[00:00:05]
[CALL TO ORDER ]
NOW.WHAT TIME IS IT? IT'S, UH, A LITTLE AFTER 6, 6 0 3.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE DO HAVE A QUORUM.
COMMISSIONERS ONLINE FOR, FOR BEING HERE.
IS THAT CAITLIN? WHO'S OFFLINE RIGHT NOW? YEAH.
NOW WE, NOW WE DO HAVE A QUORUM HERE.
I THINK JAN IS, UH, IS ON HIS WAY, SO WE SHOULD HAVE ENOUGH BODIES.
HOPEFULLY, COMMISSIONER, SHE HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK OVER THE, UH, THE, UH, AGENDA AND IT LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD, UH, UH, AGENDA THAT WE CAN PROBABLY JUST STICK, STICK TO AND JUST FOLLOW THIS EVENING.
HAVING SAID THAT, I DON'T SEE ANYBODY HAVING SIGNED OUT, SIGNED UP TO SPEAK.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES ]
UH, THE NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS WOULD BE ACTUALLY THE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FROM THE AUGUST 19TH, UH, 2026 MEETING.DID YOU GUYS HAVE A CHANCE TO GO OVER THE MINUTES AND IF SO, I WILL ENTERTAIN A, A MOTION AND OR ANY QUESTIONS THAT MIGHT BE, UH, THAT MIGHT BE NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED.
CAN MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES.
DO I HEAR HER SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
I THINK CAITLIN HAD HER HAND UP FIRST, BUT IRIS, GOOD JOB THOUGH.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, WE GET A, WE GET A MOTION, WE HAVE A SECOND.
DO I HEAR ANY DISCUSSION? FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? NO FURTHER DISCUSSION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND.
YES, WE HAVE YAWN HERE NOW, SO WE ARE READY TO GO, GUYS.
ALRIGHT, THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY SIX OH Y OFF THE DAIS.
THE NEXT ITEM IS THE, UH, ACTUAL
[2. Approve a recommendation to council to authorize a contract for multiple material rate studies for Austin Resource Recovery with Resource Recycling Systems, Inc. D/B/A Rrs, for an initial term of three years with up to three additional 1-year extension options in an amount not to exceed $2,100,000. Funding: $350,000 is available in the Operating Budget of Austin Resource Recovery. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. ]
DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEM.THIS IS A, UH, CITY ITEM ON, UH, WHAT IS IT? UH, THE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT IS, DID STAFF WANNA ADDRESS THAT FOR US? OOH.
YEAH, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.
UM, SO YEAH, WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IS A, UM, POTENTIAL CONTRACTS, RCA, UM, FOR A, UM, MULTI-YEAR DATA STUDY.
UM, AND SO THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WE HAD IN OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN A FEW YEARS BACK, AND IT WAS REALLY THE KIND OF, WE IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR, UH, MORE CONSISTENT DATA COMING IN.
AND SO THIS, UH, CONTRACT WOULD BE IN PLACE TO, UM, BRING ON A CONSULTANT.
UM, THIS WOULD BE, UM, FOR A THREE YEAR CONTRACT AND THEN THREE ADDITIONAL TERMS AFTER THAT.
UM, WE REALLY WANTED A LONG TERM CONTRACT TO KIND OF HELP, UH, GET SOME CONSISTENCY.
I CAN THINK FROM YEAR TO YEAR, 'CAUSE THIS GONNA KEEP HAPPENING, UM, YOU KNOW, OVER AND OVER AT THE DATA.
BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK THERE'S KIND OF THREE MAIN STUDY TYPES THAT WE'LL BE DOING EACH YEAR.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE PER CAPITA, WHICH IS A DISPOSAL, WHICH IS HOW MUCH EVERYONE IN THE CITY IS THROWING AWAY EVERY YEAR.
YOU WANT THAT NUMBER TO BE AS SMALL AS POSSIBLE.
OUR DIVERSION RATE, WHICH IS OUR TRADITIONALLY WHAT WE, UM, HAVE BEEN CALCULATING, WHICH IS, UH, HOW MUCH TOTAL MATERIALS BEING DIVERTED FROM THE LANDFILL.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, THEIR 90% GOAL.
UM, AND THEN ALSO A CAPTURE RATE STUDY.
UM, AND SO THIS IS, IS THE, UH, MATERIAL GOING IN THE RIGHT BINS? IS THE ALUMINUM, UM, IS THAT GOING TO THE BLUE BIN INSTEAD OF THE BROWN BIN IS THE CARDBOARD, YOU KNOW, ET CETERA.
AND SO, UM, SO, UM, YEAH, SO I THINK WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THIS.
I THINK THIS IS KIND OF THE FIRST STEP WE'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME TO GET CONSISTENT DATA.
UM, I THINK AS YOU'RE ALL AWARE, WE, UM, AS THE CITY, UM, WE ONLY COLLECT ABOUT 15 TO 25% OF THE MATERIAL.
THAT OTHER 75% PLUS IS COLLECTED BY PRIVATE HAULERS.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE DIRECT ACCESS TO THIS DATA, SO WE NEED TO, UM, WORK THROUGH THESE CONSULTANTS TO HELP KIND OF DO THESE COMMUNITY WIDE STUDIES.
THIS WILL BE A COMMUNITY WIDE STUDY.
