* 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. [00:00:03] IT'S APPROXIMATELY [CALL MEETING TO ORDER] 6 0 4 AND COMMISSIONERS. HOPEFULLY YOU HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE, UH, LOOK AT THE PACKAGE, LOOK AT THE AGENDA. IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD. I'D LIKE TO JUST STICK WITH THIS AND, UH, LITERALLY TAKE CARE OF OUR ACTION ITEMS, FIRST OF WHICH ONE OF THEM IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES. AND THEN THE OTHER TWO ITEMS ARE LITERALLY THE JOINT SUSTAIN SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE, UH, REPRESENTATIVE, WHICH I THINK WE HAVE A WONDERFUL VOLUNTEER FOR. AND, UH, THEN THE NEXT ITEM WOULD BE THE ORGANICS PROCESSING CONTRACT, WHICH, UH, SHOULD BE A QUICK ONE. BUT AFTER WE GET DONE WITH THE ACTUAL ACTION ITEMS, WE'RE GONNA GO INTO STAFF PRESENTATIONS HERE. SO THE FIRST ITEM IS [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES, AND HOPEFULLY COMMISSIONER, IF YOU HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE MINUTES. YES. UH, MELISSA, GO AHEAD. YEAH, MELISSA, CAN YOU HEAR ME? MELISSA? ALRIGHT. WE STILL HAVE, I CAN HEAR YOU. OKAY. IS MY VIDEO NOT WORKING? YOUR VIDEO IS NOT, IS NOT WORKING. OKAY. I'LL TRY TO GET IT FIXED. ALL RIGHT. WE STILL HAVE A QUORUM HERE, SO WE'RE, WE'RE FINE. I'LL SUBMIT A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE CAC COMMISSION MEETING ON MAY 14TH. MICHAEL MU'S APPROVAL OF THE, UH, OF THE MINUTES. DO I HEAR A SECOND? I SECOND IRA. SECOND. DO I HEAR ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS HEARING? NO DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE JUST RAISE YOUR HAND. THANK, THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS, MELISSA ABSTAINS. I'M ALL RIGHT. SO, HAVING SAID THAT, NEXT ITEM HERE [2. Approve a representative of one member for the Joint Sustainability Committee for the 2025 calendar year] IS PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD, THE ACTION ITEM, AND IT'S PROVEN A REPRESENTATIVE TO THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION. AND I THINK, UH, I DON'T THINK IRIS HAS WONDERFULLY VOLUNTEERED FOR THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YES. YES. AND, UH, ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? HEARING NO DISCUSSIONS, COMMISSIONERS? I WILL MOVE OR I WILL, YEAH. UH, SUBMIT. EXCEPT A MOTION. YEAH, I'LL SUBMIT A MOTION TO APPROVE HER AS A REPRESENTATIVE. MICHAEL MOVES APPROVAL OF IRIS AS OUR REPRESENTATIVE. DO I HEAR HIS SECOND? SECOND? DO I HEAR A SECOND HERE? UH, ALI SECONDS. ALI SECONDS HERE. ALRIGHT. ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS? ANY COMMENT, DISCUSSION, HEARING, NO COMMENTS OR DISCUSSIONS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. THANK YOU. UNANIMOUS, YOU'RE IN TROUBLE. ALRIGHT, . GOD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, GUYS. THE NEXT ITEM HERE [3. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of an Organics Processing Contract for an amount not to exceed $10 million.] IS THE ORGANICS PROCESSING CONTRACT. AND HOPEFULLY YOU HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK THIS OVER. THIS IS A, A VERY IMPORTANT UP UPCOMING, UH, CONTRACT. AND WHO'S GONNA SPEAK TO THIS? UH, RICHARD HERRERA, SPEAKING TO IT. THANK YOU, RICHARD. HELLO. GOOD EVENING, CHAIR AND COMMISSIONERS. I'M RICHARD HERRERA, OPERATIONS DIVISION MANAGER FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY. GOOD TO SEE EVERYBODY THIS EVENING. THIS EVENING, WE ARE SEEKING YOUR APPROVAL TO AUTHORIZE AND EXECUTE CONTRACTS FOR COMPOST PROCESS AND SERVICES FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY WITH EMPLOYEE OWNED NURSERY ENTERPRISES LIMITED, DOING BUSINESS AS ORGANICS BY GOSH AND TEXAS DISPOSAL SYSTEMS LANDFILL INCORPORATED. DOING BUSINESS AS TEXAS DISPOSAL SYSTEMS INCORPORATED FOR INITIAL TERM OF THREE YEARS WITH UP TO TWO ONE YEAR EXTENSION OPTIONS IN THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $10 MILLION DIVIDED AMONGST THE CONTRACTORS FUNDING $333,333 IS AVAILABLE IN THE OPERATING BUDGET OF AUSTIN. RESOURCE RECOVERY FUNDING FOR THE REMAINING CONTRACT TERM IS CONTINGENT UPON AVAILABLE FUNDING IN FUTURE BUDGETS. IN THIS CONTRACT, THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PROVIDE COMPLETE PROCESSING, SORTING, AND COMPOSTING OF ORGANICS, YARD WASTE, FOOD SCRAPS, AND FOOD OIL, SOIL COMPOSTABLE PAPER, AS WELL AS MARKETING SERVICES TO INCLUDE DETAILED DATA REPORTING TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S RESIDENTIAL CURBSIDE COMPOST MATERIALS COLLECTION SERVICES. WE RESPECTFULLY ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, ANY COMMENTS OR THOUGHTS ON THIS? ARE WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S, IS THIS MIC ON? CAN PEOPLE HEAR ME? YES. YEAH. OKAY. YES. UM, ARE WE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE NEGOTIATION IS THE BULLET, THE, THE ACTION ITEM IS RECOMMEND AUTHORIZING NEGOTIATION. SO, [00:05:01] IS NEGOTIATION ONGOING OR ARE THESE THE TERMS? TERMS? EXCUSE ME. OKAY. THESE ARE THE TERMS THAT WE WILL BE SIGNING. YEAH. OKAY. UM, DO WE HAVE A ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF, WE KNOW THERE'S 333 ROUGHLY FOR THE REMAINING 2025 YEAR. DO WE HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH IT WILL COST IN 20 26, 20 27 AND 2028? I KNOW NOT TO EXCEED 10 MILLION, BUT YEAH. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. IT'S ALL BASED ON, UH, TONNAGE, OF COURSE. OKAY. UH, WE, THE WAY THAT WE STRUCTURED THIS SOLICITATION WORKING WITH CORPORATE PURCHASING, I APOLOGIZE. I'M RON ROMERO, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY. BUT THE WAY THAT WE WORKED WITH CORPORATE PURCHASING ON THIS PARTICULAR SOLICITATION, UH, WAS A 60 40 SPLIT, UH, BETWEEN TWO CONTRACTORS. OKAY. UH, SIMILAR TO THE RECYCLING CONTRACT THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, UH, IT'S BEEN A SUCCESSFUL CONTRACT. UH, WE WANTED TO KIND OF MODEL THAT AFTER THAT PARTICULAR CONTRACT. IN REGARDS TO COST, WE'RE ESTIMATING ABOUT $2 MILLION A YEAR, UH, SPLIT BETWEEN THE, UM, THE TWO, UH, THE TWO VENDORS. OKAY. AND IS IT THE THREE FISCAL YEARS FOLLOWING 2025, OR IS IT 2025 TO 2020? LIKE, HOW WOULD THAT WORK? START STARTING IN 2026 ALL THE WAY THROUGH. YES, SIR. OKAY. GOT IT. THANK YOU. COMMISSIONERS. ANY OF THE THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? HEARING NO QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS? ANY, ALL ANYONE MOVING APPROVAL OF THIS? I, I MOVE TO APPROVE. AMANDA, WAS THAT YOU? MM-HMM . AMANDA MOVES APPROVAL. DO I HEAR A SECOND ON THAT? I'LL SECOND THAT. MICHAEL. SECONDS THAT. