Oct 28, 2020 Joint Sustainability Committee

AT THAT SITE, UM, WHICH IS NOT, UM, IT'S IN PARALLEL WITH THE SYSTEM.

THIS IS AN AREA OF LA LOMA COMMUNITY SOLAR IT'S 2.6 MEGAWATTS.

UM, THIS WAS AN AREA AROUND A SUBSTATION THAT, UM, WAS NOT USABLE IN OTHER REGARDS BECAUSE IT, IT WAS NOT ONLY IN THE FLOOD PLAIN, BUT IT WAS A FORMER TANK FARM.

SO, UM, IT, IT HAD MANY, UM, GAS EASEMENTS AND, AND GAS PIPE PIPES UNDERNEATH IT.

UM, THERE'S A RAILWAY THAT RUNS DIRECTLY BESIDE IT.

THEY, THIS SITE WAS, UM, UH, PARTIALLY INHABITED, UH, BY, UM, HOMELESS PEOPLE.

AND THERE WERE, UM, SOME ISSUES WITH DRUG USE AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, AT THE SITE.

UM, SO I THINK LIKE HAVING THE, THE SITE THERE IS BENEFITING THE COMMUNITY IN SOME REGARDS, UM, IT'S CO LOCATED AT THE SUBSTATION.

SO, UM, IT HAS A REALLY HIGH, UM, WHAT IS IT HOSTING CAPACITY? SO AS YOU GET CLOSER TO A SUBSTATION, YOU CAN INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF SOLAR THAT YOU CAN PUT ON A THEATER.

UM, AND SINCE THIS IS DIRECTLY ADJACENT TO IT, IT'S, IT'S AT THE HIGHEST, UM, CAPACITY THERE.

UM, SO IT ALLOWS, UM, FOR, UM, ADDITIONAL CO LOCATED, UH, STORAGE

[00:10:01]

SO THE SYSTEM DOESN'T DIRECTLY, UM, CHARGE THE STORAGE, BUT IT IS THERE.

AND, UM, PART OF OUR SHINES GRANT, WHICH ALLOWED US US TO STUDY THE, UM, IMPACTS OF BATTERIES, HOW TO OPERATE THEM, WHAT THE, UM, THE BENEFIT IS TO THE UTILITY AND POTENTIALLY CUSTOMERS AND WHATNOT.

UM, THIS ALSO UTILIZED LOCAL WORKFORCE TO DEVELOP THIS PROJECT.

UM, SO I THINK THAT'S ALSO VERY IMPORTANT.

UM, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

MM, HERE IS A MORE CURRENT PICTURE, ALTHOUGH IT, WASN'T A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY, UM, OF THE AUSTIN, UH, THE ABI, A COMMUNITY SOLAR PROJECT, THAT'S GOING ON TOP OF THE NEW PARK AND YOUR ICE THERE.

UM, THIS HAD SOME PRETTY NICE BENEFITS IN THAT IT IS DUAL PURPOSE AND SERVES AS A CAR PORT, WHICH WAS, UM, ORIGINALLY DESIGNED FOR THE, UM, PARKING GARAGE.

BUT, UM, INSTEAD OF PUTTING METAL ON TOP OF THOSE, UM, STRUCTURES, WE DECIDED TO PUT SOLAR THERE.

SO THERE WAS AN AVOIDED COST THERE, IT L ALSO IT WAS NICE TO ALIGN WITH THE NEW CONSTRUCTION SO THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO BORE THROUGH THE CONCRETE.

AND, UM, WE PLANNED IN, UM, THE CONDUIT RUNS TO THE TRANSFORMERS AND CHASES DOWN THROUGH THE PARKING GARAGE AND WHATNOT.

SO IT WAS WELL-PLANNED IN ADVANCE AND MADE THE INSTALLATION CHEAPER AND EASIER.

UM, AND IT'S CO LOCATED WITH UV CHARGING HAS VERY HIGH VISIBILITY.

UM, SO WE'RE CAPITALIZING ON THE MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES THERE TO, UM, NOT ONLY EDUCATE BUT CROSS PROMOTE PROGRAMS. UM, SO SOON WE'LL BEGIN, UM, DEPLOYING SOME SIGNAGE OUT AT THE AIRPORT.

UH, A, UH, AT CERTAIN TIMES THEY, OH, ASSIGNS COULD SEE POTENTIALLY 50,000 PEOPLE A DAY.

SO THERE'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY THERE TO, UM, SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT COMMUNITY SOLAR AND GROW OUR EFFORTS.

UM, AND THIS ALSO UTILIZED LOCAL WORKFORCE TO DEVELOP THIS NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO, AS YOU MAY KNOW, UM, WE CURRENTLY HAVE AN RFP OUT ON THE STREET.

UM, IT IS, UH, TO BE, UM, CONNECTED TO THE DISTRIBUTION GRID.

THE RESPONDENTS, UM, ARE TO PROVIDE, UM, THEIR, UM, HOW THEY ARE GOING TO IMPLEMENT DIVERSITY INCLUSION AND THE LOCAL WORKFORCE AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT PLAN.

UM, IT COULD POTENTIALLY ALSO BE ACCOMPANIED BY STORAGE OPTIONS.

THAT'S UP TO THE RESPONDENTS.

UM, AND YOU CAN VIEW THE RFP AT THE LINK HERE AND, UH, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THAT SEND OUT WITH THE WELL, I'M ASSUMING THAT THIS, THIS PRESENTATION WILL BE SENT TO THE GROUP, BUT IF NOT, THEN I CAN PDF IT AND SEND IT OUT.

BUT I CAN'T REALLY TAKE ANY MORE QUESTIONS REGARDING THE RFP DUE TO THE COMPETITIVE NATURE OF IT, BUT I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU THE HIGHLIGHTS THERE.

AND, UM, I THINK A LOT OF WORK WENT INTO, UM, GETTING THOSE THINGS INCLUDED INTO THE RFP, AND THEN ALSO A LOT OF WORK ON THE DESIGN OF THE PROGRAM, WHICH I'M ABOUT TO SPEAK TO NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO OUR COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM, UM, AGAIN, IT'S THE FIRST GREEN CERTIFIED COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM IN THE COUNTRY AND PARTICIPANTS OFFSET A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THEIR USAGE WITH RENEWABLES.

UM, THE COMMUNITY SOLAR, UM, CHARGE ON THE BILL, REPLACES THE POWER SUPPLY ADJUSTMENT AND IS FIXED, UM, AND CAN POTENTIALLY GO DOWN WITH THE ADDITION OF LOWER COST, UM, LOWER COST SUPPLY IN OUR, IN OUR PORTFOLIO.

UM, HALF OF THE PRODUCTION FROM OUR SYSTEMS IS ALLOCATED TO, UM, CAP PROGRAM.

AND, UM,

[00:15:01]

THAT WILL ALSO BE THE CASE WITH THE, UM, AUSTIN BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PROJECT.

SO, UM, WE, THE, THE, UH, MARKET RATE IS AT PREMIUM.

SO CUSTOMERS PAY RIGHT NOW BASED ON THE PSA.

UM, CUSTOMERS PAY AN ADDITIONAL PENNY AND, UM, 1.3, UH, I'M SORRY, 1.13 CENTS.

IS THERE THE ADDITIONAL THAT THEY PAY PER KILOWATT HOUR AND FOR THE CAB CUSTOMERS, THEY, UM, RECEIVE A BENEFIT OF APPROXIMATELY A THIRD OF A PENNY PER KILOWATT HOUR.

UM, THE CAP CUSTOMER DISCOUNT IS, UM, IS PROVIDED THROUGH THE CAP PROGRAM AND THAT MONEY IS COLLECTED THROUGH THE COMMUNITY BENEFIT CHARGE ON CUSTOMERS.

THOSE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

SO, UH, FOR YOUR INFORMATION, UM, THE CAP TO BE ENROLLED IN CAP, UM, YOU AUTOMATICALLY GET ENROLLED IF YOU'RE ENROLLED IN ANY OF THESE EIGHT, UM, ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. UM, BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE ENROLLED IN THESE EIGHT ONE OF THESE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS TO BECOME ELIGIBLE FOR CAB.

YOU CAN BECOME ELIGIBLE BASED ON INCOME VERIFICATION.

UM, SO WE SUPPLY THAT, UM, ABILITY TO OUR CUSTOMERS AS WELL, UM, FOR THE ABI PROGRAM, UM, UH, CAPACITY THAT'S ABOUT TO COME ONLINE.

UM, WE HAVE PRETTY SUBSTANTIALLY ALMOST COMPLETELY, UM, HAVE PRE SUBSCRIBED THE MARKET PORTION OF THAT.

AND, UM, WE HAVE A GOOD PORTION ABOUT 25% OF THE CAP ALREADY PRE SUBSCRIBED.

WE'VE SENT OUT COMMUNICATIONS TO, UM, GET MORE PRE SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM THE CAP CUSTOMERS.

AND WE EXPECT TO HAVE THAT FULL WAY SUBSCRIBED EITHER BEFORE OR SHORTLY AFTER MONITORING THE, UM, ARE PUTTING THE, THE AIRPORT SYSTEM ONLINE.

NEXT SLIDE.

SO IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, AND THIS IS IN SOME REGARDS, UM, CONSIDERED A COMMUNITY PROGRAM AT LEAST BY OTHER UTILITIES.

UM, WE HAVE THE SHARED SOLAR PILOT, UM, SHARED SOLAR IS THE CONCEPT THAT, UM, WE CAN REDUCE THE COST OF MULTIFAMILY SOLAR PROJECTS BY ALLOWING A SINGLE INTERCONNECTION ON THE UTILITY SIDE OF THE METER RATHER THAN MULTIPLE INTERCONNECTIONS INTO EACH RESIDENTIAL METER.

UM, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT, UM, REQUIRES NOT ONLY A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT AND A LOT OF PERMITTING, UM, POTENTIAL ISSUES, BUT ALSO, UM, IT, UM, REQUIRES A LOT OF WORK ON AUSTIN ENERGY SIDE TO MAINTAIN ALL OF THAT.

UM, AND SOMETIMES IT'S NOT EVEN POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE REAL ESTATE ON THE WALL JUST ISN'T THERE TO ENABLE THAT MANY INTERCONNECTIONS BEHIND RESIDENTIAL METERS.

