Mar 25, 2026 Climate, Water, Environment, and Parks Committee

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EVERYBODY, WE WILL

[CALL TO ORDER]

IT IS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25TH AT 9:42 AM WE ARE AT 3 0 1 WEST SECOND STREET.

UH, AND WE WILL BEGIN THE

[Public Communication: General]

I BELIEVE WE HAVE ONE INDIVIDUAL.

YES, SIR.

UM, PAUL ROBBINS.

GOOD MORNING, MR. ROBBINS.

GOOD MORNING.

COMMITTEE.

UM, UH, FOR THE RECORD, I'M PAUL ROBBINS, AND YOU ALL KNOW THAT I'M VICE CHAIR OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION.

UH, SEVERAL OF OUR MEMBERS SPOKE AT THE LAST MEETING ABOUT THE TEXAS GAS SERVICE FRANCHISE NEGOTIATION.

WE RELAYED A SUMMARY OF A MULTIFACETED RESOLUTION ON ADVICE WE GAVE TO COUNCIL.

I HOPE YOU'LL TAKE MOST OR ALL OF IT.

WHAT BRINGS ME HERE TODAY IS TO ASK COUNCIL TO GO ON RECORD ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT IN THIS FRANCHISE.

WHILE OUR COMMISSION IS GRATEFUL THAT CITY STAFF HAS TAKEN A RESOLUTION INTO CONSIDERATION, WE ARE NOT A SOVEREIGN BOARD AND WE DO NOT SPEAK FOR COUNCIL.

THIS IS A ONCE IN A GENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO GET LONG NEEDED REFORMS. PLEASE GO ON RECORD, UH, ABOUT POLICY THAT YOU WANT TO SEE.

I ALSO URGE YOU NOT TO BE CROWDED BY WHAT I THINK IS AN ARTIFICIAL DEADLINE.

UH, STAFF WANTS TO BRING FIRST READING OF THIS TO YOU ON MAY 7TH.

THE FRANCHISE EXPIRATION CAN BE EXTENDED IF BOTH PARTIES AGREE.

PLEASE TAKE THE EXTRA TIME TO GET THIS RIGHT IF IT'S NEEDED.

APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU'VE DONE ON THIS.

UM, MEMBERS, WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO ITEM NUMBER ONE.

THERE'S SOME DISCREPANCIES IN THE MINUTES THAT NEED TO BE FIXED.

SO THOSE WILL COME BACK AT OUR NEXT MEETING.

SO WE'LL SKIP RIGHT TO ITEM NUMBER TWO,

[2. Briefing on performance measures updates from Austin Resource Recovery. [Richard McHale, Director, Austin Resource Recovery]. Sponsors: Council Member Ryan Alter, and Council Member Paige Ellis]

AND I SEE DIRECTOR MCHALE HERE WITH HELP.

YEAH, I BROUGHT MY BACK UP.

SO, GOOD MORNING.

UH, ALWAYS GOOD IDEA.

GOOD MORNING , UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS.

RICHARD MCHALE, DIRECTOR FROST RESOURCE RECOVERY.

AND I HAVE HERE WITH ME, UH, GINA MCKINLEY, A DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.

SO, UM, THANKS FOR THE, UM, OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS OUR PERFORMANCE, UH, MEASURES AND HOW WE'RE DOING, UH, NOT JUST OUR KPIS, BUT WE'VE ALSO RECENTLY WERE, UH, RECEIVED ISO CERTIFICATION.

SO THERE'S ALSO SOME GOALS IN THERE THAT WE HAVE, AND ALSO I THINK WE'RE GONNA TOUCH ON SOME OF OUR GOALS IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.

UM, AND, UH, WITH THAT, I'LL GO AHEAD AND, AND LET GINA GO AHEAD AND START THAT OFF.

GOOD MORNING.

UH, LIKE THE DIRECTOR SAID, MY NAME IS GINA MCKINLEY, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.

AND I'D LOVE TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT SOME OF THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR DEPARTMENT, STARTING OUT WITH OUR KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS.

UM, YOU'LL SEE THOSE ON THE SCREEN HERE.

I'LL WALK THROUGH THEM AND POINT OUT SOME HIGHLIGHTS.

THE FIRST ON THE SCREEN IS THE AVERAGE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH THE QUALITY OF OUR CURBSIDE AND HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE SERVICES.

THIS ONE, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF DATA.

IT'S A SER, IT'S A COMMUNITY WIDE SURVEY THAT IS ADMINISTERED EVERY TWO YEARS.

SO WE SHOULD BE GETTING THE RESULTS, UM, THIS SPRING FOR THE FY 25 RESULTS.

AND THEN WE WOULD GET THEM AGAIN A COUPLE YEARS AFTER THAT.

YOU SEE THE, THE METRIC AND FY 23 IS 71.7%.

UM, THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR COMMENTS IN THAT FIELD.

WHAT WE SEE WITH THIS PARTICULAR SCORES, THE COMMENTS ARE TYPICALLY ABOUT THE HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITY AND THE RECYCLE AND REUSE DROPOFF FACILITY, THE LOCATION, BECAUSE IT IS IN THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF THE CITY, IT'S HARDER FOR SOME FOLKS TO GET TO.

WE'RE HOPEFUL TO SEE THAT NUMBER INCREASE NOW THAT WE'VE IMPLEMENTED THE ON-DEMAND SERVICES FOR HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE TO MAKE THAT MORE CONVENIENT FOR MORE OF OUR COMMUNITY.

THE SECOND INDICATOR YOU SEE THERE IS RELATED TO LOST TIME INJURY RATE.

UM, THIS ONE, AS YOU CAN SEE, IS TRENDING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

UM, THERE WAS A SPIKE IN FY 25, UM, SIGNIFICANT FROM THE PREVIOUS TWO YEARS.

UM, SO DIGGING INTO THE DATA HERE, OBVIOUSLY SAFETY IS ONE OF OUR TOP PRIORITIES AT AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY, AND WE WANT THOSE INJURIES TO GO DOWN AS WELL AS LOST TIME RELATED TO INJURIES.

UM, SO IN LOOKING AT THE DATA,

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THE BULK OF INJURIES THAT WE SEE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT ARE SPRAINS AND STRAINS.

UM, SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT THAT DATA AND ACTUALLY IDENTIFY WHEN THE MOST OF THOSE INJURIES ARE HAPPENING.

WHAT WE SEE IS THAT IT'S REALLY DURING OUR PEAK SEASON.

SO RIGHT NOW WHEN ORGANICS AND COMPOST IS VERY HEAVY, WE SEE MORE SPRAINS AND STRAINS IN THAT WORK GROUP.

OVER THE COURSE OF THE SUMMER, WE SEE MORE STRAINS AND SPRAINS IN OUR RECYCLING AND TRASH WORK GROUPS.

MORE FOLKS ARE HOME AND THERE'S MORE VOLUME GENERATED.

SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IS, UM, REALLY DIG INTO THIS DATA TO TRY TO RESET THAT TREND.

I'M HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THIS YEAR WE'RE SEEING SOME POSITIVE RESULTS.

UM, ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'VE HAD IS IN RETURNING INJURED EMPLOYEES BACK TO WORK, UM, WE HAD SOME STRUGGLES WITH DOING THAT SAFELY.

SO WE'VE CREATED SOME PROGRAMS SPECIFIC TARGETED TRAINING TO THOSE INJURIES THAT WE SEE RECURRING.

SO NOW EMPLOYEES CAN, WE HAVE A TWO WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM THAT IS SPECIFIC TO THE INJURY TYPE, AND WE CAN RETURN EMPLOYEES TO WORK SAFELY MORE QUICKLY.