UM, IT IS GONNA BE RESIDENTIAL AND, UM, COMMERCIAL.
SO IT SHOULD GIVE US A GOOD IDEA OF WHAT WE AS AUSTIN ARE DOING AND KIND OF PROGRESSING TOWARDS OUR GOALS.
UM, SO YEAH, LIKE I SAID, IT WAS, UM, IT'S A THREE, UM, YEAR CONTRACT.
WE'VE GOT THREE POTENTIAL EXTENSIONS.
WE'VE BUDGETED FOR THIS ABOUT 350,000 PER YEAR.
UM, BUT IT'S REALLY A NOT TO EXCEED, IT'S REALLY GONNA DEPEND ON WHAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE STUDY WILL ENTAIL A NEED.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO IT MIGHT BE LESS THAN THAT EACH YEAR.
SO, UM, YEAH, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, UH, WE ARE SEEKING ACTION TO RECOMMEND, BUT, UM, CORRECT, BUT CORRECT.
UM, YEAH, I'LL ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF
[00:05:01]
YOU HAVE ANY COMMISSIONERS.ANY QUESTIONS FOR JASON? I, UH, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YEAH.
IS IF WITH MORE DATA, LIKE IT'S GONNA COST MONEY TO GET THE DATA, BUT IS IT SOMETHING THAT MIGHT SAVE THE CITY MONEY THEN IN THE FUTURE, KNOWING, I MEAN, SURE.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT JUST ONE OF THE, BEEN OF THE BIG, UM, KIND OF, I GUESS, ISSUES WE'VE HAD AND IDENTIFIED OVER THE YEARS AS WE'VE DONE THESE STUDIES, BUT LIKE THE DIVERSION RATES IN THE PAST, BUT THEY'VE HAPPENED PRETTY INFREQUENTLY.
WE DID ONE, LIKE BACK IN 2015, THERE WAS ANOTHER 1, 20 20, 21, 21 SOMEWHERE IN THERE.
AND THEY'RE, UM, AND SO, UM, SO LIKE I SAID, WE'RE JUST NOT GETTING CONSISTENT DATA AND SO THIS IS GONNA HOPEFULLY KINDA START THIS CONSISTENT STREAM OF DATA THAT WE CAN ALL USE TO, YOU KNOW, ANALYZE AND, YOU KNOW, MEASURE OUR, OUR PROGRESS TOWARDS OUR GOALS.
AND SO, YEAH, I THINK IN POTENTIALLY IT COULD BE BE, UM, BUT I HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING NOW.
YOU KNOW, I DO BELIEVE WE DID THIS WHEN WE HAD THE OLD, UH, BLUE BIN.
REMEMBER THE OLD BLUE BIN SOURCE SEPARATED, UH, RECYCLING.
AND IT ACTUALLY MOVED US INTO SINGLE STREAM, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN.
IT WAS ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT HELPED US, UH, HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE COULD DO A SINGLE STREAM PROGRAM HERE.
AND THAT WAS MANY, MANY YEARS AGO.
BUT HAVING SAID THAT, THIS IS STRICTLY FOR THE CURBSIDE COLLECTION PROGRAMS, CORRECT? UM, NO, IT'S GONNA BE CURBSIDE AND COMMERCIAL WAY, SO IT'S GONNA BE COMMUNITY WIDE.
NOT, I MEAN, WHEN I SAY THAT, I MEAN THE, UH, COMMERCIAL SINGLE STREAM, NOT ANY OF THE, UH, C AND D TYPE MATERIALS, CORRECT? CORRECT.
AND THIS IS A THREE YEAR OPPORTUNITY, IS THAT IT? UH, YEAH, IT'S THREE YEAR CONTRACT AND THEN THREE POTENTIAL ONE YEAR EXTENSIONS AFTER THAT.
SO, AND GOD, WHEN DID THIS GO OUT TO BID? THIS WAS, OH GOSH, IT'S BEEN A WHILE.
YEAH, BECAUSE THERE WAS AN EXTENSION.
UM, IT WENT OUT TO BID, IT WAS JUNE, IT WAS PUBLISHED IN APRIL AND CLOSED IN JUNE.
SO WE VETTED THIS PRETTY WELL.
JASON, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YEAH, I WAS TRYING TO, SORRY.
UM, JUST, I THOUGHT I SAW SOME INFORMATION ABOUT METHODOLOGY, BUT I DIDN'T REALLY FIND ANY IN THE SUPPORTING MATERIALS.
IS THERE SOMETHING THAT TALKS ABOUT POTENTIAL METHODOLOGIES OF WHAT THIS WOULD, WOULD INCLUDE? WAS THAT INCLUDED IN THE BIDS OR, YEAH, WE HAD SOME OUTLINES OF IT.
I THINK IT WITHIN THE BIDS ITSELF, BUT I, I WAS PART OF, I THINK THE, THE BIG PROPOSALS WAS WE, WE DID ASK FOR THEM TO HAVE THEIR INPUT, YOU KNOW, FOR THESE, THESE DIFFERENT COMPANIES THAT WANTED TO DO THIS.
UM, HOPEFULLY AFTER THIS, WE'LL, UM, WE HAD SOME BROAD KIND OF DEADLINE, UH, KINDA IDEAS OF WHAT WE WANTED, I THINK WITHIN THAT SCOPE OF WORK TO HELP JUST, YOU KNOW, GIVE A FRAMEWORK FOR PRICING.