SO WHAT THIS DOES IS IT ALLOWS FOR A SINGLE INTERCONNECTION ON THE UTILITY SIDE OF THE METER, WE'LL MEET HER THAT PRODUCTION AND THEN ALLOCATE IT TO CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS VIRTUALLY THROUGH THE BILLING SYSTEM.

SO, UM, THE BILLING SYSTEM IS A, UM, UH, A GIANT, UM, IF YOU WILL, AND THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT GO ON IN THE BILLING SYSTEM AND FOR SEVERAL REASONS, UM, WE HAVE BEEN AS OF YET UNABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY IMPLEMENT UAT, WHICH IS USER ACCEPTANCE TESTING WITHIN THE BILLING SYSTEM, UM, PARTIALLY DUE TO OTHER PRIORITIES IN THE BILLING SYSTEM, UM, AND SCHEDULED, UM, UPGRADES.

BUT, UM, WE ARE CURRENTLY IN LINE TO DO ANOTHER ROUND OF USER ACCEPTANCE TESTING, AND WE HOPE TO CONCLUDE THAT SOMETIME IN JANUARY.

UM, SO WE'RE TARGETING AT JULY LAUNCH, UH, FOR THE PROGRAM BECAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE SIX MONTHS OF SUCCESSFUL

[00:20:01]

BILLING IN, UM, AND CCNB, WHICH IS OUR BILLING SYSTEM.

BEFORE WE, UM, TRY TO LAUNCH A PROGRAM, UM, WHEN WE DO LAUNCH, IT WILL BE LIMITED TO, UM, LOW TO MEDIUM INCOME PROPERTIES.

AND THEN, UM, IF THAT GOES WELL, THEN WE WILL EXPAND THAT TO, UM, TO FULL AVAILABILITY TO MULTIFAMILY.

CURRENTLY WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S AN OUTDATED BULLET POINT, BUT, UM, CURRENTLY WE HAVE FIVE, UH, PROJECTS THAT ARE BEING HANDLED, UM, BY THE, UM, SOLAR STAFF AND IN WITH THE BILLING STAFF AT AUSTIN ENERGY.

SO THAT'S A VERY MANUAL PROCESS AND, UM, THAT WE WE'VE BEEN MAINTAINING THAT UNTIL THAT WE CAN GET FUNKY FUNCTIONALITY IN THE BILLING SYSTEM TO TAKE IT OUT.

UM, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT STANDS AND THAT'S THE, UM, STATUS OF OUR COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAMS, ANY QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, TIM.

UH, VERY HELPFUL OVERVIEW.

UM, ANYBODY JUST WANTS TO SPEAK UP IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS.

WELL, I WOULD, IF IN CASE FOLKS ARE MULLING IT OVER AND HAVE ONE, UM, I HAVE ON GREEN, TIM, UM, YOU MENTIONED THE BLEND SYSTEM, UM, UPDATE, UH, BEING PUSHED AGAIN, VIRTUALLY DUE TO OTHER PRIORITIES AND I'M POINT OUT IT, I GUESS THAT THAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE I, YOU KNOW, I, I KNEW THAT YOU AND YOUR TEAM HAVE PUT IN A LOT OF TIME INTO THOSE CONTINUES TO BE A CHANCELLOR AT HANDS BILLING.

UM, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT.

AND I KNOW THAT COUNSEL, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, INDICATING THAT THEY WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN.

SO I'M WONDERING, UM, YOU KNOW, DO YOU SEE, IS, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IT'S GOING TO GET PUSHED AGAIN BECAUSE OTHERS HAVE DIFFERENT PRIORITIES? THAT'S A TOUGH QUESTION.

UM, I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT.

UM, I THINK THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN THE PAST IT HAS BEEN PUSHED FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, UM, THAT, AND ALL OF THEM ARE LEGITIMATE.

UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, THE BILLING SYSTEM, AS I SAID, IS, IT'S KIND OF A PARTICULAR MONSTER IN A WAY.

UM, BUT, UM, IT REQUIRES CERTAIN UPDATES AND THERE ARE THINGS THAT, UM, IT MAKES SENSE TO, TO PRIOR TO THIS, BECAUSE THEY COULD POTENTIALLY JUST MESS IT UP AND CAUSE US TO HAVE TO RETEST IT ANYWAY.

UM, SO I THINK THAT WE'RE LARGELY BEHIND THAT.

UM, AND IT LOOKED, I'M OPTIMISTIC THAT THIS IS THE TIME, BUT HAVING FELT THAT WAY, MANY TIMES IN THE PAST, IT'S HARD TO BE, YOU KNOW, A HUNDRED PERCENT CERTAIN.

UM, BUT, UM, YEAH, I DON'T, I THINK WE'RE SUPER CLOSE TO BEGINNING OUR UAT TESTING AGAIN, TESTING AGAIN.

AND, UM, SO I, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING IN THE WAY OF THAT CURRENTLY.

WHEN WOULD IT BEGIN? UH, NOVEMBER.

AND BECAUSE OF THE HOLIDAY SCHEDULES AND WHATNOT, IT'S NOT EXPECTED TO CONCLUDE UNTIL, UM, EARLY JANUARY.

ROB, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? I SEE YOU NOW, UM, TIM, I SAW THAT, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL EVER EXPECTING TO FIRST ROLL THIS OUT TO LOW, TO MODERATE INCOME.

HOW ARE YOU DEFINING LOW TO MODERATE INCOME THAT HASN'T BEEN TOTALLY AGREED UPON? UM, UP AND DOWN THE, THE CHANNELS OF THE UTILITY, BUT CERTAINLY ANY, UM, NONPROFIT MULTIFAMILY HOUSING WOULD BE ELIGIBLE.

THAT WE ALL HAVE BEEN HAVING.

WELL, I THINK THAT'S, UM, IT'S PRETTY, I THINK, RELEVANT TO THE, THE KIND OF CLIMATE PLAN CONVERSATIONS

[00:25:01]

SO I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE PEOPLE HERE TO THINK ABOUT THAT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, YEAH.

W WHAT IS IT, WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE LINE THERE FOR THE FIRST WAVE OF, UM, KIND OF OPENING THIS NEW PROGRAM? ALL RIGHT.

UM, UNLESS OTHERS HAVE QUESTIONS, UH, LET'S MOVE ON TO

[2c) Presentation on equity and the Austin Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan – Liz Jambor, Austin Energy (Discussion and/or possible action)]

THE NEXT PRESENTATION, WHICH I BELIEVE IS GOING TO BE FOCUSED MORE ON EFFICIENCY, UH, SPORADIC IT'S RELATED TO THE, UH, RFP THAT CAME OUT OF THE, UH, GENERATION, UH, RESOURCE PLANNING GROUP, UM, LOOKING AT EQUITY ACROSS THE PROGRAMS. I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO TIM.

IT WAS A GOOD PRESENTATION.

AND THANK YOU ALL FOR, UM, CHANGING YOUR, UM, AGENDA.

I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, SO MY NAME IS LIZ JAMBA, WHERE I'M THE MANAGER OF DATA ANALYTICS AND BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE AT AUSTIN ENERGY.

MY GROUP IS IN CHARGE OF THIS RFP.

SO THIS RFP IS FOCUSED ON THE EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION IN CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTION PROGRAMS, AND I DON'T HAVE IT MEMORIZED.

SO THANK YOU.

UM, EXCELLENT.

UM, UH, WHILE IT IS NOT ON THE STREET YET, I'M GOING TO WALK YOU THROUGH, UM, WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT WE'RE FOCUSED ON.

SO I FIRST WANT TO GO THROUGH SOME OF THE GOALS OF WHAT THIS IS WE'LL GO THROUGH.

UM, AS A REMINDER, WHAT CAME OUT OF THE, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION AND RESOLUTION, AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHERE THE RFP IS.

SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TALKING ABOUT EQUITY RESEARCH.

SO, UM, AND, AND YOU HEAR THESE WORDS A LOT NOW, UM, IN THE NEWS WITH EQUALITY, EQUITY AND EMPOWERMENT.

SO WHAT WE'RE W WE'RE FOCUSED ON IS THE DIVERSITY, THE INCLUSION, THE EQUITY, AND THE EMPOWERMENT FOR OUR PROGRAMS. SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS UNDERSTAND WHAT KIND OF PHYSICAL BARRIERS OR SOCIETAL STRUCTURE THAT THERE MIGHT BE.

THAT'S IMPEDING INDIVIDUALS FROM ACCESSING OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS, UM, AND NOT FULLY PARTICIPATING IN WAYS THAT WE HAD HOPED AND THE WAY THAT WE HAD DESIGNED THEM.

SO WHAT WE WANT, I WANT TO DO IS CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPTS OF SUSTAIN SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION.

THAT KIND OF INTEGRATES ALL OF IT.

SO NOT JUST, UM, NOT JUST THE ENERGY SAVINGS, BUT ALSO THINKING ABOUT THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE SOUND, THE TECHNOLOGY THAT GETS IN MEANINGFUL PERSONAL EXPERIENCE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE STARTING TO COLLECT NOW IS SOME HEALTH DATA, SO THAT NOT ONLY ARE WE LOOKING AT HOW, UM, THE ENERGY SAVINGS IS HAPPENING, BUT ALSO WHAT ARE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING FROM A HEALTH STANDPOINT.

SO WE'RE STARTING TO GATHER MORE OF A THREE 60 VIEW, AND WE WANT TO KEEP THAT GOING.

SO WE WANT TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE.

WE WANT TO CHANGE THE MINDSET.

WE WANT TO GET PEOPLE NOT ENGAGED JUST IN THEIR DWELLING, BUT REALLY IN THE WAY THAT THEY THINK ABOUT WHAT AUSTIN ENERGY PROVIDES, HOW WE'RE ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY AND HOW WE CAN CHANGE THE CONVERSATION SO THAT WE'RE BUILDING TRUST, WE'RE BUILDING ENGAGEMENT AND, AND THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR ROLE IN ENERGY SAVINGS.

SO IT'S NOT JUST ALL ABOUT THE UTILITY DOING SOMETHING, BUT IT'S A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CUSTOMER.

TO LAST, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

WE ALSO HAVE TO HAVE THINK ABOUT WAYS THAT WE CAN DO THIS REMOTELY.

