T HAVE QUORUM. UM, SO WE'RE FACING A LITTLE BIT SHORTER TIMEFRAME THAN, THAN, THAN OUR TYPICAL TIMEFRAME. BUT, UH, IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY WOULD BE A TWO MONTH COMMITMENT WITH UP TO THREE MEETINGS, UM, REVIEWING OUR FORECAST INFORMATION, UM, AND THEN TYPICALLY, UH, RESULTING IN A, A, THE DEVELOPMENT OF A DOCUMENT THAT, UM, EITHER, UH, THAT PROVIDES A RECOMMENDATION WITH REGARD TO OUR BUDGET. UH, I WILL SAY THAT THIS YEAR, UM, THE, THE TIMING OF THE JULY, UH, WATER WASTEWATER COMMISSION MEETING, UH, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS THE, UM, PRESENTATION OF THE BUDGET TO CITY COUNCIL. UM, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE REALLY WON'T BE MUCH TIME TO, WELL, THERE WON'T BE ANY TIME TO REVIEW THE, UM, THE FORMAL, UH, BUDGET PROPOSAL. UH, BUT WE WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION, UM, PRIMARILY ABOUT OUR FORECAST, WHICH WILL CLOSELY, UH, CLOSELY MATCH OUR BUDGET SUBMITTAL. THANK YOU. QUESTION. SO WE'D WANNA SCHEDULE THE TWO TO THREE MEETINGS BEFORE THAT, WELL BEFORE THAT JULY COUNCIL MEETING. RIGHT. SO I WOULD ANTICIPATE, UM, YOU KNOW, TWO TO THREE MEETINGS. UM, TYPICALLY TWO IN MAY, UM, AND THEN A THIRD POTENTIALLY IN JUNE IF NECESSARY. AND, AND TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO IS ONCE, UH, THE, YOU KNOW, BUDGET COMMITTEE IS FORMED, WE WILL, UH, REACH OUT TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND LOOK FOR DATES, UM, WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, AVAILABILITY OF ALL THE MEMBERS, OR, AND SO PREFERABLY WE WOULD LIKE FOUR. RIGHT. UM, COMMISSIONERS TO BE ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE. SO VOLUNTEERS. I VOLUNTEER. I WAS ON IT LAST YEAR. I NEVER OKAY, PERFECT EXPERIENCE. I'LL TAKE THAT. SO COMMISSIONER TEON IS VOLUNTEERING. OH, VOLUNTEER AS WELL. COMMISSIONER REYES. PERFECT. AND COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES . THERE'S THREE. ONE MORE. ONE MORE I GUESS WE COULD GET BY WITH THREE, BUT FOUR IS PREFERABLE, RIGHT? AT LEAST WE, WE HAVE HAD THREE IN THE PAST. UM, THE, THE ONLY ISSUE WITH THREE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, QUO RE UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE CAN FIND ENOUGH DATES WHERE, UH, THE THREE COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE AVAILABLE, [00:15:02] THEN WE CAN MAKE IT WORK. IN THE PAST, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER PENN WAS ON, SO, UH, WE COULD ASK HIM RIGHT. TO, IF, IF HE WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO BE ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE. AND, AND YEAH. I MEAN, AND WITH TWO OTHER DISTRICTS NOT VACANT RIGHT NOW, BASICALLY, THAT ALSO TRIMS THE NUMBERS UP. SO, UM, OKAY. WELL IF I, IF THERE'S NO MORE VOLUNTEERS, THEN I GUESS WE'LL SET THIS AS THE BUDGET COMMITTEE AND, UM, VICE CHAIR AND CHAIR OF THAT. SO YOU WANNA JUST STATE THAT? SURE. OR YOU'LL TAKE THE CHAIR FINE. . OKAY. SO COMMISSIONER TARON WILL BE THE CHAIR OF THE BUDGET COMMITTEE. AND THEN COMMISSIONER MAXWELL GAINES WILL BE THE, UM, VICE. WE CAN ADD COMMISSIONER PENN OR COMMISSIONER MARZALO. RIGHT. IF THEY, IF WE ASK 'EM AND THEY'RE COOL WITH IT, WE CAN DO THAT. YEAH. 'CAUSE THIS IS JUST A VOLUNT WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT VOTING ON THIS. WE'RE RIGHT. YOU ARE OFFICIALLY APPOINTING THE MEMBERS TODAY. YES. SO, I MEAN, MAYBE YOU COULD SAY YOU'RE APPOINTING PEN SUBJECT TO THEIR APPROVAL. HOW DOES THAT SOUND? DOES THAT SOUND WEIRD? UM, I DON'T KNOW. I'M JUST SAYING, DO WE NEED TO VOTE OR THEY CAN COME AND PARTICIPATE? I MEAN, OTHER COMMISSIONERS COULD COME NOW YOU CAN'T HIT QUORUM. SO YOU COULD HAVE UP TO TWO OTHER COMMISSIONERS ATTEND. 'CAUSE THESE WILL BE PUBLICLY POSTED MEETINGS. SO ANYBODY BEYOND THE THREE OF YOU, TWO OTHERS COULD STILL COME AND PARTICIPATE AND NOT TRIGGER QUORUM. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? MM-HMM . SO WE'LL JUST SAY, UM, PENDING THEIR AVAILABILITY, UM, WE CAN ASK COMMISSIONER PENN AND COMMISSIONER MARLO TO SERVE ON THE BUDGET COMMITTEE AS WELL. WE'RE, IF THEY WANNA PARTICIPATE, YEAH, THAT WOULD STILL BE OKAY. OKAY, GREAT. ALRIGHT. WE GOOD WITH THAT? YES, THAT'S FINE. YEAH, YOU DON'T NEED TO VOTE ON THAT ONE. OKAY. YOU'RE GOOD. PERFECT. THANK YOU HEATHER AGAIN. ALRIGHT, UH, MOVING DOWN TO STAFF BRIEFINGS. [13. Briefing on recruitment, retention, and training of Austin Water staff.] UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BRIEFING ON RECRUITMENT, RETENTION AND TRAINING OF AUSTIN WATER STAFF. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. SHAY ROLSON, DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN WATER. AND I WILL LET, UM, ISRAEL INTRODUCE HIMSELF. HE'S GONNA GIVE OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT. YOU HAVE SEEN, UM, THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THIS PRESENTATION, UH, AS YOU ALL WILL RECALL, UM, THE, THERE WAS AN EXTERNAL REVIEW OF AUSTIN WATER THAT WAS COMPLETED IN JANUARY OF 2023 THAT FOCUSED SIGNIFICANTLY ON, UM, STAFFING, UH, RECRUITING CULTURE WITHIN AUSTIN WATER. UM, AND WE HAVE DONE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK, I'M VERY PROUD OF, OF ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE HAVE PUT INTO ADDRESSING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. UM, AND SO WE, UH, WE'RE EXCITED TO PRESENT THE, UH, I WON'T SAY RESULTS BECAUSE, UM, THIS IS WORK THAT'S NEVER DONE. UM, BUT, UH, OUR PROGRESS IN, IN THIS WORK AND THE, AND THE RESULTS THAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, INTERIM ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ISRAEL CUSTODIAL OF EMPLOYEE AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. AND I'LL BE GIVEN THE BRIEFING TODAY. SO NEXT SLIDE. I DUNNO IF WHO'S MANAGING THIS SLIDE. THERE WE GO. SO IT'S JUST OUR ORG CHART REALLY. IT'S JUST MEANT TO ILLUSTRATE THAT WE'RE A PRETTY COMPLEX, UH, ORGANIZATION. UM, WE HAVE ABOUT 1400 EMPLOYEES IS HOW WE'RE, UH, SIZED RIGHT NOW. UM, AND THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM WATER QUALITY SCIENTISTS, UH, LAND MANAGEMENT RANGERS, O AND M, UH, FOLKS, TREATMENT PERSONNEL, PIPELINE OPERATIONS FOLKS, UM, ADMINS, YOU NAME IT. WE PROBABLY HAVE IT WORKING SOMEWHERE, UH, WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION. UM, SO THIS YEAR, UH, AUSTIN WATER'S LOOKING TO FILL ABOUT A HUNDRED POSITIONS BEFORE THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR. AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GET INTO SOME, UM, MORE INTERESTING, UH, RECRUITMENT METRICS HERE. UH, NEXT SLIDE. NEXT SLIDE AGAIN, . ALL RIGHT. SO, UH, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE PRESENTED LAST YEAR AND I KIND OF WANNA REVISIT IT. SO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT, UM, THE HEALTH OF YOUR, UH, YOUR ORGANIZATION AS FAR AS RETENTION IS CONCERNED, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S, UH, A MEASURE THAT IS USED IS YOUR VACANCY RATE. AND THIS, UH, THIS IS OUR VACANCY RATE, AND I WANT TO CALL ATTENTION TO A COUPLE OF PARTS OF IT. UH, YOU SEE THAT THIS IS OUR HISTORIC EVA VACANCY RATE STARTING BACK IN, UH, 2022. AND YOU SEE A, A PEAK OF, UH, 14.56%. AND BASICALLY WHAT THAT PERIOD OF TIME ILLUSTRATES IS SOMETHING I ADDRESSED LAST TIME, AND WHICH IS BASICALLY THE GREAT RESIGNATION THAT IS POST COVID ID WE HAD LIKE MANY, UH, ORGANIZATIONS HAD [00:20:01] A LOT OF PEOPLE, UH, LEAVE THE, OUR WORKFORCE, RIGHT? BUT WHAT'S EVEN MORE ENCOURAGING IS KIND OF WHAT OUR ORGANIZATION DID AFTER, UH, WE HIT THAT PEAK. AND THAT IS THAT WE'VE ACTUALLY, UH, BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE OUR VACANCY RATE. IT ACTUALLY WAS AT 8.16, UH, CURRENTLY. AND SO THAT'S A REDUCTION IN VACANCY RATE OF OVER MORE THAN 40%. SO WE'VE BEEN PRETTY BUSY DURING THE PERIOD OF TIME AND OUR FOLKS HAVE DONE REALLY, REALLY HARD WORK, UH, TO KEEP THIS ORGANIZATION GOING AND TO, UH, FEED IT THE PERSONNEL THAT IT NEEDS, UH, FOR IT TO THRIVE. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ONE OF THE ASPECTS THAT YOU HAVE TO KIND OF HAVE, UH, TO HAVE A A, A GOOD VACANCY RATE IS THAT YOU HAVE TO BE TIMELY WITH YOUR HIRING. AND, UH, THIS PIE CHART HERE KIND OF EX, UH, EXPLAINS, UH, OUR APPROACH TO IT. YOU CAN SEE THAT 40% OF OF OUR HIRES, UM, ARE UM, ARE FILLED. OUR POSITIONS ARE FILLED IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS. AND THEN, UH, 31%, UH, ARE FILLED IN LESS THAN THREE MONTHS. UM, YOU'LL SEE A LITTLE SLICE THERE THAT'S PURPLE, THAT'S A 1% ON THERE. UM, THAT POSITION'S ACTUALLY BEEN FILLED. SO WE ACTUALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANY POSITIONS THAT WERE OLDER THAN TWO YEARS. UM, AND