ANOTHER CAUSE FOR THE SPIKE IS OUR HUMAN RESOURCES AND, UH, SAFETY TEAMS HAVE, HAVE WORKED TOGETHER TO REALLY IMPROVE THE REPORTING SO WE CAN GET A MORE ACCURATE PICTURE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING, UM, RELATED TO INJURIES IN OUR OPERATIONS.

UM, BUT JUST A NOTE ON THAT ONE AND WHY YOU SEE THE SPIKE.

UM, THE NEXT MEASURE IS RELATED TO OUR, UH, ON TIME COLLECTION OF OUR CURBSIDE SERVICES.

THAT ONE IS TRENDING ABOUT THE SAME OVER THE YEARS.

OUR GOAL IS TO BE ON TIME EVERY TIME.

UM, WE KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT THE CASE EVERY TIME, BUT WE ARE TRENDING PRETTY WELL ON THAT ONE.

UM, THE NEXT MEASURE IS THE PERCENT OF CURBSIDE COLLECTED MATERIALS DIVERTED FROM THE LANDFILL.

UM, AND THIS ONE YOU CAN SEE IT'S RELATIVELY STEADY OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.

THERE WAS A SPIKE IN FY 23 THAT'S ATTRIBUTED TO WINTER STORM MARA.

UM, SO THERE WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF, UH, DEBRIS THAT WAS DIVERTED THROUGH COMPOST, AND THAT'S WHAT'S ACCOUNTS FOR THAT INCREASE.

UM, OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO KEEP THAT TREND GOING UPWARD, UM, AS A CITY WITH A ZERO WASTE SKULL.

AND SO WE'RE LOOKING, UM, VERY HEAVILY AT ADDITIONAL MEASURES SO THAT WE CAN BETTER EVALUATE WHERE WE ARE.

UM, RECENTLY, THIS WAS A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION AT THE AUDIT AND FINANCE COMMITTEE WHERE I TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES.

WE SEE LIGHTWEIGHTING OF MATERIAL, WHICH CAN SKEW THAT NUMBER A LITTLE BIT.

UM, WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING WITH THE RECYCLING PARTNERSHIP TO DO A CAPTURE RATE STUDY, WHICH GIVES US REALLY DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT'S GOING INTO OUR RECYCLING TRASH AND COMPOSTING CARTS.

WE'LL BE TESTING AN EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION AND THEN FOLLOWING UP WITH A POST CAPTURE RATE STUDY.

SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT TO SEE IF THERE'S SOME, UM, EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER PRACTICES THAT WE CAN IMPLEMENT THAT WILL IMPROVE OUR PARTICIPATION RATE, REDUCE OUR CONTAMINATION RATE, AND ULTIMATELY DRIVE US CLOSER TO THAT ZERO WASTE GOAL.

AND THEN THE FINAL KPI, UH, THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT IS OUR PERCENT OF UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE AFFECTED PROPERTIES REPORTING ACCESS TO RECYCLING FOR THEIR EMPLOYEES AND TENANTS.

UM, SOME THINGS TO NOTE ON THIS MEASURE, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR, THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE REQUIRES ALL COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING.

UM, SO THIS MEASURE IS REALLY BASED ON THE INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY SUBMITTING THEIR FORM.

AND WHAT WE FOUND OVER THE YEARS IS THERE'S CHANGEOVER IN OWNERS FOR BUSINESSES AND PROPERTIES THAT CAUSES SOME OF THE LAG AND THE PERCENTAGE.

UM, WE ALSO FIND THAT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN A BUSINESS IS ACTUALLY DOING WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, BUT THEY HAVEN'T SUBMITTED THE FORM.

UM, SO THAT WOULDN'T, THEY WOULD BE DOING WHAT IS INTENDED, BUT IT WOULDN'T BE ACCOUNTED FOR IN THIS MEASURE.

AND THEN THE FINAL NOTE IS THAT WE ARE WORKING REALLY CLOSELY WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND THE CODE ENFORCEMENT TEAM, UM, TO HELP US MOVE THIS MEASURE ALONG SO THAT WE GET A HIGHER PERCENTAGE OF PARTICIPATION.

UH, WE HAVE A BUSINESS OUTREACH TEAM WITH AN AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY THAT DOES A LOT OF WORK WITH BUSINESS, THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, AND THOSE AFFECTED BY THE URO TO HELP THEM GET PROGRAMS IN PLACE, MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT'S REQUIRED, AND THEY'RE DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS.

UM, THERE ARE SOME PROPERTIES THAT ENFORCEMENT MIGHT BE THE ACTION THAT IS NEEDED, AND WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES TEAM ON THAT.

CAN I PAUSE YOU RIGHT THERE? SURE.

SORRY TO INTERRUPT.

BUT WE HAVE, ACCORDING TO THAT, WE, WE HAVE A, A LIST OR WE KNOW WHO THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE APPLIES TO.

WE KNOW ACCORDING TO THIS, WHO IS PARTICIPATING.

SO WHAT IS OUR STICK FOR THE OTHER 30% IS CAN WE ISSUE A FINE OR WHAT WE CAN, THERE'S A CRIMINAL, CRIMINAL PENALTY ASSOCIATED WITH NON-COMPLIANCE OF THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE.

UM, IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE ORDINANCES ORDINANCE, THAT WAS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES.

WE NEEDED ACTUAL CODE OFFICERS TO ENFORCE THE ORDINANCE.

UM, AND KNOWING THAT THERE'S A STRETCH IN THE CODE ENFORCEMENT STAFF, UM, THAT WASN'T AVAILABLE.

SO WE DID EVERYTHING WE COULD TO, UM,

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UM, AND NOW WE DIDN'T, WE CAN SEE THAT THE NUMBERS HAVE KIND OF STAGNATED AND THE ENFORCEMENT IS THE PATH THAT WE'RE MOVING FORWARD.

SO JUST LAST YEAR, THERE WERE STAFF THAT WERE MOVED INTO THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES GROUP, UM, FOR A CODE ENFORCEMENT TEAM, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCES.

OUR TEAM WORKS VERY CLOSELY WITH THEM.

THIS IS STILL IN ITS EARLY STAGES THAT THAT TRANSITION JUST HAPPENED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FISCAL YEAR.

SO WE'RE, AND THIS IS AN ANNUAL REPORTING MEASURE.

UM, THE REPORTS ARE DUE IN FEBRUARY, EARLY FEBRUARY.

SO I'M HOPEFUL RIGHT NOW WOULD BE THE TIME THAT THAT ENFORCEMENT ACTION WOULD BE TAKING PLACE.

IT'S KIND OF THE GRACE PERIOD IS OVER.

SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT THE, THE NUMBER WE SEE NEXT YEAR IS DIFFERENT BASED ON THAT ENFORCEMENT ACTION.

OKAY.

THANK YOU.

MM-HMM .

UH, DIRECTOR MIKHAIL MENTIONED THAT WE'RE PROUD TO SAY THAT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, OUR DEPARTMENT DID RECEIVE ISO 9,001 2015 CERTIFICATION.

SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR PROBABLY A COUPLE OF YEARS, UM, TO BRING OUR DEPARTMENT INTO ALIGNMENT WITH THE ISO STANDARDS.

UM, AS PART OF THAT CERTIFICATION PROCESS, WE WORKED ACROSS THE DEPARTMENT, REALLY FOCUSED ON QUALITY DELIVERY OF SERVICES, MAKING SURE WE'RE DELIVERING ON TIME SERVICES TO OUR CUSTOMERS WITH THE QUALITY THAT IS EXPECTED OF THEM.