SO WE ARE IN, WHEN WE STARTED THINKING ABOUT THIS AND PUTTING THIS RFP TOGETHER, WE WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD BE IN A PANDEMIC THAT WE WOULD HAVE SHELTER IN PLACE THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SOCIAL DISTANCING AND PHYSICAL DISTANCING.

SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CREATE NEW WAYS TO HAVE, UM, ACCESS TO OUR CUSTOMERS, TO CREATE REMOTE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.

NICELY.

THERE ARE SEVERAL DEPARTMENTS ACROSS THE CITY THAT ARE FINDING SUCCESS IN SOME OF THESE REMOTE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES.

AND SO WE HOPE TO PARTNER WITH THEM TO LEARN FROM WHAT THEY FOUND AS SUCCESS, UM, LEARN FROM THEY HAVE FOUND OR NOT SUCCESSES, AND BRING IN THAT VENDOR THAT IS SKILLED IN DOING BOTH IN-PERSON AND THE VIRTUAL TYPE OF EVENT.

AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT BEYOND THAT WE CAN TAKE THAT LEARNING AND KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

BECAUSE ANOTHER THING IS, WE DON'T KNOW HOW LONG OUR CURRENT STATE IS GOING

[00:30:01]

THE THING IS, WE WANT TO ADVOCATE SO MUCH, LIKE I AM SURE MANY OF YOU KNOW, AND ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE STORY OF THE LORAX, UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU, HERE'S AN AWFUL LOT.

NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER.

IT'S NOT.

SO WE WANT TO CREATE ADVOCATES.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE KNOW IS THAT WHEN WE CAN GET ADVOCATES OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, THEY CAN TELL THE STORY AND THEY CAN TELL IT IN A WAY THAT HELPS PEOPLE BUILD THAT SENSE OF TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S GOING ON.

WE HAVE, WE HAVE SUCH A VARIETY OF COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN THAT THEY EXPERIENCE CITY GOVERNMENT, AND WE ARE A GOVERNMENT AGENCY.

THEY EXPERIENCE CITY GOVERNMENT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

AND SO WE HAVE TO START LEARNING HOW TO BUILD THOSE TRUST RELATIONSHIPS, BUILD THAT ADVOCACY SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHY IN THE WORLD, WHEN AN ELECTRIC COMPANY TEACH THEM, SAY THE ONE THING WE SELL.

SO HOW DO WE BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS? SO THEY BETTER UNDERSTAND THAT NEXT SLIDE.

AND THEN WE WANT EQUITABLE PARTICIPATION IN OUR PROGRAM.

SO THIS IS LANGUAGE STRAIGHT OUT OF, UM, THE DOCUMENT THAT MANY OF YOU IN THIS GROUP HELPED PREPARE.

SO THE RFP IS DESIGNED TO HAVE A THIRD PARTY COME IN TO DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT COMMUNITY MEETINGS FOR THOSE THAT ARE LIVING IN, OR THOSE THAT ARE SERVING THOSE LIVING IN LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR OR THOSE THAT CURRENTLY DON'T FORWARD, OR CAN'T ACCESS OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE COMMUNITY MEETINGS THAT ADDRESS THE BARRIERS.

AND THEN FROM THOSE MEETINGS, I'D RECOMMEND APPROACHES, GOALS, AND OUTCOMES TO ACHIEVE EQUITABLE ENERGY EFFICIENCY, DEMAND, RESPONSE, AND SOLAR PROGRAMS. WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE BEYOND THE CURRENT BARRIERS THAT MIGHT INCLUDE RENTING LANGUAGE INCOME, AND IN THE LIFE SLIDE, PLEASE, THEM STRAIGHT FROM THE DOCUMENT.

UM, THIS PROCESS IS, UH, DESIGNED TO CRAFT PROGRAMS THAT BEST MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS.

SO WE'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT COMMUNITY NEEDS THAT ARE RELATED TO BUDGETS THAT ARE RELATED TO GOALS THAT ARE RELATED TO WHAT PEOPLE EXPECT OUT OF BOSTON ENERGY.

SO WE'VE GOT TO FIT THEM WITHIN THIS.

UM, WE'VE GOT TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE BEST METHODS FOR THE COORDINATED OF THESE PROGRAMS. SO AS WE'RE COMING UP WITH NEW PROGRAMS, WILL WE STILL HAVE THE BUDGETS, THE STAFF, TO BE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THOSE PROGRAMS? AND THEN HOW DO WE TRANSLATE THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS INTO AFFORDABLE AND SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS? SO WHAT ESSENTIALLY, WE DON'T WANT TO THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER.

WE HAVE VERY SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS. CURRENTLY.

WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS ADD TO AND ENHANCE THAT SUCCESS.

WE DON'T WANT TO THROW OUT WHAT IS SUCCESS FOR S FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

SO THE MEETINGS ARE TO FOCUS ON THOSE WHO AREN'T CURRENTLY ENGAGED.

UM, AND ALSO THINK ABOUT THE CONTRACTORS THAT WORK IN THIS AREA, CLIMATE AMBASSADORS, DIRECT SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, THE TWO FAMILY ELDER CARE KERATITIS FOUNDATION COMMUNITIES, THOSE THAT ARE WORKING IN THIS SPACE, UM, THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMMUNITY-BASED ACCESSIBLE.

THEY'RE UM, THEY NEED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE COVID IMPACT SAFETY MEASURES AND HEALTH PROTECTIONS.

WHAT WE DO NOT WANT TO DO IS BECOME A SUPER SPREADER EVENT.

SO WHAT WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH IS FINDING WAYS TO GATHER THIS INFORMATION IN SAFE WAYS, UM, WITHOUT ENDANGERING THE COMMUNITY OR OUR STAFF OR OUR VENDOR.

UM, THEN WE'RE GOING TO SEEK INPUT.

WE'RE NOT SEEKING INPUT FROM ANYONE WHO HAS VESTED INTERESTS, UM, SUCH AS ISSUE ADVOCATES, TRADE GROUPS OF VENDORS.

THIS TRULY IS COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

SO THEN THE FINAL REPORT IS TO PROVIDE IT TO BE PROVIDED NO LATER THAN ONE YEAR AFTER THE RETENTION OF THE SERVICE PROVIDER.

AND WE WILL BE MAKING REPORT TO THE EUC, THE RMC AND CITY COUNCIL.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

OFFICE HAD A LOT OF INPUT IN IT.

WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW, WE DEVELOPED AUSTIN ENERGY DEVELOP THIS RFP IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN EQUITY OFFICE.

UH, WE HAD SOME GREAT MEETINGS WITH THE STAFF AT THE EQUITY OFFICE.

WE WENT TO AUSTIN ENERGY, ACTUALLY WENT THROUGH A TRAINING.

WE WENT THROUGH AN, UM, AN INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY TRAINING, WHICH WAS VERY HELPFUL.

IT HELPED US DESIGN A BETTER RFP.

UH, THE EQUITY

[00:35:01]

THEY ACTUALLY HAD THE FINAL REVIEW OF IT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE LEARN.

WE WERE, UH, INCLUDING SOME OF THE ISSUES THEY HAD BROUGHT UP EARLY ON THAT WE WERE NOT INCLUDING ANY ISSUES RELATED TO MICROAGGRESSIONS OR THOSE HIDDEN, HIDDEN ISSUES THAT WE THINK MIGHT BE ADDRESSING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, AND REALLY AREN'T.

SO THAT WAS A GREAT PARTNERSHIP TO START WITH.

UH, THE RFP IS CURRENTLY IN PURCHASING THE PURCHASING ROUTING PROCESS WITH THE GOAL OF GETTING TO COUNCIL BY THE END OF THE 2020 CALENDAR YEAR.

UM, THE SOLICITATION PROCESS WILL BEGIN IN EARLY 2021.

UM, THAT USUALLY TAKES A FEW WEEKS.

WE HOPE TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL VENDOR ON BOARD SO THAT OUR PROJECT CAN BEGIN IN MID 2021, WHICH MEANS THAT WE WOULD HAVE A REPORT OUT BY MID 2022.

I BELIEVE THAT'S THE ANSWER.

SO DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF ME? THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION WAS YOU'RE WELCOME, RIGHT IN LINE WITH A LOT OF THE WORK THAT'S BEEN GOING ON FOR, FOR THE CLIMATE PLAN QUESTIONS, COMMENTS.

HI, MAY I GO AHEAD? AND THAT IS THANKS FOR COMING IN AND GIVING US AN UPDATE.

I THINK THIS IS MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION TO HIGHLIGHT FOR SURE.

I APPRECIATE THE LENGTH OF STAFF GONE THROUGH TRAINING JUST TO MAKE A BETTER RFP.

I THINK THAT'S A CRITICAL POINT THERE.

UM, WHAT IS THE, CAN YOU ALSO, UH, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY NOT THE SPECIFIC, UH, BUT, UH, TALKS ABOUT THE PROCESS OF FOLLOW THROUGH, OBVIOUSLY, UH, IT TAKES JUST AS MUCH WORK TO EVALUATE SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

IF YOU ALREADY TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S EQUITABLE FROM THE CRAFTING STAGE.

SO ARE YOU CHANGING THE WAY, UM, THE, UH, SOLICITATION RESPONDS OR BEING EVALUATED ON THE BACK END AS WELL? SO WE HAVEN'T, BECAUSE IT HAS NOT HIT THE STREETS YET WHERE WE HAVE, THERE'S NO EVALUATION PROCESS THAT I CAN SPEAK TO.

UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT OUR EVALUATION COMMITTEE IS A DIVERSE PANEL, SO IT'S DIVERSE IN TERMS OF GENDER, UH, RACE AND ETHNICITY, UH, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, UH, TIME ON THE JOB LEVEL WITHIN THE UTILITY.

SO WE TRIED TO COVER AS MUCH DIVERSITY AS POSSIBLE ON OUR, OUR TEAM.

UM, IT ALSO INCLUDES BOTH AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE, UH, EQUITY OFFICE STAFF.

GREAT.

AND I JUST, UH, I KNOW, I IMAGINE EVERYTHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.

I JUST FIGURED THAT WILL BE A GOOD NEXT STEP TO REALLY ALSO, UM, SPEND THIS EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE SAME INTENTION GO INTO THE FRONT END IS ALSO BEING INVESTED IN THE BACK END WITH EVERY SOLICITATION.