LIKE I SAID, WE WERE AVERAGING ABOUT 150 DAYS TO FILL OUR POSITIONS, WHICH IS PRETTY GOOD COMPARED TO INDUSTRY AVERAGE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, THIS SLIDE HERE KIND OF ILLUSTRATES OUR POSITIONS FILLED TO SEPARATIONS. A COUPLE OF TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS SLIDE. YOU SEE THE BLUE NUMBER VERSUS THE, UM, ORANGE NUMBER. SO THOSE ARE POSITION FILLED VERSUS SEPARATIONS. AND, UH, IT WOULD BE VERY TEMPTING TO DO REALLY SIMPLE MATH AND JUST SAY, WOW, WELL, IF YOU GUYS ARE HIRING SO MANY PEOPLE, WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE, WHY WERE YOU NOT ABLE TO CATCH UP YOUR RATE? AND THE ANSWER TO THAT IS THAT A THIRD OF OUR POSITIONS THAT WE FILL ARE ACTUALLY FILLED INTERNALLY. SO WHILE THAT IS GREAT FOR RETENTION, IT'S GREAT FOR OUR FOLKS. IT DOESN'T EVER REALLY CATCH YOU UP. 'CAUSE YOU MOVE THE VACANCY DOWN AS YOU FILL IT. UM, AND SO WHAT THIS ALSO, THIS CHART ALSO ILLUSTRATES IS THAT YOU CANNOT HIRE YOUR WAY OUT OF A VACANCY ISSUE, RIGHT? UH, HIRING IS, IS, IS AN IMPORTANT PART, BUT IT'S NOT THE ONLY, ONLY PART. YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN, A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO YOUR RETENTION FOR IT TO ACTUALLY PAY DIVIDENDS. UH, NEXT SLIDE. THESE ARE OUR SEPARATIONS BY SOURCE HERE. AND THERE'S A COUPLE OF, UH, THINGS THAT I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT ABOUT THIS CHART. AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THAT 2020 WAS THE LAST YEAR THAT, UH, THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF OUR, UM, OUR, OUR BIGGEST NUMBER WAS, UH, CAUSED BY RETIREMENTS, RIGHT? YOU SEE THAT THE 43 IS THE BIGGEST LONGER NUMBER IN THAT LINE. AND THAT WAS, UH, RETIREMENTS. AND THEN YOU SEE 2021 PROGRESSIVELY AS VOLUNTEER, UM, AS PEOPLE, I'M SORRY, UM, VOLUNTARY RESIGNATIONS AS BEING THE NUMBER THAT STARTS TO CLIMB, RIGHT? YOU SEE THAT IN 2021. YOU DEFINITELY SEE IT IN 2022, AND YOU SEE IT IN 2023, AND YOU ACTUALLY KIND OF NOTICE THAT THE, UM, RETIREMENTS REALLY DON'T REALLY GO ANYWHERE. THEY KIND OF STAY IN THE SAME RANGE. BUT THE GOOD NEWS FOR US WAS THAT IN 2024, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO REDUCE OUR VOLUNTARY, UM, RESIGNATIONS BY 22%, AND WE ACTUALLY ALSO REDUCED OUR TRANSFERS TO OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS BY 36%, WHICH GAVE US A MUCH MORE HEALTHY, UH, VACANCY RATE FOR THE, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TRAINING HERE. AND, UM, THIS PICTURE IS OF THE FOLKS THAT I ACTUALLY WORK AT WASTON WA WATER DOING HANDS-ON TRAINING. UH, WE HAVE A PRETTY RICH HISTORY OF, UH, HAVING OUR OWN TRAINING ASSETS AT AUSTIN WATER. AND I JUST WANNA TAKE A COUPLE MOMENTS TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT, UH, THOSE AND WHAT WE'RE DOING DIFFERENTLY. SO THIS FISCAL YEAR, WE'RE STANDING UP WHAT'S CALLED AN OPERATIONAL TRAINING DIVISION THAT HAS CONSISTED OF, UM, GROUPS THAT WE HAVE HAD WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION THAT HAVE BEEN DOING TRAINING IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF OUR ORGANIZATION FOR QUITE SOME TIME. AND WHAT THE OPERATIONAL TRAINING DIVISION'S GOING TO DO FOR US IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO COMBINE SOME RESOURCE AND ACTUALLY HAVE DEPTH IN SOME OF THE TRAINERS THAT WE HAVE WHO, UH, CAN CROSS TRAIN IN DIFFERENT AREAS. UM, A BIG PART OF THE, UH, OPERATIONAL TRAINING DIVISION IS THE ONBOARDING PROGRAM. UH, THE ONBOARDING PROGRAM IS A RESULT OF THE AFTER ACTION REPORTS WHERE, UH, IT WAS RECOMMENDED THAT WE HAD, UH, TRAINERS AT THE PLANT. AND SO WE STARTED OFF WITH THREE TRAINERS, ONE AT EACH WATER TREATMENT PLANT. WE WANT TO GROW THAT PROGRAM OUT TO OTHER AREAS OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, LIKE WATER, UH, WASTEWATER, EXCUSE ME, AND OUR, UH, DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, CREATING THIS DIVISION WILL ALLOW US TO DO. THE ONBOARD TRAINERS HAVE USED THESE KMKT BLOCKS, [00:25:01] WHICH ARE KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER BLOCKS, UH, THAT ARE THESE HANDS-ON BLOCKS THAT ARE, ARE MADE FOR KNOWLEDGE RETENTION AND BASICALLY JUST NEED TO THINK OF THEM AS, UM, BEST PRACTICES THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO THE PLANTS. AND SO OUR TRAINERS TOOK THOSE BLOCKS AND, UH, HAVE BEEN DEV, DEVELOP, DEVELOPING, UH, TRAINING, UH, MATERIAL OFF OF THOSE SO THAT OUR FOLKS CAN, UH, CAN APPLY THOSE BEST PRACTICES. UM, SO THE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE, UH, OPERATIONAL TRAINING DIVISION, THE SKILLS TECHNICAL, UH, AND THE LICENSURE, UH, ARE MORE COMMONPLACE TO THE UTILITY AND KIND OF HAVE EXISTED FOR A VERY, VERY, VERY LONG TIME HERE. BUT BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE IS THAT WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GONNA TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO RETENTION. WE NEED TO ONBOARD OUR PEOPLE CORRECTLY AND PROPERLY. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE SKILLS FOR THEIR JOBS AND THAT THEY'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THE TRAINING THAT THEY NEED. AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THEY, WE NEED TO KEEP THEM LICENSED. AND SO IF WE DO THOSE THINGS, THEN WE WILL BE DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO FOR OUR ORGANIZATION. UH, NEXT SLIDE. THE LAST THING I WANT TO LEAVE YOU FOR IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST AMBITIOUS THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING HERE AT AUSTIN WATER. AND THAT IS OUR TAP PROGRAM IN COORDINATION WITH SETH IN TEXAS. AWA BASICALLY WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS THAT WE HAVE, UH, INVITED HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS OR YOUNG ADULTS THAT ARE FRESH OUT OF, UH, HIGH SCHOOL WHO ARE NOT LOOKING FOR, UH, CAREERS, UH, IN, I'M SORRY, WHO ARE NOT LOOKING FOR COLLEGE EDUCATIONS TO ENROLL IN THIS PROGRAM WHERE WE WILL PAY THEM, UH, TO ATTEND AN EIGHT WEEK PROGRAM. WE WILL ALLOW, UM, TEACH THEM HOW TO GET THEIR DEWATER LICENSE. WE WERE VERY, VERY, UH, EXCITED ABOUT DOING THIS TAP PROGRAM, AND WE WERE KIND OF LOOKING FOR 20 SPOTS AND WE'VE HAD OVER A HUNDRED APPLICATIONS INTO THE PROGRAM. WE GO LIVE WITH IT, UH, AT THE END OF JUNE. AND SO WE ARE LOOKING FOR TALENT WHEREVER IT LIES, AND WE KNOW THAT IN ORDER FOR US TO BE RESILIENT, WE HAVE TO GO FIND TALENT WHERE IT LIES. AND SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO COMING BACK AT SOME OTHER POINT IN TIME AND UPDATING YOU ON THE SUCCESSES OF THE TAP PROGRAM. UH, THAT'S IT FOR ME. I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE THEM. THANK YOU, ISRAEL. UM, ONE QUESTION I HAVE, SO WITH THE ONBOARDING AND, AND, AND EMPLOYEES GET, AND, AND I, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT DIVISIONS AND DIFFERENT SKILL SETS AND THERE FROM LIKE, UH, WHEN, WHEN PEOPLE ARE COMING ON BOARD, UH, MOVING INTO THE SERVICE POSITIONS MM-HMM . ARE THERE LIKE DEFINED, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALSO WATER HAVE LIKE DEFINE, UM, PATHWAYS, LIKE DEFINE PATHWAYS TO HELP THAT PERSON VISUALIZE LIKE HOW THEY CAN MOVE FORWARD. 'CAUSE JUST REFLECTING IN MY BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES BY NOT HAVING THAT AND SHOWING THAT THIS EMPLOYEE THAT YOU HAVE GREAT ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES. AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING, ARE THERE DEFINED CHANNELS THAT ARE PRESENTED TO, TO NEW EMPLOYEES? YOU WANT WE CAN TAG TEAM IT. GO FOR IT. UM, SO, SO SOME OF OUR JOB FAMILIES HAVE CAREER PROGRESSION, RIGHT? AND SO FOR THOSE JOB FAMILIES, UM, THEY, THAT IT'S VERY CLEAR FOR THE FOLKS THAT AS THEY COME IN WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO PROGRESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. UM, WHERE I THINK WE, UM, AND I THINK THAT WORKS VERY WELL MM-HMM . UM, AND THEN THERE ARE CERTAIN POSITIONS THAT HAVE TO, THAT YOU HAVE TO COMPETE INTO, YOU HAVE TO APPLY FOR AND INTERVIEW FOR. UM, AND SO IT'S KIND OF, UH, WE DO BOTH OF THOSE THINGS, UM, AND ATTEMPT TO PREPARE OUR EMPLOYEES TO BE ABLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES. WHERE I THINK WE HAVE, UH, CONTINUED OPPORTUNITY IN THAT AREA IS HELPING OUR EMPLOYEES UNDERSTAND WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE ORGANIZATION. UM, NOT NECESSARILY JUST IN, IN THEIR FACILITY OR THEIR DIVISION OR THEIR PART, PART OF THEIR PROGRAM AREA. UM, AND SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, YOU KNOW, ISRAEL AND TEAM DEVELOPING SOME STRATEGIES ON, UH, HOW WE CAN CONTINUE TO EDUCATE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE 1400 EMPLOYEES AND SO