UM, BUT WE DO WANNA ALLOW SOME FREEDOM FOR THOSE CONSULTANTS TO, YOU KNOW, WORK WITHIN THEIR EXISTING METHODOLOGIES AND ALL THAT.
SO, UM, BUT, UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK BROADLY SPEAKING, I THINK WE'RE JUST GONNA BE LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLES ACROSS THE CITY, YOU KNOW, HOWEVER MUCH THAT IS, AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKING FROM THERE.
SO YEAH, IT'S BASICALLY LOOKING AT THE BINS, THERE'S NO LIKE EDUCATION COMPONENT OR SPEAKING WITH PEOPLE OR ANYTHING? UH, NO, NOT AT THIS TIME.
IT'S REALLY JUST WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE DATA OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON THE GROUND JUST AS IS.
AND I GUESS THEN, YEAH, I WOULD JUST SORT OF FOLLOWING UP ON THAT, THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THE INFORMATION IT SAYS HERE, YOU KNOW, THAT'LL ALLOW YOU TO, IF, IF, IF IT'S YOGURT CONTAINERS THAT ARE ENDING UP IN THE TRASH INSTEAD OF THE RECYCLING OR WHATEVER, LIKE, THEN YOU CAN MESSAGE THAT THESE, THIS IS SOMETHING RECYCLED.
IT'S ABOUT LIKE GETTING THE INFORMATION SO THAT YOU KNOW WHAT TO TELL EVERYONE IN THE CITY AS TO WHAT, WHAT WE'RE MISSING OUT ON OR WHAT WE ON SORT OF YEAH, DEFINITELY.
I, UM, LIKE THE CAPTURE RATE STUDY IS, I THINK A GOOD EXAMPLE OF KIND OF WHAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING HERE IS, UM, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD, WE MIGHT SEE THAT LIKE WE'VE, WE'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, ALUMINUM OR CARDBOARD, FOR EXAMPLE, GOING INTO THE TRASH, THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO THEN RUN OUTRAGE CAMPAIGNS, YOU KNOW, TARGETING THAT THING, YOU KNOW, THE THROW YOUR, MAKE SURE TO THROW YOUR CARDBOARD INTO THE BLUE BIN MM-HMM
SO, SO YES, WE, WE WOULD DEFINITELY BE REACTING TO WHAT WE'RE SAYING.
UM, SO THANK YOU SETH, COMMISSIONERS.
ANY OTHER THOUGHTS? QUESTIONS? I HAD A QUICK QUESTION.
I WAS JUST WONDERING HOW, UM, THE COSTS OF THIS ONE COMPARES TO THE PREVIOUS STUDIES THAT WE'VE DONE?
[00:10:01]
IT WAS, SO THE THREE, WE BUDGETED 300,000, THAT WAS BASED ON KIND OF THE PREVIOUS ONE THAT WE HAD BEFORE.SO WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE IN LINE, WE'RE KIND OF IN THAT BALLPARK OF, OF THE PREVIOUS STUDY.
SO IT'S ABOUT, ABOUT THAT 300,000 RANGE FOR A COMMUNITY WIDE STUDY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMISSIONERS, HEARING NO OTHER QUESTIONS? THIS IS A DIS, THIS IS AN ACTION ITEM, SO OBVIOUSLY IT'S UP TO US TO SAY YAY OR NAY ON THIS.
ALL THOSE, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THIS, UH, RCA, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
ANYONE OPPOSED? LOOKS LIKE A UNANIMOUS, UH, VOTE.
AND LET'S SEE, THE NEXT ITEM IS THE, UH, ACTUAL
[3. Approve the 2027 Zero Waste Advisory Commission Meeting Schedule. ]
MEETING SCHEDULE.HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK THIS OVER.
IT'S VERY SIMILAR TO OUR PREVIOUS, UH, MEETING SCHEDULES.
WE PRETTY MUCH BLOCK OUT THE, UH, THE, UH, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST, UH, MONTH BECAUSE IT'S INSANE TO GET DOWN HERE DURING THAT PERIOD.
AND THEN, UH, IN DECEMBER YOU GUYS GET TO HAVE A, A, UH, I GUESS A NICE WINTER OR CHRISTMAS BREAK, NEW YEAR'S BREAK, BUT, UH, FOR THE MOST PART, THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO MONTHS THAT ARE BLOCKED OFF.
AND AGAIN, THIS TOO IS A DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM.
AND, UH, GUYS, ANY THOUGHTS, COMMENTS? THIS MAKES SENSE TO ME.
I MEAN, ONE THING WE COULD, YEAH, I GUESS WHAT WE'RE DOING TOO IS GIVING STAFF A LITTLE BIT OF BREAK BECAUSE, UM, WE END UP CANCELING QUITE A FEW ANYWAY FOR VARIOUS REASONS.
UM, SO, BUT THEY LIKE BEING HERE, DON'T YOU? WELL, THAT'S TRUE.
I MEAN, WE COULD EVEN LEAVE DECEMBER ON, BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE OUR FAULT.
WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF SPECIAL CALL MEETINGS RIGHT.
OVER THE COURSE OF THIS PAST YEAR.
SO YEAH, THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES.
IF SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN, WE CAN ALWAYS JUST DO THAT.