UM, I I'VE GONE TO A LOT OF THE CITY'S PROCESS MYSELF.

AND SO I CAN SPEAK TO THE FRUSTRATION SOMETIME WHERE, YOU KNOW, A LARGE COMPANY FROM OUT OF TOWN.

SOMETIMES I HAVE AN EASIER TIME NAVIGATING BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE TO PROVE UP MUCH VERSUS LOCAL COMPANY.

UH, SO I JUST, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT, UH, NOT, NOT, NOT JUST IN THE CONTEXT OF EQUITY, BUT WHEN YOU ADD THE BARRIERS ON TOP, UH, IT'S DEFINITELY A CAUSE OF FRUSTRATION.

UH, SO I, AGAIN, I APPRECIATE THE INTENTIONS AND THE AMOUNT OF INVESTMENT BEING PUT IN, AND I COMPLETELY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

UM, SO A COUPLE OF CRITERIA THAT ARE WITHIN THE RFP AND I, I, I DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME, SO I'M NOT GOING TO USE THE EXACT LANGUAGE CORRECTLY, BUT THE INDIVIDUAL HAS TO HAVE EXPERIENCE DOING THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY AND THEY HAVE TO HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH THE COMMUNITIES WITHIN AUSTIN ENERGY.

SO, UM, UH, WHILE SOME OF OUR RFPS ACROSS THE CITY HAVE A BIG COMPANY THAT COMES IN AND IS AS SUCCESSFUL, UM, WE'RE ANTICIPATING THAT WE HAVE, UH, PEOPLE.

SO, UM, SUBMITTING RFPS THAT ARE LOCAL AND CAN DEMONSTRATE THE WORK WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND SUCCESSFUL WORK WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES.

THIS IS THAT, UM, SO PART OF THE PROCESS IN, IN, UM, PUTTING TOGETHER AN RFP, ANY RFP IS HAVING, HAVING VENDORS THAT, YOU KNOW, FIT THE CRITERIA.

UH, OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT PARALYZING THE COMPANY BY ANY MEANS.

I JUST THINK THAT EVERYTHING REQUIRED CONTEXT AND APPROPRIATE DIALOGUES TO SET UP EQUITABLE SYSTEM AND DEFINITELY EMPOWERING THE COMMUNITY TO SUCCEED.

SO THAT'S NO FURTHER COMMENT.

AND I THINK THAT'S BEEN ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE MANY BENEFITS OF WORKING WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE ON

[00:40:01]

THEY THEY'RE THEY'RE, UM, THEY'RE A PURCHASING CRITERIA OR A CATEGORY.

AND SO EQUITY OFFICE HAS WORKED WITH MANY VENDORS ACROSS THIS, UH, ACROSS THE SPECTRUM.

AND SO WE, WE KNOW WHO, WHO WE WERE GOING TO SEND IT TO IN HOPES THAT THEY BID AND THEN WHAT, WHAT CATEGORY OF VENDOR THEY ARE SO THAT WE SEND TO THE, THOSE CATEGORIES.

SO WE FEEL VERY FORTUNATE WORKING WITH THE EQUITY OFFICE BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE IN THIS TYPE OF WORK THAN WE DO.

WE DO, WE DO A MARKET RESEARCH.

SO WE KNOW THAT END OF IT, BUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENTS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

SO IT'S BEEN A REALLY FORTUNATE, UM, RELATIONSHIP.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MINUTE TO SAY THANK YOU.

I THINK BOTH PRESENTATIONS FROM AUSTIN ENERGY ARE REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO HEAR, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO CULTIVATE A BETTER, MORE ONGOING RELATIONSHIP WITH Y'ALL AND STAYING UP TO DATE ON, ON WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING.

SO I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING, AND I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, ABOUT YOUR PRESENTATION IN PARTICULAR.

THANKS.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

YEAH, I SECOND THAT, THANK YOU.

APPRECIATE YOU MAKING THE TIME TO HERE, AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE A MORE TODAY, UH, CONVERSATION AS, AS WE ALL GET, UH, YOU KNOW, MORE, I THINK, FAMILIAR WITH WHAT Y'ALL ARE DOING.

LET'S UM, THINK WE SHOULD

[2a) Recommendation stating support for public transit as part of Austin Climate Equity Plan (Discussion and/or possible action)]

KEEP, GO BACK TO ITEM TWO EIGHT NOW.

UM, AND LET'S ZACK CAUSE THERE, UM, WOULD YOU PREFER TO DO YOUR UPDATE OR SHOULD WE, SHOULD WE DO THROUGH IT FIRST? UH, EITHER WAY IS FINE.

MY UPDATE IS GOING TO BE BRIEF.

IT'S JUST GOING TO BE SAYING A FEW THINGS, SO, YEAH.

AND YOU'RE HERE ANYWAY.

SO LET'S, LET'S GO BACK TO TWO EIGHT AND, UH, TAKE A LOOK AT THE RECOMMENDATION.

SO JUST TO REMIND FOLKS, UH, AT OUR LAST MEETING, WE DID KIND OF A PRELIMINARY, UH, VOTE OF SUPPORT, UM, FOR THIS RECOMMENDATION THAT WOULD JUST KIND OF HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC TRANSIT IN, UM, MEETING THE GOALS OF THE CLIMATE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN AND THE INTENTION BEING THAT.

NOW WE WOULD ACTUALLY VOTE ON SOME SPECIFIC LANGUAGE FOR THAT.

SO NOW I BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE SINCERE YOUR TRACK.

YOU KNOW, IT PROBABLY GOING TO DO THE SAME THING.

SO I'LL JUST ADD A LITTLE BIT OF CONTEXT AND AGAIN, THANKS FOR FOLKS WHO HAVE VOTING AND SUPPORT LAST TIME.

I KNOW IT WAS KIND OF A STRANGE THING TO DO.

UM, BUT I GUESS TO ME, IT'S KINDA SIGNAL INTENTIONS.

AND SO, UH, I'D LIKE TO, UH, DON'T DO THAT VERY OFTEN, BUT IN THIS CASE IT SEEMS TO BE WARRANTED FOR ME.

UH, SO THE CONTEXT OF THIS IS I, I, I DON'T WANT TO JUST GO IN THERE AND SAY, YOU KNOW, VOTE FOR PROJECT CONNECT, CAUSE OBVIOUSLY COUNCIL DID SUPPORT IT.

THAT, WHICH IS WHY HE'S ON THE BALLOT.

THIS IS MUCH BETTER, BIGGER WHERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS GET COUNCIL TO, UH, AND CITY GOVERNMENT TO, TO REALLY GO IN AND ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BOTH ACTIONS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BIG.

IT JUST HAS TO BE BOLD, UH, IS WHAT NEEDED.

AND THE HIGHLIGHT IN THE RECOMMENDATION SECTION IS BASICALLY WE NEED TO, UH, TAKE AN AT AN INCREASINGLY FASTER RATE BECAUSE THAT IS THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE.

UH, THE DESCRIPTION, THE RECOMMENDATION IS BASICALLY KIND OF PIGGYBACK ON THE FACT THAT THE 20, 30 RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN JUMP-STARTED THE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TAKE A BIG CHUNK.

AND THEN I, BECAUSE I WORK IN LAND USE, I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AFFORDABILITY ON LAND ORDINANCE THAT WAS DONE IN THE SPAN OF THREE MONTHS.

I MEAN, IT WAS VERY FAST, IT'S ALLOW COMPACT FOOTPRINT THAT INHERENTLY WILL ALSO REDUCE EMISSION, UH, TO ME.

AND THEN IT'S ALSO, THEY'RE DIRECTLY ADDRESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHICH IS LIKE, IT HITS SO MANY BOXES.

UH, PRIMITIVE CONNECT IS MENTIONED IN THERE BECAUSE IT'S ALSO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S SORT OF THE NEXT BIG CHUNK OF THE PIE.

UM, I, AND THEN THE SECTION ABOUT RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL, AGAIN, IT'S A LARGER PICTURE, UH, SUPPORT AND EQUITY PLAN IN 2020.

THIS IS KIND OF A PREEMPTIVE, RIGHT? OBVIOUSLY I, I, I THINK IT'S ALSO GOING TO COUNCIL THIS MONTH OR NEXT MONTH.

SO I GUESS IT'S,

[00:45:01]

WE, WE LIKELY WOULD UPSET THE SAME THING IN A SEPARATE, UH, UH, RESOLUTION, VERY LIKELY ANYWAY.

UM, AND THEN I MENTIONED POWER CITY MANAGEMENT AND CITY DEPARTMENT TO PUT FORTH MORE ACTIONS.

OBVIOUSLY JOINING SUSTAINABILITY IS NOT OFFICE IS NOT THE ONE THAT DOING ALL THE HEAVY LIFTING IS ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS.

UH, AND THEN I MENTIONED THE PLAYBOOK FOR THE NEXT COUNCIL, BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S ELECTION YEAR.

I JUST THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY CAN'T AFFORD TO SPEND SIX MONTHS FOR THE NEXT COUNCIL WITH, TO FEEL LIKE, OH YEAH, THIS IS A PRIORITY FROM DAY ONE.

THIS NEED TO BE FRONT AND CENTER THAT, UM, IF WE DO THIS RIGHT, YOU KNOW, I, IN MY OPINION, THE SUSTAINABILITY COULD BE JOB CREATION.

IT COULD BE EQUITY, YOU KNOW, UH, BARRIER, REMOVAL AND SO ON.

AND THEN THE RATIONALE, UM, IT JUST SORT OF GOING, LOOKING BACK A LOT OF THE DATA THAT WE'VE ALREADY LOOKED AT, THERE'S ONE THING THAT I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT AND DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, APPRECIATE STAFF, UH, COMMENTS ON THIS, WHICH IS THE LAST PART WHERE I MENTIONED THAT PROJECT CONNECT WOULD ONLY REDUCE ABOUT 5% OF TOTAL REDUCTION GOAL.

THIS IS AS A WAY TO GIVE CONTEXT THAT, YOU KNOW, PROJECT CONNECT AS BIG OF AN INVESTMENT THAT IS, IS, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE, SEVERAL BILLION DOLLARS ONLY MOVE THE NEEDLE BY 5%.

