* 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] OF [CALL TO ORDER ] QUORUM. UM, ACTUALLY I SEE A COUPLE OTHERS. IT'S WEIRD. I DON'T SEE THEM ALL ON MY SCREEN, BUT I SEE THEM HERE. ANYBODY WHO'S NOT ON CAMERA, JUST, YOU DO NEED TO COME ON CAMERA TO BE COUNTED AS PRESENT. ALL RIGHT, SO WE HAVE SEVERAL NEW MEMBERS, WHICH IS EXCITING. UM, SO I THINK WE SHOULD GO AND DO A QUICK ROUND OF INTRODUCTIONS JUST SO WE KNOW WHO'S WHO AND WHAT COMMISSION YOU'RE WITH. UM, SO I'M, I'M GONNA START AND I'LL JUST PASS IT TO, UM, SOMEBODY. WE'LL DO THE IN PERSON HERE, AND THEN WE WILL, UM, PASS IT TO THOSE, UM, ON THE SCREEN. AND IF YOU CAN JUST SAY, UH, YEAH, YOUR NAME AND, AND WHAT COMMISSION, AND IF YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING ABOUT WHAT DISTRICT YOU'RE REPRESENTING, THAT'S GREAT TOO. UM, I'M KABA WHITE. I'M REPRESENTING THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION. I WAS APPOINTED BY DISTRICT TWO, AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE, AND I'LL PASS IT TO HARRIS. HEY Y'ALL. MY NAME IS HARRIS. UH, I AM ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION, UH, AS WELL AS THE JSC, OBVIOUSLY, UM, REPRESENTING DISTRICT ONE. AND, UH, YEAH, GREAT TO MEET EVERYBODY. I'M PASSING IT OVER THERE. HI, UH, MY NAME'S AARON GONZALEZ. I AM FROM THE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION. UM, I LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE AND WAS APPOINTED BY DISTRICT NINE, SO, UH, THIS IS A NEW SPACE FOR ME. SO, UM, REALLY PROBABLY WILL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU. UH, HELLO. I'M COUNCILMAN, OR EXCUSE ME, . I'M COMMISSIONER. I'M COMMISSIONER A VARUN PRASAD OF THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION. UM, UH, I WAS APPOINTED, UH, BY COUNCILMAN MINE, MIKE SIEGEL, ALTHOUGH I AM IN, UH, COUNCILMAN, UH, CADRE'S, UH, DISTRICT, MUCH LIKE AARON TO MY LEFT HERE. UM, AND I'M ON THE, UM, I'VE BEEN ON THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION SINCE, UH, THE START OF, UH, THIS YEAR. UM, AND YEAH, UM, FEEL FREE TO TAP ME ON THE SHOULDER ANYTIME AND ASK ME WHATEVER YOU LIKE, BUT I'LL PASS IT ON. I'M COMMISSIONER SALINAS. I'M FROM THE DESIGN COMMISSION. UM, I'M, UH, FROM DISTRICT TWO AND I'LL PASS IT ON TO CHARLOTTE. CHARLOTTE DAVIS. UH, I REPRESENT THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION APPOINTED BY, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON, DISTRICT ONE GOING TO CHRIS CAMPBELL. SOUNDS GOOD. THANKS CHARLOTTE. UH, UH, CHRIS CAMPBELL HERE. I'M, UH, MAYOR APPOINTEE. I LIVE IN, UH, DISTRICT FIVE, AND I'VE BEEN WITH, UH, WITH JC FOR I THINK ABOUT, UH, TWO YEARS, AND I'LL PASS IT ON TO DIANA. HI EVERYBODY. I'M DIANA WHEELER. I AM NOW A MAYOR APPOINTEE. UH, I RECOGNIZE MANY OF YOU BECAUSE I USED TO BE ON THE JSC FROM THE UTC, BUT NOW I'M BACK AGAIN AND I'M DISTRICT SEVEN. THANKS. AND I WILL PASS IT ON TO, UH, LANE. HEY FOLKS. LANE BECKER, UH, LANE BECKER. I'M ON THE PARKS AND RECREATION BOARD. I'M THE MAYOR'S APPOINTEE. UM, AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT FIVE, AND THIS IS MY, I WANNA SAY THIRD YEAR ON THE JSC. OH, I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO HASN'T GONE YET. CHRIS, DID YOU GO? YEAH, THERE'S ANOTHER CHRIS THOUGH. YEAH, THERE'S ANOTHER CHRIS. OH, THERE WE GO. OTHER CHRIS. YEAH, I MEANT CHRIS. YEAH, OTHER CHRIS, OTHER CHRIS . THAT'S, HI, I'M CHRIS BROOKE. I'M WITH THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH, UH, COMMISSION. I'LL THROW IT TO ANDY. HI THERE. UH, YEAH. I'M ANDY SMITH. I'M WITH THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD TAKING OVER FOR MARISSA, BILL. UM, AND I WAS APPOINTED TO THAT, THAT, UM, BOARD BY COMMISSIONER GOMEZ, TRAVIS COUNTY, COMMISSIONER GOMEZ. UM, AND IS THAT EVERYBODY ONLINE? I THINK SO. THAT'S EVERYBODY. I SEE . THANKS, ANNA. YEAH. SORRY, SORRY, EVERYBODY. UM, ANNA SCOTT, UH, MAYOR APPOINTEE, AND I LIVE IN, UH, DISTRICT NINE. RODRIGO, [00:05:01] DID YOU GO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN NOW. OKAY, COOL. HI, MY NAME IS RODRIGO LAAL. I'M ALSO A MAYOR APPOINTEE, AND I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE. DID WE MISS ANYBODY? AH, YES, JOSH, GO AHEAD. HI, I'M JOSH SCHILLER. I AM THE PLANNING COMMISSION DESIGNATED APPOINTEE ON THIS, UH, AND I LIVE AND WAS APPOINTED ORIGINALLY BY DISTRICT 10. ALL RIGHT. WELCOME TO EVERYBODY WHO'S JUST JOINING US. UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER, UH, WELL OVER THE, THE COMING YEARS. UM, JUST, JUST SO Y'ALL, Y'ALL KNOW, WE DO MAKE HEAVY USE OF WORKING GROUPS, SO I'M SURE, UH, BEFORE LONG WE'LL, WE'LL GET YOU LOOPED IN ON, ON ADDITIONAL WORK, UM, OUTSIDE OF THESE MEETINGS, SINCE THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH WE CAN, WE CAN DO IN OUR TIME HERE. SO, UM, STAY TUNED FOR THAT. ALRIGHT, LET'S MOVE INTO OUR AGENDA. UH, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR COMMENT? NO. OKAY. HOW ABOUT THE [1. Approval of minutes from the June 25th, 2025 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee] MINUTES? DOES ANYBODY WANNA MAKE A MOTION THERE? MOVE TO ADOPT THE MINUTES. SECOND. ALL RIGHT. IS THERE ANYTHING ANYBODY SEES, UH, IN NEED OF EDITING OR CHANGING IN THE MINUTES? ANY DISCUSSION? OKAY. AS A REMINDER, YOU DON'T HAVE HAD TO HAVE ATTENDED THE PREVIOUS MEETING TO VOTE FOR THE MINUTES. THIS IS REALLY A MATTER OF GETTING THEM POSTED. SO, UM, YEAH. ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HANDS. OKAY, LET'S SEE. WE HAVE FIVE OF US HERE. AND 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, IT LOOKS LIKE. UH, YES. AND THEN JOSH, ARE YOU ABSTAINING OR VOTING? NO, SORRY. HOW, HOW, HOW ARE YOU VOTING? CAN YOU JUST TELL US THAT WASN'T CLEAR? UM, I'M VOTING IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. OKAY. THANK YOU. I THINK MAYBE, I DON'T KNOW, FOR SOME REASON I COULDN'T SEE IT. IT MIGHT HAVE JUST BEEN THE LIGHTING ON YOUR SCREEN. THANK YOU. OKAY. THE MINUTES ARE APPROVED. GIMME ONE SECOND HERE. OKAY. UM, NEXT UP WE HAVE [2. Staff Briefing on Solar on City Facilities – Rohan Lilauwala, Office of Climate Action and Resilience] A STAFF BRIEFING ON SOLAR ON CITY FACILITIES. LOOKS LIKE ROHAN WILL BE DOING THIS. THANK YOU. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. UM, HAPPY TO BE HERE PRESENTING ON THE PROGRESS THAT, UM, STAFF HAVE MADE TOWARDS IMPLEMENTING SOLAR ON CITY FACILITIES. I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT, UM, THE JSC COMMISSIONERS HAVE BEEN INTERESTED IN AND SUPPORTIVE OF IN THE PAST. SO EXCITED TO REPORT OUR PROGRESS. EXCELLENT. SO, UH, THE WORK WE'RE DOING IS IN RESPONSE TO A COUNCIL RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED IN MAY OF THIS YEAR. UM, AND COUNCIL DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER AND STAFF TO, UH, TO DO A NUMBER OF THINGS. FIRST IS TO CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS OF CITY PROPERTY AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR, UM, SOLAR GENERATION ON CITY FACILITIES, PRIORITIZING GENERAL FUND PROPERTIES. UM, THE RESOLUTION ALSO DIRECTED US TO ANNUALLY CALCULATE ENER ANY ENERGY COST SAVINGS OR REVENUE GENERATED, UH, AND USE AN EQUIVALENT AMOUNT OF FUNDING FOR PROJECTS THAT HAVE A BENEFICIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. IT ALSO ASKED US TO EVALUATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOLAR ON PROPERTIES OWNED OR OPERATED BY OTHER LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, UM, LIKE TRAVIS COUNTY AND A ISD WITHIN THE AUSTIN ENERGY LOAD ZONE. UM, AND FINALLY IT ASKED US TO, UM, LOOK AT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR REQUIRING SOLAR CONTRACTORS, UH, TO COMPLY WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF WORKER PROTECTIONS. NEXT SLIDE. SO, UM, I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T MENTION THE, THE CHANGING SOLAR LANDSCAPE THAT WE FACE RIGHT NOW. UM, THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT, WHICH PASSED IN 2021, UM, CREATED AND EXPANDED A NUMBER OF CLEAN ENERGY TAX CREDITS. UH, AND ALSO CREATED THE ELECTIVE PAY OR DIRECT PAY [00:10:01] MECHANISM, UH, WHICH ESSENTIALLY ALLOWED, UH, ENTITIES THAT DON'T HAVE A TAX BURDEN LIKE CITIES OR MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITIES, UH, TO DIRECTLY BENEFIT FROM, UH, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TAX CREDITS. UM, PRIOR TO THE PASSAGE OF, UH, ELECTIVE PAY OR DIRECT PAY, UM, CITIES AND MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITIES, UM, TYPICALLY HAD TO CONTRACT WITH A THIRD PARTY TO RECEIVE THE TAX BENEFIT. UM, AND THAT TYPICALLY LED TO THE THIRD PARTY, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, MAINTAINING