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THE ITEM? HEARING? NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND. IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A UNANIMOUS Y OFF THE, UH, DI UH, ANYWAY, UNANIMOUS ON THAT WITH JAN BEING OFF THE DIOCESE. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER. THANK YOU, MICHAEL. MAYORS. ALRIGHT, THE NEXT ITEM [4. Staff briefing regarding Austin Resource Recovery Safety Program Presentation, by Chad Presley, Chief Administrative Officer of Austin Resource Recovery] IS LITERALLY YOUR, UH, STAFF PRESENTATIONS HERE. THE FIRST PRESENTATION IS THE, UH, SAFETY PROGRAM PRESENTATION. CHAD, THANK YOU. IS A BIG ONE. JUST GIVE US ONE MOMENT. I DO VIRTUAL FOLKS. CAN YOU SEE THIS? NO. THANK YOU. YES, I CAN SEE IT. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING, UH, CHAIR, COMMISSIONERS, AND GUESTS. MY NAME IS CHAD PRESLEY. I'M THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER FOR FOSTER AND RESOURCE RECOVERY. NEXT SLIDE. I'M GONNA BE, UH, PRESENTING TONIGHT SOME OF, UH, ABOUT OUR SAFETY PROGRAM. AND THE FIRST SLIDE IS OUR MISSION AND VISION. I'M GONNA MOVE THESE, THESE A LITTLE BIT QUICK. UM, NEXT SLIDE IS OUR CORE VALUES. I WAS JUST KIDDING, CHAD. OH, . IN OUR NEXT SLIDE, UM, IF YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE. SO THIS IS WHAT YOU WERE REALLY ASKING FOR AND, UH, WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT AR OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT. AS WE ALL KNOW, THE SOLID WASTE INDUSTRY IS THE FOURTH MOST DANGEROUS INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES. AND ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE TO CONTEND WITH, IN ADDITION TO WORKING IN ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS INDUSTRIES, IS ALSO THE REALIZATION THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAPPENING AND OUR HEAT IS GOING UP. AND SO WE FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS HAS A LARGE IMPACT ON STAFF, YOU KNOW, AND OUR INJURIES AND ACCIDENTS. NEXT SLIDE. AND SO THIS IS MORE ON OUR, UH, OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT. AS YOU KNOW, A RR SERVICES 218,999 HOUSEHOLDS IN FISCAL YEAR 24. UM, OUR AVERAGE ROUTE IS OVER 1000 STOPS, AND WE ARE THE, UH, DEPARTMENT THAT DRIVES THE MOST MILES, UH, PER DAY OF ANY DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN. NEXT SLIDE. AND WHAT WE WERE ASKED ABOUT WAS OUR LOST TIME INJURY RATE. AND SO THIS IS THE CALCULATION OF HOW IT'S CALCULATED. UH, THIS IS AN INDUSTRY STANDARD. WOW. AND SO, AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, R'S LOST TIME INJURY RATE WAS 4.25, AND THE SOLID WASTE INDUSTRY STANDARD [00:10:01] WAS A 4.30. AND ALTHOUGH WE HAVE SEEN AN INCREASE HERE RECENTLY, WE ARE TAKING MANY STEPS TO, UH, CURB THAT AND TO START MOVING IT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. NEXT SLIDE. I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU SOME OF THE INNOVATIONS AND, UH, IMP THINGS THAT WE'VE IMPLEMENTED TO, TO WORK ON THAT. AND ONE IS, UH, DIGITIZED COLLECTION OF DATA AND REPORTING TOOLS. SO WE'VE MOVED TO ELECTRONIC FORMS AND ELECTRONIC ROUTE OBSERVATIONS. NEXT SLIDE. MUCH LIKE OUR COUNTERPARTS AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS, UH, A RR HAS OUTFITTED ALL OF OUR SAFETY VEHICLES WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING, UM, COMPUTERS, MOBILE COMPUTERS, SO THAT WAY THEY CAN DO THEIR ACCIDENTS, THEIR INSPECTIONS IN THE FIELD. NEXT SLIDE. WE'VE TRIPLED THE SIZE OF OUR PPE WAREHOUSE, SO IT WAS ABOUT ONE THIRD THE SIZE IT IS NOW. WE'VE ALSO IMPLEMENTED, UM, ONLINE ORDERING OF PPE. SO IT SPEEDS HOW QUICKLY WE CAN GET STAFF ALL OF THE GEAR THEY NEED. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS MORE OF OUR, OF OUR SUPPLY WAREHOUSE. NEXT SLIDE. WE ALSO INSTALLED, UH, PPE VENDING MACHINES. THIS ALLOWS OUR STAFF TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE NECESSARY PPE DAY AND NIGHT, EVEN WHEN OUR SUPPLY WAREHOUSE IS CLOSED FOR THE DAY. UM, SO THIS IS SOMETHING PRETTY INNOVATIVE. UM, THIS WAS PUT IN BY ONE OF OUR VENDORS, UM, WHICH WORK REALLY WORKS WELL FOR US. UH, THEY GO AHEAD AND SUPPLY ALL THE SUPPLIES FOR US AND KEEP IT STOCKED FOR US. AND WE'VE GOT A LOT OF REALLY GOOD FEEDBACK FROM, UH, FROM THE EMPLOYEES ON THIS NEXT SLIDE. ANOTHER IMPLEMENTATION, OR ANOTHER THING THAT WE IMPLEMENTED WAS, UH, GATE SAFETY CHECKS. SO WE'RE ORDERING A HUNDRED PERCENT OF OUR PRE-TRIP EVERY MORNING. WE'RE DOING VEHICLE CHECKS EVERY MORNING, SAFETY CHECKS EVERY MORNING. UH, NEXT SLIDE. KIND OF GOING THROUGH THIS, PUTTING IN A LOT OF PICTURES SO YOU CAN GET AN IDEA OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AS WE'RE, UH, WORKING ON THESE THINGS. SO WE DO A MANDATORY, UM, EQUIPMENT CHECK EVERY MORNING. WE HAVE OUR MECHANICS OUT THERE, OUR SAFETY PERSONNEL OUT THERE, OUR LEADERSHIP THERE. UH, JUST MAKING SURE EVERYTHING'S READY TO GO BEFORE WE ROLL OUT. NEXT SLIDE. WE ALSO, UH, CHECK FOR, UH, PPE AND WATER. ONE OF THE BIG THINGS DURING THE SUMMERTIME OBVIOUSLY, IS WATER. AND SO WE DON'T LET ANYBODY LEAVE UNLESS THEY HAVE WATER ON THEM, AND THAT WATER IS FILLED. UM, WE CAN'T REQUIRE PEOPLE TO DRINK, BUT WE COMMUNICATE THAT AS OFTEN AS WE CAN. NEXT SLIDE. WE'VE ALSO EXPANDED OUR DISPATCH. UH, SO WE USED TO HAVE ONE DISPATCHER, NOW WE HAVE TWO DISPATCHERS. THIS ALLOWS US TO BETTER RESPOND WHEN THERE'S AN EMERGENCY SITUATION OR WHEN THERE'S JUST A BREAKDOWN. I DON'T WANNA SAY JUST A BREAKDOWN OR WHEN THERE'S A BREAKDOWN FOR A VEHICLE OR IF THEY JUST NEED TO BE REROUTED, UH, SOMEWHERE. UM, LOOKING AT TRAFFIC PATTERNS, JUST TRYING TO FIND THE BEST, MOST EFFICIENT WAY FOR OUR STAFF TO GET TO WHERE THEY'RE GOING AND GET BACK. NEXT SLIDE IT IN DEALING WITH, UH, THE HEAT. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE DONE IS, UM, ELECTROLYTES, COOLING VESTS, NECK GATORS, COOLING TOWELS, HYDRATION PACKS. SO REALLY ANY TECHNOLOGY THAT COMES OUT, UH, THAT WE THINK COULD MAKE OUR EMPLOYEES SAFER, WE TEST THEM. UH, WE'VE TESTED, UM, EVEN COOLING VESTS THAT HAVE FANS INSIDE THEM. UM, JUST DIFFERENT TYPES OF THINGS THAT, THAT COME OUT AS TECHNOLOGY'S IMPROVED, THAT THAT COULD HELP OUT OUR EMPLOYEES. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS WAS, UH, LAST YEAR. THE SUMMER TEMPERATURES GETS PRETTY HOT OUT THERE, UH, NEXT. AND SO, UM, WITH OUR, UH, GATE CHECK, UH, INSPECTIONS, UH, WE'VE REDUCED OUR FISCAL YEAR FIRES FROM 12 TO FIVE. AND THAT'S ONLY IN THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS. SO I DON'T WANNA SPEAK TOO SOON. BUT WE HAVE SEEN IMPROVEMENTS. UH, ALSO, UM, WE'VE BEEN PUSHING, AS I SAID BEFORE, UH, HEAT MITIGATION. SO WE'RE PUSHING A LOT OF TRAINING, UM, REALLY GOING OVER THAT, UH, IN EVERY MEETING, UH, THAT THEY NEED TO DRINK WATER. I'M SORRY. NEXT SLIDE. AS I SAID, MAKING SURE THEY HAVE ALL THEIR PPE, WE DO THE SAFETY CHECKS AT THE GATES. WE ALSO DO A MANDATORY SAFETY STAND DOWNS. SO IN ADDITION TO THEIR NORMAL BREAKS AND NORMAL LUNCHTIME, UH, WE HAVE, UH, DISPATCH COME OUT OVER THE RADIO ASKING THEM TO STAND DOWN, DRINK WATER. GREAT. NEXT SLIDE. AND THEN ADDITION TO THAT, WE ARE RE-IMPLEMENTING THE DRIVER'S IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. WE, SO WE'VE ALWAYS HAD A DRIVER'S IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR WHEN THERE HAS BEEN, UM, INCIDENTS. HOWEVER, WE'RE IMPLEMENTING THAT FOR ALL INJURIES OR INCIDENTS. SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF, YOU KNOW, THESE, UH, STRAINS, BRAIN, UH, STRAINS, SPRAINS, AND, UM, BY, UH, TRAINING. [00:15:03] NEXT SLIDE. WE'VE ALSO IMPLEMENTED A, UM, AN INCIDENT REVIEW COMMITTEE. AND WHAT THIS DOES IS THIS LOOKS AT THE ROOT CAUSE. SO IN THE PAST WE'VE LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, OPERATOR BEHAVIOR. BUT WHAT THIS ALLOWS US TO DO IS LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, IS THERE THINGS WE COULD DO BETTER AS MANAGEMENT? IS THERE BETTER EQUIPMENT? UH, IS THERE BETTER PPE WE COULD BE DOING OUT THERE? SO REALLY LOOKING BEYOND JUST, UH, THE DRIVER'S BEHAVIOR, UH, WHICH WE ALWAYS LOOK AT WITH ANY INCIDENT, BUT LOOKING BEYOND THAT TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY SYSTEMIC THINGS THAT WE COULD CHANGE. UH, NEXT SLIDE. AND, UH, THIS IS A LIST OF OUR SAFETY AWARDS THAT THE DEPARTMENT IS WON. AND SO AS YOU CAN SEE, ALMOST EVERY YEAR WE'VE BEEN AWARDED WITH A STATE OR NATIONAL SAFETY AWARD. SO ALTHOUGH, UM, ALTHOUGH OUR RECORD ISN'T WHERE WE'D LIKE IT TO BE, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO MOVE AND, AND WORK TO MOVE THAT IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, UH, WE ARE VERY PROUD OF THE WORK WE HAVE DONE. AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS ANYBODY WOULD HAVE. THANK YOU. WOULD YOU MIND POPPING BACK TO THE, SORRY, GO AHEAD. I'M SORRY. EXCUSE ME. UH, IS IT OKAY TO GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS SLIDE? CAN WE GO BACK? YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, ALLY. UM, WHAT TYPE OF, SO, UM, UH, LOOKS LIKE THIS, UH, IS GOOD TO SEE THIS COMMITTEE IS THERE, AND, UM, TAKING A LOOK AT, UH, GETTING ROOT CAUSE. HOW FAR ALONG ARE THEY IN THEIR ANALYSIS? THE, THIS SLIDE MAKES IT LOOK LIKE THEY'RE STILL KIND OF IN THE THESIS STAGE OF, HEY, WHAT ARE, WHAT ARE POTENTIAL AREAS THAT COULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE INCIDENTS, BUT THEY'RE STILL COLLECTING DATA TO BACK IT UP. AM I KIND OF GATHERING THAT CORRECTLY FROM THIS SLIDE? UH, YES. AND YES. SO WE'RE ALWAYS COLLECTING DATA, CORRECT? SO WE'RE COLLECTING DATA, UH, THAT WE'RE GONNA USE DOWN THE ROAD. UH, YOU KNOW, AS YOU KNOW, DATA IS, IS BEST USED WHEN TRENDED. UH, BUT WHAT THIS DOES IS IT LOOKS AT SPECIFIC INCIDENTS. SO THIS IS A SPECIFIC INCIDENT HAPPENED, AND THIS MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, HAPPENING MORE OFTEN OR A SIMILAR TYPE. SO WHAT WE'LL DO IS WE'LL LOOK AT THOSE TYPES OF INCIDENTS TO SEE WAS THAT EQUIPMENT, YOU KNOW, COULD WE MAYBE CHANGE THE EQUIPMENT OR GET A DIFFERENT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT? UH, GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT IS THE BREAKDOWNS IN OUR ACS THAT WE'VE SEEN PREVIOUSLY. UM, YOU KNOW, ROOT CAUSE. SO SAW THAT, YOU KNOW, THE AC THAT CAME IN THE TRUCKS WAS NOT PROPERLY EQUIPPED FOR OUR NEEDS, SO WE HAD TO INSTALL ROOF MOUNTED AC SYSTEMS. SO THAT'S THE TYPE OF ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS WE'RE LOOKING FOR AND CORRECTIONS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. AND THEN, IS THAT DATA THAT YOU CAN MAKE AVAILABLE TO THE COMMISSION AS WELL? UH, THE SAFETY DATA? UH, YES, ABSOLUTELY. COOL. YEAH, IT'D BE INTERESTING TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, ALLIE. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I DO, IRIS, I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. NO WORRIES. UM, AS FAR AS THE PPE, UM, THE VENDING MACHINE, HOW DOES THIS WORK? ARE THE EMPLOYEES GIVEN A CERTAIN ALLOTMENT WHEN THEY START AND THEN THEY PAY FOR ADDITIONAL ITEMS? UH, WELL, THE WAY IT WORKS IS WITH RFI DS ON OUR ID CARDS, SO SUPERVISORS CAN GO THEY BADGE IN, AND THEN THOSE COSTS ARE ALLOCATED TO THE WORK, UH, GROUP THAT IS USING THAT PPE. AND MY SECOND QUESTION, THE, AS FAR AS THE WATER AND ELECTROLYTES, UM, SINCE THEY SPEND SO MUCH TIME DRIVING, IS IT THE SAME SITUATION TO WHERE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WATER PROVIDED TO THEM AND THEN THERE WOULD, I IMAGINE THEY'RE HAVING TO CARRY IT SINCE THEY CAN'T STOP AND YEAH, SO WE PROVIDE A, A VARIETY OF SIZES, EVERYTHING FROM THREE GALLONS DOWN TO ONE GALLONS, CAMELBACKS. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE, UM, DIFFERENT STOPS THAT THEY CAN MAKE ANY FIREHOUSE, UM, ANY CITY, UH, BUILDING, THEY CAN STOP THE REFILL. UM, YEAH. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE OUR SAFETY TEAMS THAT ARE OUT IN THE FIELD WITH, UH, WATER, ICE AND ELECTROLYTES FOR THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, IRIS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? IRIS TOOK MY QUESTION THERE. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE VENDING MACHINE. I DON'T HAVE A DOLLAR ON ME. WHAT AM I GONNA DO? RIGHT? I MEAN, THAT'S, BUT ANYWAY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS I'LL EVEN ASK MINE, SO I'M ALL GOOD. OH, THANK YOU JOHN. ALRIGHT. HEARING NO OTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU, CHAD, FOR THE PRESENTATION STAFF. THANK YOU, BILL. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT GUYS, MOVING ON HERE. NEXT ITEM IS [5. Staff briefing regarding the Proposed Department Rule Amendments for drop-off services, extra trash, curbside collections and on-demand services, by Jason McCombs, Strategic Initiatives Division Manager of Austin Resource Recovery] A STAFF PRESENTATION ON THE, UH, DEPARTMENT OF RULE AMENDMENTS FOR DROP OFF FACILITIES. JASON, IS THAT YOU? THANK YOU, JASON. ALL RIGHT. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. UM, JUST GOT A BRIEF PRESENTATION HERE. UM, SO, UH, MY NAME'S JASON MCCOMBS. I'M A DIVISION MANAGER WITH AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY. AND LAST SUMMER WE, UH, IDENTIFIED A NUMBER OF ADMINISTRATIVE [00:20:01] RULE CHANGES THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE. AND WE'VE KIND OF BEEN WORKING THROUGH THESE. THIS IS THE, UH, THIRD OF FIVE KIND OF GROUPINGS OF CHANGES THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT. UM, AND SO WE'RE HERE STARTING A NEXT ROUND OF THOSE. SO WE'RE JUST PRE, UH, PRESENTING THOSE, UM, THE RULE CHANGES TO YOU HERE TONIGHT FOR CONSIDERATION. THIS WILL NOW OPEN UP KIND OF PUBLIC COMMENT WHERE YOU GUYS CAN, YOU KNOW, ASK QUESTIONS, PROVIDE YOUR COMMENTS ON THOSE OVER THE NEXT 30 DAYS. SO GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, JUST SO A REMINDER, SO THE ADMINISTRATIVE RULES FOR THIS DEPARTMENT ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, UM, THAN HOW IT HANDLED A LOT OF OTHER, UH, DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY. UM, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY IS UNIQUE IN THAT WE'VE GOT A CODE SECTION THAT REQUIRES US TO GO TO CITY COUNCIL WITH OUR RULES. UH, MOST, UH, RULES, UM, END UP GOING TO THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER. UM, RULES ARE DIFFERENT THAN CODE. AND SO THE RULES ARE, UM, HOW WE OPERATIONALLY IMPLEMENT THE CODE. SO THEY'RE KIND OF, THEY LIVE KINDA BEHIND IT. AND HOW WE CAN OPERATIONALLY, YOU KNOW, WHEN WHEN POLICY IS PASSED, HOW DO WE PUT THOSE INTO PLACE? AND SO WE ARE. UM, SO YEAH, SO WE'VE DEVELOPED A PROCESS. ACTUALLY, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE IF WE COULD. UH, WE'VE DONE, UH, THIS IS THE PROCESS WE'VE BEEN USING SINCE LAST SUMMER, UM, TO, UH, PROPOSE THESE RULES. UH, WE'VE BEEN BRINGING THEM TO WAC TO INTRODUCE THEM LIKE WE ARE HERE TONIGHT. WE'LL THEN OPEN IT UP TO THE PUBLIC FOR QUESTIONS AND FEEDBACK. UM, AND THEN WE REVIEW THOSE COMMENTS, MAKE REVISIONS AND EDITS, AND THEN COME BACK, UH, TO THIS COMMISSION. SO THIS IS, THE MONTHS UP AT THE TOP ARE KIND OF A ROUGH IDEA OF KIND OF, OF WHAT WE INTEND TO DO. SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN AUGUST, WE'RE PROPOSING THIS, UH, THESE RULES HERE TONIGHT. UM, OVER THE NEXT KIND OF 30 DAYS. TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO IS WE'LL POST 'EM TO SPEAK UP. UH, THIS WOULD BE THE BEST TIME FOR THIS COMMISSION, BUT ALSO THE PUBLIC, UH, TO PROVIDE ANY KIND OF QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, AND, UH, THEN WE REVIEW THOSE, MAKE ANY EDITS THAT WE NEED, UM, AND THEN BRING THEM BACK, UM, HERE TO, TO ZAC IN NOVEMBER. WE ALSO BRIEF THE, UH, CLIMATE, WATER ENVIRONMENT AND PARKS COMMITTEE OF CITY COUNCIL AS WELL, BEFORE GOING TO COUNCIL. UH, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, AND AS I MENTIONED, THESE ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, FIVE RURAL AREAS THAT WE IDENTIFIED LAST SUMMER. UH, THE FIRST TWO, UM, WE HAVE KIND OF GONE THROUGH THIS PROCESS COME THROUGH WAC. THEY HAVE BEEN APPROVED, BOTH HAVE BEEN APPROVED BY COUNCIL. SO HERE WE ARE AT NUMBER THREE. UH, WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. AND JUST SOME, UH, HIGH LEVEL THE BACKUP, UH, SHOULD BE, OR IT SHOULD BE IN YOUR BACKUP, THE STRIKE THROUGH VERSION. SO YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THE RULE AMENDMENTS THAT WE ARE PROPOSING, UH, BUT JUST KIND OF SOME HIGH LEVEL KIND OF OVERVIEWS OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. UM, IN SECTION 5.6, UM, THIS REALLY RELATES TO HORNSBY BIN, OUR, OUR ROD, OUR RECYCLING REUSE, DROPOFF CENTER SETTING. SOME, UM, KIND OF CLEAR, UM, PROCEDURES FOR HOW WE VERIFY, UM, RESIDENTS, UM, WHEN, WHEN, UH, PEOPLE COME AND DRIVE UP TO THESE FACILITIES. THESE, UH, THESE FACILITIES, THEY ARE, UM, AVAILABLE TO AUSTIN AND TRAVIS COUNTY RESIDENTS. UM, THEY ARE TENDED TO BE, THEY'RE PART OF THE FEE STRUCTURE HERE, AND THEY'RE INTENDED TO BE RESIDENTIAL FOLKS AND NOT A COMMERCIAL ENTITIES. AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE CHECKING AND LOOKING FOR RESIDENTS HERE. AND SO THIS IS ESTABLISHING A PROCESS FOR THAT. UM, THERE WAS A LOT OF OLD LANGUAGE IN THE RULES ABOUT COM THAT PREDATED, UM, BEFORE THE GREEN COMPOST CARTS WERE, UM, OUT CITYWIDE. AND SO WE'RE CLEANING UP SOME OF THAT LANGUAGE. AND, UM, THERE'S ALSO A SECTION, UM, ABOUT, UH, TRASH STICKERS, UM, FEES FOR, UH, TRASH THAT DON'T HAVE