JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HYBRID MEETING FORMAT April 24th, 2024 at 6pm Room 1406, Permitting and Development Center 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr, Austin, TX 78752 Some members of the Committee may be participating by videoconference Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Rohan Lilauwala at (rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394). CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Kaiba White, Chair (Electric Utility Commission) Diana Wheeler, Vice Chair (Urban Transportation Commission) Charlotte Davis (Resource Mgmt. Commission) Haris Qureshi (Environmental Commission) Melissa Rothrock (Zero Waste Advisory Commission) Bertha Delgado (Community Development Commission) Larry Franklin (Austin Travis County Food Policy Board) Chris Maxwell-Gaines (Water & Wastewater Commission) Amy Noel (Economic Prosperity Commission) Stephanie Bazan (Parks & Recreation Board) Jon Salinas (Design Commission) Vacant (City Council) Alice Woods (Planning Commission) Rodrigo Leal (Mayor’s Representative) Anna Scott (Mayor’s Representative) Heather Houser (Mayor’s Representative) Yureisly Suarez (Mayor’s Representative) Christopher Campbell (Mayor’s Representative) For more information, please visit: www.austintexas.gov/jsc AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of minutes from the March 27, 2024 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Conduct Joint Sustainability Committee Officer Elections for the 2023-2024 Term. DISCUSSION 3. Staff update to the Environmental Investment Plan process to create recommendations – Zach Baumer, Office of Sustainability. 4. UT-City Climate CoLab – Structure, Priorities, and Potential Research Areas - Dev Niyogi, University of Texas-Austin. 5. Joint Sustainability Committee discussion of approach and recommendations on the Environmental Investment Plan. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. Meeting locations are planned with wheelchair access. If requiring Sign Language Interpreters or alternative formats, please give notice at least 2 days (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please contact Rohan Lilauwala at rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394 for additional information; TTY users’ route through Relay Texas at 711. For more …
To: From: Date: Zero Waste Advisory Commission Richard McHale, Director, Aus�n Resource Recovery April 24, 2024 Subject: Director’s Monthly Report to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission Number of customers (under ARR service) that have four units or less that don’t have recycling and composting. Commissioner Melissa Caudle inquired the current number of ARR customers with four units or less that do not have recycling and composting. We have identified that 335 of our multifamily residents currently don’t receive recycling services and 366 residents don’t receive composting services. These customers receive dumpster services for trash disposal and are scheduled to receive carts for recycling and compost services. Follow up on Brownie The area has improved since implementa�on. Recycling on the north side of Brownie has a high compliance rate for recycling materials with litle to no contamina�on, however we are s�ll seeing some contamina�on on the south cul-de-sacs. Compos�ng in the area has had high rates of contamina�on. During collec�ons, opera�ons teams have been sor�ng materials to iden�fy contaminants. Compost employees are not sor�ng through the materials. Contaminants are easily iden�fiable (rigid plas�cs, garden hoses, bicycle �res, trash bags and aluminum are being placed in compost carts). Compost carts are periodically being collected and disposed of as garbage. Average weights are 1300-1500 pounds a�er collec�ng nearly 100% of the carts at 4- plexas on Brownie and providing tags to educate and no�fy the customer of the contamina�on. Landfill waste has also seen improvement, with no bulk set out since the most recent bulk pick up the week of January 15, 2024. There is s�ll extra landfill trash set out, however we are seeing improvement overall. AAR/APD Brandt Road Cleanup The morning of March 4th, ARR was no�fied by Aus�n Police Department’s Rapid Response that abatement would need to be performed at a homeless encampment on Brandt Road. ARR aids APD with the immediate removal of encampments that pose a risk to public safety. The encampment along Brandt Road is at-risk to floods and fires. During the Brandt Road encampment cleanup, ARR crews removed approximately 76 tons of debris from the encampment. The debris collected during the two-day cleanup on March 4th and 5th equates to nearly 5-6 semi-automated residential refuse routes. Onion Creek Street Sweeping ARR Street Cleaning programs provide cleaning of bike lanes, boulevards, downtown and residen�al streets throughout the city. In doing so, the programs rely heavily on temporary …
A Food Plan for Austin-Travis County Find your seat at the table Some Food for Thought Developing a Food Plan What is a Food Plan & why do we need one? ● A Food Plan sets clear Goals and Strategies to move toward a more equitable, sustainable & resilient food system ● The Food Plan builds on several other initiatives made by the County, City, and Communities to tackle key food system issues. ● The Food Plan centers equity and the lived expertise of those most impacted by the current food system Good to Know ● On June 2021 Austin City Council directed the City Manager to initiate a planning process ● Travis County Commissioners Court approved formal participation in the plan in fall 2022 ● A draft was released on March 18th , and has been reviewed by hundreds of community members. Link to full resolution Project Timeline Phase 0: Planning for the Plan Phase 1: Vision Development Phase 2: Goal & Strategy Development Phase 3: Review and Ground truthing