OR OR TAKING, KEEPING SOME OF THAT BENEFIT. SO THE ENTIRE BENEFIT DID NOT FLOW TO THE CITY, UM, AFTER THE IRA WAS PASSED. UM, DIRECT PAY OR ELECTIVE PAY MEANS THAT THE CITY CAN, CAN LEVERAGE THOSE TAX CREDITS TO THE FULL, AND THEY'RE TYPICALLY ABOUT 30%, UM, FOR SOLAR. AND WHAT THE IRA DID IS IT DRAMATICALLY, UM, EXPANDED, UH, SOLAR DEPLOYMENT ACROSS THE US. UM, FAST FORWARD FOUR YEARS, THE RECENT BILL THAT PASSED, UM, PHASES OUT A NUMBER OF TAX CREDITS FOR CLEAN ENERGY, INCLUDING SOLAR, UH, AMONG ITS VARIOUS OTHER, UM, CLAUSES AND, AND, AND PARTS. UM, THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS IT DOES, UH, AND IT PHASES THEM OUT RATHER, RATHER AGGRESSIVELY. UH, PROJECTS MUST EITHER COMMENCE CONSTRUCTION BY JULY OF 20 JULY 4TH, 2026, OR BE PLACED INTO SERVICE BEFORE THE END OF 2027. SO EITHER START BY JULY, 2026, OR BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 2027. UM, THERE ARE ALSO NEW RESTRICTIVE FOREIGN ENTITY OF CONCERN RULES. UM, THOSE DETAILS ARE TBD. WE DON'T HAVE THE FULL GUIDANCE YET, UH, BUT THOSE ARE, UH, INTENDED TO COME INTO PLACE AS OF JANUARY 1ST NEXT YEAR. SO LOTS OF UNCERTAINTY AND SOME TIGHTER TIMELINES INTRODUCED, UM, AS A RESULT OF THE RECENT BUILD. NEXT SLIDE. UM, THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THIS TYPE OF PROJECT IS, UH, WE HAVE A REALLY GREAT CASE STUDY JUST DOWN I 35 IN SAN ANTONIO. UM, THEY, UH, RECENTLY CONTRACTED TO DEVELOP, UM, OVER 13 MEGAWATTS OF SOLAR ON 42 FACILITIES, UM, ROOFTOPS AND PARKING LOTS, UM, WITH A $30 MILLION UPFRONT INVESTMENT. UM, AND THEIR MODELING SHOWS THAT THIS INVESTMENT WOULD CREATE A SEVEN TO $11 MILLION NET SAVINGS OVER 25 YEARS. UM, THIS PROJECT REALLY WORKS FOR TWO REASONS. ONE IS THEY WERE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THE 30% ELECTIVE TODAY TAX CREDITS. AND TWO IS THEY ALSO OBTAINED A $2.5 MILLION LOW INTEREST LOAN FROM THE STATE ENERGY CONSERVATION OFFICE. SO BOTH OF THOSE HELPED, UH, THE FINANCIAL MODEL AND HELPED THIS PROJECT, UM, HELP MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN. THE WAY THAT SAN ANTONIO, UM, DID THIS, OR SORT OF THE BROAD PROCESS, WAS THEY IDENTIFIED AND NARROWED SITES BASED ON TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY, UM, AND THEN THE ESTIMATED, THE, THE, THE SIZE OF AN APPROPRIATE SYSTEM ON THOSE SITES, UM, THAT IS BOTH FEASIBLE AND ECONOMICALLY VIABLE. UH, THEY THEN OFFERED A FLEXIBLE RFP, UM, WITH 80 POTENTIAL SITES, UH, TO POTENTIAL SOLAR DEVELOPERS. UH, AND BY FLEXIBLE, I MEAN THEY FLEXIBILITY IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT AREAS. UH, THEY MEAN FLEX MAINTAIN FLEXIBILITY IN THE NUMBER OF AWARDS THEY COULD GIVE OUT, UH, AND THE NUMBER OF SITES THAT COULD BE BID ON AND EVEN IN THE FINANCIAL MODEL. SO THEY ASKED FOR A, A CITY OWNED, UM, A BID WITH A CITY OWNED MODEL, BUT ALSO, UH, KEPT IT OPEN TO, UH, ANY SORT OF THIRD PARTY FINANCE MODEL ALSO. UM, AND THEN THEY SELECTED BIG SUN SOLAR AS THE MASTER DEVELOPER, UH, FOR ALL 42 SITES. SO IT'S ON ONE CONTRACT, UH, ONE MASTER SERVICES CONTRACT. UH, AND THEN THEY ALSO SIGNED A SEPARATE, UH, OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE CONTRACT, UH, FOR THE LIFESPAN OF THE SOLAR. UM, WE DID, UM, WE DO CHAT WITH FOLKS AT THE SAN ANTONIO OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY ALL THE TIME. UH, WE DID MAKE SURE TO GET ON THE PHONE WITH THEM AND ASK THEM, YOU KNOW, AS PICK THEIR BRAINS ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT, UH, WHAT THEY DID RIGHT, UH, WHAT THEY WOULD'VE DONE DIFFERENTLY AND, AND HOW WE COULD MAKE OUR PROJECT, UM, SMOOTHER IF POSSIBLE. UH, AND WE LEARNED SOME LESSONS. UM, SOME OF THE LESSONS WE LEARNED WERE TO DO AS MUCH UPFRONT ANALYSIS AS POSSIBLE, UH, BECAUSE WHAT THIS DOES IS IT DE-RISKS THE RFP. UH, WHEN DEVELOPERS HAVE INCOMPLETE INFORMATION, THEY'RE GONNA BAKE THAT RISK INTO THE, UH, INTO THEIR BIDS. SO AS MUCH ANALYSIS AND INFORMATION AS WE CAN POSSIBLY GATHER ON THE SITES AS WE CAN GET, UM, WILL HELP TO IN INCREASE THE COMPETITIVE RESPONSES TO OUR RFP. [00:15:01] UM, IT'S ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO ENGAGE WITH DEPARTMENTS AND BUILDING MANAGERS EARLY IN THE PROCESS. UH, I'M GONNA SPEAK TO THAT IN IN A MINUTE, BUT WE'VE ALREADY STARTED THIS PROCESS. STREAMLINING INTERNAL PROCUREMENT PROCESSES TO SPEED TIMELINES. UM, CITY GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT PROCESSES CAN BE VERY SLOW, AND, UM, MOVING FAST IS IMPORTANT. AND, UM, MAKING SURE THAT WE DO EVERYTHING ON OUR END, UH, TO STREAMLINE PROCUREMENT IS REALLY IMPORTANT. SAN ANTONIO ALSO USED THE MULTI-SITE APPROACH IN BULK PURCHASING. SO THIS HELPED ACHIEVE ECONOMIES OF SCALE. YOU KNOW, HIRING ONE MASTER CONTRACTOR FOR 42 SITES IS, UM, A LOT MORE EFFICIENT THAN HIRING 42 SEPARATE CONTRACTORS FOR EACH BEACH SITE. SO ONE CONTRACTOR HELPS TO ACHIEVE THOSE ECONOMIES OF SCALE, UH, AND ALSO CONSIDER LONG-TERM OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE. IT'S SOMETHING WE HEARD FROM SAN ANTONIO. IT'S SOMETHING WE HEARD FROM OUR INTERNAL PARTNERS, UM, REALLY IMPORTANT AND, AND SOMETHING THAT WE'RE BAKING INTO THIS PROCESS. NEXT SLIDE. UM, SO OUR BROAD APPROACH HERE, UM, INVOLVES THREE STEPS. THE FIRST STEP IS FOR US TO ASSESS, UM, INVENTORY AND ASSESS OUR CURRENT CITY FACILITIES FOR SOLAR POTENTIAL. UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, BUILDINGS WITH ROOFTOPS. WE'RE LOOKING AT PARKING LOTS. WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, ADJACENT LAND, UH, AND WE'RE LOOKING TO PRIORITIZE THESE, UM, THESE CITY PROPERTIES FOR SITES THAT MAXIMIZE BENEFITS. UM, ALSO ENGAGING WITH BUILDING OWNING DEPARTMENTS UPFRONT TO BUILD SUPPORT, UM, AS WELL AS ENGAGING WITH PROCUREMENT AND FINANCE FOLKS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, EVERYONE'S IN ALIGNMENT. AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE END GOAL IS. UH, THE NEXT STEP HERE IS PROCURE, UM, ISSUE AN RFP FOR MULTIPLE SITES TO ACHIEVE THOSE ECONOMIES OF SCALE, UM, EXCUSE ME, AND EVALUATE PROPOSALS AND POTENTIAL OWNERSHIP MODELS. SO THE THREE POTENTIAL OWNERSHIP MODELS THAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING, UH, BEING CONSIDERED OUR CITY OWNED MODEL WHERE THE CITY PURCHASES, UM, THE SOLAR AND, AND PAYS THE SOLAR WITH DEBT, UH, AND OWNS THE SOLAR, UH, A POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT, UH, WHERE THE CITY SIGNS A FIXED TERM CONTRACT, UH, TO PROCURE SOLAR ENERGY, UH, AT A DEFINED PRICE. UM, OR USING AUSTIN ENERGY AS A SOLAR STANDARD OFFER, UM, WHERE A, UM, A SOLAR OWNER PAYS A ROOF LEASE, UH, TO A, A SYSTEM HOST AND THEN IS PAID A VARIABLE RATE THAT CHANGES, UM, I BELIEVE IT'S EVERY THREE YEARS. UH, AND THEN FINALLY DECIDE, UH, AND BUILD, SELECT THE WINNING PROPOSALS. UM, IDENTIFYING FUNDING SOURCES IF UPFRONT FUNDING IS REQUIRED. UH, BUILD SOLAR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE LEVERAGING THOSE TAX CREDITS AND BUILD OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE INTO THE CONTRACT FOR LONG-TERM PERFORMANCE. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. SO, UH, I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT WE'VE ALREADY STARTED WORKING WITH, UH, ROCKY MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE, UM, OR RMI. UM, THEY ARE A VERY WELL RESPECTED, INDEPENDENT, NONPARTISAN NONPROFIT, AND THEY WORK TO TRANSFORM, UM, ENERGY SYSTEMS TOWARDS, UM, CLEAN ENERGY SYSTEMS. UM, THEY WERE THE CONSULTANT THAT WORKED WITH SAN ANTONIO, AND, UM, WE HEARD GREAT THINGS FROM SAN ANTONIO STAFF, UH, ABOUT THEM. AND I'VE ALSO, UM, SINCE HEARD, UM, NOTHING BUT POSITIVE THINGS FROM OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE WORKED WITH 'EM AS WELL. UM, WE HIRED THEM, UH, USING A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES EXEMPTION TO DO A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT THINGS TO HELP ASSESS, UH, CITY OF AUSTIN FACILITIES AND PROPERTIES FOR SOLAR VIABILITY TO CONDUCT SOME PORTFOLIO LEVEL FINANCIAL MODELING TO COMPARE THE POTENTIAL, UH, FINANCIAL AND OWNERSHIP MODELS, AND TO, UM, HELP US DEVELOP A PROCUREMENT STRATEGY AND PROCUREMENT DOCUMENTS, UH, FOR THE MULTI-SITE SOLAR DEVELOPMENT RFP. UM, SO WE'VE ALREADY STARTED WORKING WITH THEM, UM, AND WE'RE MOVING PRETTY FAST. NEXT SLIDE. UM, THIS IS A TEAM EFFORT. UM, OCAR IS THE, UM, IS SORT OF THE COORDINATING ENTITY. WE'RE, WE'RE PROJECT MANAGING THIS AND BRINGING EVERYONE TOGETHER AND CONVENING. UM, IT'S TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO AT THE CITY, UM, AND WE CAN'T DO IT. WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING, ANY OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO WITHOUT