UH, IS THAT A MOTION OR IS THAT, UH, I, IF NOBODY ELSE WANTS TO TALK, I'M READY TO MOVE.
DO I HEAR HER SECOND? I'LL SECOND MELISSA.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS? HEARING? NONE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND PLEASE.
YEP, WE'RE DONE WITH THAT ONE.
[4.Staff briefing on the historical overview of the FM812 Landfill by Gena McKinley, Deputy Director of Austin Resource Recovery ]
YES.THIS IS, UH, THIS IS YOUR SHOW FROM HERE ON OUT? YES.
DID YOU TELL HIM WHAT, WHAT YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF COOKIE WAS?
GINA MCKINLEY, DEPUTY DIRECTOR.
AND THE PREVIOUS, NOT THE SCHEDULE ITEM, BUT THE PREVIOUS ITEM, THAT WAS JASON MCCOMBS, WHO IS OUR STRATEGIC INITIATIVES DIVISION MANAGER.
I THINK WE DIDN'T STATE THAT INTO THE RECORD, SO I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT HERE.
TO BLAME HIM, HUH? YEAH, IT'S HIS FAULT.
UM, BUT TONIGHT WE HAVE A BRIEF PRESENTATION.
THERE WAS A REQUEST FOR A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND ON THE FM EIGHT 12 LANDFILL MM-HMM
THAT IS CURRENTLY IN THE POST CLOSURE PROCESS.
SO THIS IS JUST SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE LANDFILL.
THIS WAS BEFORE MY TIME WITH THE DEPARTMENT, BUT I'M GONNA WALK YOU THROUGH, UH, WHAT IT IS AND WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING WITH IT.
UM, SO THIS PICTURE HERE IS JUST AN OVERVIEW OF THIS SITE.
YOU'LL SEE KIND OF AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SLIDE.
AND THEN OVER TO THE RIGHT, THAT'S, UM, 9 7 3.
SO JUST TO GIVE YOU KIND OF AN OVERHEAD VISUAL OF THE LANDSCAPE, UM, THAT IS IN TRAVIS COUNTY NEAR AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IT'S ALMOST 400 ACRES, 391 TO BE EXACT.
UM, WE HAVE LISTED ON THE SLIDE, THE MSW PERMITS, UM, THAT WERE PULLED AND THEN LATER UPGRADED TO SUBTITLE D STANDARDS.
UM, THE LANDFILL, ITS LIFESPAN OF COLLECTING MATERIALS STARTED IN THE 1960S UP UNTIL ABOUT 2009 IN 1995.
T-C-E-T-C-E-Q APPROVED CONVERTING THE FM EIGHT 12 LANDFILL ACREAGE, UM, TO A TYPE FOUR FACILITY.
SO IT WAS A TYPE ONE FACILITY PRIOR TO THAT, UM, ACCEPTING, YOU KNOW, TYPICAL MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE TYPE FOUR FACILITIES, UM, EXCEPT A MORE LIMITED SCOPE OF WASTE.
AND THAT INCLUDED, UM, CONSTRUCTION, DEMOLITION DEBRIS, LAND CLEARING DEBRIS, BUT NO HOUSEHOLD SABLE WASTE.
UM, AND THEN THE TYPE ONE OPERATIONS THAT, THAT WERE HAPPENING AT THAT LANDFILL, THOSE WERE SUSPENDED IN FEBRUARY OF 1999.
[00:15:01]
UM, AND BY JUNE OF 1999 IS WHEN WE MOVED INTO THE TYPE FOUR OPERATIONS.UM, THAT DATE IS BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN AUSTIN BERGSTROM STARTED HAVING PASSENGER UM, FLIGHTS.
AND SO BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY, THE AIRSPACE, UM, TO THAT LANDFILL, THAT IS WHY THERE WAS NO LONGER TYPE ONE OPERATIONS THERE.
SO IT WAS A LITTLE BIT HARD TO GO BACK IN TIME ALL THE WAY TO THE SIXTIES TO GET TONNAGES AND INFORMATION, BUT WE WERE ABLE TO PULL A LITTLE SNAPSHOT OF INFORMATION DURING THE TIME OF A TYPE FOUR LANDFILL.
SO THE NUMBERS YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN REPRESENT CONSTRUCTION, DEMOLITION DEBRIS, UM, THAT WERE COLLECTED AT THAT LANDFILL FROM ABOUT 2001 TO 2008.
AND YOU'LL SEE KIND OF THERE WAS A PEAK AND THAT TAPERED OFF.
UM, AT ITS PEAK, IT WAS IN THE KIND OF 31, 32, NEARLY 33,000 TONS PER YEAR.
DO HAVE ANY INDICATION AS TO WHY THAT HAPPENED? WAS THAT A, SOMETHING ENGINEERED TO DO THAT GRADUAL? I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW.
SOMEONE OTHER THAN MYSELF MIGHT KNOW THAT.
AND THEY'RE, UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF STAFF THAT ARE OUT OF TOWN TONIGHT.
UM, SO I AM, I AM NOT SURE WHY IT DECLINED ACTUALLY.
YES, WE WERE SHUTTING IT DOWN AT THAT OTHER THAN YES.
IT WAS A SLOW CLOSURE, SO IT WAS A SLOW TRANSITION AWAY TO THE NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR AND TO, I GUESS TDS AT THAT POINT.