SO I WON'T GO INTO, THERE'S A, A TON OF MEASURES THAT WE'VE PUT IN PLACE IN ADDITION TO THOSE THAT THE DEPARTMENT WAS ALREADY TRACKING.

UM, BUT JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT, THAT IT'S A, IT'S AN ADDITIONAL DATA SET.

UM, NOT NECESSARILY ALL NEW DATA, SOME NEW DATA TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRACKING OUR PROCESSES APPROPRIATELY.

UM, HERE'S JUST A SAMPLE OF SOME OF THAT DATA.

SO YOU'LL SEE, AND IN MOST CASES WE'RE WE ARE MEETING OR EXCEEDING OUR TARGETS, UM, THE OUTLIER WAS THAT CLEAN CREEKS PROGRAM YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM, AVERAGE NUMBER OF CLEANUPS PER SITE PER MONTH.

UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE ISO TRACKING PROCESS IN PLACE, WE COULD SEE THAT WE WERE LAGGING, UM, AND FALLING BELOW OUR TARGET.

UM, WHEN WE HAVE NOW, WELL EXCEEDED THAT TARGET, UM, ARE EXCEEDING IT, I THINK, PRETTY REGULARLY.

UM, BUT THIS, THE ISO, THE ISO PROCESS HAS REALLY BEEN A GREAT TOOL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY.

IN OUR DEPARTMENT.

WE WE'RE TRACKING THINGS LIKE PERCENTAGE OF TRASH RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING SPECIAL SERVICES COLLECTED ON TIME.

THE PRO CENTER IS OUR CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM THAT HANDLES ESCALATIONS THAT COME FROM 3 1 1.

UM, ALSO LOOKING AT THE RECYCLE AND REUSE DROP-OFF CENTER AND THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION THERE.

I ALSO WANTED TO TOUCH ON SOME OF OUR STRATEGIC GOALS.

SO WHAT YOU'LL SEE ON THE SCREEN ARE SOME OF THE STRATEGIC GOALS IN OUR ZERO WASTE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

SOME OF THOSE ARE ALSO MENTIONED IN THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.

UM, THE AUSTIN, THE ZERO WASTE PLAN WAS PUT INTO PLACE ADOPTED BY COUNCIL IN 2011, RECENTLY UPDATED IN 2023.

SO WE'RE EXCITED TO REPORT THAT WE'VE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS ON THAT UPDATE.

UPDATED PLAN, UM, THE BULK AND BRUSH AND HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE ON DEMAND COLLECTION PROGRAMS THEY HAVE NOW LAUNCHED.

UM, WE'VE ALSO IMPLEMENTED THE COMPOSTING AND MULTIFAMILY.

THAT'S THROUGH THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE, AN EXPANSION OF THAT POLICY.

WE'VE GOT DIGITAL TOOLS IN PLACE TO HELP PROMOTE REUSE AND DONATION, UH, MOVE OUT.

A TX IS A PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS TO PROVIDE ALTERNATE, UM, MEANS OF DIVERSION FOR A LARGE VOLUME OF MATERIAL, OFTEN FURNITURE AND OTHER REALLY HIGH QUALITY MATERIAL THAT WAS TYPICALLY GOING TO THE LANDFILL.

AND THOSE GO DIRECTLY TO REESE ORGANIZATIONS.

UM, CONTINUING TO IMPLEMENT AND IMPROVE UPON THE CONSTRUCTION DEMOLITION RECYCLING ORDINANCE.

AND WE'VE ALSO IMPLEMENTED AN INTERNAL MARKETPLACE SHARING CALLED RELEY, UM, THAT ALLOWS US TO SHARE MATERIALS BETWEEN DEPARTMENTS.

IT WAS, IT'S ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF OLD TO DATE.

WE'VE HAD OVER 12,000 TRANSACTIONS SINCE THAT TIME, WHICH HAS RESULTED IN ABOUT OVER $400,000 OF AVOIDED COST TO THE CITY.

SO WE'RE REALLY EXCITED TO HAVE THAT AS A RESOURCE FOR CITY EMPLOYEES.

THESE ARE SOME OF OUR KEY MILESTONES, UH, FOR THE YEAR.

SO I WANTED TO WALK THROUGH THOSE AND GIVE YOU AN UPDATE.

THE FIRST IS ESTABLISHING LITTER COORDINATION EFFORTS WITH NONPROFITS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE CITY.

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON AND IS ONGOING.

WE'VE ESTABLISHED MONTHLY MEETINGS WITH STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE COMMUNITY, INCLUDING STATE COUNTY, NONPROFITS AND OTHERS.

UM, WE'RE WORKING VERY HARD ON THAT.

WE'VE IDENTIFIED SEVEN SITES WHERE WE HAVE VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE DOING CLEANUP TO SUPPLEMENT THE WORK THAT THE CITY IS DOING.

WE'RE IN ACTIVE CONVERSATIONS WITH CAP METRO ABOUT LITERATE BUS STOPS.

THERE'S A LOT GOING ON THERE, MORE TO COME ON THAT.

UM, BUT KNOW THAT WE'RE ACTIVELY WORKING ON THAT.

UM, ADDITIONALLY, WE'RE EXPANDING SERVICES WITHIN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, SO WE'RE EXCITED.

THERE'S AN ACTUALLY AN ITEM ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA TOMORROW.

UM, BECAUSE THAT CONTRACT HAD IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE, AND WE

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THE NEW CONTRACT WILL HAVE THE ADDITION OF COMPOST SERVICES.

REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

TO BRING THE CBD INTO COMPLIANCE WITH THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE, WE ARE WORKING WITH AUSTIN ENERGY, UM, TO FIND A USE FOR OUR FM EIGHT 12 CLOSED LANDFILL.

UM, I'M HOPEFUL THAT, UM, IN APRIL, THERE'LL, THERE'LL BE AN ITEM COMING TO COUNCIL, UM, A RELATED TO THIS, WHERE WE WOULD BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT A SOLAR ARRAY AT OUR CLOSED LANDFILL, WHICH WOULD BE A GREAT USE OF THAT SPACE, UM, AND PROVIDE ENERGY FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

THE ISO CERTIFICATION I TALKED ABOUT THAT IS COMPLETE.

WE WERE ABLE TO GET THAT COMPLETE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.

UM, WE CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR SITES FOR THE NORTH TRANSFER STATION, SO THAT ONE IS IN PROGRESS.

UM, TRYING TO LOOK FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACE, UM, THAT MAKES SENSE FOR OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY FOR OUR DEPARTMENT.

AND THEN ALSO EXCITED FOR THAT.

LAST ONE THERE, THE FURNITURE REUSE WAREHOUSE.

THERE'S AN ITEM ON THE COUNCIL AGENDA TOMORROW REQUESTING AUTHORIZATION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A PURCHASE OF A PROPERTY THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED IN NORTH AUSTIN.

AND THEN THE, THE FINAL FEW SLIDES, WE'LL WALK THROUGH VARIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO CLIMATE, PARKS, ENVIRONMENT, AND WATER.

SOME OF THESE ARE A LITTLE REDUNDANT TO WHAT I'VE JUST SHARED WITH YOU, UM, INCLUDING THIS FIRST ONE.

SO THAT IS THE SOLAR ARRAY I WAS TALKING ABOUT AT THE CLOSED LANDFILL.

UM, ANOTHER PROJECT WE'RE WORKING ON IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER IS, UM, STOCKPILING SOME OF OUR AUSTIN RELAND PAINT.

SO THAT'S PAINT THAT WE PRODUCE, UH, FROM THE MATERIAL THAT'S DROPPED OFF AT OUR RECYCLE AND REUSE DROP OFF CENTER.