IF YOU HAVE SPENT, YOU KNOW, FIVE YEARS AT ONE FACILITY, YOU MAY NOT REALIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU AND YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT REALLY LOOKS LIKE IN OTHER PLACES. SO WE'RE, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO, UH, WORKING ON THAT PART OF IT AS WELL. , FEEL FREE TO ADD ON. YOU DID A MASTERFUL JOB, . THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, COMMISSIONERS, OTHER QUESTIONS? I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. THE, UM, A HUNDRED POSITIONS YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO FILL BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF THE YEAR, ARE THOSE ALL CURRENTLY VACANT POSITIONS? NO NEW POSITIONS? YEAH. SO THE, THOSE POSITIONS ARE BASICALLY WHEN, UH, WE LOOK AT OUR DASHBOARD AND WE LOOK AT WHERE OUR VACANCY RATE IS. SO BASED ON THE VACANCY RATE THAT WE, WE CURRENTLY HAVE AT 8.16, [00:30:01] UM, THEY, THE DASHBOARD SUBTRACTS THE, THE AMOUNT OF POSITIONS THAT WE'RE WAITING AND SOME OF THOSE POSITIONS ARE, MAY ACTUALLY BE FILLED, UH, ALREADY, BUT THEY, WE DON'T COUNT OUR CHICKENS TILL TILL THEY HATCH ESSENTIALLY. BUT YEAH, THOSE, THOSE ARE, AND THOSE, THOSE POSITIONS, SOME OF THEM MAY BE ON HOLD FOR SPECIFIC REASONS. UM, BUT YEAH, THOSE, THOSE ARE WHAT WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO HIRE UP, UH, BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR. YEAH, SO THOSE ARE CURRENT VACANCIES. AND THEN WHEN WE, UH, ADD POSITIONS TO AUSTIN WATER, THAT HAPPENS DURING THE BUDGETING PROCESS. AND SO SOME OF THE PEAKS THAT YOU SEE IN THE GRAPH THAT ISRAEL SHOWED IN ONE OF HIS FIRST SLIDES IS EVERY OCTOBER, UM, IF WE ADD POSITIONS THAT IMMEDIATELY ADDS TO OUR VACANCY RATE. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR, IS REALLY DRIVE OUR VACANCY RATE DOWN SO THAT WE AREN'T CLIMBING EVEN THAT MUCH MORE OF A HILL ON OCTOBER THE FIRST. RIGHT. THAT MAKES SENSE. THANK YOU. AND THEN, UM, THAT TAP PROGRAM SOUNDS VERY COOL, INCREDIBLE. UM, DID YOU END UP INCREASING THE NUMBER OF APP OF PEOPLE YOU ACCEPTED OR DID YOU CATCH 20? SO YEAH, NO, WE DIDN'T INCREASE THE NUMBER BECAUSE WHAT, THAT'S JUST THE FIRST PART OF IT. SO PART, PART OF, UH, THE PART THAT WE NEED TO DO IS THAT THE, UH, KIDS THAT APPLY, THEY HAVE TO, UH, MAKE IT THROUGH THE PROGRAM AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO TRACK WHERE IT IS THAT THEY GO AND BE ABLE TO HELP THEM ADDRESS ANY CHALLENGES THAT THEY MAY HAVE. WE CAN'T DO THAT IF WE'RE KIND OF DOUBLED UP OR INCREASED THE PROGRAM. AND, UH, WE'RE VERY GLAD WITH THE AMOUNT OF RESPONSE THAT WE GOT FROM THE COMMUNITY, BUT WE ALSO KNEW THAT THERE, THERE'S OTHER SKILLS THAT WE NEED TO TEACH THOSE KIDS, LIKE INTERVIEW SKILLS AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. AND SO WE'D RATHER TAKE THE W FROM DOING IT WELL ONCE THAN TRY TO EXPAND OURSELVES WAY TOO FAR OUT THE COMFORT ZONE THE FIRST TIME AROUND. BUT WE WILL REVISIT IT. WE'LL HAVE TO RIGHTSIZE IT AT ONE POINT IN TIME. WE, WE ARE THINKING THAT WE'RE GONNA PROCEED WITH ABOUT 22, UH, KIDS TO, BECAUSE SOME MAY MAY DROP OUT, BUT IT'S THE FIRST TIME THROUGH. SO WE'LL HAVE SOME DECISIONS TO MAKE ABOUT HOW MANY AND HOW FREQUENTLY TO DO IT AND SO FORTH ONCE WE KNOW MORE. SURE. THAT SOUNDS GREAT. YEP. WE ALL TRY TO PLACE THEM AFTERWARDS WITH US. YEAH. SO WHAT THE PROGRAM SAYS IS IF THEY, IF THEY STICK IT OUT YEAH. UH, AND THEY EARN THEIR DELIC, THEN WE WILL, UH, GIVE THEM A TEMPORARY POSITION WITH AUSTIN WATER, AND THEN THEY WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO APPLY FOR VACANT FULL-TIME, UM, UH, OP POSITIONS THAT THEY QUALIFY FOR. AND SO THAT'S WHERE THE INTERVIEW PREP, HOW, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA HELP THEM BE SUCCESSFUL TO GET INTO THOSE FULL-TIME POSITIONS. UM, FOR HOW LONG, OR IS THERE A TIME PERIOD? IT'S AN EIGHT WEEK ACADEMY. YEAH. SO HOW LONG WILL THEY BE IN THAT TEMPORARY POSITION? OH, HOW LONG WILL THEY BE WHERE? I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T HEAR YOU ALL THE WAY. HOW LONG, UM, IS THERE A TIME PERIOD WHERE THEY NEED TO KIND OF STICK OUT THE TEMPORARY POSITION FOR X AMOUNT OF YEAH, WE'LL GIVE THEM UP TO A YEAR'S TIME TO, TO BE ABLE TO LATCH ON WITH US SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION. SO THE WAY THAT IT'LL WORK IS THEY'LL GO THROUGH