TRANSITIONING TO A COMMERCIAL PROCESS.
AND SO IN TERMS OF FEES, THIS IS WHAT WE PULLED FROM THE HISTORICAL FEE SCHEDULES AT THAT TIME.
THESE WERE UNCOM LOADS, AND THIS IS A PER CUBIC YARD, UM, FEE.
SO YOU'LL SEE THE FIRST FEW YEARS IT WAS ABOUT FIVE 50 PER CUBIC YARD, AND THEN IT MOVED INTO SIX 50 FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEARS THAT IT WAS OPEN.
AND THEN TO TELL YOU KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON THERE RIGHT NOW, UM, WE HAVE A PARTNER, WE HAVE A COUPLE PARTNERSHIPS WITH AUSTIN ENERGY.
SO THERE'S CURRENTLY ABOUT A FIVE ACRE PLOT.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF EXPANDING IT TO 10 ACRES, UM, KIND OF OVER TOWARDS FM 9 73.
UH, AND THAT IS FOR A LAY DOWN YARD FOR THE ELECTRIC POLES, UM, AS WELL AS SOME VEHICLE PARKING.
SO WE HAVE AN, AN INTERDEPARTMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THEM FOR USE OF THAT SPACE TO LEASE THAT SPACE.
UM, THERE'S ALSO THE KIND OF BOW TIE THAT YOU SEE IN THAT YELLOW COLOR THERE IN THE MIDDLE.
UM, IT'S A LITTLE OVER 58 ACRES, AND THAT IS A RECENT PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTIN ENERGY TO CREATE A LARGE SCALE SOLAR ARRAY.
IT'LL ACTUALLY BE THE LARGEST SINGLE SITE SOLAR INSTALLATION OWNED BY THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UM, IT SHOULD BE UP AND RUNNING BY 2028.
UM, SO IT'S VERY MUCH IN LINE WITH GETTING MORE SOLAR, UM, RENEWABLE ENERGY IN OUR CITY.
UM, SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT PROJECT.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE A PROJECT, I BELIEVE WE BROUGHT TO YOU GUYS A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, UM, UH, SEEKING APPROVAL FOR LEACHATE LINE, UM, CONSTRUCTION.
SO WE ARE, UM, CONNECTING OUR LEACHATE LINE DIRECTLY TO THE WATER SYSTEM, WHEREAS BEFORE WE WERE PUMPING THAT LEACHATE AND HAVING TO, TO HAUL IT.
UM, AND WE SIGNED THAT CONTRACT, THAT CONTRACT WAS APPROVED BY COUNCIL AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
UM, SO THAT SHOULD BE, THAT WORK SHOULD BE COMMENCING SOON.
UM, ALSO, NOT ON THE SLIDE, BUT AT THE LANDFILL, WE DO HAVE OUR CART OPERATION.
SO WE HAVE A SMALL OFFICE BUILDING THERE.
UM, AND ALL OF THE CARTS THAT WE DISTRIBUTE TO OUR RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE LITTER CONTAINERS THAT WE HAVE ACROSS THE CITY, UM, WE HAVE STAFF THAT ARE, THAT'S WHERE WE STORE THAT MATERIAL AND STAFF THAT ARE THERE AND DEPLOY FROM THERE EVERY DAY.
SO IT'S REALLY, THAT'S REALLY HIGH LEVEL.
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE LANDFILL RIGHT NOW.
UM, IT'S IN ITS POST CLOSURE PROCESS.
I DON'T KNOW IF I MENTIONED THAT.
I BELIEVE WE WENT INTO OFFICIAL POST CLOSURE MAY 11TH.
I CAN ALWAYS REMEMBER THE DAY BECAUSE IT'S MY BIRTHDAY.
UM, SO MAY 11TH, 2021 IS, I THINK WHEN WE STARTED THAT POST CLOSURE PROCESS.
SO WE ALSO HAVE STAFF OUT AT THE LANDFILL THAT DO ALL THE MONITORING THAT'S REQUIRED, LOOKING AT THE LEACH AID, THE METHANE AND THAT SORT OF THING.
UM, SO THERE IS A, THERE ARE A LOT OF MONITORING RESPONSIBILITIES ONCE A LANDFILL IS CLOSED AND THE LEACH AID LINE IS GONNA HELP IMMENSELY WITH, WE'RE VERY HAPPY TO BE GETTING THAT DONE.
JEAN, ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS ITEM? YEAH, I'VE, I'VE GOT A QUICK ONE HERE.
OF THE 391 ACRES, AND THIS IS A HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION, HOW MUCH WOULD BE AVAILABLE TODAY FOR FUTURE USE? SHOULD, UH, THE CITY DECIDE THAT THEY WANTED TO GET BACK INTO THE, UH, C AND D GAME? HOW MUCH WOULD BE AVAILABLE? I WOULD HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU.
UM, I HAVE A GUESSTIMATE, BUT I, AGAIN, I, I'D RATHER BE ACCURATE.
WE, I COULD DEFINITELY FOLLOW UP, SEND A, SEND A NOTE TO YOU GUYS, SEND AN EMAIL
[00:20:01]
TO LET YOU KNOW.I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T KNOW THAT ANYBODY HERE HAS THAT INFORMATION.
ANY THOUGHTS? QUESTIONS ON THIS? UM, WELL JUST TO UNDERSTAND THE, THE FEE SCHEDULE.