OBVIOUSLY PROJECT CONNECT IS NOT JUST ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND WE OBVIOUSLY NOT EXPECTING EVERY 5% GONNA COST $7 BILLION, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT MAY COST MORE, RIGHT.

IT MIGHT COST LESS, IT MIGHT COST MORE.

BUT I THINK THE HIGHLIGHT HERE IS, UH, BOW ACTIONS AND TAKING IT AT AN INCREASING RATE SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, UM, KIT THIS THING HEAD ON.

UM, SO THAT'S THE CONTEXT, UH, HOPEFULLY THIS LANGUAGE, UH, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT CLEAR ENOUGH FOR, FOR US TO FEEL LIKE IT'S, IT'S, UH, MEANINGFUL.

THANK YOU, NAT.

UM, THAT'S I THINK A GREAT OVERVIEW, UM, ONE QUESTION I JUST SEE IN THE SECOND SENTENCE HERE, IT SAYS THE 20, 30 RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN YOU'RE REFERRING THERE TO THE AUSTIN ENERGY PLAN.

IS THAT CORRECT? YES.

UM, I WOULD JUST SUGGEST THAT WE SPELL OUT WHAT THE FULL NAME JUST SO IS THAT, UM, WOULD KNOW WHAT WE'RE REFERRING TO THERE.

SO AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE GENERATION, AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN, YOU DIDN'T CONNECT THE, UH, THE PEN THAT I USE FOR THE JUMP STARTED.

I LIKED IT.

I LIKED THE JUMPSTART, UM, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONVERSATION, THANKS TO LIZ AS WELL.

DOES EVERYBODY FEEL LIKE THIS IS IN LINE WITH, UH, THE INTENTION THAT WE SET IN OUR LAST MEETING? GOOD.

UM, NOW ARE YOU FINE WITH MAKING THAT SMALL EDIT? ABSOLUTELY.

UM, ALL RIGHT, WELL, I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT WE ADOPT THIS RECOMMENDATION.

ANY FURTHER CONVERSATION.

I WILL SECOND.

THIS IS COLE.

UM, I'M JUST GOING TO QUICKLY GO THROUGH THE ROLE AGAIN, UH, JUST SAY AYE OR NAY OR ABSTAIN.

UH, DAVID.

UP THAT TO COUNCIL THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS, UM, THIS PLAN IS, IS JUST THE START OF THE WORK.

HOPE I THANK YOU, KAREN.

AND QUEBEC ALSO BEEN, UH, VOTING.

HI.

SO WE HAVE ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN.

I THINK THAT'S EIGHT VOTING UNANIMOUSLY TO ADOPT THIS.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

NOW I THINK THIS IS A GOOD THING FOR US TO BE DOING.

UM, JUST KIND OF KEEPING THE COMMUNICATION AND PRESSURE

[00:50:01]

I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT.

LOOKS LIKE WE ARE NOW MOVING ON TO ZACK GIVING US AN UPDATE.

UM,

[2d) Update from the Climate Program Manager – Zach Baumer, Office of Sustainability (Discussion and/or possible action)]

UH, I'M GUESSING THIS IS MOSTLY FOCUSED ON THE CLIMATE PLAN, BUT ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU NEED TO UPDATE US ON ZACK? YEAH, THANKS EVERYBODY.

UM, YEAH, SO THIS IS JUST A BRIEF VERBAL UPDATE ON WHERE WE ARE WITH THE CLIMATE PLAN, UM, AS MOST OF, YOU KNOW, CAUSE YOU ALL SERVE ON OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

UM, WE COMPLETED, UH, PRESENTATIONS TO BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

WE PRESENTED TO, UH, MOSTLY SELENA AND DON AND I PRESENTED TO A 24 DIFFERENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

UM, WE, I THINK FIVE OR SIX, ABOUT FIVE OR SIX, UM, OF THOSE COMMISSIONS PASS RESOLUTIONS, JUST KIND OF DIRECTLY IN SUPPORT OF, UM, OF THE PLANS SORT OF MODEL ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE RESOLUTION.

UM, A COUPLE OF THE COMMISSIONS PASS RESOLUTION, SORT OF LIKE WE SUPPORT THE PLAN AS WELL AS, UM, THESE OTHER LIKE LISTED RECOMMENDED CHANGES.

UM, SO THOSE ARE FROM THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AND THE PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COUNCIL AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION.

UM, SO OUR TEAM, ME AND MY TEAM OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST LIKE FEW WEEKS HAS BEEN TABULATING ALL OF THE PUBLIC COMMENTS, THE BOARDS AND COMMISSION COMMENTS, AND ARE NOW WORKING ON CRAFTING, UM, UH, SORT OF A, YOU KNOW, DRAFT FINAL VERSION OF THE PLAN.

SO WE HOPE TO HAVE THAT DONE NEXT WEEK.

UM, AND THEN LET'S SEE, ON THE OTHER SIDE, ON THE OTHER SORT OF LIKE COUNCIL OUTREACH SIDE, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY, MANY MEETINGS BETWEEN, UM, STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND, UM, MY MYSELF AND LUCHEA, UM, WITH CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO BRIEF THEM ON THE PLAN AND GET THEM UP TO SPEED ON WHAT'S IN THE PLAN.

AND, UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE WHERE WE'RE SORT OF HEADED NOW IS, UM, TODAY, TODAY, THE PLAN WAS ACTUALLY PARTS OF THE PLAN WERE PRESENTED TO THE WATER, UM, THE AUSTIN WATER COUNCIL COMMITTEE.

AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THE HOUSING AND PLANNING COUNCIL COMMITTEE OR HOUSING AND PLANNING COUNCIL COMMITTEE AND THE COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON MOBILITY ARE BOTH INTERESTED AS WELL AS GETTING BRIEFINGS AND HAVING THOSE ON THEIR AGENDA IN THE NOVEMBER, THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER.

AND THEN IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE, THEN WE WOULD THEN BE AIMING FOR, UM, COUNCIL ADOPTION OF THE PLAN, UM, AT EITHER ONE OF THE TWO DECEMBER MEETINGS.

SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE ARE WITH, UH, UH, WITH A SCHEDULE NOW.

AND YEAH.

UM, THANK YOU.

UM, SORRY TO JUMP IN, BUT, UH, KELLY IS FOR SOME REASON IN THE ATTENDING ROOM AND SO SHE WASN'T ABLE TO SPEAK, UM, ALL RIGHT.

YEAH, HE MOVED HER OVER THERE.

SHE IS.

UM, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S TOO LATE, BUT I WANTED TO VOTE.

UM, I, FOR THE RECOMMENDATION WE JUST VOTED ON.

UM, IS THERE ANY PROCEDURAL REASON THAT WE CAN'T DO THAT? WE NEED TO RE VOTE ALL OF US OR PROBABLY BASED ON ROBOTS, RULES OF ORDER.

SO I THINK WE WOULD LIKE BE THE MOTION TO RECONSIDER RIGHT.

ROBBED.

I MOVE TO RECONSIDER THAT VOTE, UH, THAT WE JUST HAD ON, UH, RESIDENT ON NATURALISM.

I GUESS, KAREN, ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING I'LL SECOND KELLY.

I THINK THAT YOU MAYBE CAN, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T VOTE ON IT THE FIRST TIME.

RIGHT.

HAVE ROBERT'S RULES IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I'M REMEMBERING SOMETHING AROUND THE HOUSE.

I'LL SECOND IT, CAUSE I DEFINITELY LIVID ON IT.

UM, AND NOW I THINK WE HAVE TO VOTE TO RECONSIDER AND THEN IF THE MOTION TO RECONSIDER PASSES, THEN WE VOTE AGAIN.

RIGHT.

I THINK THAT IS CORRECT.

I'M GOING TO RUN DOWN THE LIST REAL QUICK, DAVID.

[00:55:01]

BYE.

UH, WELL HI, KAREN KATIE.

HI.

HI ROB.

HI, I'M UH, I AM KELLY.

I, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE ALLOWED TO VOTE ON THIS OR NOT, BUT I GUESS FOR THE RECORD, UM, WELL I, IF OKAY.

EITHER WAY IT PASSES AND I GUESS IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO TELL US LATER THAT KELLY'S VOTE, DOESN'T COUNT THEN AND PUT HER IN SOME OTHER COLUMNS.

UM, NOW I GUESS WE NEED AN EMOTION.

WE ARE NOW RECONSIDERING THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE DISCUSSED THAT NOT AUTHORED I'LL MAKE THE MOTION AGAIN, THAT WE ADOPT THAT RECOMMENDATION.

I'LL SECOND.

ALL RIGHT, LET'S DO IT AGAIN.

UM, KELLY, I'M SORRY THAT YOU GOT STUCK IN THE WRONG ROOM THERE.

IT'S OKAY WITH IT.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS AND ACCOMMODATING ME SINCE I'M THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION, UH, LIAISON.

I WANTED MY SUPPORT TO BE ON THE RECORD.

THAT'S TOTALLY FAIR.

UM, ALL RIGHT.

SO, UH, BACK TO THAT UPDATE, UM, FOLKS HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS TO DISCUSSION AROUND THIS TIMELINE.

I KNOW IT'S A LITTLE MORE EXTENDED THAN WE WERE EXPECTING.

NO, I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I, I WOULD RATHER HAVE THIS LEVEL OF ATTENTION, BUT ON THINGS AS THE PEOPLE ARE BROUGHT IN AND FEEL LIKE WE'RE READY TO STEWARD THIS INCOME IMPLEMENTATION.

YUP.

I AGREE.

I JUST WANT TO ECHO THAT STAFF HAD DONE SO MUCH WORK.

I APPRECIATE IT.

FAC, HAS THERE BEEN ANY THEME IN THE COMMENTS THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN FROM OTHER BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS, OR JUST BASICALLY LIKE WITH PLANNING, YOU KNOW, SMOOTH SAILING WITH SOME, UH, WITH JUST SOME RECOMMENDATIONS.

WERE LISTED IN TERMS OF TOTAL DISTANCE OF TRAVELED, WHICH IS NOT HOW MOST TRANSPORTATION GOALS ARE COMMUNICATED, LIKE THE S AND P GOAL, A STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN GOALS.

GOOD QUESTION.