THE, UH, THE ACADEMY, THE EIGHT WEEK PERIOD OF TIME, ONCE THEY GRADUATE FOR THERE, WE'LL OFFER THEM TEMPORARY EMPLOYMENT AND WE'LL CONSISTENTLY TRY TO PLACE 'EM BASED ON OUR NEEDS AND THEY'LL BE, UH, EASIER TO, TO PLACE ONCE THEIR DELIC IS COMPLETED. SO IT SHOULD WORK FOR EVERYBODY, BUT THEY, BUT YES, ABOUT A, ABOUT A YEAR, RIGHT? THAT TEMP POSITION CAN'T CONTINUE FOREVER BECAUSE THEN WE WANNA DO THE NEXT COHORT, RIGHT? RIGHT. AND SO WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE, THAT, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE, BUT, BUT I ALSO THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE GET THEM INTO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, THERE ARE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE CITY THAT THEY'LL BE QUALIFIED FOR AS WELL. SO I'M HOPING THAT IT'S A TALENT POOL THAT, THAT, UH, REALLY BENEFITS THE ORGANIZATION OVERALL. YEP. SOUNDS GREAT. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANKS AGAIN, ISRAEL FOR THE PRESENTATION. HAPPY TO BE HERE. THANK YOU. OKAY, MOVING ON TO COMMITTEE UPDATES. [14. Update from the Austin Integrated Water Resource Planning Community Task Force meeting regarding Water Forward Plan implementation. – Commissioner William Moriarty] UH, SO FIRST OFF, WE HAVE A UPDATE FROM THE AUSTIN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE PLANNING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE FROM COMMISSIONER MOORE YARDI. GOOD AFTERNOON, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY? YES, SIR. YES. THE, UH, WATER FORWARD TASK FORCE MET, UH, WEEK, UH, COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AND I'LL GIVE YOU THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MEETING. UH, THE STAFF OF WAS WATER GAVE US AN UPDATE ON THE WATER SUPPLY SITUATION WITH SOME, UH, VERY INTERESTING GRAPHICS ABOUT LAKE LEVELS AND INFLOWS INTO THE LAKE SYSTEM. AS YOU KNOW, UH, AUSTIN WATER'S DRINKING WATER SYSTEM RELIES FUNDAMENTALLY ON THE HIGH LAKES SUPPLY. AND WHAT STOOD OUT TO ME WAS THE FIRST FOUR MONTHS [00:35:01] OF THE YEAR FREAKISHLY LOW INFLOWS INTO THE LAKES. UH, I I, AND IF MY MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT, UH, WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN SOME TIME. LAKE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY, OR AT LEAST DURING THE DAY OF THAT MEETING, SAT AT ABOUT 49%. SO WE'RE SWINGING INTO SUMMER, SITTING AT LESS THAN HALF FULL. AND, UM, OBVIOUSLY WE ALL, WE ALL SIT AROUND AND SAY, WE HOPE IT RAINS. WELL, WE REALLY DO HOPE IT RAINS BECAUSE, UH, WE MAY BE ENTERING A PERIOD OF EXTREME DROUGHT. AND, UH, WHICH IF YOU RECALL BACK IN 2011 WHEN WE GOT WATER FORWARD GOING, THAT WAS THE IMPETUS WAS THE SEVERE DROUGHT AND LAKE LEVELS GOT INTO THE LOW 30 PERCENTS. THERE ARE LAKES IN TEXAS THAT ARE AS LITTLE AS 5% FULL. SO, UH, WE ARE, UH, WE'RE ENTERING A PERIOD OF CONCERN. AND, UM, I WOULD SAY STAY TUNED. UH, FURTHER IN THE MEETING, WE HAD A DISCUSSION OF VARIOUS WATER SUPPLY STRATEGIES THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS ON WATER FORWARD. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WATER STRATEGY WOULD BE KNOWN AS AQUIFER STORAGE AND RECOVERY. AND, UH, THAT'S GOT A VERY LONG LEAD TIME. AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT BE FAMILIAR WITH THAT, UH, THE IDEA WOULD BE TO FIND A SUITABLE GROUNDWATER AQUIFER AND, UH, INJECT DRINKING WATER INTO IT DURING PERIODS OF SURPLUS AND WITHDRAW DURING PERIODS OF WATER SHORTAGE, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO DOES. SO EVERYTHING I CAN SEE THAT PROJECT IS PROCEEDING NORMALLY, ALTHOUGH I WOULD ARGUE IT'S A VERY TRICKY SITUATION BECAUSE THE, UH, LOCATION, UH, WILL LIKELY BE IN A COUNTY OUTSIDE OF TRAVIS, WHERE THE CITY OF AUSTIN, YOU KNOW, MIGHT, MIGHT HAVE LESS, UH, CONTROL. UH, SECOND MOST SIGNIFICANT STRATEGY IS ONE CALLED INDIRECT POTABLE REUSE, WHICH, UH, THE STRATEGY INVOLVES TAKING WASTEWATER FROM ONE OF THE MAJOR WASTEWATER PLANTS, CONVEYING IT INTO LADY BIRD LAKE AT THE LONGHORN DAM, AND THEN INSTALLING A PUMP STATION TO LIFT THE COMBINED LAKE WATER PLUS WASTEWATER EFFLUENT, PLUS SOME FIRM YIELD OUT OF THE SPRINGS INTO THE ULRICH WATER PLANT. AND, UH, UH, MY IMPRESSION, THE THE PROJECT IS, IS STRUGGLING AND, UH, THERE ARE SOME ISSUES WITH IT THAT ARE BEING DISCOVERED AS, AS IT'S, AS IT'S GOING ALONG. SO