OUR PARTNERS. SO, UM, WE'VE GOT A REALLY STRONG, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKING RELATIONSHIP NOW WITH BUILDING SERVICES, UM, WHO ARE HELPING WITH SITE SCREENING, IDENTIFICATION ANALYSIS, UM, OUTREACH TO BUILDING, MANAGING DEPARTMENTS, OUTREACH TO OPERATION STAFF. UM, WE ALSO HAVE AUSTIN ENERGY AT THE TABLE. UM, THEY'RE PROVIDING SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE SUPPORTING THE ELECTRICAL SERVICE ANALYSIS. UH, AND THEN THEY'RE ALSO GONNA SUPPORT RFP DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION. UM, WE ALSO HAVE FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT ALREADY AT THE TABLE, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE, UM, [00:20:01] YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE RIGHT INFORMATION ON TIMELINES AND REQUIREMENTS, UH, AND THAT WE'RE ENGAGING EARLY TO EXPEDITE SOME OF THESE PROCESSES THAT, UM, OTHERWISE, UM, TAKE A LONG TIME AND COULD SLOW THIS PROJECT DOWN. UH, AND THEN FINALLY WE HAVE RMI, UM, PROVIDING THAT SORT OF CONSULTANT SUPPORT WITH DETAILED SITE ANALYSIS, FINANCIAL MODELING, AND PROCUREMENT STRATEGY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, UM, WHAT'S NEXT? WHAT ARE WE DOING NOW? UM, WE HAVE A MEMO TO COUNCIL THAT'S DUE SEPTEMBER 2ND, SO IT'S GONNA BE OUT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. IT'S GONNA HAVE, UM, A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION. UH, WE'VE BEEN MEETING WEEKLY. UM, WE'VE HAD OUR LEADERSHIP, AUSTIN ENERGY'S LEADERSHIP AND BUILDING SERVICES LEADERSHIP, UM, IN THE ROOM AT THE TABLE. SO THEY'RE PLUGGED IN AND SUPPORTIVE OF OUR, OUR WORK IN PROGRESS. UH, WE'VE BEEN MEETING WITH RMI AS WELL, AND WE'VE STARTED TO ENGAGE A BROADER SET OF STAKEHOLDERS. UM, WE'VE ALREADY DONE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SITE SCREENING, UM, LOOKING AT SITES THAT HAVE A MINIMUM ROOF AREA, UM, SITES THAT HAVE EITHER A ROOF IN GOOD CONDITION OR THAT'S DUE TO BE REPLACED IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. UM, LOOKING AT PARKING LOTS WITH A SUFFICIENT AREA. UM, WE'VE ALREADY DONE A BUNCH OF THAT. UM, SO CONTINUING DOWN THAT ROAD, UM, LOOKING AT, UM, SOME OF THE ELECTRICAL SERVICE ANALYSIS AND SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, SITE CONSTRAINTS THAT WE MAY HAVE TO DEAL WITH, UH, AND THEN STARTING TO PRIORITIZE THOSE SITES AND CONDUCTING THAT PORTFOLIO LEVEL ANALYSIS. UM, WE ARE DUE TO ALSO PRESENT TO THE CLIMATE, WATER ENVIRONMENT AND PARKS COMMITTEE OF COUNCIL, UM, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, UH, AND ARE HOPING TO HAVE AN RFP DEVELOPED AND RELEASED IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS ALSO. SO, LOTS OF THINGS HAPPENING. WE'RE MOVING, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY FAST, UM, ESPECIALLY IN CITY TERMS. UM, WE HAVE, WE'RE TRYING TO ALIGN MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS AND STAKEHOLDERS, UM, TO, TO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE, UM, GET SOLAR BUILT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE AND, AND ARE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THOSE TAX CREDITS SLIDE. UM, AND THAT'S IT. HAPPY TO TAKE A FEW QUESTIONS OR DISCUSS FURTHER. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. WHO HAS QUESTIONS? GO AHEAD. UM, HEY, THANKS FOR THE GREAT PRESENTATION. UM, I, I GUESS, UH, FROM MY EXPERIENCE, UM, AS, UH, AN OWNER OF A SOLAR INSTALLATION ON MY OWN HOME, UM, THIS IS PROBABLY A CONSIDERATION YOU'VE ALREADY, UH, PUT IN YOUR PLANS, BUT AT LEAST, UH, I'LL SAY IT OUT LOUD. UM, I, I HAVE FOUND IT WORTHWHILE TO CONSIDER PAIRING, UH, A SOLAR INSTALLATION WITH, UH, LIKE A BACKUP BATTERY, UM, FOR MY HOME, UH, AT LEAST. 'CAUSE THEN I CAN ALSO HAVE REDUNDANT, UM, ENERGY STORAGE IN THE EVENT OF ANY EMERGENCIES. UM, OF COURSE, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY, I'M SURE, AND IN THE BUILDINGS THAT YOU'RE WORKING WITH HAVE THEIR OWN CONTINGENCIES, WHATEVER BUILDINGS WE'RE PLANNING ON INSTALLING ON. BUT I WONDER, YOU KNOW, IN A CASE BY CASE BASIS, IF, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST TALK TO THE BUILDING OWNER ABOUT, HEY, THIS MIGHT ALSO BE, YOU KNOW, GIVEN THE CHANGING REGULATORY LANDSCAPE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AS WELL, AND MAYBE SOME INCENTIVES THAT MIGHT BE CHANGING AWAY, UM, FOR BATTERY INSTALLATIONS AS WELL. MAYBE IT'S WORTH CONSIDERING PAIRING THAT AS WELL. UH, CASE BY CASE. JUST WANNA SAY THAT. YEAH, WE, WE CERTAINLY CONSIDERED, UH, BATTERIES AS PART OF THIS, THIS PROJECT. AND AS PART OF SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT, GIVEN THE, UM, THE, THE REALLY, REALLY, REALLY TIGHT TIMELINES ON THE TAX CREDITS, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE PRUDENT TO FOCUS ON SOLAR FIRST WHILE MAKING SURE THAT, UM, THE ANALYSIS IS, IS DONE FOR BATTERIES AND THAT THE SITES ARE, ARE BATTERY READY, UM, TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. AND IT'S SORT OF THE APPROACH WE'RE SEEING WITH SAN ANTONIO AS WELL, IS THEY'RE BUILDING SOLAR AND BATTERIES ARE SORT OF THE A, A, A FUTURE PHASE OR PHASE TWO OF THEIR PROJECT. UM, SO IT'S, WE'RE ALREADY OPERATING ON A REALLY TIGHT TIMELINE AND, AND WE THOUGHT THAT CHINA SHOEHORN BATTERIES INTO THIS PROJECT, UM, WOULD, WOULD, WOULD RISK GOING OFF COURSE, BUT DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT'S CONSIDERED AND, AND SOMETHING THAT WE ARE, WE'RE SUPPORTIVE OF. YOU ASK ONE MORE QUESTION. YEAH, PLEASE. SO, AND JUST ONE MORE QUESTION, UM, UH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND INDULGING ME A LITTLE BIT, UM, THE TIMELINE THAT YOU'RE OPERATING ON, UM, WHAT DOES START CONSTRUCTION ACTUALLY BE, UH, MEAN? LIKE, HOW MUCH OF AN IOTA OF CONSTRUCTION NEEDS TO BE CONSTRUCTION STARTED FOR THAT JULY 4TH TIMELINE? YEAH, SO THE, UM, TREASURY, OR I THINK THE TREASURY JUST RELEASED SOME GUIDANCE ON THIS. UM, AND I'M NOT AN EXPERT AND I'M NOT A LAWYER. UM, WE WILL BE CONSULTING LEGAL ON THIS AS WELL, BUT MY CURRENT READ ON THIS IS THAT, UM, FOR PROJECTS UNDER 1.5 MEGAWATTS, WHICH MOST OF THESE WOULD LIKELY BE, UM, EXPENDING 5% [00:25:01] OF THE PROJECT BUDGET IS SUFFICIENT, UH, TO DEMONSTRATE CONSTRUC CONSTRUCTION. THERE'S ALSO A PHYSICAL WORK TEST, UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S REALLY UNCLEAR WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. UM, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT THE 5%, UM, EXPENDITURE AS, AS PROBABLY THE BASELINE. UM, AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA NEED TO GET SOME LEGAL OPINIONS AS WELL ON THIS. I HAVE A QUESTION. UM, GIVEN THE TIGHT TIMELINES, I BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE WORKING WITH LIKE A MASTER CONTRACTOR, CORRECT? UM, THE, THE GOAL IS TO, AND I DON'T WANNA SPEAK TOO CEILING BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T DEVELOPED THE RFP YET. UM, IT'S WHAT SAN ANTONIO DID. UM, IT'S LIKELY THE PATH WILL GO DOWN. UM, SAN ANTONIO LEFT IT OPEN TO, UM, OFFERING, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE MASTER CONTRACTS, SO THERE COULD BE MORE THAN ONE. UM, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S THE ROAD THAT THEY TOOK. I, I WOULD JUST HAVE AN, I DON'T EXPECT AN ANSWER, UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, BUT WHENEVER I HEAR THE TIGHT TIMELINES, I JUST THINK OF WHAT VENDOR SCREENING CRITERIA IS GONNA BE IN PLACE TO ENSURE THAT THE WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING IS GONNA BE, YOU KNOW, UP TO THE CITY STANDARDS. YEAH. AND, AND I, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, ONCE AGAIN, OUR RFP IS, YOU KNOW, JUST A, A, A THOUGHT RIGHT NOW, UH, BUT SAN ANTONIO DID DO A MULTI-STAGE PROCESS WHERE THEY HAD AN A REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FIRST TO, TO, UM, NARROW THE VENDOR POOL BEFORE THEY, THEY WENT OUT TO BID. YEAH. I GUESS KIND OF ON A, A RELATED NOTE, UM, IF THERE WERE, SAY JUST, YOU KNOW, ONE OR TWO CONTRACTS, MASTER CONTRACTS, WOULD THE CITY STILL BE LOOKING FOR THOSE COMPANIES TO HAVE SUBCONTRACTS TO MEET OTHER PROCUREMENT KIND OF GOALS? I, I CAN'T SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO THIS CONTRACT, BUT TYPICALLY THAT'S HOW THE, THE CITY OPERATES. YEAH, I GUESS I JUST WOULD, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THERE ARE COMPANIES OF DIFFERENT SIZES, BUT OBVIOUSLY, LIKE IT DOES KIND OF ELIMINATE SOME OF THE SMALLER, MAYBE EVEN MORE MEDIUM SIZE, UH, COMPANIES BY DOING THAT. SO I WOULD, I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE SOME FLEXIBILITY IN THAT RFP. UM, AND I SAW ON YOUR, UH, TIMELINE THAT YOU PRESENTED THAT THERE WASN'T