STICKERS. AND ALSO THE 15 BAG LIMIT FOR YARD TRIMMINGS, WHICH IS SOMETHING WE'VE HAD, WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH HERE FOR THE PAST, UH, FEW MONTHS OR SO OR SO. UM, BUT HAD IN PLACE FOR A LITTLE BIT. UM, WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE. UM, WE'VE GOT SOME, UH, CLARIFIED, UH, COLLECTION PROCEDURES FOR EXTRA TRASH MATERIAL. UM, THINGS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LIDS CAN'T, UH, FULLY, UM, CLOSE ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, PUTTING EXTRA TRASH TO THE SIDE, ESTABLISHING SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR WEIGHT LIMITS OF THAT TRASH, YOU KNOW, AND WE'VE, UM, IDENTIFIED, UH, WHAT MATERIALS SHOULD NOT BE PUT IN YOUR RECYCLING CART, WHAT SHOULD NOT BE PUT IN YOUR, IN YOUR COM, IN YOUR COMPOST CART, FOR EXAMPLE. AND THEN FINALLY, ON THE NEXT SECTION, GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'M SORRY. UM, JUST UPDATES. SO WE'VE, UH, ROLLED OUT ON DEMAND, UM, COLLECTION FOR BULK, UH, BRUSH, HHW, UM, THAT WAS NOT ADDRESSED ANYWHERE IN OUR RULES. AND SO WE'VE, WE'VE NOW ADDED THOSE SECTIONS TO, TO BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT. SO, UM, NEXT SLIDE. AND SO, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE BEST WAY I THINK THAT THIS IS REALLY JUST OPENING THIS UP, KIND OF PRESENT, THIS IDEA THAT THIS IS OPENING UP FOR, UM, COMMENT. UM, THE SPEAK UP AUSTIN PAGE IS [00:25:01] UP AND RUNNING RIGHT NOW, BUT EVERYTHING WILL BE LIVE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 15TH. UM, THAT IS THE BEST WAY, UM, FOR THE PUBLIC TO START MAKING COMMENTS AND ALSO FOR THIS COMMISSION AS WELL. UM, IT'S A GREAT WAY FOR US TO KIND OF CONSOLIDATE ALL THE COMMENTS AND CONCERNS, AND WE ALWAYS PUT THOSE TOGETHER. WE'RE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THOSE. UM, AND WE DO PUT THEM BACK TOGETHER AND PRESENT THEM BACK TO THIS COMMISSION. YOU KNOW, WHAT THE, WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE PUBLIC BACK WHEN WE COME BACK IN NOVEMBER, WE ARE ALSO GONNA BE HOLDING A, UM, A PUBLIC MEETING THAT WILL BE ONLINE INFORMATION SESSION ON AUGUST 28TH. THAT, THAT INFORMATION ON HOW TO LOG IN WILL BE ON THE SPEAK UP PAGE AS WELL. SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN THAT, UM, THAT IS ANOTHER OPTION TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE INPUT. AND SO, UH, NEXT SLIDE. THAT'S IT. UM, ANY QUESTIONS? YES, COMMISSIONERS, ANY, ANY THOUGHTS, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? I, I'VE GOT, OH, I'M SORRY. GO AHEAD. AMANDA. AMANDA, HI. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS. UM, THIS IS A LOT OF CHANGES IN THIS SECTION THAT SEEM VERY NECESSARY. I WAS CURIOUS ABOUT 5.6, THE UTILITY BILL. UM, YOU CHECKING THAT THE FOLKS HAVE A UTILITY BILL BEFORE THEY DROP OFF THEIR HAZARDOUS WASTE OR WHATEVER. I UNDERSTAND WANTING TO, UM, RESTRICT THIS TO RESIDENTIAL SERVICES AND, YOU KNOW, NOT HAVE COMMERCIAL ENTITIES MAKE USE OF THIS. BUT I'M ALSO THINKING THAT WE ALREADY, THE DEPARTMENT ALREADY WENT FROM PEOPLE JUST SHOWING UP TO HAVING TO SET UP APPOINTMENTS AND NOW WE'RE ADDING ANOTHER STEP THAT IS A LITTLE MORE BURDENSOME. UM, I'M ALWAYS CONCERNED WITH THE HAZARDOUS WASTE ABOUT MAKING IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO GET THIS OUT OF THEIR HOMES OR GARAGES OR PLACES WHERE IT'S AFFECTING THEIR HEALTH. SO IS THERE ANOTHER WAY TO DO THIS THAN TO ASK FOR UTILITY BILL? 'CAUSE IT JUST, IT'S A FIDDLY LITTLE THING THAT NOT EVERYONE HAS HANDY AND, UM, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT'S GONNA ADD AN ADDITIONAL BARRIER THAT MAY KEEP PEOPLE FROM USING THE SERVICE. UH, SPEAK TO REFERENCE. WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, SLAGEL, UH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONER AMY SLAGEL, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, AUSTIN RESEARCH RECOVERY. UH, WE DID, UH, AS YOU MENTIONED, PUT IN THE, UH, UTILITY BILL TO HELP RESTRICT, UH, THE, UH, MATERIAL COMING IN. UH, WE'VE HAD SOME CHALLENGES AT OUR, AT OUR HORN SPEED BEND FACILITY WITH, UH, PEOPLE BRINGING IN TOO MUCH MATERIAL, BUT ALSO BRINGING IN, UH, MATERIAL THAT'S BEEN DAMAGING OUR EQUIPMENT IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT, UM, OTHER OPTIONS. THAT'S SOMETHING WE'D HAVE TO, TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, AND FOLLOW UP AND, AND SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. BUT, UM, I'M NOT, UH, WE'LL HAVE TO SEE IF THERE'S, THERE IS ANOTHER AVENUE. WHY NOT USE VOLUME AT HORNSBY BEND? WE ARE ACTUALLY ARE AS A RESTRICTION. OKAY. WE WE'RE GOING TO LIMIT, UH, THAT I BELIEVE, UH, TO SIX CUBIC YARDS OR SOMETHING. UH, I'M SORRY. OKAY. YEAH, SORRY. UH, YES, SIX CUBIC YARDS. UH, IS THE MAX VOLUME THAT WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA LIMIT, UH, UH, PEOPLE BRINGING IN. SO ISN'T THAT SUFFICIENT TO CATCH MOST COMMERCIAL ENTITIES THAT WILL BE TRYING TO USE IT? I MEAN, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BREAK UP THEIR BIG BATCHES INTO SIX CUBIC YARDS AND SHOW UP IN THREE OR FOUR DIFFERENT TRUCKS, RIGHT? UH, STILL WE NEED TO LOOK AND SEE. UH, WE WOULD WANT, I WOULD THINK WE WOULD WANT TO USE THE UTILITY BILL AS A WAY TO UNDERSTAND, UH, WHAT FEES BEING PAID BECAUSE THAT'S HOW WE'RE FUNDING, UH, HORNS WE BEND. SO IT, IT WOULD BE MORE THAN JUST TRAILER SIZE FEES, FEES BEING PAID BY, BY THE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS. OKAY. SO I'M A LITTLE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE HAZARDOUS WASTE. SO IF YOU COULD JUST WALK ME THROUGH AT HORNSBY BEND, THE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER DOES OR DOES NOT HAVE TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO DROP OFF AT HORNSBY BEND. THERE'S NO APPOINTMENT REQUIRED. OKAY. UM, SO WAS THAT CONSIDERED LIKE JUST CREATING AN APPOINTMENT PROCESS THERE FOR HORNSBY BEND? YES. RATHER THAN USING YEAH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, IT IS A CONSIDERATION, YES. BUT IT WAS THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO ASK FOR THE UTILITY BILL. YES. AGAIN, THAT'S SOMETHING WE'LL, UH, WE CAN EXPLORE FURTHER, BUT, UH, RIGHT NOW IT'S, UH, DROP OFF ONLY, BUT WE HAVE CONSIDERED, UH, UH, APPOINTMENT BASE FOR HORNSBY BEND. I, I JUST, I, I STRONGLY URGE YOU, AND I'M HAPPY TO PUT THIS COMMENT IN THIS SPEAK UP AUSTIN, BUT WE'RE HERE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT, UM, TO REALLY CONSIDER, IT SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS THE, THE IMPACT ON UTILIZATION OF THE SERVICES. UM, MAYBE NO ONE CONSIDERED THAT THIS COULD BE A BARRIER. IT HAS SOMETHING THAT, UM, I HAVE SEEN VERY, VERY OFTEN IN PUBLIC HEALTH WORK WHERE [00:30:01] YOU'RE TRYING TO INCREASE ACCESS TO SERVICES. AND SOMETIMES THE THINGS THAT ORGANIZATIONALLY WE THINK ARE COMMON SENSE MEASURES TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE VERIFYING IDENTITIES OR WHATNOT, THEY CAN BECOME BURDENSOME. UM, AND THEN PEOPLE JUST DON'T USE THE SERVICE. NOW IN THIS CASE, IT'S NOT QUITE AS LIKELY OR DEATH AS, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE BEING DENIED MEDICAL CARE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE A PARTICULAR DOCUMENT. BUT, UM, THESE ARE SERVICES WE WANT OUR RESIDENTS TO BE MAXIMIZING THE USE OF, RIGHT, TO HELP OUR, OUR DIVERSION RATE TO HELP OUR SUSTAINABILITY AND TO HELP THEIR HEALTH. SO, UM, I WOULD REALLY RECOMMEND CONSIDERING SOME OTHER WAYS TO CATCH THESE BAD ACTORS AND CAPTURE THE DATA THAT YOU'RE INTERESTED IN, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE IT'S MOSTLY JUST WHO IS USING IT, UM, WHICH I WOULD THINK YOU COULD GET AT THE POINT OF PAYMENT. UM, IF THAT'S THE CASE THAN, YOU KNOW, INTRODUCE AN EXTRA STEP TO MAKE THIS A LITTLE MORE OF A HASSLE TO USE FOR EVERYONE. SOMETIMES THAT ADDITIONAL HASSLE IS ENOUGH TO STOP PEOPLE USING THE SERVICE, EVEN ONE AS WONDERFUL AS, YOU KNOW, THE HAZARDOUS WASTE DROP OFF AND, AND, UM, THE SERVICES LIKE THIS THAT A RR OFFERS. SO THAT'S MY INPUT ON THAT, AND I WILL TRY TO CAPTURE THAT ON THE I SPEAK AUSTIN FORM TOO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, AMANDA. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? YEAH, AND TO AMANDA'S POINT, UM, I WOULD HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT BECAUSE I LIVE WITH MY PARTNER, BUT I'M NOT TECHNICALLY ON THE UTILITY BILL. SO IF I WENT TO GO AND DEPOSIT SOMETHING, HOW WOULD I BE ABLE TO QUALIFY? EVEN THOUGH MY ADDRESS SHOWS I'M IN AUSTIN, BUT MY NAME'S NOT ON THE UTILITY BILL, SO WOULD I HAVE TO BRING MY, MY PARTNER WITH ME? OR THAT JUST CREATES A SITUATION WHERE CAN I DO THIS OR WHAT DO I NEED TO BE ABLE TO SHOW? SO I DEFINITELY SUPPORT AMANDA'S THOUGHTS ON THIS. AND JOHN THAT THAT'S A GOOD POINT. I, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT THE DRIVER'S LICENSE ACTUALLY SERVED AS A PROOF. IT WAS A LOCAL CITY OF AUSTIN DRIVER'S LICENSE AT ONE TIME. WE ACCEPTED THAT AT HORNSBY, DID WE NOT? OR AT THE, UH, HHW FACILITY AT ONE TIME. WE DID ACCEPT THAT AS PROOF I, SORRY, DONALD HARDY AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY. UH, DURING MY TENURE, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE EVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING AT HHW. I MEAN, WELL, HORN SPEED. LET'S GO BACK TO HORN SPEED THEN. MM-HMM . DIDN'T THE DRIVER'S LICENSE SUFFICE AT ONE TIME? UH, SINCE WE'VE BEEN TAKING FROM THE PUBLIC THERE, UH, WE HAVEN'T ASKED FOR, FOR ANYTHING IF DURING COVID IS WHEN WE STARTED THAT, SO, OKAY. MELISSA, GO AHEAD. YEAH, I JUST WANNA MAKE A COMMENT. I'VE ACTUALLY USED HORNSBY SEVERAL TIMES AND IT'S A GREAT FACILITY AND WE HAVE HAD OUR DRIVER'S LICENSE CHECKED WHENEVER WE'VE ENTERED THAT FACILITY. SO MAYBE THERE'S SOME INCONSISTENCY ON WHETHER OR NOT YOUR LICENSE IS BEING CHECKED OR NOT. UM, I THINK ONE OF THE BEST FEATURES FOR ME USING IT ACTUALLY IS THAT I HAVEN'T HAD TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. AND WHEN YOU'RE MM-HMM . YOU KNOW, GETTING A LARGE AMOUNT OF BRUSH TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, SCHEDULING THAT IN ADDITION TO ALREADY LOADING UP TRAILERS OR YOUR VEHICLE AND GETTING IT ALL THE WAY OUT TO HORNSBY. FOR ME, I LIVE IN NORTH AUSTIN, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, A LOT FOR ME TO DO ANYWAY. UM, I THINK MAKING AN APPOINTMENT ACTUALLY WOULD BE LIKE CUMBERSOME. UM, NOT TO DISAGREE WITH YOU THAT A UTILITY BILL COULD ALSO BE A, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER STEP THAT WOULD MAKE IT HARDER TO USE. YEP. POINT TAKEN. THANK YOU. THANKS. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS I GOT REAL QUICK HERE. UH, A FEW MONTHS AGO DURING THE, UH, CHALLENGING CLEANUP AFTER OUR STORM EVENT WAS HORNSBY OPEN TO THE PUBLIC ALSO AS WELL AS THE PRIVATE, UH, I MEAN PUBLIC COMPANIES CLEANING UP, UH, ONLY SMALL COMPANIES. UH, WE DIDN'T HAVE LARGE COMPANIES COMING THROUGH, UM, OUT AT HORNSBY. THEN THE ONLY REAL LARGE COMPANIES WE HAD COMING THROUGH WERE ACTUALLY THE CONTRACTORS THAT A RR HAD CONTRACTED WITH. SO IT WAS NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR. I MEAN, COMMERCIAL CONTRACTORS STRICTLY CORRECT. CORRECT. THERE, THEY'RE, YEAH. AND WE KNOW SOME COMMERCIAL, YOU KNOW, GUYS ARE, ARE COMING IN THERE, BUT, UH, IT'S MEANT FOR THE RESIDENTIAL DROP OFF. YES. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? HEARING NONE. THANK YOU STAFF. THANK YOU. IT'S A WONDERFUL PRESENTATION. GAVE US SOME, UH, THOUGHT HERE AND, UH, SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FUTURE. ALRIGHT, GUYS, MOVING ON HERE. THE NEXT ITEM IS THE, [6. Staff briefing on the status of Austin Resource Recovery Operational and Administrative projects by Richard McHale, Director of Austin Resource Recovery] [00:35:01] UH, ACTUAL A RR PRESENTATION. I THINK, UH, DIRECTOR'S REPORTS. YES. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. I'M GINA MCKINLEY, ONE OF THE ASSISTANT DIRECTORS AT THE DEPARTMENT. UH, DIRECTOR MCHALE IS ACTUALLY AT CITY HALL, UM, WHERE THEY ARE, I BELIEVE JUST RESUMED BUDGET DELIBERATIONS. SO THAT IS ALSO HAPPENING. UM, YOU HAVE THE DIRECTOR'S REPORT BEFORE YOU, I WILL JUST CALL OUT A FEW HIGHLIGHTS. UM, YOU JUST, RICH MENTIONED, UH, CHAIR THE MICROBURST THAT HAPPENED A FEW MONTHS AGO, A COUPLE MONTHS AGO. AND JUST TO NOTE SOME OF THE DATA FROM THE COLLECTION, WHILE THE STORM DID NOT IMPACT THE ENTIRE CITY, UM, THE LINE IS KIND OF A DIA DIAGONAL LINE THROUGH AND ACROSS THE CITY. UM, DID, DID CREATE QUITE A BIT OF DAMAGE. UM, THE DEPARTMENT WORKED OVER THE COURSE OF ABOUT A MONTH TO COLLECT A LITTLE OVER 56, 5600 TONS OF STORM DEBRIS MATERIAL. UM, THAT IS BETWEEN OUR STAFF AND THE CONTRACTORS. AND JUST TO KUDOS TO THE DEPARTMENT, IT TAKES PEOPLE FROM ALL ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT, WHETHER THEY'RE IN FINANCE, HELPING, HELPING WITH CONTRACTS AND ACCOUNTING, OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION TEAM COMMUNICATING OUT TO THE PUBLIC AND OUR OPERATORS WHO ARE WORKING KIND OF AROUND THE CLOCK TO COLLECT THAT MATERIAL. WE REALLY COME TOGETHER AND, AND HELP TO KEEP THE CITY CLEAN AND GET IT RESTORED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION TO THE TONNAGE THAT I MENTIONED, WE COLLECTED OUT AT HORNSBY BEND, WE SAW ALMOST 3000 TONS OF MATERIAL THAT WAS DROPPED OFF WITH OVER 3,600 CUSTOMERS, UM, THAT WERE SELF HAULING MATERIAL AS WELL. SO IT HAD QUITE A LARGE IMPACT TO THE CITY. UM, ONE OF THE UNIQUE THINGS ABOUT THAT STORM CLEANUP IS WE HAD MORE, UH, MORE STREET SWEEPING NEED THAN BEFORE. UM, SO OUR STREET SWEEPERS WERE OUT THERE MORE REGULARLY TRYING TO CLEAN UP THE DEBRIS THAT KIND OF WENT INTO THE STREETS. UM, AFTER THAT WE HAVE A FEW DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING FROM OUR CIRCULAR ECONOMY TEAM. WE HAVE AN ANNUAL EVENT CALLED THE CIRCULAR AUSTIN SHOWCASE, AND THAT IS HAPPENING ON AUGUST 26TH. IT CONNECTS CIRCULAR ECONOMY BUSINESSES WITH POTENTIAL INVESTORS IN THE REGION. THERE'S A LOT OF CREATIVE THOUGHT ABOUT CREATING NEW BUSINESS WITH CIRCULARITY IN MIND, A GREAT EVENT TO ATTEND. UM, THERE ARE ALSO A COUPLE OF FIX IT AUSTIN ITEMS COMING UP ON THE 16TH, I BELIEVE THAT'S THIS WEEKEND. NEXT WEEK, UM, IS A SEWING AND TEXTILES CLINICS. SO THERE YOU CAN LEARN HOW TO REPAIR ITEMS, UM, DO THINGS WITH SEWING AND TEXTILES. AND, UH, I REALIZE THE PANTS ZIPPER REPLACEMENT WORKSHOP IS A VERY SPECIFIC SKILL. MM-HMM . UM, THAT JUST HAPPENED. SO IF YOU HAPPEN TO READ YOUR BACKUP ITEMS BEFORE TODAY, YOU MIGHT HAVE MADE IT OUT TO THE ZIPPER CLINIC. UM, AS I MENTIONED, CITY COUNCIL IS CURRENTLY DELIBERATING BUDGET, SO AS A RESULT, OUR DIRECTOR AND OUR FINANCE TEAM ARE AT CITY HALL TO BE SUPPORTIVE IN THAT EFFORT. UM, WE DID WANT TO PREPARE SOME BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS SINCE WE WEREN'T ABLE TO MEET, UH, LAST MONTH AND GO OVER THAT. SO THAT IS THERE FOR YOU TO LOOK AT. UM, JUST TO NOTE THAT WE'RE CONTINUING EDUCATION ON MULTIFAMILY COMPOSTING. THOSE REQUIREMENTS WENT INTO PLACE ALMOST A YEAR AGO, I THINK, OR TWO, AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT THEY NEED TO DO AND HOW, HOW COMPOSTING WORKS IN MULTIFAMILY. AND THEN JUST RECENTLY AT THE END OF JULY, WE HOSTED MOVE OUT A TX AND WE'LL HAVE A ROLL UP OF THE DATA FROM THAT EVENT. UM, WE DON'T HAVE THAT JUST YET BECAUSE IT JUST HAPPENED. UM, ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS, WE IMPLEMENTED A SOCIAL SERVICE SHOPPING HOUR AT THE FREE FURNITURE MARKET THAT IS PART OF THAT EVENT. UM, THIS WAS THE SECOND YEAR THAT WE CREATED THE, THAT SHOPPING HOUR. SO IT'S AN HOUR IN ADVANCE OF THE MARKET OPENING. AND WE WORK WITH SOCIAL SERVICE AGENCIES AROUND AUSTIN TO ALLOW THEM TO COME, COME SHOP FIRST AND SERVE THOSE THAT HAVE GREAT NEED IN OUR COMMUNITY. AND WE DID SEE A LARGE UPTICK IN FOLKS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THAT HOUR, SO THAT WAS GREAT TO SEE. UM, BUT WITH THAT, THAT IS, THAT IS WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU. UH, THE TEAM IS HERE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, WE WILL TRY TO ANSWER THEM. COMMISSIONERS ANY THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS, QUESTIONS I HAVE, I DO HAVE ONE HERE ON THE ACTUAL, UH, THE COST INCREASE THAT WE'VE INCURRED WITH THE, UH, GENERAL OBLIGA OBLIGATION DEBT. IS THAT DUE TO THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER OR IS THAT, UH, SO YOU'RE ASKING A FINANCE QUESTION OF NOT THE FINANCE PERSON, BUT I'LL DO MY BEST. UM, AND THAT'S WHAT FRUSTRATES ME. WE DIDN'T MEET LAST AND WE CAN DEFINITELY GET BACK TO YOU IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT I CAN ANSWER, BUT YES, ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT COST DRIVERS FOR THE BUDGET THIS YEAR IS THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER AND IT'S A NEEDED, NEEDED, UH, STRUCTURE FOR SURE. BUT AGAIN, THE COST, I, I'M, TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST WITH YOU, I'M, I'M, UH, IMPRESSED WITH THE BUDGET. I MEAN, IT'S NOT CRAZY. IT'S ABSOLUTELY [00:40:01] RESPONSIBLE. IN FACT, UH, WE COULD HAVE PROBABLY SNUCK IN ANOTHER DOLLAR OR TWO, AND I SINCERELY MEAN THAT. I MEAN, THAT'S, UH, COULD HAVE DONE, BUT NONETHELESS, I I'M IMPRESSED. IRIS, GO AHEAD. I I DO HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, THE MAJOR RATE CHANGES, UH, SERVICE DESCRIPTION FOR THE MONTHLY CLEAN COMMUNITY FEE FOR COMMERCIAL. I WAS JUST WONDERING WHAT DROVE THAT, UM, REDUCTION FOR THAT FEE? YES. SO AS PART OF THE BUDGET PREPARATION THIS YEAR, THE CITY AS A WHOLE TOOK A LOOK, TOOK A LOOK AT SERVICES AND WHERE THERE MIGHT BE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SAVINGS OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR CONSOLIDATION. ONE OF THE SERVICES THAT WAS IDENTIFIED AND FLAGGED WAS A SMALL TEAM WITHIN AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY THAT WAS DOING CODE ENFORCEMENT WORK. AND SO THAT WAS A SMALL UNIT DEDICATED TO ENFORCING PRIMARILY THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE AND THE CONSTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION RECYCLING ORDINANCE. SO THOSE ARE TWO KEY POLICY PIECES THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAS IN PLACE. UM, THOSE THINGS WILL STILL HAPPEN. UM, BUT IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS BEST TO PLACE THAT CODE ENFORCEMENT TEAM INTO THE LARGER CODE GROUP, WHICH IS HOUSED WITHIN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. AND SO THE WORK, THE WORK STAYS THE SAME, THE SAME, UM, THE REASON AS THE FEES THAT SUPPORTED THAT WORK ARE JUST SHIFTING OVER TO THE APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENT. I SEE. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . I KINDA LIKE THE DAYS WHEN WE HAD CODE WITH US . I MEAN, IT TRULY DID MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I MEAN, TO BE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM AND AND ENSURING THAT, UH, THE ORDINANCES AND THE, UH, OPERATIONS WERE PROPERLY DONE BY ALL. NOW IT'S A CHALLENGE. NOW WE'RE UTILIZING WHO TO ENFORCE AS CODE, BUT WE NOW HAVE TWO ACTIVE, THE CODE ENFORCEMENT TEAM THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY AT THE DEPARTMENT THAT WILL BE SHIFTING. BUT THAT IS COMPRISED OF A SUPERVISOR, THREE CODE INSPECTORS AND AN ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF TO SUPPORT THAT TEAM, WHICH AGAIN, IS SHIFTING AWAY TO THE, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. CORRECT. AND, AND WE ARE WORKING INTERNALLY WITH THE, THE OTHER DEPARTMENT TO PUT SOME PARAMETERS IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THE ACTIVITIES RELATED TO ENFORCEMENT OF THOSE KEY POLICIES I MENTIONED CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS? THANK YOU. THANK YOU. GOSH. ALL RIGHT GUYS, WE MOVED ALONG VERY QUICKLY. THANK YOU STAFF FOR THIS. OH MY GOODNESS. THEY'RE STILL LIGHT. OH LORD. SCARY . AND TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, NEXT ITEM IS FUTURE AGENDA CHALLENGES HERE. AND AGAIN, WE DON'T HAVE TO SPIT 'EM OUT RIGHT NOW. WE CAN SUBMIT THESE VIA ONLINE AND, UH, GET THOSE UPDATED LATER. BUT, UH, I WOULD LIKE FOR US AS A, AS A COMMISSION TO WORK WITH STAFF AND PERHAPS LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES TO, TO, OH BOY, UTILIZE SOME OF THE, UH, SOME OF THE WONDERFUL ASSETS THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE AND WE CAN BRING THOSE BACK TO LIFE SO THAT THEY'RE GENERATING INCOME AND, AND PROVIDING THE, UH, OPPORTUNITIES THAT THIS, UH, CITY IS IN, IN DIRE NEED OF, IN MY PERSONAL OPINION. AND AGAIN, THAT'S A, A LATER TOPIC AND I WILL PROBABLY REACH OUT TO THE DIRECTOR INTO STAFF TO, TO DISCUSS HOW WE CAN DO THAT. BUT, UH, ANYWAYS, AS FAR AS FUTURE AGENDA [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] ITEMS, IF WE HAVE NONE CURRENTLY. OH, I, AMANDA, JERRY, I HAD A QUICK, COULD I ASK SOMETHING QUICKLY? YES, GO AHEAD. FOR FUTURE AGENDA. SO, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATED THE INJURY AND SAFETY PRESENTATION, BUT I JUST WANT TO KEEP SOMEWHERE IN THE DISCUSSION, UM, THAT QUESTION OF WHETHER CHANGING THE COLLECTION TIME WAS GONNA RESULT IN MORE PEOPLE MISSING, LIKE SAYING THAT THEY HAD THEIR CARD OUT BUT IT REALLY WASN'T OUT, AND THEN THEY CALL LATER THREE ONE ONE AND SAY THAT THEY WERE MISSED. SO, UM, I KNOW IT'S EARLY TO KNOW THAT, AND, AND I KNOW THE DEPARTMENT'S GONNA BE COLLECTING THAT. I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE COME BACK TO IT, YOU KNOW, MAYBE AT THE SIX MONTH POINT TO SEE IF THERE'S BEEN ANY IMPACT ON THOSE, UM, COMPLAINTS BASED ON THE COLLECTION TIME BEING SHIFTED EARLY, THEY'RE GONNA SEND AWAY. SO THAT WAS ONE WASHING TRUCK. SO . YEAH. AND THEN, AND THEN THE SECOND THING, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS AN AGENDA ITEM, BUT I I WOULD APPRECIATE, UM, HEARING ABOUT THE EXTENT TO WHICH CUSTOMERS ARE EDUCATED ABOUT THE CHANGES TO THE RECYCLING GUIDELINES. THANK YOU. I TELL PEOPLE DIRECTLY, YES, YOU CAN RECYCLE THAT NOW. AND THEY DO NOT BELIEVE ME, , LIKE, IT'S LIKE IT'S SO BUILT IN LIKE, NOPE, THIS IS A TRASH ITEM. I KNOW IT'S THIS COLLAPSIBLE THING WITH [00:45:01] ALL THE LAYERS. I'M LIKE, THEY CAN RECYCLE IT. THEY REALLY CAN'T. SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE GO ABOUT ASCERTAINING IF IT'S HAPPENING HAPPEN OTHER THAN A STUDY OF, OF YOU KNOW, LIKE A COMPOSITION STUDY. BUT IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO KNOW IF PEOPLE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE. YEAH. NOT EVERY DAY IS APRIL FOOL'S DAY. YOU'RE RIGHT. SO IF WE COULD, UH, THAT'S THEY DON'T ME JERRY, I, I, TRUST ME, I'M THERE. MY WIFE DOESN'T BELIEVE ME EITHER. I MEAN, , THE CAN IS RECYCLABLE, I PROMISE YOU. BUT ANYWAY, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? ANY OTHER ITEMS? HEARING NONE, IF WE CAN JUST ADD THE, I'M GONNA MOVE A GERMAN AND I'M SORRY, THE, JUST, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THE SORRY. NO WORRIES, NO WORRIES. I KNOW THERE'S PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT OF A DELAY, UH, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THE REQUESTED DATA ON INJURIES, IF WE CAN GET SOME DATA AROUND THE POTENTIAL THANK YOU. THE ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS, IF YOU CAN HAVE THAT TO THE NEXT MEETING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER THOUGHTS, COMMENTS, COMMISSIONERS? I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR I MOTION TO ADJOURN. I MOTION TO ADJOURN. IRIS TOMORROW? YES. , IRIS MOVES ADJOURNMENT TO I ALI, I'M GONNA TAKE THAT AS A SECOND. ALRIGHT, I HEAR A SECOND OVER THERE. HEARING NO DISCUSSION ON THAT ONE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND PLEASE. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UNANIMOUS COMMISSIONERS. THANK YOU. THIS IS WONDERFUL TO HAVE A MEETING, TO HAVE YOUR WONDERFUL FACES ON THE SCREEN. AND BIG SCREEN. MY TWO WONDERFUL COLLEAGUES HERE. THANK YOU. HOW DO YOU TURN THIS OFF WHILE GET IN TROUBLE? HI FOLKS. OH GOD, THAT WAS VERY. * 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.