THE STAFF IS SAYING, LET'S NOT, UH, LET'S NOT BET THE FARM ON THAT ONE. SO THEY'VE KIND OF BROUGHT A THIRD PROJECT THAT WAS ALWAYS IN THE PLAN, BUT I THINK IT'S GETTING MORE ATTENTION THAT, THAT, THAT BEING THE USAGE OF WHAT'S KNOWN AS DECKER LAKE AS A WATER SUPPLY FACILITY. SO ALL THESE, THE DECKER LAKE PROJECT IS KIND OF IN AN EMERGING, UH, SITUATION. UH, THE CITY IS KIND OF REALLY JUST STARTING TO, TO TO, TO LOOK INTO IT. BUT, UM, OBVIOUSLY ALL THESE STRATEGIES ARE IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE WATER SUPPLY. SO WE AS A GROUP MEET EVERY TWO MONTHS NOW, UH, WE, LAST YEAR WE MET A LOT MORE BECAUSE WE WERE INVOLVED IN THE UPDATE TO THE WATER FORWARD PLAN, A LOT MORE WORK TO DO, LOT, LOT MORE WORK FOR US VOLUNTEERS TO REVIEW, ET CETERA, ET CETERA. SO WE'RE ON A TWO MONTH SCHEDULE NOW, AND, UH, I THINK I'VE GIVEN YOU THE HIGHLIGHTS AND I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ANYONE MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONER MORIARTY. UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? WHAT, WHAT STAGE ARE WE AT RIGHT NOW? I DON'T KNOW, UM, SOME OF WHAT AUSTIN WATER WOULD HAVE TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION. WE ARE IN STAGE TWO DROUGHT. DO YOU [00:40:01] HAVE ANY, UM, FORECAST ON WHAT, UH, WHEN WE MIGHT SWITCH TO THREE OR I'M GONNA LET KEVIN CRITTENDEN COME UP AND, AND ANSWER MORE QUESTIONS, BUT I'LL SAY THAT, UM, WE TRACK CRA'S PROJECTIONS THAT THEY PUBLISH MONTHLY ON LAKE LEVELS. AND IF, IF WE STAY IN DRY AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS, THEN WE WOULD BE LOOKING AT STAGE THREE, UH, UH, I THINK LATE IN THE SUMMER, KEVIN CRI AND AUSTIN WATER. THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT. THAT WAS A LONG WALK FOR THAT . UM, YES, ELCR DOES, UM, UPDATE THEIR PROJECTIONS ON A MONTHLY BASIS AT THIS POINT IN TIME. UM, THEY BASICALLY PROVIDE THOSE, UM, ESTIMATES, UM, UNDER FOUR DIFFERENT, UM, CLIMATE SCENARIOS BASICALLY. SO, UM, UM, MEDIAN A HIGH AND LIKE LOW AND EXTREMELY LOW. UM, AND SO USING THOSE TWO BOTTOM EXTREMELY LOW INFLOW PROJECTIONS, IT COULD BE, I THINK AS EARLY AS JULY. SO WE'RE STARTING TO PLAN FOR THAT INTERNALLY. UM, WE'LL, WE'RE HAVING ORGANIZATION-WIDE COMMUNICATION SESSIONS TO TRY TO START THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE OUR, WHAT OUR, UH, ACTIONS WILL BE TO KIND OF COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE PUBLIC AND REINFORCE, UH, THE NEED FOR EVERYBODY TO START CONSERVING. NOW, KEVIN, WHILE YOU'RE UP HERE, DID I, SOMETHING RECENTLY HAPPENED WITH LCRA, RIGHT? OR AM I MISREADING OR MISSED DATE LIKE THAT THEY CHANGED SOMETHING OR WAS THAT THE, I DON'T KNOW. I, I CAME ACROSS AN ARTICLE MAYBE THAT THAT WAS LAST YEAR'S ARTICLE OR SOMETHING ABOUT THE TRIGGERS THAT THEY CHANGED, BUT YEAH, SO AWKWARDLY LCRA TRIGGERS CHANGE A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN OURS. LCRA HAD MOVED BACK TO A STAGE ONE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY RESTRICTIONS, UM, BASED ON SOME RAINS AND SOME INFLOWS THAT THEY, WE SAW IN THE, LIKE, UM, SAY THE, THE LATE FALL OF LAST YEAR, UM, WE DID NOT MAKE THAT SAME MOVE. UM, AND SO WE WERE KIND OF MISALIGNED. THEY WENT BACK DOWN TO THEIR STAGE TWO DROUGHT, SO THEY'RE KIND OF BACK IN LINE WITH US. OKAY. KIND OF A, A, A GENERAL DESCRIPTION. OKAY. GOT IT. YEAH. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, UH, FOR COMMISSIONER MORIARTY? OKAY, THANK YOU. NOW, UM, I WILL PROVIDE AN UPDATE [15. Update from the Joint Sustainability Committee meeting regarding conservation and sustainability initiatives. – Vice Chair Chris Maxwell-Gaines] FROM THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING. UM, WE MET AT THE, UH, END OF MARCH AND THIS MEETING WAS BASICALLY GOING THROUGH THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE DIFFERENT WORKING GROUPS, UH, WITHIN THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. UH, SO I WON'T BORE YOU WITH ANY OF THAT. UM, BUT FROM THE BUILDINGS, UH, WORKING GROUP, UM, JUST WANNA HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE OF SUGGESTIONS THAT I PUT OUT THERE FOR THE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT PERTAINS TO AUSTIN WATER. UM, SO I HAD RECOMMENDED FOR, TO BE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS WAS FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR LEAK DETECTION. UM, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IF WE CAN STOP, YOU KNOW, WATER THAT'S LEAKING OUT OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT'S THE FIRST STEP. AND, UH, AND THEN ALSO I SUGGESTED, UH, INCREASED BUDGET FOR THE LANDSCAPE CONVERSION, UH, REBATE PROGRAM. UM, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY IF WE CAN, UH, REMOVE IRRIGATION USE OUT OF THE EQUATION, THEN THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, BENEFIT EVERYTHING. SO THOSE ARE THE TWO RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WOULD OF PERTAIN TO AUSTIN WATER, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH THESE BUDGET, BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS, ESPECIALLY WITH ALL THE SHORTFALLS THAT WE ARE HEARING, UH, AT CITY OF AUSTIN. SO ANYWAYS, THAT IS THE UPDATE FOR THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE. ANY QUESTIONS, UH, FOR MYSELF. OKAY. WELL, GREAT. WELL THEN, UM, COMMISSIONERS, DO [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] YOU HAVE ANY FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE OR HAVE AUSTIN WATER PRESENT ON? I, I'D LIKE TO PREP, JUST ASK ON, AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FOR NEXT MONTH, IT COULD BE JUST IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, IS, UM, STRATEGIC INITIATIVE, SORT OF THE NEXT FIVE YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN. I JUST WANNA KNOW WHERE AUSTIN WATER IS HEADED IN TERMS OF, I KNOW WE ARE STARTING TO SUNSET SOME OF THE A MI EFFORTS. EVEN WATER FORWARD IS SORT OF TAKING A DIFFERENT SHAPE, SO JUST WANNA GET A BIG PICTURE PERSPECTIVE. CERTAINLY WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF ACTUALLY UPDATING OUR STRATEGIC PLAN RIGHT NOW, SO IT WILL BE TIMELY TO REPORT OUT ON THAT. UM, NOT NEXT MONTH, BUT IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, AS YOU SAID. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. SEEING THAT ALL BUSINESS IS COMPLETE, I, I HAVE A, I HAVE A QUICK COMMENT. OH, SORRY. UH, COMMISSIONER , UH, I, [00:45:01] UM, BELIEVE THIS IS MY LAST, UH, MEETING AS A COMMISSIONER WITH Y'ALL, WHICH MAKES ME SAD. I'VE SERVED FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND I'VE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT, BUT, UH, UH, I REALLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH ALL THE COMMISSIONERS AND STAFF AND, UM, I, I DO BELIEVE AS LONG AS EVERYBODY GETS THE PAPERWORK DONE AT CITY HALL, THIS WILL BE MY LAST OFFICIAL MEETING AS A COMMISSIONER. SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE. I APPRECIATE IT. AND NOW I GET TO SIT IN THE CROWD AND THROW TOMATOES, . WELL, THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER TERETTA FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE. SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE FOR THE WATER WASTEWATER COM, UH, COMMISSION AND FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND AUSTIN WATER. SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SERVICE. ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. I JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU CHAIR, YOU, WHEN I SIGNED ON FOR THIS, YOU HAD CALLED AND YOU WERE LIKE, IT'S GONNA BE OKAY. SO YOU, YOU'VE BEEN REALLY AWESOME. SO WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU. THANK YOU AND SURE. ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE. THANK SUSAN'S RESPONSIBLE FOR A FAIR AMOUNT OF US ON THE COMMITTEE. SO , COMMISSIONER ON ON BEHALF OF AUSTIN WATER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. UM, ABSOLUTELY. YOU'VE BEEN A TREMENDOUS LEADER OF THIS, OF THIS ORGANIZATION AND, AND THE WORK OF THIS COMMISSION IS VERY VALUABLE TO AUSTIN WATER AND HELPS US FURTHER OUR MISSION THAT'S VERY VALUABLE TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND TO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT YOU ALL, UM, ADVISE. AND SO WE THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT AND ESPECIALLY, UM, IN YOUR ROLE AS CHAIR, UH, COMMISSIONER RETA, YOU'VE BEEN, UM, YOU'VE BEEN AN EXCEPTIONAL LEADER. THANK YOU. WELL, THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. UM, SO SEEING THAT BUSINESS IS COMPLETE, I ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 4 51. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.