UM, LET YOU KNOW, THE, THE COMMENTS FROM BOARDS OF COMMISSIONS OF, I WOULD SAY THAT THE MOST COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS THAT WE GOT WERE SORT OF WERE RELATED TO THE TRANSPORTATION AND LAND USE SECTION, UM, ON CLARIFYING THE TWO GOALS THAT WE HAVE ONE RELATED TO, UM, NON-RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.

AND WHEN WE HAVE RELATED TO HOUSING, MAKING THOSE, WE, WE, DIDN'T SORT OF LIKE EXACTLY REFERENCE THE PLACES AND IMAGINE AUSTIN AND THE STRATEGIC HOUSING BLUEPRINT THAT THOSE, THOSE GOALS WERE SORT OF ANCHORED.

UM, SO THERE WERE NUMEROUS QUESTIONS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT THOSE ARE REALLY ANCHORED IN THE EXACT SORT OF LIKE COUNCIL SUPPORT, UH, COUNCIL SUPPORTED PLANS THAT, UM, THAT THOSE ARE MEANT TO BACK UP.

UM, SO WE'VE MADE THOSE CHANGES AND THEN THE OTHER MAIN COMMENTS WERE RELATED TO THE WAY THAT THE TWO TRANSPORTATION RELATED GOALS AROUND, UM, GET A PERCENTAGE OF, UH, DISTANCE OF TRIPS ON TRANSIT AND PERCENTAGE OF DISTANCE OF TRIPS IN PEOPLE, POWER TRANSPORTATION.

UH, THERE WAS A LOT OF FEEDBACK THAT THOSE SEEMED LOW AND THEY DIDN'T SEEM AGGRESSIVE.

UM, WE WENT BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD, HAD A BUNCH OF CONVERSATIONS WITH THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, UM, UH, HAD, UH, ANOTHER ADVISORY GROUP MEETING AND SORT OF TALKED ABOUT IT.

AND WHAT WE'VE PRIMARILY DONE IS WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO FOR THE NEXT VERSION IS TO CONVERT THOSE GOALS

[01:00:01]

THOSE ARE, UM, COMMUNITY COMMUNICATED IN TERMS OF NUMBER OF TRIPS OR MODE SPLIT OF NUMBER OF TRIPS.

SO WE CONVERTED THE GOALS THAT WE HAVE, WE COMBINE THEM INTO ONE AND THEN CONVERTED IT TO LIKE A TOTAL NUMBER OF TRIPS MODE SPLIT.

AND SO NOW THE PROPOSED GOAL IS THAT BY 20, 30, 50% OF TRIPS WOULD BE IN A NON SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLE MODE.

SO THAT WOULD BE BIKING, WALKING, TRANSIT.

AND SO WHEN WE SHARED THAT WITH OTHER PEOPLE, OBVIOUSLY THAT SOUNDS A LOT MORE AGGRESSIVE BECAUSE 50% IS, IS A WAY BIGGER NUMBER THAN FOUR AND 5%.

UM, AND THE SECOND THING IS THAT THEN IT WAY MORE CLEARLY ALIGNS WITH STRATEGIC MOBILITY PLAN.

UM, AND IT REINFORCES THE IDEA THAT WE REALLY WANT TO GET PEOPLE.

UM, WE TH THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO NOT CREATE EMISSIONS WITH TRANSPORTATION IS JUST TO HAVE A NON SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLE.

SO, UH, WE FEEL LIKE THAT THAT SORT OF LIKE ADDRESSES IT PRETTY WELL.

UM, YEAH.

SO THAT'S THE, YEAH, THOSE ARE THAT'S MOST OF THE, UH, LIKE THE SORT OF MAJOR THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN ADDRESSING.

IS THAT A TRUE TRANSLATION STILL GOING TO BE IN THE TEXT THOUGH? LIKE HOW THE TRANSLATORS YEAH, WE LEAVE IT JUST SO IT'S CLEAR THAT A NUMBER OF TRIPS AND DISTRIBUTOR OF TRIPS, AREN'T THE SAME THING.

AND THEY DON'T REALLY, YOU KNOW, CAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF TRIPS THAT ARE REALLY SHORT, BUT REALLY SHORT TRIPS WALKING ARE ACTUALLY GOOD BECAUSE THEN LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO FAR DISTANCE.

SO IF YOU CAN AVOID THE LONGER TRIPS THE BETTER, SO YEAH, BUT WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE BOTH IN THERE AND WE'RE GOING TO TRY IT.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON A GRAPHIC TO TRY TO COMMUNICATE THE COMPLEXITY THERE.

OH YEAH.

I THINK THAT'S REALLY GOOD.

UM, I THINK THAT WILL ADDRESS THE NUMBER OF COMMENTS THAT HAVE SEEN ANY OFFICIAL KIND OF COMMENT STREAM, BUT ALSO JUST KIND OF UNOFFICIALLY, UM, MAKING IT THAT IT ACTUALLY IS A, A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT SHIFT THAT IS PROPOSED AWAY FROM SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLES.

YEP.

AND WE HAVE BEEN, I GUESS THE LAST SORT OF PIECE OF TRANSPARENCY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'VE LOGGED ALL OF LIKE THE DIRECT EMAIL COMMENTS, THE BOARDS AND COMMISSION COMMENTS, UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, COUNCIL COMMENTS IN SOME DOCUMENTS OR WHAT WAS THE COMMENT, HOW WAS IT ADDRESSED? WHAT WAS THE CHANGE WE MADE? UM, AND WE WILL, WE CAN MAKE THOSE PUBLIC JUST TO SHARE WITH EVERYBODY LIKE WHAT WE ACTUALLY CHANGED AND WHAT WE DIDN'T CHANGE.

NOW ON TO M T E UH, THIS IS COMMISSION MEMBERS REPORTING BACK FROM BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS.

ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ON THIS TOPIC? OKAY, GREAT.

UM, THANK YOU ZACH.

[2e) Commission members report back on any relevant discussions from their respective boards and commissions – (Discussion and/or possible action)]

ANYTHING THAT MIGHT BE RELEVANT TO THIS COMMISSION, OR DO YOU SEE, YOU THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE KNOW WE HAVEN'T HAD GOOD TIME FOR THIS AND WHAT ELSE? SO IF THERE'S THINGS FROM, YOU KNOW, A FEW MONTHS PASSED, I THINK THAT'S STILL OKAY TO SHARE.

I'LL JUST SAY THAT, UH, AS I EMAILED YOU EARLIER TODAY, THE DESIGN COMMISSION DID VOTE TO SUPPORT, UH, THE JSC RECOMMENDATION OF CLIMATE PLAN.

UM, THE URBAN TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION EARLIER THIS MONTH PASSED A RECOMMENDATION, UM, KIND OF RELATED TO WHAT WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT, SETTING OUT, UM, RECOMMENDED ACTIONS TO, UM, STRENGTHEN THE CLIMATE PLAN IN TERMS OF, UM, TAKE TAKING ACTIONS THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD MOVE AWAY FROM SINGLE OCCUPANCY VEHICLE USE AND TOWARDS TRANSIT AND ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION.

HM.

AND, UM, KIND OF MENTIONING THIS, UH, DISCONNECT WITH CAMPO, THE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ORGANIZATION, WHICH HAS CITY OF BOSTON REPS ON IT.

UM, AND JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO PASSED, UM, A TRANSPORTATION PLAN THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ALL SPRAWLING HIGHWAYS.

UM, SO

[01:05:01]

WE DIRECTED, UM, THE AUSTIN REPS ON THAT BOARD TO, UM, BASICALLY IT'S LIKE STAND UP FOR AUSTIN'S, UM, APPROVED PLAN AND VISION ZERO AND THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN AND ALL THE AUSTIN PLANS THAT ARE JUST NOT, UM, CONSISTENT WITH, UH, CAMPOS PLAN.

THAT'S IT.

THANK YOU, ROB.

SO, UH, UM, PLANNING COMMISSION, UH, GOT THE PRESENTATION FROM, UH, FROM ZACH AND, UH, STAFF.

SORRY, I CAN'T REMEMBER WHO ELSE WAS TALKING THEN.

UM, AND WE HAD A FEW, UM, RECOMMENDED CHANGES.

UM, I THINK, UH, UH, ONE THING THAT HAS BEEN BUBBLING UP EVERY COUPLE OF MEETINGS, UM, IS AN ISSUE AROUND THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAD SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THE REWRITE OF THE, UM, UH, THE LANG CODE.

AND, UH, AS EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT GOT THAT, AND THERE WASN'T UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED BY THE PLANNING COMMISSION, BUT I THINK IN GENERAL, THERE WAS A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR STREAMLINING SOME, UH, THE LAND USE PROVISIONS SPECIFICALLY AROUND PARKING DENSITY, AROUND TRANSIT CORRIDORS, UH, AFFORDABILITY.

AND OF COURSE THAT'S BEEN STUCK WITH THE COURT CASE FOR SOME TIME NOW, AND IT'S UNCLEAR, UH, HOW OR WHEN THAT WILL BE RESOLVED.

AND SO I THINK THERE'S SOME JUST GENERAL FRUSTRATION ABOUT NOT REALLY KNOWING, UH, IF THERE'S A NEXT STEP REGARDING OUR MORE COMPREHENSIVE REWRITE.

UM, A LOT OF THE CASES THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION GETS ARE, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE PARTIALLY ADDRESSED OR FULLY ADDRESSED BY, UM, UH, REVISED LAND USE CODE.

UM, AND SO WERE DEALING ON AN AD HOC BASIS WITH ISSUES AROUND, UM, AFFORDABILITY, UM, THE SORTS OF BONUSES THAT YOU GET UNDER SOME, UH, LAND USE CODE PROVISIONS, UM, PARKING, ALL THESE ISSUES, JUST KEEP COMING UP AGAIN AND AGAIN, AND THEY ARE TO SOME DEGREE TIED TO, UM, THE CLIMATE PLAN IN THAT, UM, BUILDING DENSITY AROUND TRANSIT, UM, UH, AS WELL AS EQUITY ISSUES AROUND, UM, MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

SO I, I KNOW I HADN'T TALKED TO IN AWHILE AND, UH, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, A LOT MORE TO THAT, BUT, UH, JUST AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL, THERE'S BEEN SOME REGULAR, UH, DISCUSSION AND FRUSTRATION ABOUT THAT.

THANKS ROB, JUST THREE THINGS FROM ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION.