SO THAT I PRESUME, IS WHAT A CONSUMER WOULD PAY IN ORDER TO DROP OFF.
AT THAT TIME, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT.
SO THE REVENUE IT LOOKS LIKE WAS MAYBE AROUND, AT ITS PEAK WAS MAYBE 400, 500,000.
DID YOU DO THE MATH WITH THE TWO SLIDES?
AND DO WE KNOW WE, DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT IT TOOK TO, TO RUN IT? WAS IT MAKING MONEY? WAS IT COSTING US MONEY? THOSE ARE, I, I WOULD HAVE TO TALK TO STAFF TO GET MORE INFORMATION, TO GET A BETTER DETAILED ANALYSIS OF IT.
UM, I, I CAN TELL YOU IN, IN OUR, THE MOST RECENT UPDATE TO OUR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN THAT WAS DONE IN 2023, UM, DEFINITELY THERE WAS AN ITEM.
WE'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR BENEFICIAL USES OF THE LAND OUT AT THE LANDFILL.
UM, AND WE'RE ALWAYS A PROPONENT OF DOING WHATEVER WE CAN TO BENEFIT THE CITY OF AUSTIN AND THE CITY'S GOALS, AS WELL AS KEEP OUR RATES LOW, LOW FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.
SO, UM, ANY ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR REVENUE GENERATION OR COST SAVINGS? WE DEFINITELY ARE EVALUATING THAT.
UM, MAKING USE OF THAT ASSET TO THE CITY AND TO THE DEPARTMENT IS DEFINITELY ON THAT LIST.
UM, WE WERE EXCITED ABOUT THE SOLAR PROJECT BECAUSE IT DEFINITELY HELPED, UH, MOVE ALONG SOME OF THE CITY'S VALUES IN TERMS OF SOLAR, UM, IN TERMS OF REVENUE.
I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S GONNA BE A HUGE REVENUE GENERATOR, BUT IT DEFINITELY HITS OTHER VALUES THAT THE CITY HAS.
UM, SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE OPTIONS.
AND AGAIN, JUST GOING BACK ON, UH, GOING BACK IN TIME AND HISTORY, I THINK IN THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS WE WERE GENERATING CONSIDERABLE INCOME ON THE LANDFILL.
AND, UH, THOSE WERE THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN WE HAD, UH, WAY TOO MUCH MONEY IN THE BUDGET OR IN THE BUDGET THAT WE HAD TO, UH, AGAIN, THE RESERVE FUND WAS POPPING, WHICH WAS FANTASTIC AT THE TIME, BUT THOSE WERE, YEAH, THOSE, THOSE WERE BACK.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO, TO GET A BETTER IDEA ON, ON THE ACTUAL REVENUE SOURCE.
WE WERE DOING TYPE ONE GARBAGE.
THAT WAS US TAKING OUR OWN MATERIAL IN TYPE FOUR.
WE DID HAVE COMPETITORS BACK THEN.
THE COMPETITORS WERE TEXAS DISPOSAL SYSTEMS. AND THEN, UH, TRAVIS COUNTY LANDFILL, WHICH IS WASTE CONNECTIONS NIGHT, UH, NEXT DOOR.
AND THEY'RE CURRENTLY IN THIS INDUSTRY, IN THIS BUSINESS.
SO YEAH, I WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME, SOME, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
I CAN FOLLOW UP THE AVAILABLE, AVAILABLE ACREAGE.
IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS YOU ASKED.
AND THEN, UH, WE CAN FOLLOW UP TO THAT.
AND WHAT, UH, WHAT THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE.
I MEAN, WHAT WE, WHAT WE CAN, UH, ACTUALLY HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH SHOULD WE PURSUE SOMETHING LIKE THIS? I KNOW WE'RE WORKING ON SOME, UH, ON SOME ITEMS WITH THE, UH, C AND D COMMITTEE SUBCOMMITTEE AND, UH, IN ORDER TO, TO HAVE A GREATER IDEA AND UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH DIRECTION WE'RE GOING TO BE GOING, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THE COST IMPACT IS GOING TO BE TO THE, UH, TO THE END USER, TO THE, UH, DEVELOPER, THE COMMUNITY ITSELF.
I THINK THOSE ARE QUESTIONS THAT WE REALLY NEED TO, TO ADDRESS.
I MEAN, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT IF WE'RE GONNA MAKE A RECOMMENDATION HERE, IT'S IT'S THE MOST EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE RECOMMENDATION THAT THAT WILL BENEFIT THE RATE PAYER SLASH THE, UH, TAXPAYER.
AND, AND INFRASTRUCTURE, I LIKE TO SAY IN OUR MOST RECENT UPDATE TO OUR PLANNING, IT'S REALLY FOCUSED ON DATA, WHICH JASON TALKED ABOUT.
HAVING BETTER DATA SO THAT WE CAN MAKE BETTER DECISIONS ABOUT EDUCATING OUR CUSTOMERS AS WELL AS INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND WE HAVE A COUPLE OF BIG, WE HAVE THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER, WHICH IS MOVING ALONG, UM, SOME INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.
SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT WHAT ARE THE BEST THINGS WE CAN DO IN ORDER TO KEEP OUR OPERATIONS EFFICIENT, UM, MODERN.