September 2021 - January 2023 March - August 2023 September 2023 - February 2024 February - Summer/Fall 2024 We are here ● ● ● ● Building Community Awareness 📰 Release of State of the Food System Report 📚 Onboarding Planning Consultant⭐ Recruitment of Community Teams🚀 ● Website launch 📶 ● World Cafe’s ☕ ● ● ● ● Listening Sessions & Tabling at events 📞 Equity Grounding Workshops 🤝 Community Circles 👐 Selecting Issue Area Groups🍽 ● ● ● ● Issue Area Group Meetings 🏘 Develop Goals and Strategies 🎯 Review Goals and Strategies Develop a draft for the Food Plan 🖊 ● ● ● ● Community Review of Plan 👀 Council and Commissioner Review ⚖ Approval 👍 Adoption 🏁 Co-creating the plan ● Planning Team: Coordinating and managing all moving parts ○ Includes: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ City of Austin staff Travis County staff Consultant Team Equity Consultants Austin Travis Food Policy Board Executive Leadership Team ● Community Advisory Committee: Advisory body overseeing the planning process ● Issue Area Groups: Developing goals and strategies for the plan ● Community Food Ambassadors: Connecting the plan to our communities ● Broader community feedback: Provide input at different stages of the plan Food Plan Structure ● Vision: Describes and articulates our shared aim - the kind of future we agree we would like to move toward together. ● Objectives: …
City of Austin Recommendation for Action File #: 24-4288, Agenda Item #: 3. 5/2/2024(cid:4) Posting Language Approve an ordinance amending City Code Section 15-6-3 (Administration) relating to the process for adoption of administrative rules related to solid waste services. Lead Department Austin Resource Recovery. Fiscal Note This item has no fiscal impact. Prior Council Action: June 28, 2012 - City Council amended City Code Chapter 15-6 (Solid Waste Services) in Ordinance No. 20120628-012 to require all proposed rules from Austin Resource Recovery to be approved, modified, or disapproved by City Council. For More Information: Richard McHale, Director, 512-974-1997; Gena McKinley, Assistant Director, 512-974-2192 Additional Backup Information: BACKGROUND In 2012, City Council amended Subsection (B) of City Code Section 15-6-3 (Administration) to add the following underlined language: Before the director may adopt or amend a rule under this chapter, the director shall present the proposed rule to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission for consideration and recommendation to City Council and the City Council will approve, modify or disapprove of the proposed rule. Administrative rules are created and adopted by the City Manager in accordance with Chapter 1-2 (Adoption of Rules) to administer the policies established by the City Council. City Code Chapter 1-2 establishes the City’s administrative rule adoption process for all City departments. This process requires public posting of proposed rules, a public comment period, and an appeals process to the City Manager. Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) operates under the unique requirements of City Code Section 15-6-3, requiring administrative rules to be approved, modified, or disapproved by City Council. AMENDMENT This amendment to Subsection (B) of City Code Section 15-6-3 is intended to align ARR’s rulemaking procedures with the existing policies established by City Code and reduce the administrative burden on appointed officials, City Council, and City staff. The amendment to Subsection (C) of City Code Section 15-6-3 deletes the term “customer” to be inclusive of City of Austin Page 1 of 2 Printed on 4/19/2024 powered by Legistar™ (cid:5) (cid:6) File #: 24-4288, Agenda Item #: 3. 5/2/2024(cid:4) the public and not limit requests to those individuals receiving City services. STAFF RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends adoption of these amendments to City Code Section 15-6-3. ARR would follow the process established in City Code Chapter 1-2 for the rule adoption process. City of Austin Page 2 of 2 Printed on 4/19/2024 powered by Legistar™ (cid:5) (cid:6)
APD’s Response to SB4 April 23, 2024 SB 4 Summary Creates 3 new offenses: Illegal Entry from Foreign Nation Illegal Reentry Refusal to Comply with Order to Return to Foreign Nation Safe Harbors Public, private, primary or secondary school Church, synagogue or other established place of worship Healthcare facility SAFE-ready facility Summary continued… Not in effect at this time No current or anticipated changes to APD’s internal policies APD’s Existing Policy General Order 330 Overview Interactions with Foreign Nationals APD will not consider race, color, religion, language or national origin when deciding whether to inquire into status APD will not inquire into status of a person who is a victim or witness to a crime, except under special circumstances All inquiries are documented and include the officer’s reason for asking, including in follow up investigations Overview continued… APD must inform detainee or arrestee that they are not compelled to respond to the inquiry and will not be subjected to additional action if they do not respond APD must comply with orders and requests for assistance from ICE and federal officials. This includes notification to an APD supervisor and confirmation of validity of detainer APD’s Response to the Community on SB4 Statements to the public regarding updates on status of SB4 Explanation to public that APD is unlikely to have probable cause to make warrantless arrests under SB4 Encouragement to victims and witnesses of crime to continue reporting to APD APD’s Response to the Community on SB4 Commitment to monitor ongoing litigation and keep community informed Continued engagement with immigrant communities while maintaining awareness of and sensitivity to SB4’s impact Questions…