THEY NEED ABOUT 3,600 GALLONS FOR THE NEW CONVENTION CENTER, WHICH WILL SAVE THEM ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS ON THE PROJECT.

EVERY SHADE OF GRAY, I'M SORRY, I SAID EVERY SHADE OF GRAY AND I THINK GREEN NOW.

WHOA.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE BRANCHING OUT AT THE DROPOUT CENTER, A GRAY GREEN .

UM, WE ALSO HAVE OUR CIRCULAR ECONOMY PROGRAM, AND THERE ARE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES GOING ON THERE THAT SUPPORT, REUSE, REPAIR, AND RECYCLING OF MATERIALS.

SO FIX IT.

AUSTIN IS AN EXAMPLE.

WE HAVE REVERSE PITCH AND THEN PROVIDE DIRECT CIRCULAR SERVICES TO LOCAL BUSINESSES.

AND THEN WE'RE ALSO ACTIVELY WORKING TO ELECTRIFY FLEET WHEREVER WE CAN.

UM, I THINK AT THIS POINT, MOST IF NOT ALL OF OUR LIGHT DUTY VEHICLES ARE TRANSITIONED TO ELECTRIC VERSIONS.

UM, WE HAD AN ELECTRIC TRASH COLLECTION VEHICLE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO TEST.

SO WE ARE CONTINUING TO LOOK AT THE MARKET AND MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WHERE WE CAN, WE'RE, WE'RE MOVING TO ELECTRIC, LOOKING AT WATER.

UM, A LOT OF THIS IS KIND OF AVOIDED DEBRIS ENTERING INTO OUR WATERWAYS.

SO FROM ENCAMPMENTS, WE REMOVE, REMOVED JUST OVER 1400 TONS OF DEBRIS FROM ENCAMPMENTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AS WELL AS, UH, 48 TONS OF LITTER DEBRIS FROM EMBANKMENTS OF AREA CREEKS.

AND THAT WAS FISCAL YEAR 25 DATA.

SINCE THE LAUNCH OF OUR ON DEMAND PROGRAM WITH HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO COLLECT 383 TONS OF MATERIALS.

THOSE ARE THINGS LIKE CHEMICALS, OILS, PAINTS, KEEPS THAT OUT OF OUR WATERWAYS AND STORM DRAINS.

AND THEN WE ALSO, THROUGH OUR STREET SWEEPING PROGRAM, HAVE SWEPT APPROXIMATELY 70, 79,000 MILES OF CITY ROADWAYS AND REMOVED JUST OVER 5,000 TONS OF DEBRIS THROUGH THOSE OPERATIONS.

IN TERMS OF ENVIRONMENTS, UM, I MENTIONED LEY.

THAT'S OUR INTERNAL REUSE MARKETPLACE FOR CITY EMPLOYEES.

UM, OBVIOUSLY OUR CURBSIDE RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING PROGRAMS, ALL OF OUR DIVERSION OPPORTUNITIES, UM, HAVE A CONTRIBU A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TO OUR ENVIRONMENT.

FROM FY 25, OUR RECYCLING PROGRAM DIVERTED.

OUR CURBSIDE RECYCLING PROGRAM, I SHOULD SAY DIVERTED JUST OVER 40,000 TONS OF MATERIAL.

AND OUR COMPOST COLLECTION PROGRAM, UM, JUST ALMOST 39,000 TONS.

THE URO UM, ALSO SUPPORTS THIS, THE ZERO WASTE SKULL IN DIVERTING MATERIAL.

UM, SO THE URO, THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE REQUIRES ALL COMMERCIAL AND MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES TO HAVE ACCESS TO RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING.

UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF THE POLICY ARM OF PUSHING DIVERSION FOR THAT PORTION OF THE COMMUNITY.

UM, WE ALSO MOVED A LOT OF LITTER FROM THE CBD AND CLEANUPS IN THE RIGHT OF WAY OVER THE COURSE OF FY 25.

JUST, JUST CLOSE TO 500 TONS OF LITTER IN THAT AREA.

AND FINALLY, CONTRIBUTIONS TO PARKS.

UM, EVERY YEAR, I THINK WE'RE APPROACHING OUR 40TH YEAR NEAR IT.

UM, WE'VE PARTNERED WITH AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION TO RECYCLE DISCARDED CHRISTMAS TREES AND IN CENTRAL PARK AT CENTRAL PARK.

I'M PLANNING A TRIP TO NEW YORK, IF YOU CAN'T TELL, UM, AT ZILKER PARK.

UM, AND WE HAVE ABOUT 950 CUBIC YARDS OF TREES THAT WE'VE, UM, COLLECTED THERE, WHICH GETS PROCESSED ROUGHLY INTO 260 CUBIC YARDS OF MULCH FOR AUSTIN RESIDENTS.

ALWAYS A HOT COMMODITY.

PEOPLE FLOCK TO PICK UP THAT MULCH.

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THIS IS LARGELY THROUGH OUR, UM, WORK AND ENCAMPMENTS IN THE PARKS.

AND THEN, UM, THIS WAS A, A NEW TO ME ITEM.

WE WORK WITH, UM, PARKS AND RECREATION TO DEVELOP A DIVERSION OPPORTUNITY FOR CEMETERY SPOILS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY LANDFILLED.

UM, SO IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT CEMETERY SPOILS ARE, IT'S THE LEFTOVER SOIL AND DEBRIS ONCE A GRAVESIDE IS EXCAVATED.

UM, SO IT'S COLLECTED.

AND THEN WHEN THAT, THAT MATERIAL GETS TO BE A LARGE VOLUME, WE COME AND COLLECTED AND USE IT IN OUR CLOSE LANDFILL.

I BELIEVE I WENT REALLY QUICKLY THROUGH A WHOLE LOT OF INFORMATION, UM, BUT HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE.

ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCILOR? COUNCILMAN DECHEN.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

AND THANK YOU FOR THIS VERY THOROUGH UPDATE.

I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK YOU GUYS ARE DOING.

UH, I WANNA START WITH THE KPIS.

AND THIS IS, YOU'LL HAVE TO OVERLOOK MY, UH, IGNORANCE HERE.

I UNDERSTAND CHAIR TER AND I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND KPIS AND SOME DEPARTMENTS AND ACROSS THE CITY, THE FIVE KPIS YOU LAID OUT AT THE BEGINNING, UM, I'M ASSUMING YOU'VE GOT AS, AT LEAST I'M DISCOVERING IN OTHER PLACES, LIKE AN INTERNAL SET OF KPIS AS WELL AS THIS, THE FIVE KPIS YOU SHARED, THE FIVE KPIS YOU SHARED, ARE THEY THE ONES THAT ARE IN LIKE THE CITY MANAGER'S TOP A HUNDRED KPIS THAT ARE GETTING REPORTED? WHERE, HELP ME JUST TO EXPAND ON THIS, WHAT KPIS YOU HAVE AND WHERE THEY LIVE.

YOU ARE CORRECT.

THOSE ARE THE, THE, THE KPIS THAT ARE ON THE SLIDE ARE THE, THE KIND OF HIGHER LEVEL PUT THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE KPIS THAT YOU WOULD SEE FOR THE DEPARTMENT.

UM, LIKE MANY DEPARTMENTS, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF MEASURES THAT WE'RE TRACKING, UM, THAT DON'T ALWAYS GET ROLLED UP.

I'D HAVE TO DOUBLE CHECK.

DON'T QUOTE ME.

WE TRY TO PUT A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION ON THE OPEN DATA PORTAL.

OKAY.