SO THE NORTHEAST SERVICE CENTER, THE TRANSFER STATION, WE'RE STILL LOOKING FOR LAND FOR A TRANSFER STATION.
SO, UM, THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ARE DEFINITELY ON OUR MIND AND MM-HMM.
TRYING TO KEEP ABREAST OF ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE SEE.
UM, SO AS WE'RE LOOKING FOR LAND AND, AND SUCH, UM, TRYING TO KEEP THINGS THE OPERATIONS AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE.
GINA, ANY OTHER, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? I GUESS YEAH, WITH THE, SORRY.
UM, WITH THE, WITH THE LAND THAT'S NOT BEING USED FOR THE,
[00:25:01]
FOR THE LAY DOWN YARD AND THE, THE SOLAR, ARE THERE, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT OTHER, ARE THERE ANY OTHER PLANS OR, UH, FOR THAT LAND, I GUESS? UM, THERE'S ALSO STAFF OUT THERE, AND SO WE HAVE ALL OF OUR CART STORAGE AND OUR CART OPERATIONS OUT AT THE FM EIGHT 12 LANDFILL.UM, AND LIKE I SAID, WE'RE CONS, YOU KNOW, IT'S IN OUR PLAN TO IDENTIFY GOOD USES FOR THAT LAND.
WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE PLANS, UM, SPECIFIC PLANS IN PLACE.
I GUESS SPECIFIC AREAS HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS.
UM, MY COMMENT WAS, UH, VERY SIMILAR TO THE
UM, EVEN IF THERE AREN'T CONCRETE PLANS, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THE DIFFERENT IDEAS THAT YOU GUYS ARE THROWING AROUND AS POTENTIAL OPTIONS FOR THE ACREAGE, IF THAT'S POSSIBLE.
I DON'T HAVE ALL THAT WITH ME TONIGHT, BUT I MEAN, OH, NO, NO.
ANY, ANY OTHER THOUGHTS, QUESTIONS? ARINA? GINA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE UPDATE AND YOU'RE WELCOME.
UH, YOU'LL BE HEARING FROM US.
AND I THINK I MIGHT BE NEXT UP ON YOUR YES, YOU ARE.
SO WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF ITEMS
[5.Staff briefing on the status of Austin Resource Recovery Operational and Administrative projects by Gena McKinley, Deputy Director of Austin Resource Recovery]
ON YOUR, UM, MONTHLY REPORT THIS EVENING.UM, SO WE'VE GOT A LOT GOING ON IN THE DEPARTMENT.
UM, THE RECY, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, UM, FOR OUR RECYCLING CONTRACTS FOR OUR RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING, UM, WE HAVE RESET PERIODS WITH THAT CONTRACT.
SO WE HAVE OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS BEEN IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH OUR TWO RECYCLING VENDORS, UM, FOR THAT, THE FINAL TERM OF THAT CONTRACT.
AND WE, UM, WERE ABLE TO EXECUTE THOSE AGREEMENTS AND I BELIEVE THE PLAN IS, UH, IN A AND MAYBE NEXT MONTH TO COME TO WITH A SUMMARY.
KIND OF WHAT THE TERMS WERE THAT WE NEGOTIATED.
UM, SO JUST KNOW THAT, THAT WE DID DO THAT PROCESS.
IT WAS EXECUTED AND WE, WE PLAN TO SHARE MORE INFORMATION WITH YOU.
UM, THAT WAS EFFECT THAT GOES INTO EFFECT THIS FISCAL YEAR, WHICH JUST STARTED.
UM, THE TEAM IS ALSO WORKING WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS, UM, AS WELL AS TRAVIS COUNTY AND SOME OF THE NON-PROFITS IN THE REGION FOR A FOOD RESCUE MINI SUMMIT FOR BUSINESSES.
UM, SO THIS IS RELEVANT TO OUR DEPARTMENT BECAUSE, UM, WITH THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING AND REQUIRING ORGANICS DIVERSION FROM, UM, FOOD PERMITTED BUSINESSES, UM, FOOD DONATION AND FOOD RESCUE IS SOMETHING WE LIKE TO SEE AS PART OF THAT ORGANICS DIVERSION.
SO OUR HOPE IS THAT THIS SUMMIT WILL PROVIDE MORE, UM, EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN BUSINESSES AND THE NONPROFITS THAT ARE DOING THAT FOOD RESCUE.
AND THAT IS COMING UP ON OCTOBER 19TH, ACL JUST PASSED.
WE HAD MUD MUDDY, ACL AND DUSTY, ACL MM-HMM
UM, DURING THAT TIME, UM, OUR DEPARTMENT DOES ACTIVATE AROUND THAT FOOTPRINT OF ZILKER PARK.
SO AS PEOPLE ARE COMING AND GOING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WE DO SOME EXTRA RECYCLING, COMPOSTING AND TRASH COLLECTION IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, JUST TO TRY TO CONTROL LITTER AND PROVIDE DIVERSION OPTIONS AS PART OF THAT EVENT.
UM, WE ARE ALSO PROVIDING SERVICES FOR VIVA VIVA LA VIDA, WHICH IS COMING UP AT THE END OF THE MONTH ON OCTOBER 24TH.
UM, THE UNIVERSAL RECYCLING ORDINANCE, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR KEY ORDINANCES REQUIRING BUSINESSES AND MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING.