ENVISIONED COMING BACK TO THE JSC, BUT I GUESS I'D LIKE TO REQUEST THAT WE DO GET A PRESENTATION BEFORE THAT RFP IS FINALIZED. IS THAT POSSIBLE? SO THAT WE COULD LOOK AT THE LANGUAGE AND I THINK WE COULD, DEPENDING TIMELINE, I THINK WE COULD PROBABLY MAKE THAT HAPPEN, BUT I, I HESITATE TO PROMISE THAT, UM, GIVEN THE, THE, THE NEED FOR GETTING IT ON THE STREETS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. YEAH, I DEFINITELY DON'T WANNA, UM, HOLD UP THE TIMELINE. I'M AS, YOU KNOW, A STRONG PROPONENT OF THIS. UM, SO I THINK EVEN IF IT MEANT THAT MAYBE WE NEEDED TO SHIFT OUR MEETING IN A WEEK OR WHATEVER, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, I THINK PRETTY, UM, WHATEVER, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR A WHILE HERE MM-HMM . SO I'D LIKE US TO, TO SEE IT THROUGH, UM, ANYBODY ONLINE HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS? UH, KAI, I DO HAVE A QUESTION. GO AHEAD. UH, THANKS, ROHAN. UH, THAT WAS, THAT WAS REALLY GOOD. UH, JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. UH, I'M CURIOUS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW, DO YOU HAVE A SENSE ON THE, ON THE MEGAWATT CAPACITY THAT YOU GUYS ARE THINKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF THE PROJECTS? SO THAT'S QUESTION NUMBER ONE. THEN THE SECOND QUESTION IS, UH, UH, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE, THE SAVINGS FROM THIS PROJECT ARE GONNA EVENTUALLY, IDEALLY GO TO, YOU KNOW, SOME OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE, UH, BENEFITING THE ENVIRONMENT. SO I WAS JUST KIND OF CURIOUS ABOUT HOW THAT DYNAMIC IS GONNA PLAY OUT IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHO'S GONNA QUANTIFY THOSE, UH, THOSE, UH, COST BENEFITS. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IS IT, IS IT YOUR OFFICE THAT THEN IS KIND OF CHOOSING THE PROJECTS THAT WILL GET THE FUNDING? UH, YEAH. UM, TO YOUR FIRST, YEAH, THANKS, CHRIS. TO, TO YOUR FIRST QUESTION. WE DON'T HAVE A MEGAWATT GOAL YET, BUT GIVEN THE, YOU KNOW, THE INTENDED THE, THE, THE NUMBER OF FACILITIES IN PLAY, UM, AND THE, THE MODEL OF SAN ANTONIO, IT'S LIKELY TO BE, UM, SEVERAL MEGAWATTS. UH, BUT ONCE AGAIN, IT DEPENDS ON THE SITES, UH, THE VIABILITY OF, OF EACH SITE, UM, THE SIZE OF THE POTENTIAL ARRAY THAT COULD BE ACCOMMODATED ON EACH SITE, AND, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE MARKETPLACE, UH, WILL BEAR. UM, I THINK WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, A PORTFOLIO THAT IS, UM, ECONOMICALLY VIABLE, [00:30:01] UM, AND CAN DELIVER US, YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF BENEFITS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, UM, AS A CITY. UM, TO YOUR, TO YOUR SECOND QUESTION, I THINK THAT'S, WE'RE, IT'S A LITTLE PREMATURE TO ANSWER THAT. UM, I WILL SAY THAT THE, THE RECENT BUDGET, UH, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, SUBJECT TO VOTER APPROVAL, UM, DID INCLUDE FUNDING AND A STAFF MEMBER FOR A CLIMATE REVOLVING FUND. UM, I COULD SEE, UM, THIS INTERFACING WITH THAT. UM, BUT I THINK IT'S A LITTLE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT THE DETAILS OF WHO'S GONNA DO THE WORK, WHO'S GONNA QUANTIFY IT, WHAT PROJECTS ARE GONNA BE SPENT ON, UM, I THINK ALL OF THAT NEEDS TO BE FIGURED OUT AT A FUTURE DATE. THAT WAS GOOD. THANKS ROHAN. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? HARRIS? HEY, ROAN, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. SO, GIVEN THE SUPER TIGHT TIMELINE, BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE FEDS ON THIS ONE, . UM, YOU KNOW, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THERE WOULD BE LIKE A, A SITUATION WHERE LIKE, YOU KNOW, A BUILDING OR A SITE RIGHT, IS LIKE A REALLY GOOD CANDIDATE FOR HAVING SOLAR, BUT BECAUSE THERE'S A REALLY STRICT, UH, YOU KNOW, SORT OF DEADLINE ON WHEN CONSTRUCTION CAN BE STARTED THAT WE WOULD BE LIKE, WELL, SCREW IT. YOU KNOW, WE'LL DO THIS PROJECT BECAUSE IT'LL BE EASIER TO GET OFF THE GROUND. DO YOU FORESEE THAT HAPPENING? OR IS IT ALL KIND OF JUST UP IN THE AIR RIGHT NOW? I THINK THAT THE, THE, THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROJECT RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LACK OF, YOU KNOW, THE LOSS OF TAX CREDITS. UM, THERE'S A TIMELINE RISK, THERE'S A VIABILITY RISK. SOME OF THE, SOME OF THESE SITES OR SOME OF THESE PROJECTS MIGHT NOT BE VIABLE WITHOUT 30% TAX CREDIT. UM, SO I THINK IT'S TOO SOON TO SAY SPECIFICALLY WHETHER A SINGLE, A PARTICULAR SITE MIGHT NOT BE VIABLE VERSUS A PORTFOLIO. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE LOOKING AT BOTH LOSS OF TAX CREDITS AS A, A BIG RISK TO THIS PROJECT AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE ARE, UM, WE'RE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO MOVE AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. I DO JUST WANNA NOTE FOR ANYBODY THAT MIGHT, UH, WELL, ANY, ANYBODY HERE AND ALSO ANYBODY THAT MIGHT WATCH THAT, THE TIMELINE FOR THOSE TAX CREDITS, UH, IF YOU'RE A RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER ARE DIFFERENT. IT'S THE END OF THE YEAR, END OF THIS YEAR, 2025 FOR RESIDENTIAL SOLAR TAX CREDIT. WHAT RON HAS PRESENTED IS THE COMMERCIAL CORRECT DEADLINE, JUST, YOU KNOW, IN CASE ANYBODY'S THINKING ABOUT THAT FOR THEMSELVES. UM, WELL, THANK YOU. UM, I, I DO LOOK FORWARD, I MEAN, LET'S JUST PLAN ON MAYBE HAVING THIS ON OUR NEXT AGENDA AS WELL. I, AND IF, IF WE NEED TO PUSH IT, THEN WE CAN, BUT, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE Y'ALL ARE MOVING QUICKLY AND THAT'S GOOD NEWS. OKAY. CAN I MENTION ONE, ONE MORE THING? PLEASE DO, YES. UH, ROHAN, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT THIS GROUP LIKE CAN DO TO HELP OUT MOVE THIS FORWARD OR, OR NOT THIS POINT? I THINK NOT AT THIS POINT. THERE MAY BE A, A FUTURE, UM, WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE COULD USE SOME JSC SUPPORT, BUT I THINK AT THIS POINT, UM, THIS IS MEANT TO BE A INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATION, SO APPRECIATE IT. SOUNDS GOOD. THANKS. FROM WHAT I, FROM WHAT I HEAR, WE COULD PRAY FROM FOR SOME REALLY STRATEGIC HEART ATTACKS, , UM, I DEFINITELY HEAR WHAT YOU, YOU SAID RAHAN ABOUT THE, UM, NOT WANTING TO SLOW THINGS DOWN TO FIGURE OUT THE BATTERIES, BUT THOSE, OF COURSE, THOSE TAX, UH, ARE THOSE TAX CREDITS ALSO EXPIRING OR DO THEY CONTINUE ON A DIFFERENT TIMELINE? DO YOU KNOW? I, I CAN'T SAY WITH CERTAINTY, SO I'M NOT GONNA SAY IT. OKAY. WELL, I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN ENERGY IS, I THINK THEY HAVE AN RFP OUT OR PUTTING ONE OUT SHORTLY TO, TO GET SOME ANALYSIS DONE ON, ON THE VALUE OF CUSTOMER SETTED BATTERIES. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE MIGHT BE A WORLD IN WHICH MAYBE THE MECHANISM FOR DOING THE BATTERIES IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. MAYBE IT'S, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THE CITY'S PAYING FOR SOLAR, BUT AUSTIN ENERGY OWNS THE BATTERIES OR SOMETHING. UM, BUT THEY'RE HOSTED IN BUILDINGS. I DO THINK IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TALKING FOR YEARS ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, RESILIENCE HUBS AND, AND HAVING, MAKING OUR, OUR BUILDINGS MORE RESILIENT WITH BACKUP POWER. UM, SO I MEAN, I GUESS I WOULD LOVE AT LEAST A LITTLE TIME TO BE SPENT ON, ON LOOKING IF THERE'S, IF THERE IS A PATH THERE, ESPECIALLY SINCE, I MEAN, THEY SAY THEY'RE LAUNCHING THEIR INCENTIVE PROGRAM NEXT YEAR, SO, UM, YEAH, IT WOULD JUST BE NICE NOT TO, I SUSPECT IT WILL BE SEVERAL YEARS AT LEAST BEFORE THE CITY IS ABLE TO DO BATTERIES IF WE DON'T GET A TAX CREDIT ON IT. BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER ALL THE TIMELINES [00:35:01] OR THERE'S TOO MANY DATES. I CAN'T REMEMBER THAT ONE. OKAY. UM, IF ANYBODY ELSE HAD THEIR HAND UP OR ANYTHING, PLEASE JUMP IN. IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO SEE EVERYBODY. SO ARE WE GOOD TO MOVE ON? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, HAN. ALL RIGHT. UM, NEXT UP [3. Discussion on JSC priorities in approved FY26 City Budget ] WE HAVE AN UPDATE, UH, FROM THE FY 26 CITY BUDGET. UM, AND I ACTUALLY PUT TOGETHER A BRIEF PRESENTATION TO JUST SHARE SOME INFORMATION ON THAT. UM, YOU READ MY MIND. THANK YOU. I WAS GOING TO ASK FOR SHARING PRIVILEGES. ALL RIGHT. SO I AM GOING TO, UM, GO THROUGH SEVERAL, UM, ITEMS THAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO FOLKS FROM THE BUDGET. SOME OF THEM ARE PRETTY DIRECTLY LINKED TO BUDGET RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE MADE, UH, HERE AT THE JSC. UM, OTHERS, UM, ARE NOT, YOU KNOW, DIRECTLY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE MADE, UM, BUT I THINK ARE ALIGNED WITH, WITH, UH, PRIORITIES THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED AND GENERALLY SUPPORTED. SO THIS IS THE KINDA LIST OF ITEMS THAT I PULLED OUT. UM, THERE MAY BE A FEW THINGS THAT I MISSED IN THERE. I KNOW THERE WAS SOME MONEY RELATED TO KIND OF PERKS MAINTENANCE THAT I, I DIDN'T KNOW THE DETAILS, SO I DIDN'T INCLUDE IT. BUT, UM, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH, THROUGH THESE, UH, JUST REAL BRIEFLY HERE, SO FOLKS, UH, KNOW WHAT WAS INCLUDED. OKAY. SO STARTING WITH, UM, ITEMS THAT I PUT IN THE SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS, UM, CATEGORY YOU HEARD FROM ROHAN, THERE'S NOW OFFICIALLY CREATED, OR THE CITY MANAGER HAS BEEN DIRECTED TO CREATE. SO IT PROBABLY HASN'T BEEN DONE YET, THAT WASN'T THAT LONG AGO. BUT THERE'S GONNA BE THIS CLIMATE REVOLVING FUND TO, UM, BOTH PAY FOR, UH, ENERGY UPGRADES TO CITY BUILDINGS AND ALSO CAPTURE THE SAVINGS FROM THOSE UPGRADES TO PAY FOR FUTURE INVESTMENTS IN. THIS IS EXPLICITLY FOR CITY FACILITIES. UM, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE, THE FUND IS BEING ESTABLISHED, UM, AND THE, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, MEDIUM NEWS IS THAT THERE'S $300,000 IN IT, AND OBVIOUSLY WE NEED PROBABLY TENS OF MILLIONS. UM, BUT I THINK PROBABLY THE REASON THAT THEY DIDN'T GO FORWARD WITH THAT IS THAT THE WORK IS STILL BEING, UM, THERE'S STILL THAT ANALYSIS HAPPENING FROM RMI. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, THEY DIDN'T REALLY KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT. UM, AND IT CAN HAPPEN LATER BECAUSE THAT CAN BE DONE WITH, UH, DEBT ESSENTIALLY. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO COME OUT OF GENERAL REVENUE. SO IT WASN'T REALLY ESSENTIAL THAT, THAT IT HAPPENED DURING THE BUDGET. UM, BUT HOPEFULLY THAT WILL BE A STEP, UH, COMING UP MAYBE EVEN THIS FALL. UM, AND THEN ALONG WITH THAT, UM, THERE'S GOING TO BE THIS ENERGY PROGRAM MANAGER AT THE OFFICE OF CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE. I THINK ROHAN ALSO MENTIONED THAT, UM, DEFINITELY THAT WAS PART OF OUR RECOMMENDATION AS A BODY. UM, SO WE WERE GLAD TO SEE THAT THAT WAS, UM, BOTH OF THESE WERE ADDED AS COUNCIL AMENDMENTS, UM, TO THE, THE CITY MANAGER PROPOSED BUDGET. UM, THE NEXT TWO ITEMS WERE ACTUALLY PART OF THE, THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS REFERRED TO AS THE BASE BUDGET, UM, PROPOSED BY THE CITY MANAGER, UM, AN ADDITIONAL 3.7 MILLION IN CLEAN ENERGY REBATES AT AUSTIN ENERGY. UM, WASN'T CLEAR, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY KINDA MANAGE THAT, UM, MONEY IN A PRETTY FLEXIBLE WAY. UM, BUT IT'S FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY, SOLAR, UM, DEMAND RESPONSE. UM, THERE'S A PART OF THAT ADDITION WAS THAT COMMITMENT THAT THEY SAID THEY WERE GOING TO ROLL OUT A BATTERY INCENTIVE, UM, SOMETIME NEXT YEAR. UM, AND THEN EV CHARGERS ALSO, UM, FALL INTO THAT BUCKET, SO I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT'S DIVIDED UP. UM, BUT THERE'S ADDITIONAL MONEY THERE. AND THEN THEY [00:40:01] ALSO ADDED FIVE NEW, UH, STAFF FOR THE CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS, WHICH IS AGAIN, THAT KIND OF BROADER, UM, BUCKET OF, OF LOCAL CLEAN ENERGY KIND OF PROGRAMS. UM, FOUR OF THEM WERE KIND OF CONVERSIONS FROM TEMPORARY, UM, IT LOOKED LIKE, BUT THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL STAFF PERSON AS WELL. AND THEN WATER CONSERVATION. UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IF I GOT THIS WRONG, UH, SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, LET ME KNOW, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS, IT WAS 1.4 MILLION AND IT SAID FOR WATER CONSERVATION AND METEOR METER, LIKE ACCURACY CHECKING, UM, WHICH SEEMED ADJACENT TO, TO WATER CONSERVATION. 'CAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT BILLING PEOPLE CORRECTLY FOR WATER, NOT METERING IT, THEN YOU'RE PROBABLY GOING TO BE WASTING IT. SO, UM, THOSE WERE THE ITEMS THAT WERE RELEVANT TO SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS. SOME OF THEM WERE NOT EXACTLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE, WHAT WE RECOMMENDED, UM, IN THAT THERE WASN'T THE DETAIL, BUT, YOU KNOW, WATER CONSERVATION. UM, WE'LL SEE KIND OF HOW THAT GOES, LIKE WHAT THEY DO WITH THAT MONEY. NEXT, UM, FROM THE CONSUMPTION SECTOR, UH, THERE'S ANOTHER NEW POSITION ALLOCATED TO THE OFFICE OF CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE. THIS ONE WAS ODDLY JUST LISTED AS SUSTAINABLE PROGRAM MANAGER, BUT WHEN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER LAID THIS OUT AS AN AMENDMENT, UM, HE DID SAY THAT IT WAS FOR SUSTAINABLE PURCHASING. SO I'VE JUST KIND OF PUT THAT WORD THERE SO THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT'S, UM, WHAT THAT POSITION WAS INTENDED FOR. UM, DESPITE THE KIND OF VAGUE TITLE, UM, INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET DOCUMENTATION, UM, AND THIS, THAT WAS ONE THAT WE HAVE RECOMMENDED TWO OR THREE TIMES FROM THE JFC. SO NICE TO SEE THAT, UM, THAT FINALLY, UH, COME UP, YOU KNOW, GET INCLUDED. UM, AND THEN ANOTHER ONE THAT, UH, WE ACTUALLY HAVE MORE THAN WE ASK FOR HERE. UH, FOR THE ELECTRIC LAWN CARE PILOT PROGRAM, WE HAD JUST ASKED FOR, I THINK 75,000 FOR, YOU KNOW, PURCHASING ONE, UH, MOWER, BUT THEY, YOU KNOW, I THINK REASONABLY, UM, ALLOCATED FUNDS ALSO FOR CHARGING AND POTENTIALLY FOR THEM TO MAYBE GET, I THINK TWO, UM, TWO OF THOSE MOWERS. UM, AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THIS PILOT IS LIKELY TO TAKE PLACE AT ZILKER. SO HOPEFULLY BEFORE LONG WE'LL SEE SOME ELECTRIC MOWERS, UH, WORKING AT ZILKER. AND THEN, UM, AT AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, THERE WAS 619, UH, THOUSAND FOR THE FURNITURE REUSE WAREHOUSE AND SIX NEW LITTER ABATEMENT, UH, STAFF. THE LITTER ABATEMENT IS A LITTLE BIT ADJACENT, UM, TO, TO OUR MISSION, BUT I, I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AND THAT FURNITURE REUSE IS DEFINITELY KIND OF WELL WITHIN THE KIND OF RE REDUCING CONSUMPTION, UM, FOR ANYBODY WHO'S NOT AWARE THAT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A WHILE AND IS GOING TO BE A PLACE WHERE OUR PEOPLE CAN TAKE THEIR OLD FURNITURE, GET FURNITURE THAT, THAT OTHERS ARE NOT USING ANYMORE. UM, I DON'T THINK THEY'VE, YOU KNOW, WORKED OUT THE EXACT DETAILS AND HOPEFULLY THERE'LL BE A COLLECTION OPTION THERE. BUT, UM, I THINK THIS IS GOOD NEWS THAT, THAT THAT MONEY IS ALLOCATED TO LET THAT PROJECT MOVE FORWARD. AND THEN THE LAST ITEM, UM, IS A ONE THAT DOESN'T COME WITH, UM, MONEY, BUT, UH, IT DIDN'T REALLY NEED TO, IT WAS A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO EVALUATE A FEE FOR A CONS COMPREHENSIVE, UH, SOLAR RECYCLING PROGRAM. UM, SO THE IDEA THERE IS TO HAVE A FEE THAT, UH, EVERYBODY PAYS WHEN THEY GET A PERMIT IF YOU'RE GETTING SOLAR. AND THEN AT THE END OF LIFE, UH, HOPEFULLY THERE WILL JUST BE A SINGLE ENTITY THAT YOU CAN CALL TO, TO GET YOUR SOLAR PANELS COLLECTED AND RECYCLED. SO THAT MIGHT BE ONE THAT WE'LL HOPEFULLY WE'LL SEE ADDITIONAL ACTION ON THAT IN COMING MONTHS AS WELL. AND THEN I, YOU KNOW, UH, PUT THESE UNDER NATURAL SYSTEMS AND OTHER, BECAUSE, UH, DEFINITELY THEY AFFECT, YOU KNOW, THEIR, THEIR, THEY'RE TO, THEY TOUCH ON NATURAL SLIP SYSTEMS, BUT POTENTIALLY OTHER WORK AS WELL. UM, THE FIRST WAS ANOTHER RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE CITY MANAGER TO EVALUATE CITY LANDS FOR CLIMATE PROJECTS. THIS COULD BE CARBON SEQUESTRATION, SOLAR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, OTHER OPTIONS OR ON THE TABLE. UM, SO THAT I THINK IS ANOTHER THING THAT HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, AS THAT WORK COMES ALONG, WE CAN GET SOME UPDATES ABOUT THAT HERE AT THE JSC. AND [00:45:01] THEN LASTLY, $864,000 WAS ALLOCATED TO THE AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS. DON'T ASK ME WHY IT WAS THAT, THAT NUMBER SPECIFICALLY, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THAT WOULD AT LEAST COVER, IF NOT MORE, THE EXISTING. I THINK IT'S MORE THAN THE EXISTING CONTRACTS. UM, AND I'M HEARING THAT THERE'S POTENTIALLY CHANGES HAPPENING THERE. DEFINITELY THERE'S BEEN A STAFF PERSON THAT HAS LEFT, AND POTENTIALLY SOME OF THOSE CONTRACTS MIGHT BE MOVING, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON, BUT AT LEAST THERE IS FUNDING TO CONTINUE THE WORK THAT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING. UM, THERE. AND I JUST PUT THESE TOGETHER IN A LITTLE TABLE SO WE COULD SEE THIS ADDITIONAL MONEY. OBVIOUSLY THERE IS OTHER MONEY, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS ALREADY, UM, KIND OF IN, IN