SO OTHER MEASURES THAT YOU MAY, THAT WE MAY HAVE, UM, I MENTIONED THE ISO CERTIFICATION THROUGHOUT THAT PROCESS, WE HAVE A PLATFORM WHERE WE'RE TRACKING ALL OF THAT DATA AND WE AS AN EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM MEET REGULARLY TO GO OVER THAT DATA, LOOK AT HOW IT'S TRENDING AND WHERE WE NEED TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTIONS.

SO, I DUNNO IF I DIRECTLY ANSWERED YOUR QUESTION, BUT YES, THOSE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS.

THERE ARE MANY MORE IN, IN A VARIETY OF PLACES.

OKAY.

I WOULD BE CURIOUS AT SOME POINT JUST TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THOSE, THE COLLECTIVE KPIS LOOK LIKE.

UH, 'CAUSE I IMAGINE THERE ARE LOTS OF THINGS YOU GUYS ARE MEASURING THAT MIGHT BE MORE OR LESS IMPORTANT TO ME THAT PROBABLY ARE PART OF THE INTERNAL SET THAT I JUST HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING OR VISIBILITY.

AND IT WOULD BE GOOD TO JUST VALIDATE SOME OF THAT OR UNDERSTAND WHAT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHERE YOUR PRIORITIES ARE ON THAT.

SURE.

UM, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF IT'S, UH, WELL, THE ONES THAT YOU, THAT ARE, THAT ARE PUBLIC, A LOT OF THOSE ARE, UH, IN PROGRESS, WELL, SORRY, ON TRACK.

UH, I'M ASSUMING THAT'S THE SAME FOR THE INTERNAL, IS THAT CORRECT? I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL OF OUR INTERNAL.

OKAY.

ALRIGHT.

SO THERE'S, THERE'S A A NUMBER OF INTERNAL MEASURES.

SO I, I WOULD HATE TO SAY THEY'RE ALL ON TRACK.

I'M, YOU KNOW, I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE DATA AND GET BACK TO YOU.

OKAY.

I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD START THEN.

I DON'T WANNA MAKE ANY ASSUMPTIONS EITHER.

UH, OBVIOUSLY A PLACE THAT WE'VE BEEN, UH, TRYING TO WORK WITH YOU ALL AND, AND COLLABORATE ON IS JUST REGARDING THE BRUSH PICKUPS AND TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WHILE WE'RE SAVING MONEY AND, AND MEASURING THINGS IN A LOT OF POSITIVE WAYS, THAT WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR VOLUME IS UP.

AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE EMPHASIS IS GONNA BE TRYING TO FOCUS ON, UH, PUBLIC EDUCATION AS WELL AS, UH, BUILDING BETTER COORDINATION, COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS TO TRY AND GET THOSE NUMBERS UP.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE IN TERMS OF THE THINGS YOU GUYS ARE BRAINSTORMING ABOUT HOW TO IMPROVE THOSE NUMBERS FOR BRUSH COLLECTION SPECIFICALLY? YEAH.

UM, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS MANY MENTIONED, UM, PARTICULARLY, UH, FROM OUR PREVIOUS CONVERSATION HERE AT THIS COMMITTEE AROUND WILDFIRE PREVENTION.

WE TALKED ABOUT, I'VE TALKED TO OUR COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ABOUT VERY TARGETED MESSAGING, UM, NOT JUST REMINDERS ABOUT THE BRUSH COLLECTION, BUT LOOKING AT AREAS WHERE THAT ARE WILDFIRE THAT ARE AT HIGHER RISK WITHIN THE CITY, OR EVEN REALLY AROUND ALL OF THE CITY TO HAVE TARGETED MESSAGE ABOUT REMINDING ABOUT SERVICES THAT WE OFFER AND HOW THAT CONTRIBUTES TO PREVENTION OF WILDFIRE.

SO THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT WE'RE BUILDING UPON TO MAKE SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDS ONE, THAT THAT SERVICE IS AVAILABLE TO THEM, AND TWO, THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THERE IS, UM, KIND OF HEALTH AND SAFETY RISK ASSOCIATED WITH MAKING SURE THEY'RE USING IT.

OKAY.

UH, THAT, THAT WOULD BE, I APPRECIATE THAT ANSWER AND, AND THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO GET THAT INFORMATION.

AND THEN JUST TO BUILD ON THAT, UH, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WERE IN HERE, OR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT WERE IN HERE, UM, THAT I WONDER IF WE CAN HELP WITH IN TERMS OF GETTING PUBLIC INFORMATION OUT ABOUT CERTAIN PROGRAMS THAT CAN SUPPORT SOME OF THE KPIS AND METRICS YOU ALL ARE

[00:25:01]

I KNOW THAT THERE'S A, UH, AND IF WE CAN EXPAND ANY SORT OF DIGITAL PUBLIC TOOLS, THERE'S, IT SOUNDS LIKE, UH, THE REUSE DIRECTORY FOR LOCATING DONATIONS AND REUSE OPPORTUNITIES.

I SUSPECT THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT CONSTITUENTS DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO HAVE BETTER INFORMATION, UH, ABOUT, I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE RELEY PROGRAM IN THE CITY, SO IF THAT'S SOMETHING EVEN THAT COUNCIL DEPARTMENTS CAN ACCESS, THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO UNDERSTAND.

SO ALL I'M TRYING TO SAY IS IT'D BE USEFUL TO, UH, FOR THE THINGS THAT WE CAN COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, IN NEWSLETTERS, IT'D BE USEFUL TO HELP YOU ALL PUSH THAT OUT THERE.

AND FOR THE THINGS THAT, FOR PROGRAMS THAT, AGAIN, MY COLLEAGUES HAVE BEEN HERE LONGER THAN I HAVE AND MAY HAVE MORE AWARENESS, BUT COULD BE, IF THERE'S A BETTER WAY TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE OFFERINGS, UH, WHETHER THEY'RE INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL, THAT WOULD BE USEFUL TOO.

AND THEN, UH, I THINK THE LAST THING I'VE GOT HERE IS, UM, JUST REGARDING UNDERSTANDING THE, IS O UH, OR THE ISO, IF, IS THAT JUST A COMPLIMENTARY SET OF KPIS THAT HELPS YOU TRACK ANYTHING THAT YOU WEREN'T TRACKING BEFORE OR TO PICK UP ANY MISSING INFORMATION? SO AS PART OF THE ISO PROCESS, UM, WE HAVE AN INTERNAL TEAM THAT LED THAT EFFORT, EFFORT AND PARTNERSHIP WITH AN AN ISO CONSULTANT.

AND, UM, ISO AUDITORS CAME, LIKE A THIRD PARTY PARTY AUDITOR CAME IN.

BUT IN PREPARATION FOR THAT ULTIMATE AUDIT THAT LED TO CERTIFICATION, WE WORKED WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS THROUGHOUT THE DEPARTMENT, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD, UM, UP TO DATE AND ACCURATE PROCESS MAPS FOR THE NUMBER OF SERVICES AND PROGRAMS THAT WE PROVIDE.

AND AS PART OF THAT PROCESS MAPPING, WE LOOKED AT PARTICULAR MEASUREMENTS THAT WOULD HELP US UNDERSTAND IF WE WERE OFF TRACK OR MISSING SOMETHING IN THOSE PROCESSES.

AND SO AS A RESULT WHERE THERE NEEDED TO BE SUPPLEMENTAL MEASURES, THOSE WERE CREATED AND PUT IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN APPROPRIATELY TRACK SOME OF THOSE MEASURES WE WERE ALREADY TRACKING.

SO THERE IS SOME REDUNDANCY THERE, BUT THERE ALSO COULD HAVE BEEN NEW MEASURES THAT WERE DEVELOPED TO TRACK THAT.

OKAY.