UM, FIRST LAST MEETING, WE HAD A AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, THEIR WILDFIRE DIVISIONS UPDATE US IN THE WILD LAND, URBAN INTERFACE CODE THAT DIDN'T MOVE.

SO THAT'S PRETTY INTERESTING WORK, UM, AND, AND CERTAINLY OF INTEREST, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE RESILIENCE.

UM, SO THERE'S A GREAT PRESENTATION ON THAT, UH, THAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST FOR FOLKS HERE, I THINK, BUT WANT TO PUT ON A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM WAS WE ALSO RECENTLY GOT A REPORT FROM FRANCO WHO IS, UH, UM, THE OFFICER FROM THE INTER-GOVERNMENTAL INTER-GOVERNMENTAL OFFICE, UH, AND SHE CAME TO PRESENT ON THE UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE AGENDA AT A STATE LEVEL, UH, AND WHAT WE CAN EXPECT, UH, AS A CITY FROM THIS UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

SO THAT MIGHT BE PRETTY INTERESTING FOR US TO BE THINKING ABOUT.

AND THEN I CAN'T, IF I TOLD YOU ALL ABOUT OUR UPDATE ON, UH, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, I'M NOT SURE IT HAPPENED MAYBE LATE SUMMER, BUT I WE'VE BEEN SO BUSY WITH OTHER STUFF, BUT THERE'S A MEMO THAT CAME OUT FROM BOTH THE SUSTAINABILITY OFFICE AND LEAFY ATHENS, AND THEN JORGE MORALES, THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, WATERSHED PROTECTION, UM, THAT WENT TO, UM, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, UM, PROVIDING ON WHERE THEY'RE AT ON SOME OF THEIR GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING WORK.

AND THEY RELEASED A WEB PORTAL IN JUNE.

IT'S LIKE AN ART GIS MAP BASED WEB PORTAL, KIND OF LIKE A STORY MAP THAT I JUST CAN'T REMEMBER IF I TOLD YOU ALL ABOUT THIS OR NOT.

AND THEN THEY'RE MOVING

[01:10:01]

INTO PHASE TWO WORK, UM, WITH, UH, AND I, I THINK IN, IN THE NEXT, WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR, I THINK THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSITIONING SO ON DOING YOUR COMPREHENSIVE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN.

AWESOME.

OTHER UPDATES.

UH, THIS IS NOT JUST A QUICK NOTE ON, UM, AUSTIN WATER.

UH, THE THING THAT YOU PROBABLY NOTICED THE MOST WILL BE MY ATX WATER.

YOU MIGHT GET A PAMPHLET OR A MAIL OUT CARD FROM AUSTIN WATER, ESSENTIALLY.

AWESOME WATER IS, UM, ON THE TAIL END OF THE PILOT PROGRAM THAT GOING TO CONVERT ALL OF THE WATER METER INTO SMART WATER, UH, SMART WATER SYSTEM AMI.

SO IT'S ESSENTIALLY GOING TO ALLOW THE ABILITY TO TRACK WATER USAGE ALMOST REAL TIME, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR SURE DAILY AND A LOT MORE TRANSPARENCY IN TERMS OF METER READING AND SO ON.

UH, SO BIG WIN FOR, UM, CONSERVATION EFFORT.

UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF WRAP AROUND, BUT FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE CLIMATE PLAN, I DON'T WANT US, I ALSO WANT TO HIT THAT, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN WATER RESTRUCTURE THEIR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM A COUPLE MONTHS AGO MAY HAVE BEEN LAST YEAR NOW, A TWO HAT TO ELEVATE A POSITION WITHIN LEADERSHIP THAT HAS THAT THAT'S MAINLY FOCUSED ON, UH, CUSTOMER SERVICE, UH, THAT IS AN EXIST, UH, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UH, POSITION THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY NOT THERE.

AND SO WITH THAT COME WITH THAT POSITION ELEVATED, UH, I'VE HAD FOR A LOT OF CONVERSATION ON COMMISSION WITH THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN CUSTOMER SERVICE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, EQUITY, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT NEW TECHNOLOGY BEING INTEGRATED IN AN EQUITABLE WAY TO THAT? YOU KNOW, SOMEONE WHO MAY NOT EVEN HAVE ACCESS TO, UH, INTERNET, DOESN'T SUDDENLY HAVING TO REQUIRE TO READ ALL THEIR BILL ONLINE AND A SMART APP.

SO JUST THAT SORT OF CONTACT.

I THINK IT'S A GREAT, UH, WAY OF, UH, OF HIGHLIGHTING THE, THE ISSUE AT HAND, UH, LIKE THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN, UH, IS HOW DO WE MOVE FORWARD, BUT NOT LEAVING FOLKS BEHIND.

AND, AND I THINK THAT IS A GREAT EFFORT THAT AUSTIN WATER IS DOING.

SO IF YOU SEE THAT MAIL IN A CARD IN YOUR, AT YOUR HOUSE AND YOUR BILL, DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT.

MY ATX WATER.

UM, WELL WE, WE GET THOSE UPDATES AT THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION AS WELL.

AND, UH, I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE SMART METERS, THE ADVANCED FOR THE METERS FOR WATER.

YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I HAVE BEEN ASKING ABOUT IS IF THERE'S A WAY TO, UM, GET THOSE IMPLEMENTED ON A RESIDENT, UH, YOU KNOW, A UNIT BY UNIT BASIS FOR MULTI-FAMILY BECAUSE FOR MULTIFAMILY, IT'LL JUST BE, YOU KNOW, THERE'LL BE A SMART METER, BUT IT'LL BE AT THE MAIN POINT OF CONNECTION.

AND SO THE RESIDENTS WON'T ACTUALLY HAVE ACCESS TO THAT DATA, LIKE THE REST OF, YOU KNOW, SINGLE FAMILY.

WELL, RIGHT.

AND, AND, UH, DEF THAT IS DEFINITELY, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE'LL BE, UH, SORT OF EXPLORING THE FUTURE AS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE, THE AUSTIN WATER ONLY HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THE MAIN METER IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT AWAY UNTIL THE PRIVATE SIDE.

WE'LL DEFINITELY BE SOMETHING THAT THE DEVELOPER AND THE PROPERTY MANAGER WOULD HAVE TO STEP UP AND BRIDGE THAT GAP, UH, THERE'S EFFORT AS PART OF THE WATER FORWARD MASTER PLAN, UH, THAT WILL BE SORT OF REQUIRING AN ENCOURAGING, ENCOURAGING RIGHT NOW, BUT WE'RE REQUIRING VERY SOON DEVELOPMENT THAT IS OVER 250,000 SQUARE FEET TO HAVE PRETTY WATER, ALMOST LIKE A DEMAND AND SUPPLY, UM, UH, MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR WATER.

UH, SO HOPEFULLY THAT WILL PUSH THE INDUSTRY INTO THAT REGARD, BUT I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF PRIVATE, UH, INITIATIVE AND COMPANY THAT'S ALREADY FOCUSING ON THAT GAP FOR SURE.

LIKE PRIVATE METER, UH, BESIDES THE STILL ON, I THINK SHE'S VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THAT, IN THAT REGARD.

UH, SO YEAH, I, I TOTALLY AGREE.

I THINK THERE'S A GAP THERE THAT CAN TOTALLY BE FILLED, UM, TO, TO FURTHER THE CONSERVATION EFFORT.

SARAH, DO YOU HAVE ANY, ANYTHING TO ADD TO THAT? WELL, WELL, MY ONLY COMMENT WITH REGARDS TO THAT IS WE, WE WERE DOING THAT WORK, UH, FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND THAT WAS FUNDED

[01:15:01]

BY THE STATE OF TEXAS.

UH, BUT THAT FUNDING STREAM IS NO LONGER THERE.

AND SO WE ALL WERE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS.

SO THERE'S A CHALLENGE WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, FUNDRAISING TO CONTINUE THAT WORK AS OF RIGHT NOW.

SO IT'S KIND OF, UH, OTHER THAN THE EXISTING PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE THOSE NEW HOMES HAVE KIND OF A DOMINANT AREA FOR US RIGHT NOW.

I, I KNOW I DON'T WANT TO TAKE UP TOO MUCH TIME HERE, BUT I HAVE WONDERED, YOU KNOW, THE UTILITY IS MAKING THIS INVESTMENT FOR THE METERS, YOU KNOW, THE SERVE, WHATEVER THE METERS THAT THEY HAVE JURISDICTION OVER.

I MEAN, IS IT UNREASONABLE TO THINK THAT THERE COULD BE, YOU KNOW, UTILITY FUNDS PUT TOWARDS METERS THAT ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, ON THE WHATEVER IDEAS THAT ARE TECHNICALLY PRIVATE LILIUM, UM, BUT THEY'RE SERVING MULTIFAMILY JUST, I DUNNO IF THAT'S REASONABLE OR HOW, BUT, UM, YEAH, WELL, WE HAD, UH, I'VE HAD QUITE A BIT OF THAT CONVERSATION WITH, WITH FOLKS IN AUSTIN WATER ALREADY.

UH, THERE'S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A CHALLENGE THERE, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHERE THEY STILL LOOKING INTO, UH, UH, THERE, YOU KNOW, TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD IS SORT OF LIKE THE, NOT TO GET TOO DEEP INTO IT THAT THAT'S SORT OF LIKE THE, ONE OF THE FUNDER OR A SUPPORTER OF THE, SORT OF THE, UH, WATER EFFORT, UH, WITH THE SMART METER.

SO THERE'S FUNDING REQUIREMENTS THAT ATTACHED TO CERTAIN THINGS.

AND SO I IMAGINE THE PRIVATE SIDE WILL BE A SEPARATE FUNDING MECHANISM.

AND AGAIN, I, I, IN MY OPINION, THAT GOES BACK TO THE, UH, RESOLUTION THAT WE JU THE RECOMMENDATION THAT WE JUST WROTE, UH, YOU KNOW, EARLIER AS A GROUP, RIGHT, IS GO TRICKLE DOWN FROM THE CITY MANAGEMENT AND THE DIRECTOR THAT GO IN THERE AND LOOK AT THOSE KINDS OF BOLD ACTION.

DOES AUSTIN WATER HAS TO GET INVOLVED WITH THE PRIVATE METER? NO, BUT I THINK THAT'S THE KIND OF BOW ACTION THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT THAT WILL, YOU KNOW, UH, CREATE A NEW CULTURE.