UM, THERE'S A REPORTING PERIOD FOR THOSE IMPACTED PARTIES, AND THAT OPENS UP OCTOBER 1ST.
SO WE JUST SENT OUT NOTIFICATIONS THAT PERIOD RUNS FROM OCTOBER 1ST TO FEBRUARY 2ND.
UM, SO THEY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, BUT THOSE NOTICES WENT OUT.
UM, AND THEN IN OUR CIRCULAR ECONOMY PROGRAM, WE JUST OPENED APPLICATIONS FOR SOME OF THE PROGRAMS WE HAVE TO SUPPORT CIRCULAR BUSINESSES.
UM, SO THERE'S A CIRCULAR ACCELERATOR PROGRAM THAT BRINGS A LOT OF RESOURCES TO FOLKS WHO ARE WANTING TO, WHO HAVE A GOOD IDEA AND WANT TO LEARN HOW TO START A BUSINESS.
AND THEN WE, THOSE FOLKS ALSO CAN MOVE INTO THE CIRCULAR AUSTIN SHOWCASE, UM, WHICH IS A COMPETITION, AND THERE'S A CASH PRIZE TO HELP PUSH THAT BUSINESS FORWARD.
SO THOSE ARE REALLY EXCITING PROGRAMS. IF YOU KNOW FOLKS THAT ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE SHARE THE APPLICATION WITH THEM.
AND THEN FINALLY, JUST AN UPDATE.
WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE RECYCLING PARTNERSHIP.
I THINK WE TOLD YOU GUYS ABOUT THAT WHEN WE SIGNED THAT AGREEMENT.
UM, BUT THEY'VE BEEN WORKING ON WITH US, THEY DID A CAPTURE RATE STUDY, UM, AND THEY'VE MOST RECENTLY DONE A, I BELIEVE IT IS A SET OUT STUDY WITH US, BUT WE'RE CONTINUING TO GATHER DATA.
THE NEXT STEP IS TESTING AND EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION.
AND THEN THEY'LL REPEAT SOME OF THOSE STUDIES, LIKE THE CAPTURE RATE STUDY AT THE END OF THAT EDUCATIONAL PERIOD.
SO JUST TO NOTE THAT THAT'S STILL HAPPENING.
UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT, WHICH YOU'RE PROBABLY STILL SEVERAL MONTHS OUT, BUT WE'LL DEFINITELY COME BACK TO YOU GUYS AND SHARE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED ONCE THAT PROJECT
[00:30:01]
IS COMPLETE ALL IT BACK FOR YOU.ANY THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS? GUYS? I HAVE A QUESTION JUST BECAUSE I'M CURIOUS AND I CAN FOLLOW THIS LINK LATER, BUT THE FOOD RESCUE MINI SUMMIT IS, THAT'S LIKE PRE COMPOSTING, CORRECT? YEAH.
SO IF THERE WAS, UM, SURPLUS FOOD OR, YOU KNOW, AN EVENT THAT HAD A LOT OF EXTRA AT THE END, THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEN CAN HELP TAKE THAT AND GET IT TO FOLKS THAT NEED IT.
THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH, STEPH.
THAT, UH, LITERALLY CONCLUDES THIS, THIS AGENDA WITH THE EXCEPTION OF FUTURE
[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ]
AGENDA ITEMS. ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT OR DO YOU WANNA GET BACK TO US? I'D, I'D LIKE TO SEE A FOLLOW UP ON THOSE, UH, QUESTIONS CONCERNING, CONCERNING THE LANDFILL ITSELF.ALSO, UH, IF WE COULD GET AN UPDATE ON, ON THE FLEET ITSELF.
I MEAN, WHAT ARE WE, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE? THE ELECTRIC, UH, ELECTRIC PHASE, THE ELECTRIC FLEET THAT WE'VE, UH, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT IS THAT MOVING TOWARDS A, A COMPLETION HERE SOME WAY SOMEHOW, BUT, UH, ANYWAY, I'D LOVE TO SAY WE'RE GONNA HAVE A C AND D PROPOSAL, BUT I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA BE QUITE READY.
YEAH, PROBABLY NOT TILL LIKE JANUARY MAYBE.
I THINK JANUARY'S OUR BEST BE, BUT KNOW THAT WORK IS HAPPENING.
THANK YOU TO KAY HILL, ELIZABETH, AND OTHERS.
NOW WE WILL GET BACK WITH YOU WITH, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL ITEMS AND OR THERE'S A, UH, DISCUSSION ACTION ITEM, RCAS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED, PLEASE.
AND ALSO I'D, I'D LIKE TO GET ANOTHER UPDATE TOO ON THE, UH, THE TRANSFER STATION AND HOW THAT'S PROGRESSING AT THIS POINT.
I MEAN, WHERE ARE WE GONNA PARK THESE NICE NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND, AND WHO IS GONNA HELP US? BUT ANYWAY, THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS.
ANY COMMISSIONERS? HEARING NONE, I'LL UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT.
WELL, JAN, I'D LOVE TO ENTERTAIN YOU.
DO I HEAR A SECOND? GOSH, SECOND, SETH.
YOU GOTTA HURRY AND GET BACK IN THAT REIGN.
WE HAVE A MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT.
DO I HEAR ANY DISCUSSION? NOPE.
HOW ABOUT, UH, RAISING OUR HANDS? WE WANNA GET OUTTA HERE.