UH, I DID WANNA TOUCH ON THE COMPOSTING BRIEFLY.

I'M CURIOUS, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HISTORY IS, BUT I KNOW FOR MULTIFAMILY COMPOSTING WAS A REQUIREMENT, UH, THAT WAS ADDED MAYBE A YEAR OR TWO AGO, I BELIEVE TWO YEARS AGO.

TWO YEARS AGO.

UM, AND SO I'M ASSUMING YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, AS YOU FIRST CARRIED IT, NOW ARE GONNA BE STICKING, UH, COMMUNITIES WITH THAT BECAUSE IT IS AN UNFUNDED MANDATE FOR, FOR PARTICULARLY LARGER COMMUNITIES, UM, THAT THERE'S GONNA BE GREATER ADOPTION GOING FORWARD.

I'M JUST CURIOUS, HOW DOES THAT COMPARE IF YOU HAVE ANY HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT A, WHAT THE SAME PROCESS WAS FOR RECYCLING? BECAUSE I'M ASSUMING AT SOME POINT WE, WE UNDERTOOK THE SAME PROCESS, I DUNNO HOW MANY YEARS OR DECADES AGO WITH RECYCLING, RIGHT.

UM, I DON'T HAVE THAT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT THAT WOULD BE AN INTERESTING THING TO LOOK AT.

JUST BASICALLY THE RATE OF ADOPTION, LIKE WHAT THE PERCENTAGES LOOK LIKE COMPARATIVELY.

UM, WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT THE LAST NUMBERS I SAW, UM, IN TERMS OF COMPLIANCE RELATED TO JUST SPECIFICALLY MULTI-FAMILY COMPOSTING, THAT TREND WAS ACTUALLY HIGHER THAN THE TREND YOU SAW REPORTED THROUGH OUR KPI.

OKAY.

SO THAT'S GOOD NEWS.

I THINK IT IS TRENDING.

IT, IT WAS, I WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED THAT IT WAS TRENDING AS HIGH AS IT WAS.

UM, I THINK IT WAS IN THE 70%.

YEAH.

UM, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT AND WE CAN REPORT, WE CAN LOOK AT THAT AND LOOK AT THE TRENDS TO COMPARE AND GET BACK TO YOU.

OKAY.

THAT'D BE GREAT.

UM, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THAT WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO BENCHMARK HOW SUCCESSFUL WE ARE BEING AND WHAT THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE CAN EXPECT.

ABSOLUTELY.

I'LL JUST SAY, AND I, I WOULD SAY PART OF THAT I THINK IS BECAUSE THE COMPOSTING COMPONENT WAS AN EXPANSION OF AN EXISTING REQUIREMENT TO HAVE RECYCLING.

I WOULD IMAGINE THAT'S WHY WE'RE, I, I THINK WE'RE SEEING A LITTLE BIT FASTER RATE OF ADOPTION.

YEAH.

OKAY.

UH, WELL I LOOK FORWARD TO THE COMMUNITY SURVEY.

I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CAPTURE RATE STUDY AND APPRECIATE YOUR WORK ON THIS.

THANK YOU CHAIR.

THANK YOU.

GOT IT.

VICE CHAIR ELLI.

THAT'S A PERFECT SEGUE INTO MULTIFAMILY COMPOSTING.

WE HAD LED ON THAT, AND I REMEMBER IT WAS IN BETA TESTING DURING THE PANDEMIC.

SO THAT BETA TESTING PERIOD GOT, UM, EXTENDED A BIT BECAUSE OF JUST SOME OF THE UPHEAVAL THAT WAS HAPPENING DURING THAT TIME.

UM, SO IS THERE GOOD COMMUNICATION WITH THE MULTIFAMILY APARTMENTS AND, AND CONDO UNITS THAT ARE, THAT ARE ADOPTING THIS? 'CAUSE I KNOW NOW IT IS FULLY IMPLEMENTED AND ENFORCEABLE RIGHT AFTER THE WAITING PERIOD.

THAT WAS ABOUT A YEAR.

UM, SO THEY'RE REPORTING TO YOU HOW MUCH COMPOSTING IS ACTUALLY BEING DONE.

UM, FIRST THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THAT EFFORT.

THANK, THANK, THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP TOO, .

YEAH, WE'RE EXCITED TO HAVE THAT IN PLACE NOW.

UM, AND IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNICATION, SO THE,

[00:30:01]

UM, WHAT THAT PLAN, WHAT THE PLAN REQUIRES IS TO REPORT THE, THE AMOUNT OF SERVICE THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING.

SO WE HAVE TO HAVE THE CAPACITY AND THE FREQUENCY OF COLLECTION.

WHAT WE DON'T GET IS THE ACTUAL AMOUNT OF MATERIAL.

SO THAT'S A GAP THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ADDRESS AND HOW DO WE GET BETTER DATA.

PART OF THAT IS THROUGH, UM, SOME OF THE COMMUNITY-WIDE DIVERSION RATE STUDIES THAT WE DO, WHICH IS DONE THROUGH A CONSULTANT.

SO THERE'S THAT PIECE TO SAY, WE DON'T NECESSARILY KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH IS DIVERTED.

WE KNOW WHAT THE CAPACITY FOR DIVERSION AND WHO HAS A SERVICE IN PLACE IN TERMS OF COMMUNICATION.

WE DO HAVE REGULAR COMMUNICATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS AROUND THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE IN GEN IN GENERAL, APARTMENT ASSOCIATION IS A GOOD EXAMPLE, BUT WORKING WITH, FOR SOME OF THE LARGER ENTITIES THAT HAVE MULTIPLE PROPERTIES WORKING WITH PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANIES AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AS WELL AS WORKING DIRECTLY WITH PROPERTIES OR SOMETIMES TENANTS WHO WANT THE SERVICE AND DON'T HAVE IT, FOR EXAMPLE.

THAT'S GREAT.

AND I KNOW IT'S SUPER HELPFUL AS SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN AN APARTMENT.

I KNOW THAT OURS JUST ANNOUNCED AN APP YOU CAN DOWNLOAD AND YOU KIND OF PLAY GAMES, AND I STILL NEED TO DOWNLOAD IT, BUT, UM, BUT YOU ESSENTIALLY ESSENTIALLY SCAN THE QR CODE THAT'S ON THE CONTAINER WHEN YOU COMPOST.

AND I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S SOME SORT OF GAME OR THING LIKE THAT THAT, UM, FURTHER INCENTIVIZES FOLKS TO BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT MATERIAL.

BUT, UM, IN THE PRESENTATION THAT WE WERE DISCUSSING YESTERDAY IN THE WORK SESSION, YOU KNOW, 58% OF ALL NEW HOUSING SINCE 1984 IS APARTMENTS.

AND SO THAT IS A LARGE SCOPE OF MATERIAL THAT IS NOW BEING DIVERTED FROM LANDFILLS.

AND I DON'T THINK WE HAD THAT FULL PICTURE UNTIL MORE RECENTLY WHEN WE REALLY STARTED LOOKING AT WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF HOUSING PEOPLE LIVE IN AND MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, CONDO DEVELOPMENTS HAVE ACCESS TO IT AS WELL BECAUSE, UM, IT, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE A NO BRAINER THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE ABLE TO UTILIZE THIS.

AND SO IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO HEAR THAT THERE IS SOME COORDINATION HAPPENING ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT TYPES OF BINS, HOW BIG OF BINS ARE BEING PROVIDED, AND HOW THAT IS WORKING.

UM, WOULD LOVE TO DRILL DOWN FURTHER INTO HOW MUCH IS IT ACTUALLY BEING UTILIZED.