THE BUDGET, UH, FROM LAST YEAR. THIS IS REALLY JUST HIGHLIGHTING THE, THE INCREASES OR THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ONE TIME ALLOCATIONS, UH, FROM THIS BUDGET. SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, WE, WE DEFINITELY SAW MORE MOVEMENT. UM, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A LOT OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT AREN'T ON THIS LIST THAT DIDN'T GET, UH, FUNDED. BUT I DO THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IS AN IMPROVEMENT. IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN BUILD ON GOING FORWARD. DOES ANYBODY HAVE QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION. YES, GO AHEAD. UM, SO THE WATER CONSERVATION PARTICULARLY STOOD OUT TO ME. UM, SO I TOOK A, A CLASS AT THE LVJ SCHOOL ABOUT WATER POLICY AND LEARNED BRIEFLY ABOUT, UH, THE MAJOR PROBLEM THAT CITIES HAVE WITH LEAKING PIPES, AND AS IT RELATES TO THE CITY OF BOSTON. I WAS READING A REPORT, THEY WERE SAYING, UH, YEAR OVER YEAR, 30% MORE WATER LOSS HAPPENED ENOUGH TO FILL UP, UH, LABOR BIRD LAKE THREE TIMES OVER. UM, SO IN THINKING ABOUT THE BUDGET, UH, THAT YOU JUST SHOWED IS MAYBE LIKE A, AN ACTION AT SOME POINT TO KIND OF PREPARE A REPORT TO BE LIKE, HEY, LIKE, HERE IS OUR ANALYSIS OF YOUR FINAL BUDGET, UM, AND THEN MAYBE WE COULD USE THAT GOING INTO NEXT YEAR AS OF LIKE, HEY, HERE ARE THE SHORTCOMINGS IN SOME WAYS THAT MAYBE THE ADDITIONAL BUDGET DOES OR DOESN'T MEET THE MARK, YOU KNOW? YEAH. ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT AUSTIN WATER SPECIFICALLY, OR THE BUDGET MORE BROADLY? ? UH, BOTH. BOTH. BUT YEAH, THE, IF THE BUDGET IS NOT ADEQUATELY MEETING THE CITY'S NEEDS IN REGARDS TO THAT, YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK DEFINITELY ONE OF THE THINGS WE DID RECOMMEND WAS MORE MONEY FOR, UH, FOR, FOR PIPE REPAIR ON THE CITY SIDE. AND I, I DIDN'T SEE THAT, UM, THIS ALLOCATION APPEARED TO MAYBE BE DIRECTED TOWARDS MORE LIKE CUSTOMER FOCUSED CONSERVATION PROGRAMS, BUT IT ALSO WAS REALLY BIG. I THINK IT JUST SAID LIKE, EVALUATE, LIKE INNOVATIVE, UM, CONSERVATION PROGRAMS OR SOMETHING. IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS VAGUE LANGUAGE LIKE THAT. SO I DON'T KNOW FOR SURE. BUT, UM, YEAH, I SAW SOME OF THAT REPORTING ON THE WATER LEAKAGE AS WELL. AND, UM, YEAH, CHRIS, UH, CAMPO, UH, I GUESS IS NOT HERE TONIGHT, UM, HAS DEFINITELY BEEN RAISING THAT ISSUE TO OUR ATTENTION. SO YEAH, I MEAN, WE, WE COULD GO THROUGH AND KIND OF DO A LITTLE ANALYSIS OF LIKE, YEAH, WHAT WASN'T INCLUDED. YEAH, IF THERE'S A, I KNOW I'M VERY NEW TO THE BOARD, SO IF THERE'S WORKING GROUPS THAT ARE, UH, DOING SIMILAR WORK THAT WOULD BE INTERESTED IN DOING A WRITEUP LIKE THAT TO TALK ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WAYS THAT IT DOES AND DOESN'T MEET THE MARK, UM, AGAIN, FOR THE PURPOSE OF NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET CONVERSATIONS, WE COULD EASILY HAVE THAT READY. SO I'D BE, I'D BE LOVE TO DO THAT TYPE OF WORK WITH SOMEBODY. YEAH, WE DON'T HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT LIKE I SAID, WE, WE PRETTY REGULARLY CREATE WORKING GROUPS, SO IF THAT'S OF INTEREST TO OTHERS, THEN WE COULD DEFINITELY DO THAT. SO THAT'S SOMETHING ANYBODY ELSE WOULD BE INTERESTED. I SEE RODRIGO NADEN, I THINK, ARE YOU NODDING? YEAH, . OKAY. UM, WELL, I THINK Y'ALL DO NOT NEED US TO ACT IN ORDER TO MEET UP AND WORK ON THAT, BUT WE CAN ALSO PUT THAT ON OUR NEXT AGENDA, UM, TO CREATE THE WORKING GROUPS, SO IT IS FORMALIZED. GREAT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS ON THE BUDGET? DID ANYBODY ELSE [00:50:01] FOLLOW IT MUCH? I HAVE A QUESTION. . YEAH. SO IT SEEMED LIKE MOST OF THESE ITEMS CAME THROUGH FROM LIKE CITY COUNCIL, RIGHT? THEY WEREN'T PART OF THE ORIGINAL PROPOSED BUDGET BY THE CITY MANAGER? WELL, IT WAS A MIX. UM, I MENTIONED THE, THE AUSTIN ENERGY AND AUSTIN WATER MONEY THAT WAS IN THE BASE BUDGET, THE AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY MONEY THAT WAS IN THE BASE BUDGET. UM, YEAH, I THINK THE OTHERS CAME FROM COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, THE RESOLUTIONS AND THEN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS, THE TWO POSITIONS FOR OCAR, THE ELECTRIC LAWN CARE PILOT AND THE CLIMATE REVOLVING FUND MONEY. ARE THERE ANY MORE, UM, DETAILS YOU CAN SHARE ABOUT KIND OF THE STATE OF, UM, THE AUSTIN CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS? BECAUSE YOU KIND OF HINTED AT SOME, LIKE MAYBE RESTRUCTURING HAPPENING, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU CAN SHARE ABOUT THAT. I MEAN, IT'S ALL YOU, LIKE, JUST IN FORMAL KIND OF RUMORS THAT I'VE HEARD. SO, UH, , I DON'T WANNA LIKE SET ANYBODY'S HAIR ON FIRE, UH, HERE, BUT I, I JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE MIGHT BE CHANGES HAPPENING. UM, MAYBE AT SOME POINT WE SHOULD ASK THEM TO WHO, YOU KNOW, ASK FOR AN UPDATE AND THEN WE CAN HEAR STRAIGHT FROM THE, THE RELEVANT PARTIES WHAT'S GOING ON. I, I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN RECOMMENDING AN EXPANSION OF THE PROGRAM. I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT WE GOT. UM, BUT IT DOES SEEM LIKE AT LEAST THE WORK THAT WAS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, UM, SHOULD BE FUNDED TO MOVE FORWARD AND, AND MAYBE SOME EXPANSION WITHIN THE SAME SCOPE. BUT YEAH, WE, WE SHOULD ASK THEM FOR AN UPDATE WHAT THEY, WHETHER THAT'S WATERSHED OR EDDI DON'T, YOU KNOW, OR BOTH. UM, I DON'T WANNA HYPOTHESIZE TOO MUCH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS? LIKE ROHAN MENTIONED, UH, THERE IS GONNA BE A TAX RATE ELECTION, UM, IN ORDER FOR THIS BUDGET TO ACTUALLY EXIST AS ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL, UM, IT IS NOT AT ALL CLEAR OR SET IN STONE WHAT WILL BE CUT EXACTLY IF THAT DOESN'T PASS. UM, BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, LOOK FOR THAT ON THE BALLOT IN NOVEMBER. IS THERE, IS THERE ANY WAY WE CAN AS A, AS A COMMITTEE, UM, WEIGH IN ON THAT? I DON'T THINK SO. I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO THAT OTHER THAN LIKE A HONORARY RESOLUTION THAT DOESN'T, NOT, NOT EVEN LIKE A, LIKE OUR OWN RECOMMENDATION SAYING LIKE, HEY, THESE CLIMATE THINGS SHOULD NOT BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. OH. LIKE IF IT DOESN'T PASS, YEAH. YEAH. IF THE TRE DOESN'T PASS, THEN DEFINITELY WE CAN MAKE A RECOMMENDATION ON THAT ISSUE. I THOUGHT YOU MEANT ON THE TRE, I DON'T THINK WE CAN MAKE ANY NO, I'M, I'M STATEMENT ON THAT. YEAH, I MEAN, LIKE, WHAT, WHAT GETS CUT IF IT, IF IT DOESN'T WORK OUT? YEAH. UM, I GUESS THE GOOD OR BAD NEWS, UM, A LOT OF THE INCREASES THAT YOU SAW, UM, WERE FROM ENTERPRISE DEPARTMENTS, SO I, I, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THAT MONEY PROBABLY IS NOT REALLY AT RISK. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, THE MONEY THAT WAS ACTUALLY ALLOCATED TO OCAR AND THE CLIMATE REVOLVING FUND WAS PRETTY MINIMAL. SO, UH, HOPEFULLY THAT'S NOT WHAT THEY'D CUT, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE A REAL TOUGH CONVERSATION, I'M SURE IF THAT HAPPENS. SO, YEAH. KAVA, DO YOU KNOW, LIKE, UH, LIKE WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO NOTICE? I THINK THE TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS, NONE OF THEM PASSED. UH, BUT YEAH, JUST ANY THOUGHTS ON WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO TO KNOW, LIKE, WHY SOME RECOMMENDATIONS DID NOT BEST? [00:55:03] UM, YEAH, , I MEAN, I THINK LIKE ASK FOR A MEETING WITH THE CITY MANAGER . UM, AND I MEAN, I'M SERIOUS. UH, YOU KNOW, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S ULTIMATELY LIKE, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF WHAT WAS IN THE BASE BUDGET AND THEN, YOU KNOW, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, YOU KNOW, THEY ONLY HAD SO MUCH TO WORK WITH, EVEN WITH THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE TRE. UM, AND THERE WERE, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, HEALTH KIND OF, AND, UM, LIKE, I GUESS MAYBE SOME OF IT WAS HOMELESSNESS ADJACENT, BUT, UM, THERE HAD BEEN A LOT OF CUTS IN FEDERAL FUNDING THAT WERE BEING FILLED, UM, WITH THE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT WAS BEING PUT ON THE TABLE. SO THERE, THERE WASN'T ALL THAT MUCH, I THINK, TO WORK WITH. SO I THINK THAT'S WHY WE DIDN'T SEE MAYBE MORE PART, PART OF WHY WE DIDN'T SEE MORE AMENDMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS ON SOME OF OUR ITEMS. AND I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S ALSO WHY WE DIDN'T SEE IT IN THE BASE BUDGET. COULD I, COULD I ADD SOMETHING HERE? PLEASE DO. UM, THERE IS A BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS RECOMMENDATIONS REPORT, UM, THAT I CAN SEND OUT AFTER THIS MEETING OR TOMORROW, UM, THAT AT LEAST HAS SOME INFORMATION ON EACH RECOMMENDATION AND OH, YEAH, SOME, IN SOME CASES THE DEPARTMENT SUPPORTED IT. SOME CASES THAT DIDN'T, DOESN'T SPEAK TO THE DECISIONS MADE BY THE CITY MANAGER OR COUNCIL, BUT IT HAS SOME INFO. THANK YOU. YEAH, I HAD WONDERED IF MAYBE THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. OKAY. WELL, UM, THAT WAS JUST KIND OF AN FYI, THERE'S NOTHING FOR US TO DO ON THAT ONE. UM, AND NOW WE JUST HAVE [4. Update from the Electric Utility Commission on Solar for All – Kaiba White ] A FEW UPDATES FROM HOME COMMISSIONS. UM, LOOKS LIKE I'M UP FIRST. UH, AND MINUS BAD NEWS, PROBABLY A LOT OF, MAYBE ALL OF YOU HAVE HEARD THAT THE SOLAR FOR ALL GRANTS HAVE BEEN CANCELED, UM, BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, AND THAT INCLUDES, OF COURSE, AUSTIN ENERGY'S PROGRAM. UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY THAT THERE'S GONNA BE LEGAL ACTION, AND MAYBE THAT SOMEHOW DOES CHANGE DOWN THE ROAD, BUT FOR NOW, UH, THE SOLAR FOR ALL PROGRAM IS NOT HAPPENING. AND I JUST, I KNOW WE HAD HAD SOME EXCITEMENT HERE, UH, WHEN WE HEARD ABOUT THAT, UH, FROM TIM A WHILE BACK. SO WANTED TO UPDATE PEOPLE. UM, IT'S OBVIOUSLY BAD NEWS, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT AUSTIN ENERGY IS ACTIVELY DEVELOPING THE RESIDENTIAL STANDARD OFFER PROGRAM. SO WHILE IT IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR SOLAR FOR ALL BECAUSE THAT HAD THE GRANT FUNDING AND REALLY ENABLED, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, MORE BENEFITS TO GO TO LOW INCOME CUSTOMERS, I DO THINK THAT THAT PROGRAM DOES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO AT LEAST PARTIALLY FILL THAT GAP, UM, BECAUSE IT ALSO WILL NOT REQUIRE AN INVESTMENT FROM THE INDIVIDUAL. UM, THAT'S A, THAT'S MY UPDATE UNLESS THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT. UH, IT LOOKS LIKE [5. Update from Resource Management Commission on Texas Gas Service Rate Case Filing at the Texas Railroad Commission – Charlotte Davis ] CHARLOTTE IS NEXT FROM THE RMC. YES. UM, OKAY. SO MY UPDATE IS ABOUT THE TEXAS GAS SERVICE RATE CASE. UM, YOU MAY BE AWARE THAT EARLIER THIS YEAR, THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, UM, WAS GRANTED A, UH, LIKE A CHANGE IN CITY CODE, WHICH ALLOWED US THE, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO ADVISE COUNCIL ON MATTERS RELATED TO THE GAS UTILITY, WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN, UM, SPECIFICALLY, UH, EXCLUDED FROM THE RMCS PURVIEW. SO, UM, WE'VE STARTED TO LOOK AT, UH, A NUMBER OF ISSUES RELATING TO, UM, GAS SERVICE WITHIN THE AUSTIN, UH, SERVICE AREA. AND, UM, IN OUR JULY MEETING, WE HAD THE, UM, CONTROLLER, THE CITY CONTROLLER COME WITH OUTSIDE COUNSEL, GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE RATE CASE THAT TEXAS GAS, UM, FILED, UH, IN JUNE. SO IT'S A, I DON'T WANNA GO INTO TOO MUCH, UH, DETAIL ON IT, BUT ESSENTIALLY, UM, T TEXAS GAS FILED A A RATE CASE WITH THE RAILROAD COMMISSION, UM, AND THEY, IN IT, THEY'RE ASKING FOR A NUMBER [01:00:01] OF, UM, A NUMBER, A NUMBER OF THINGS, UH, THAT MANY INDIVIDUALS ON THE RMC, UM, FOUND TO BE NOT SO GREAT. UM, THE FIRST IS CONSOLIDATION OF THEIR THREE SERVICE AREAS INTO ONE. UM, RIGHT NOW AUSTIN IS IN A SERVICE AREA WITH, UM, THE, SOME AREAS ON THE GULF COAST. SO IT'S CENTRAL GULF, UM, REGION. SO, UH, TEXAS GAS IS PROPOSING COMBINING ALL THREE OF THEIR TEXAS REGIONS INTO A SINGLE STATEWIDE REGION, UM, WHICH BRINGS MORE CUSTOMERS INTO THE SERVICE AREA, BUT WITH DIFFERENT COST TO SERVE. IT LIKELY, UM, INCREASES THE, UM, THE COST FOR, UH, RATE PAYERS IN THE AUSTIN AREA. UM, SECONDLY, THEY'RE INCREASING, UH, OR THEY'RE ASKING TO INCREASE RATES, OR EXCUSE ME, REVENUES BY $41 MILLION, UM, WHICH IS A 7% RATE INCREASE, UM, EXCLUDING GAS COSTS. AND IT ALSO INCLUDES A, UM, AN INCREASE IN THE CUSTOMER CHARGE FOR SMALL RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, UM, OF 38%, UM, WHILE DECREASING, UH, IN MANY CASES THE VOLUMETRIC CHARGE. SO THIS IS ESSENTIALLY ASKING TO MAKE THE RATES EVEN MORE REGRESSIVE, UH, THAN THEY ALREADY ARE BY IN INCREASING THE FIXED COST AND DECREASING THE VARIABLE COST. UM, THEY ALSO HAVE A, UM, PROPOSED A CHANGE TO THEIR SHARE THE WARMTH PROGRAM, WHICH IS A LOW INCOME PROGRAM CURRENTLY. UH, THE SHAREHOLDERS OF THE GAS UTILITY, UM, WILL MATCH VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS, UM, BY CUSTOMERS UP TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS TO, UM, HELP LOW INCOME ASSISTANCE. AND IN THIS NEW FILING, THEY'RE, UM, PROPOSING TO INCREASE THAT PROGRAM UP TO $2 MILLION, BUT IT'S NOT CLEAR AS TO WHETHER THE, UM, THE SHAREHOLDERS ARE STILL GOING TO MATCH. UM, SO WE'RE INFERRING THAT IT, IT MAYBE MEANS THAT, UM, THE RATE PAYERS, UM, ARE GONNA COVER THIS COST. UM, IN ADDITION TO THE $2 MILLION, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, RATE ASSISTANCE MONEY, THERE'S 120,000 ANNUALLY FOR DONATION MANAGEMENT, 104,000 FOR AN EMPLOYEE TO MANAGE IT, 60,000 FOR OUTREACH. AND THOSE ARE ANNUAL COSTS TO FUND THIS PROGRAM. SO IT'S A REALLY BIG EXPANSION, UM, BUT THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY BEHIND IT. UM, THEY'RE ALSO PROPOSING A, UM, A PILOT CUSTOMER ASSIST CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, UM, WITH A $507,000, UM, PRICE TAG. SO, UM, THE RMC DID NOT HAVE A, UM, WASN'T POSTED TO VOTE ON ANYTHING RELATED TO THIS, BUT WE DID HAVE A, A DISCUSSION, UM, AROUND IT. AND, UM, THERE WAS, I WOULD SAY, UM, PRETTY, PRETTY DECENT CONSENSUS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WERE OPPOSED TO THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE, UM, OF THE SERVICE AREAS AND TO THE REGRESSIVE RATES AND THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY, UM, IN THEIR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. SO, UM, THEY, UM, TOOK THAT INFORMATION, WHICH, UM, THEY HAVE UNTIL, I BELIEVE IT'S NOVEMBER, THE CITY HAS UNTIL MID-NOVEMBER TO TAKE A FINAL ACTION. UM, AND IF THAT'S, IF THE FINAL ACTION IS TO DENY THE APPLICATION AS AN UNREASONABLE RATE INCREASE, UM, THEN TEXAS GAS WILL LIKELY FILE AN APPEAL WITH THE RAILROAD COMMISSION, UM, WHO WILL DECIDE THAT. SO, UM, THERE IS, I BELIEVE, GOING TO BE A PUBLIC HEARING, UM, PRIOR TO THAT. SO JUST WANTED TO KIND OF PUT THAT ON THE TABLE BECAUSE IT'S NOT SOMETHING I THINK THAT, UM, THE JSC OR OTHER, UH, BOARDS OR COMMISSIONS OR, OR GENERALLY THE RATE PAYING PUBLIC IN AUSTIN HAS HAD A MUCH OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO WEIGH IN ON, UM, IN THE PAST. SO, UM, YEAH, SO THAT'S, THAT'S KINDA MY UPDATE. THANK YOU, CHARLOTTE. YEAH. ANY QUESTIONS FOR CHARLOTTE HARRIS? YEAH, I WAS JUST WONDERING ABOUT THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE MEAN THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. IF YOU COULD SEND THE INFORMATION SO WE COULD PUBLICIZE IT, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. ABSOLUTELY. UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S, THERE'S ANYTHING SET YET, BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE UPDATES AS WE START TO GET THE TIMELINE, UM, FOR THIS. DEFINITELY WILL SHARE [01:05:01] THAT. THANKS. ALRIGHT. THANK, THANK YOU. UM, ANDY, YOU ARE NEXT. [6. Update from Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board on efforts to advance Food Plan Implementation and the upcoming Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board strategic planning session – Andrew Smith ] YEAH. GREAT. UM, YEAH, JUST WANTED TO PROVIDE A QUICK UPDATE ON THE FOOD POLICY BOARD. UM, WE ARE, UH, THE, THE MAIN THING THAT, UM, I WANTED TO MAKE YOU ALL AWARE OF AND, AND SOLICIT INPUT ON IF, IF YOU HAVE ANY PERSPECTIVES, UM, ARE, IS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE GOING INTO OUR ANNUAL, UH, STRATEGIC PLANNING, UM, IN I GUESS ABOUT TWO WEEKS. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE FOOD PLAN THAT WAS ADOPTED BY COUNCIL LAST YEAR THAT WE'VE BEEN USING, YOU KNOW, AS A ROADMAP TO REALLY GUIDE OUR ACTION. UM, BUT IF THERE ARE ANY KIND OF PARTICULAR AREAS THAT, THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR OUR, UM, BOARD TO, TO, YOU KNOW, GIVE PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO, UM, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME AND LET ME KNOW AND I CAN BRING THAT TO OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION, UM, WHICH IS THE SECOND, UM, LET'S DO THE SECOND MONDAY THERE IN SEPTEMBER. UM, AND THEN, UM, ALSO JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU ALL THAT WE'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD THIS GREAT FOOD PLAN THAT WAS PASSED, UM, BUT WE HAVEN'T, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEN AS IS THE CASE WITH WITH MANY, UM, UH, OF THESE MORE SUSTAINABILITY MINDED, UM, PROGRAMS. HAVEN'T SEEN A LOT OF FUNDING, YOU KNOW, GO TOWARDS THAT. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT WHAT LEVERS THE CITY AND, AND THE COUNTY COULD PULL. UM, AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT PUTTING TOGETHER RECOMMENDATION THAT, UM, FUNDING FOR FARMLAND PRESERVATION IS IN, BE INCLUDED IN THE 2026 BOND, UM, PACKAGE. UM, SO WE'RE STILL, UM, LOOKING AT WHAT, UM, KIND OF WHAT SCOPE, UH, TO RECOMMEND ON THAT. UM, AND, UM, SO I'LL, I'LL DEFINITELY BE SHARING THAT IN FUTURE MEETINGS WITH YOU ALL. UM, BUT, UM, REALLY SEEING AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OVERLAP BETWEEN, UM, FOOD PRODUCTION, UM, AND WATERSHED PROTECTION, UM, CARBON SEQUESTRATION, RESILIENCE, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE OPEN SPACES, ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT PIECES THAT, THAT, UM, ALIGN WITH A LOT OF OTHER, UM, CITY GOALS. SO TRYING TO HELP MAKE THE CASE THAT, UM, THAT FOOD, UH, FOOD PRODUCTION AND, AND KIND OF, UM, RESILIENCE WITHIN OUR FOOD SYSTEM CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO, UM, SOME OF THOSE OTHER GOALS. SO, UM, JUST A, A HEADS UP TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR THAT. UM, AND WE'RE ALSO HOPING, UM, TO, UM, UM, ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO, YOU KNOW, REALLY WORK WITH SOME OTHER, UM, MUNICIPALITIES, UM, IN THE, IN THE WIDER REGION. 'CAUSE THIS IS NOT JUST, UM, A, A, A CITY THING. THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY WORK IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY, UM, THAT, UM, YEAH, WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY WANTING THE, THE CITY TO BE A, A LEADER IN AND, AND, UM, CATALYZE SOME CHANGE. BUT, BUT I THINK THERE'S, YOU KNOW, UM, A LOT OF SHARED CHALLENGES AND SHARED OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'RE HOPING, UM, SOME OF THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES AND, AND COUNTIES IN THE REGION CAN ENGAGE IN AS WELL IN TERMS OF, OF THAT FARMLAND PRESERVATION. UM, I THINK THAT'S IT FOR THIS EVENING, BUT HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. QUESTIONS FOR ANDY. ANDY, YOU, IT SOUND SOUNDED LIKE YOU WERE ASKING US FOR SOME INPUT. UM, I WILL JUST SHARE A COUPLE ITEMS THAT I KNOW THIS BODY HAS, UM, ACTED ON IN RELATION TO THE FOOD PLAN IN THE PAST. UM, AND DO YOU THINK WE HAVE SUPPORTED THE, UM, AGRICULTURAL LAND, UH, RESERVATION. UM, AND ALSO DURING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FOOD FOOD PLAN, UM, ENCOURAGE THE INCLUSION OF THE PRO HEALTH, PRO CLIMATE FOOD SECTION THERE. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, BOTH ENCOURAGING AND ENABLING MORE CONSUMPTION OF, OF THOSE PLANT-BASED FOODS. UM, SO I KNOW THAT THOSE ARE AREAS THAT YEAH. THAT THE JSC HAS AS A BODY EXPRESSED SUPPORT FOR BEFORE. KIND OF, IF I COULD ADD ON TO THAT, YOU'VE, YOU'VE JOGGED MY MEMORY. UM, ANDY, YOU, YOU MAY BE AWARE OF THIS, 'CAUSE I, I THINK MARISSA PUT THIS BEFORE THE FOOD POLICY BOARD. UM, BUT WE, WE ALSO PASSED, I THINK IT WAS A BUDGET RECOMMENDATION, I THINK LAST YEAR, UM, ABOUT REDOING, I'M GONNA GET THE LANGUAGE HERE WRONG, BUT ESSENTIALLY REDOING A LOCAL INVENTORY OF AVAILABLE LOCAL FARMS TO SUPPLY SOME OF THE, THE SCHOOLS. AND I DIDN'T, I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO FOLLOW UP WITH THAT, [01:10:01] BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'VE, OUR WORKING GROUP HAS SUPPORTED AND THE, THE LARGER JSC AS A GROUP HAS SUPPORTED IN THE PAST. CAN I JUST CLARIFY, THAT WAS AN INVENTORY OF, OF, UM, UH, FOR OR FARMS THAT ARE ALREADY IN EXISTENCE, UM, THAT COULD BE SUPPLYING LOCAL SCHOOLS, UM, AS OPPOSED TO CITY LAND THAT COULD BECOME FARMABLE. IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH. AND, AND I, LET ME TRY AND PULL UP THIS RESOLUTION FOR YOU, KIBA, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? YEAH, MY RECOLLECTION WAS THAT IT WAS BEYOND JUST THE FARMS, THAT IT WAS, UM, KIND OF THE WHOLE SUPPLY CHAIN OF HOW TO GET THAT FOOD FROM FARMS TO THE SCHOOL. I I THINK HOPEFULLY I'M REMEMBERING THE SAME THING YOU ARE, ANNA. YEAH, YEAH. I MEAN, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT, THAT THE FRAMING, MY UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROBLEM THAT THIS WAS AIMING TO SOLVE WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS AGO OR FIVE YEARS AGO, SOMEBODY PUT TOGETHER THIS REALLY WONDERFUL PROGRAM AND THAT LED TO BASICALLY JBJ ORGANICS PROVIDING ALL OF THIS FOOD TO AUSTIN, ISD AND MAYBE SOME OF THE OTHER ISDS AROUND. UM, NOW THAT THAT FARM IS NO LONGER IN EXISTENCE, UM, THAT PROGRAM, IT SOUNDS LIKE HAS KIND OF FALLEN APART. AND THE ISSUE THAT WAS, AS I UNDERSTOOD IT, WAS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S WILLINGNESS, THERE'S, THERE'S EVEN FUNDING BECAUSE APPARENTLY YOU CAN GET LIKE STATE AND OR FEDERAL OR SOME OTHER FUNDING. UM, BUT THERE'S A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING ABOUT HOW WE CONNECT THE DOTS AND LIKE WHO ARE THE SUPPLIERS AND JUST THAT THAT WORK NEEDS TO BE REDONE NOW THAT THE LANDSCAPE OF BUSINESSES AROUND, UM, IS DIFFERENT. BUT LET ME FIND THIS ACTUAL RESOLUTION. YEAH, IF YOU CAN SEND THAT TO ME, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. I KNOW, UM, I MEAN, I KNOW MARISSA THAT'S LIKE HER, HER BREAD AND BUTTER IN HER DAY JOB. SO I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT, UM, THAT IS ON OUR RADAR. AND, AND I THINK, UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE SEEN THERE IS THAT THERE REALLY ARE JUST NOT THAT MANY LOCAL FARMS. UH, LIKE THE SUPPLY IS QUITE LIMITED LARGELY. I MEAN, FOR, FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS, BUT SIGNIFICANT REASON BEING THE LACK OF ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE FARMLAND. UM, BUT, UM, I THINK, UM, YEAH, IT HAS BEEN SO GREAT TO SEE HOW, AND, AND INSTRUCTIVE, I THINK TO SEE HOW ONE LARGE KIND OF LOCAL FOOD PRODUCER COLLAPSING, UM, HAS ALL THESE, UM, RAMIFICATIONS, WHICH I THINK RELATES TO THE LACK OF RESILIENCY IN OUR, IN OUR FOOD SYSTEM. RIGHT. UH, AND THERE'S, SO THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, UM, TO ADDRESS THOSE CHALLENGES FOR SURE. ALL RIGHT. THANKS FOR THAT. UM, KEEP US, KEEP US IN THE LOOP THERE. I KNOW THERE'S INTEREST. UM, THAT'S THE END OF OUR AGENDA. OTHER THAN THAT, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR IF ANYBODY HAS AGENDA [FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS] REQUEST FOR THE COMING MONTHS, BE IT FROM SOMETHING FROM YOUR HOME COMMISSION OR OTHER. AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMETHING NOW BUT YOU THINK OF IT LATER, PLEASE DO EMAIL ME. UM, I WOULD REALLY PREFER TO GET EMAILS AT MY WORK EMAIL ADDRESS. YOUR, YOU, IT'S GOOD TO COPY THE BC EMAIL, BUT, UM, I, I DON'T CHECK IT FREQUENTLY. SO PLEASE EMAIL ME AT KWHITE@CITIZEN.ORG AND COPY THE BC EMAIL. UM, AND IF YOU ARE NEW AND WE HAVEN'T, UH, COMMUNICATED, COMMUNICATED BEFORE, I WOULD DEFINITELY APPRECIATE AN EMAIL FROM YOU. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND SHARING YOUR CELL PHONE NUMBER, UM, I DO SOMETIMES, UH, HELP WITH STAFF IN TERMS OF FIGURING OUT IF WE'RE GONNA HAVE QUORUM, UM, SINCE WE'RE A LARGE GROUP AND THEREFORE HAVE A LARGE, UH, MINIMUM FOR OUR QUORUM. SOMETIMES NEED TO DO SOME, SOME TEXTING. UH, SO IF YOU DON'T MIND SHARING THAT KWHITE@CITIZEN.ORG. ALL RIGHT. DOES ANYBODY WANNA MAKE THE, THE FINAL YEAH, GO AHEAD, ANDY. YEAH, IF I CAN JUST ASK, UM, IS THERE LIKE A DIRECTORY, UM, FOR EVERYBODY ON THE, ON THE COMMITTEE? I, I UNDERSTAND THAT IT WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO EMAIL EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, FOR QUORUM REASONS, BUT JUST IF TO LIKE REACH OUT TO INDIVIDUALS THERE. YEAH, SO THERE IS, UM, ON THE CITY WEBSITE, ON THE JSC WEBSITE, IF YOU CLICK ON MEMBERS, UM, I DO THINK IT HAS EVERYBODY'S BC EMAIL THERE, BUT, UM, I'M PROBABLY NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO DOESN'T CHECK THAT SUPER FREQUENTLY. SO IF YOU DON'T GET A REPLY, UH, FROM SOMEBODY, UH, [01:15:01] AND, AND YOU WANNA GET AHOLD OF THEM, YOU CAN REACH OUT TO ME AND I MIGHT HAVE THEIR, YOU KNOW, WORK EMAIL THAT THEY USE MORE. COOL. ALL RIGHT. IF THERE'S NOT OBJECTION, UH, IT'S SEVEN 20 AND WE CAN ADJOURN OUR MEETING. THANKS EVERYBODY. GOODNIGHT EVERYONE. THANK YOU. THANKS, BYE. THANKS, BYE. GOODNIGHT. THANKS. * 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.