AND I THINK AUSTIN WATER HAS BEEN GREG WITH LEADING SOME OF THAT CONVERSATION FROM LIKE WATERING TWO DAYS A WEEK DOWN TO ONE DAY, MAKE THAT THE NEW NORM, YOU KNOW, NO ONE WAS REALLY KNOWING HOW TO EXACTLY CAUTIFY THAT EITHER.

UH, BUT THEY SORT OF FIGURE OUT THE LOGISTICAL FRAMEWORK TO DO SO.

SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF SMART STAFF THAT IS DOING THAT WORK RIGHT NOW, BUT I'LL DEFINITELY GOING TO BRING THAT BACK TO COMMISSION TO ENCOURAGE EVEN MORE ACTION BEING TAKEN.

UM, BUT, UH, YEAH, IT, I THINK IT'S AN EXCITING TIME.

I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD WORK BEING DONE, BUT THERE'S ALSO A LOT OF ATTENTION BEING INTENTIONALLY FOCUS ON THE EQUITABLE COMPONENT, WHICH I THINK IS CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH.

LIKE, YOU KNOW, JUST, JUST HAVING PEOPLE WITH LIKE, UH, WE DON'T WANT ANY KIND OF A KNEE JERK REACTION THAT, OH, LET'S GO MOVE EVERYTHING ONLINE AND THAT WILL SOLVE ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS. UH, THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT.

I THINK WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO, WHO STILL NEED TO RELY ON THE OLDER SYSTEM TO, TO, TO, TO, TO PARTICIPATE.

SO, UM, I'LL STOP THERE, BUT IT'S STARTING TIME ON OUR SIDE.

THANKS NOW.

WELL, OBVIOUSLY A RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION HAS A LITTLE BIT OF OVERLAP WITH WATER COMMISSION THERE.

AND SO IF YOU WANT TO COLLABORATE ON ANYTHING, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW TO FIND ME OTHER UPDATES, UH, JUST BRIEFLY FROM THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION, UM, LOTS OF THINGS ARE GOING WELL.

AND, UM, ONE OF THE ISSUES RECENTLY HAS BEEN, UM, WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING IS LINE CLEARANCE, AND THAT'S REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT SO THAT WE CAN HAVE, UM, PROTECTION AGAINST FIRES, ET CETERA.

UM, AND I'M PERSONALLY REALLY SUPPORTIVE OF ALL THAT.

I HAVE BEEN ALSO RAISING CONCERNS THOUGH, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS HAPPENING IS THAT THERE'S AN INCREASED USE.

IT APPEARS TO BE INCREASED IN HERBICIDES.

AND, AND BASICALLY WHEN TREES ARE REMOVED UNDERNEATH THE LINES, HERBICIDE IS PRETTY ROUTINELY BEING USED TO KEEP THE STUMPS FROM COMING BACK.

AND THE UTILITY SAYS THAT THEY'RE PUTTING NOTICES ON PEOPLE'S DOORS THAT THEY'RE PLANNING TO USE IT.

BUT I MEAN, I'VE BEEN RAISING A QUESTION ABOUT, I THOUGHT ALL OF OUR BREAST REMOVAL WAS BEING DONE MANUALLY, AND THERE'S BEEN A BIG INCREASE IN THE BUDGET.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS FOR CHEMICALS OR JUST THAT A LOT OF WORK NEEDS TO BE DONE.

IT IS IMPORTANT, BUT, UM, I'M CONCERNED AND I'VE BEEN ASSURED THAT THE CHEMICAL BEING USED IS EPA APPROVED, BUT THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN VERY MUCH TO ME.

UM,

[01:20:01]

AND THEN IT HAS TO BE APPLIED CORRECTLY.

UM, SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT I'M ASKING SOME MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT.

I WOULD HATE TO SEE, UM, CHEMICAL USE BEING USED THAT DIDN'T NEED TO BE IN A VERY EXTENSIVE WAY.

UH, I WORRY ABOUT WHAT IMPACTS MIGHT RESULT TO OUR CREEKS AND WATERWAYS.

UM, SO I'LL TRY AND GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION IF YOU LEARN MORE, UM, I'M TRYING TO GET MORE DETAILS AND, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS PROVIDED SOME, UM, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS, BUT I STILL HAVE MORE AND IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON.

THANK YOU, KAREN.

THAT IS A LITTLE CONCERNING.

ANY OTHER BORDER PERMISSION UPDATES? YES.

I'LL JUST SHARE THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, UH, AND THE ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION, BOTH ADOPTED THE RESOLUTION THAT WE HAD PASSED HERE IN SUPPORT OF THE CLIMATE PLAN, AS WELL AS THOSE, UM, KIND OF IMPLEMENTATION ITEMS. I SEE YOU ON MUTE.

DID YOU WANNA SAY SOMETHING? WE ALSO PASSED A RESOLUTION SUPPORTIVE, THE ONE WE ADOPTED.

AWESOME.

DOES ANYBODY HAVE AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE COMING MONTHS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO PUT FORTH? I'LL JUST REITERATE THAT.

UH, WELL, IF THERE'S NO OTHER UPDATES, UH,

[FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS]

I THINK THAT LEGISLATIVE UPDATE WOULD BE GREAT.

AND I DIDN'T THINK OF IT WHEN WE HAD OUR SHARE VICE CHAIR CALL.

I'M LIKE WHAT THE CITY IS PLANNING FOR THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

WELL, IF YOU THINK OF THINGS, UH, ALWAYS FEEL FREE TO SHOOT ME AN EMAIL OR ZACH OR KATIE, OR ALL THREE OF US TO MAKE SURE WE ACTUALLY SEE IT.

BUT, UM, THERE, THERE IS ROOM ON THE COMMON AGENDA AND IT SEEMS LIKE WE HAVE A LITTLE, LITTLE MORE LEEWAY WITH THESE MEETINGS GOING FORWARD.

SO, UM, LET US KNOW THINGS COME UP.

WE'VE REACHED THE END OF OUR AGENDA.

DOES ANYBODY WANT TO MAKE

[Additional Item]

ONE LAST THING? OH, WELL EVERYBODY'S HERE BECAUSE OF THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY.

UM, WE WERE NOT GOING TO HAVE A MEETING TO HAVE A MEETING ON THANKSGIVING, WEDNESDAY.

SO WE HAD ORIGINALLY MOVED THE MEETING TO THE, THE PROCEEDING WEDNESDAY.

SO NOVEMBER 18TH, BUT WE ACTUALLY, WE THERE BECAUSE EVERYBODY ELSE'S MEETING HAS TO MOVE TO, THEY BOOTED US OFF OF THAT DAY.

AND SO WE HAVE TENTATIVELY SCHEDULED THE NEXT MEETING TO BE ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH AT FIVE 30.

SO, UH, WE MAY WANT TO GO AROUND AND ASK FOLKS IF PEOPLE CAN MAKE THAT TIME OR NOT.

CAN EVERYBODY TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT YOUR CALENDARS? THAT DOES NOT WORK FOR ME? NOT FOR ME EITHER NOT WELCOME SO FAR.

SINCE IT WAS KATIE MACEO, WAS THERE ONE OTHER WHO SAID IT COULDN'T MAKE IT? WELL, I CAN MAKE IT WORK.

ROB KELLY, MATT.

KAREN, WE DON'T HAVE A QUORUM.

WELL, THERE ARE, I THINK A FEW PEOPLE.

REMIND ME THE DATE.

SORRY.

YES, IT WOULD BE NOVEMBER 19TH, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH AT FIVE 30.

WOW.

I WORKED FROM ME FOR NOW.

MY WIFE WORKS AT THE HOSPITAL, SO IT'S KIND OF HARD TO TELL, BUT YEAH, IT WORKS ON ME RIGHT NOW.

I CAN PENCIL IT IN.

UM, WELL, UM, I HATE TO SAY THIS, BUT MAYBE CAN YOU SEND A CALENDAR INVITE? SO EVERYBODY HAS IT ON THEIR CALENDAR AND THEN CIRCLE AROUND.

[01:25:04]

YEAH, I WILL.

I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH EVERYBODY JUST LIKE TOMORROW, JUST TO SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME KIND OF CONFIRMATION OR NOT.

AND THEN WE DO HAVE OUR DECEMBER MEETING ON THE BOOKS FOR THE, IS THAT ON THE 23RD? YEAH.

THAT'S THE SAME SITUATION WHERE WE, WHEN WE ADOPT EVERY YEAR AND WE ADOPT THIS, WE PUSH THE NOVEMBER AND THE DECEMBER MEETING UP A MONTH.

SO RIGHT NOW IT'S SCHEDULED TO BE DECEMBER 16TH AND HOPEFULLY THEY DON'T BUMP US JUST LIKE THEY DID ON THIS MEETING.

SO HOW MUCH NOTICE WILL WE GET ON THAT? UM, I WOULD IMAGINE A MONTH.

THEY JUST, THEY JUST TOLD ME ABOUT THIS NOVEMBER THING, UH, LIKE LAST WEEK, I THINK, OR TWO WEEKS AGO.

WELL, UM, YEAH.

AND I'M ACTUALLY SEEING THAT LIKE ZERO WASTE ADVISORY COMMISSION MIGHT BE MEETING HIM AT THAT TIME ON THE 18TH SO THAT I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF WE GOT TIME.

LIKE THEY CAN'T DO DO, LIKE, THEY CAN'T DO SIMULTANEOUS MEETINGS.

RIGHT.

UM, I THINK THEY CAN NOW ACTUALLY.

YEAH, I THINK THEY CAN, BUT IT'S JUST THAT, LIKE, THERE WERE SO MANY MEETINGS THAT THEY JUST GOT SQUEEZED.

SO EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN DO SIMULTANEOUS, THERE'S ONLY SO MANY SPOTS.

SO I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH EVERYBODY AND WE'LL GET BACK.

WE'LL GET THAT DOWN.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

ALRIGHT, NOW WE'RE READY FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN.

IF ANYBODY WANTS TO MOTION TO ADJOURN.

THANKS.

WE HAVE A SECOND.

I'M GUESSING THERE'S NO OBJECTIONS.

SO WE'RE GOING TO ADJOURN HERE AT SEVEN OH FOUR.

THANKS EVERYBODY.