UM, I THINK THAT'S JUST AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE BINS ARE ACCESSIBLE.

PEOPLE KNOW WHAT CAN BE COMPOSTED AND WHAT CAN'T.

I KNOW Y'ALL HAVE SOME FANTASTIC GRAPHICS, UM, BUT I KNOW OVER THE YEARS AND METHODS, THERE'S OTHER MATERIALS FOR COMPOSTING, LIKE MEAT OR BONES OR THINGS LIKE THAT THAT PEOPLE USED TO SAY, DON'T COMPOST THAT.

AND NOW, UM, THERE ARE PROCESSES IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT SOME FOLKS ARE COMPOSTING THAT.

UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF THAT INFORMATION CAN BE SHARED WITH FOLKS OR IF IT ALREADY IS OUT THERE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MAKING SURE FOLKS CAN FULLY U FULLY UTILIZE THIS.

BUT I THINK IT'S A REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR ZERO WASTE GOALS AND APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE.

THANK YOU.

VERY GOOD.

WELL, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH.

APPRECIATE YOUR WORK ON THIS AND WE'LL SEE YOU I'M SURE SOMETIME WE'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW ACTUALLY.

YEAH, .

THANK, THANK YOU.

VERY GOOD, THANK Y'ALL.

WITH THAT WE WILL MOVE TO ITEM

[3. Austin Parks and Recreation potential 2026 bond projects. [Jesus Aguirre, Director, Parks and Recreation]. Sponsors: Council Member Ryan Alter, and Council Member Paige Ellis]

GOOD MORNING.

GOOD MORNING.

UM, I'M DR.

KAKA, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION, AND I'M HERE TODAY WITH ELISA ETT, DIVISION MANAGER FOR ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT.

ELISA, UH, LEADS THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2026 BOND PROGRAM FOR AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION.

AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRAM.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION UPFRONT THAT, UM, THERE MAY BE, UH, LINKS THAT ARE EMBEDDED WITHIN THE PRESENTATION THAT MAY NOT BE WORKING.

THE PRESENTATION WAS POSTED BEFORE THE CITY MIGRATED TO THE NEW WEB WEBSITE, SO, UM, BEAR WITH US.

SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT TO ELISA TO, UM, UH, EXPLAIN THE PROCESS AND WHERE WE ARE.

GOOD MORNING.

UH, HERE YOU'LL SEE THE, THE SCHEDULE THAT HAS BEEN SHARED ON, UH, THE BOND ELECTION ADVISOR TASK FORCE SCHEDULE.

I'LL CALL BIFF FROM MOVING FORWARD.

UH, THIS IS AN OVERVIEW.

WE ARE NEARING THE END, UH, NOW THAT WE'RE IN MARCH.

UH, WE'RE ANTICIPATING THEIR FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS ON MAY 4TH TO COUNCIL.

UM, AND I'M GONNA GO OVER A FEW OF THESE STEPS IN THE, THE NEXT SLIDES.

SO LAST YEAR AS A REMINDER, THERE WAS A MEMO ISSUED TO COUNCIL, UH,

[00:35:01]

IT WAS A VERY LARGE, UH, AMOUNT OVER 3.8 BILLION FOR THE TOTAL PACKAGE.

AND OF THAT 410 MILLION WAS FROM PARKS AND RECREATION AS OUR STAFF.

UH, RECOMMENDATION, UH, THOSE, UH, INCLUDED PROJECTS THAT WERE FROM OUR UNIVERSAL ROLLING NEEDS LIST.

UH, AND THEY WERE INTERNALLY PRIORITIZED WITH A COMPREHENSIVE SCREENING MATRIX.

AND THEN WE FILTERED THEM TO ONLY INCLUDE PROJECTS THAT WERE A BOND FUND ELIGIBLE AND COULD BE DELIVERED IN SIX YEARS.

UH, AFTER, UH, THAT EXERCISE, UM, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, UH, PUT TOGETHER AN INTERNAL PROJECT REVIEW BOARD TO REVIEW ALL OF THESE DEPARTMENTS PROJECTS FROM THAT LIST TO FILTER THEM DOWN TO A, A MANAGEABLE BOND SIZE FROM OUR DEBT CAPACITY OF 700 MILLION.

THAT AT THE TIME, UH, THOSE, THAT PROJECT REVIEW BOARD WAS MADE UP OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS FROM MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS, INCLUDING PLANNING DEPARTMENT, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES, CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCE EQUITY AND INCLUSIONS.

AND THEY SCORED AND PRIORITIZED PROJECTS WITHIN THAT 700 MILLION CAPACITY BASED ON PROJECT READINESS, STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT, CRITICALITY, COMMUNITY CONSIDERATION, SUSTAINABILITY EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS, AND THE OVERALL BOND PACKAGE CONSTRAINT.

THEY MENTIONED THAT THEIR GOALS WERE PRIORITIZING INVESTMENTS IN CITY OWNED FACILITIES AND CRITICAL ASSETS AND EMPHASIS ON PROJECT READINESS, CONSIDERATIONS OF IMPACT ON THE ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET, FOCUSED ON ENHANCING SERVICE DELIVERY, CREATION OF PATHWAYS TO PRIVATE INVESTMENT AND ENHANCING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

CONCURRENTLY TO THAT EXERCISE, UH, PARK STAFF MET WITH THE B DIFFS PARKLAND AND OPEN SPACE WORKING GROUP WHERE WE SHARED OUR STAFF PRIORITIES AND WE EXPLAINED AND MORE THOROUGHLY THE $410 MILLION PACKAGE AND WHAT EXAMPLE PROJECTS AND, UH, THOUGHTS WERE ON EACH OF THOSE PROGRAMS THAT YOU SEE IN THAT CHART ON THE SCREEN.

SO THEN IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, UH, WE LEARNED THAT AUSTIN, UM, FINANCIAL SERVICES WAS RECOMMENDING A MAXIMUM OF 750 MILLION FOR THE BOND PACKAGE.

THAT'S UP A LITTLE BIT FROM THE PREVIOUS THOUGHT, 700 MILLION.

UH, AND SOON AFTER, UH, CAPITAL DELIVERY SERVICES ISSUED ANOTHER MEMO TO MAYOR AND COUNCIL WITH THEIR INITIAL DRAFT PROJECT RECOMMENDATION, THAT TOTAL WAS AT 700 MILLION AT THE TIME.

AND OF THAT 700 MILLION, THEY IDENTIFIED 140 MILLION RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PARKS AND RECREATION PROJECTS, UH, ORGANIZED, AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE CHART TO THE RIGHT, UH, THIS RECOMMENDATION GENERALLY ALIGNS, UH, PROPORTIONATELY WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THAT 410 MILLION, ALTHOUGH AT A MUCH LOWER AMOUNT, UH, IT'S PROVIDING THE GREATEST FUNDING FOR THE BUILDING RENOVATION AND REPLACEMENTS, WHICH IS FOCUSING ON OUR MAINTENANCE FACILITIES THAT ARE A CRITICAL NEED FOR THE DEPARTMENT AND PARKLAND ACQUISITIONS DUE TO THE LEGISLATIVE RESTRAINTS FOR THAT.

UH, THE REMAINING PROGRAMS ARE ALSO GENERALLY ALIGNED PROPORTIONATELY WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS.

UM, AND THEY'RE ALL ANTICIPATED TO HAVE A MINIMAL IMPACT ON ANNUAL OPERATING COSTS.

UH, THIS DOES PROVIDE LIMITED CAPACITY TO ADDRESS POTENTIAL CRITICAL FAILURES AT EXISTING RECREATION, SENIOR AND AQUATIC FACILITIES, AS WELL AS THE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGHOUT THE PARK SYSTEM.

THE $140 MILLION BOND PACKAGE IS UNLIKELY TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PUBLIC FACILITIES, NEWLY DEVELOPED PARKS, OR THE REPLACEMENT OF FACILITIES THAT HAVE REACHED THE END OF THEIR USEFUL LIFE.

UNDER THIS SCENARIO, WE WOULD PRIORITIZE MAINTAINING EXISTING FACILITIES AND OPERATIONAL CONDITION TO KEEP THEM OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

HOWEVER, SOME FACILITIES MAY REQUIRE CLOSURE IF FAILURES ARE REACHED TOO, TOO MUCH.

SO WHAT IS COMING UP NEXT? CAN YOU OH, UM, IF WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE? YES.

SO WHAT IS COMING UP NEXT? WE HAVE, UM, THE CITY HELD, UH, FIVE, UM, COMMU OPEN, UH, HOUSE EVENTS, COMMUNITY, OPEN HOUSE EVENTS, AND THESE WERE IN FEBRUARY.

AND, UH, IN ADDITION TO THE, UH, OPEN HOUSE EVENTS, THERE WAS A, THE 2026 BOND SURVEY THAT CLOSED ON MARCH 10TH.

UH, THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT RESULTS FROM, UM, THESE ACTIVITIES WILL BECOME AVAILABLE ON MARCH 31ST AND IN PARALLEL, AS ALISA MENTIONED, THE WORKING GROUPS OF THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE CONTINUE TO WORK ON, UM,

[00:40:01]

ON OUR END, UM, OUR TEAM, UH, CONTINUES TO WORK ON REVISED DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THESE LOWER LEVEL FUNDING, UH, SCENARIOS.

AND WE ARE ALSO EVALUATING DIFFERENT STRATEGIES.

AND ONE OF THESE STRATEGIES IS THAT WE ARE FOCUSING ON, UH, COMBINING PROGRAMS TO MAINTAIN, UM, FLEXIBILITY.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE ARE, UM, WE WILL BE PROPOSING TO COMBINE BUILDING RENOVATIONS, UH, PROGRAM WITH DIRECT CENTER IMPROVEMENTS SO THAT, UM, SINCE WE HAVE STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY REGARDING OUR MAINTENANCE FACILITIES, IF PLANTS GET MODIFIED OR CHANGE IN ANY WAY, THE FUNDING COULD BE USED BY, UM, OTHER PROJECTS INCLUDING THE GAS GARCIA, UH, SENIOR WING EDITION FOR EXAMPLE.

SO, UM, THE FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE UH, BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE WILL GO TO CANCEL ON MAY 4TH.

AND, UH, THE CITY, UH, STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS ON MAY 8TH.

AND FROM THEN ON, YOU ARE AWARE OF THE DEADLINES FOR MAY 21ST FOR COUNCIL TO DETERMINE THE RESOLUTION FOR THE BOND, AND THEN IF THAT IS, UM, AFFIRMATIVE TO CALL FOR BOND ELECTION AND SET THE LANGUAGE ON THE 17TH BY THE 17TH OF AUGUST AND NOVEMBER 3RD TO HAVE THE BOND ELECTION.

UM, SO WITH THAT, WE WANTED TO MENTION THAT WE ALL KNOW THAT THE FUNDING FOR OUR PARKS IS LIMITED, AND THAT INCLUDES BOTH THE OPERATIONAL FUNDS AND THE CAPITAL FUNDING.

UM, NEVERTHELESS, THE AUSTIN PARKS AND RECREATION TEAM REMAINS FIRMLY COMMITTED TO DELIVERING SAFE FACILITIES, HIGH QUALITY PROGRAMS, AND WELCOMING NATURAL SPACES FOR THE COMMUNITY.

UM, THROUGH CAREFUL PLANNING, CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS, OPPORTUNITIES TO LEVERAGE FUNDS APPLY FOR GRANTS AND OUR DEDICATED AND PASSIONATE STAFF, WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAXIMIZE AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS ENJOY MEANINGFUL RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND OUR PARKS PROVIDE THE CONNECTION TO NATURE THAT IS SO, UM, NECESSARY AND MEANINGFUL TO SO MANY OF US.

AND OUR COMMITMENT REALLY, UM, REFLECTS OUR BELIEF THAT ACCESS TO PARKS, PROGRAMS AND COMMUNITY SPACES IS ESSENTIAL TO QUALITY OF LIFE.

AND THAT, UM, THOUGHTFUL, UH, STEWARDSHIP HAS A LASTING IMPACT DURING CHALLENGING FINANCIAL CONDITIONS.

WE WANTED REALLY TO CLOSE WITH, UH, A MORE POSITIVE NOTE AND REAFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT.

AND WITH THAT, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU.

ANY QUESTIONS? VICE CHAIR ELLIS.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

I FIGURED YOU'D HAVE QUESTIONS AS WELL.

OH YEAH.

UM, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M UNDERSTANDING THE SLIDES CORRECTLY.

SO THE $410 MILLION CHART IS WHAT PART HAD PUT TOGETHER AS PART OF THE, THE BIG BUCKET REQUEST, IF YOU WILL.

AND THEN THE 140 IS WHAT HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED BECAUSE WE CAN'T DO THREE POINT SOME ODD BILLION DOLLARS OF, OF BONDS.

CORRECT.

OKAY, THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE.

UM, AND THEN CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT TYPES OF BACKGROUND CONVERSATIONS HAVE HAPPENED? I KNOW THAT THE CONVERSATION AROUND ACQUIRING NEW LAND VERSUS INCREASED FUNDING TO MAINTAIN THE LAND THAT WE OWN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A HIGH PRIORITY TOPIC.

UM, HOW HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS GONE AS YOU'VE LOOKED AT WHICH PROJECTS TO RECOMMEND AND HOW LARGE EACH BUCKET SHOULD BE FOR THE PROJECTS? SO, UM, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THIS SLIDE, WE HAVE MAINTAINED ABOUT 40 MILLION FOR PARKLAND ACQUISITIONS.

AND THAT, UH, REMAINS A HIGH PRIORITY RECOGNIZING THAT, UH, LAND CONTINUE, LAND VALUES CONTINUE TO INCREASE ON ONE HAND.

AND ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE HAVE NOW THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE IN THE FUTURE IF CRITICAL CONNECTIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, ALONG COLORADO RIVER ARE, UM, WILL, WILL BE ELIMINATED DUE TO DEVELOPMENT.

HAVING SAID THAT, WE ARE ALSO, WE HAVE

[00:45:01]

AND WE ARE ALSO, UM, UH, MAKING A MORE, UH, FOCUSED EFFORT TO EDUCATE, UM, THE COMMUNITY ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF LAND BANKING, MAINTAINING LAND THAT IS NOT DEVELOPED UNTIL IT IS DEVELOPED.

UM, THE EXPENSES ARE NOT SIGNIFICANT.

THEY ARE REALLY WITHIN RICH AND CONSIDERING THE, UM, INCREASE IN THE VALUE OF THE LAND, IF WE ARE TO WAIT FOR THREE OR FIVE OR 10 YEARS BEFORE WE ACQUIRE IT, THERE IS NO COMPARISON.

SO THE CITY FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE GAINS IN ACQUIRING LAND EARLY AND BANKING IT UNTIL WE ARE READY AND HAVE THE FUNDING TO FULLY DEVELOP.

I CAN APPRECIATE THAT.

I KNOW THERE'S STRONG FEELINGS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE CONVERSATION.

THERE'S OBVIOUSLY FOLKS THAT WANT US TO BUY AS MUCH LAND AS POSSIBLE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO CONNECT OUR NETWORKS.