Benefit Cost $202.5M, 100% Covered by TCEQ Need to apply for grant funding ASAP: $240 million for trucks; ~$200,000 per charger ($60 million) $10-15+ million one time and $5+ million per year Nearly 1 million (968,400) tons CO2 emissions avoided. air pollution reduction (health benefits), reduced maintenance, lower heat exposure for ARR workers (better AC during hot weather) GHG reduction, plastic pollution reduction, reduce need for new landfill, local economic development, save on ARR tipping fees Consumption Working Group Environmental Plan Proposals Austin JSC April 22, 2024 Proposal ARR Fleet Electrification: Replace all 300 heavy duty Austin Resource Recovery vehicles (flatbed trucks and refuse trucks) with electric vehicles. Install appropriate heavy-duty charging infrastructure to charge these vehicles. Plan: Austin Climate Equity Plan. Circular economy & waste reduction programs • Zero Waste Business Incentives and Rebates: This program provides incentives to businesses to reduce waste, including switching from plastic or styrofoam containers to reusable or compostable. Current program provides a one-time incentive up to $3,000 and is only providing about $5,000/year. The incentive should be restructured to help businesses address ongoing costs (multi-year incentive) and funding should be allocated for additional staff to do outreach to businesses (including all restaurants) ($1 million/year). • ARR zero waste education: Expand to reach the full Austin community, not just ARR customers, including with a paid canvassing team. (increase from $410,000/yr to $4 million/year) • Furniture collection for Reuse Warehouse: Current plan is for drop-off only. Funds are needed to enable pick-up to increase diversion from landfill. ($) • Deconstruction Warehouse: To divert salvaged construction materials from the landfill. ($10-15 million) • Fix-it Clinics: Expand and host more ($500,000/year), • Circular Austin Accelerator and Circular Austin Showcase competition: Expand outreach and an increased number and value of awards for competition winners would increase effectiveness in building a circular economy in Austin. (increase from $ to $); • MoveOutATX: Increase number of events (increase from $/year to $/year); Plan: Austin Resource Recovery Comprehensive Plan & Austin Climate Equity Plan (Food and Product Consumption Goal 2, Strategy 4) Low-carbon concrete fund: Concrete represents the largest of Austin’s purchasing emissions, with potential surcharges for truly carbon neutral cement ranging as high as an additional $18/cubic yard, but with costs falling as new technology scales up. This fund would pay for additional testing, program fees, and surcharges to cover both city and non-city owned buildings of 1.1 M cubic …
Sustainable Buildings WG Recommendations for Environmental Investment Plan 1. Transition Austin Community to Clean Renewable Energy - community wide programs a. Expand energy efficiency programs i. Details: Building Envelope, Air Sealing, heating and cooling, LED lighting, ii. Hot Water, Appliances Benefits: Improved health and safety of buildings and their occupants, Increased building life, Measure building performance, Create an order high need properties, reduced bills iii. Cost: AE budget is $13.6 million/year for existing programs. Goal should be to double this dollar amount to $27.2 million/year. These costs will be offset by reduced AE energy purchases, ancillary services purchases, and transmission costs. b. Expand demand response programs i. Details: Expand price-based demand response programs. Define ‘demand response ready’. Sectors impacts: Buildings, Industry, Transport. Electric hot water tank programs, thermostats, home energy managements systems, commercial and residential battery storage, electric vehicle smart chargers, smart meters Benefits: Automate demand response, improve grid resiliency, reduce peak demand costs, Essential to NetZero goals, leverage current energy crisis ii. iii. Cost: AE budget is $3.6 million/year for existing programs. AE budget should quadruple to $14.4 million/year. These costs will be offset by reduced AE energy purchases when ERCOT prices are high. c. Invest in utility scale battery energy storage i. Details: Battery storage is an important part of a decarbonized grid. Decentralized batteries on resilience hub buildings, school and supportive housing can be used as a virtual power plant (VPP) to help with load shifting during normal use and provide critical resiliency backup energy during outage events. Longer term heat batteries can decarbonize industrial facilities throughout Austin by soaking up excess solar and wind during curtailment and putting energy into those industrial uses, which allows much higher penetration of renewables. Antora, another heat battery system can re-export electricity through its TPV tech. Benefits: Faster grid decarbonization through demand curve flattening and responding to electricity pricing; greater resilience; cheaper, cleaner energy. ii. iii. Cost: Using the average cost of 4-hr duration batteries provided by AE ($1,168/kW), 200 MW would cost $233.7 million. Using the average cost of 8-hr duration batteries provided by AE ($1,992/kW), 400 MW would cost $797 million. Using the average cost of 100-hr duration batteries provided by AE ($2,150/kW), 100 MW would cost $215 million. The combined 700 MW battery investment would cost $1,245.7 million. These costs would be recovered by earnings in the ERCOT energy and ancillary services markets. Heat battery pilots could …
DRAFT Joint Sustainability Commission Transportation, Land Use, and Electrification Environmental Investment Plan Recommendations Recommendation Description: Expand All Ages and Abilities Bicycle Network, Urban Trails, Sidewalks, and Shared Mobility The JSC recommends the City of Austin (COA) invest a total of $2.11 billion to expand the number of Metro Bike stations and to build out the All Ages and Abilities (AAA) Bicycle Priority Network, the Tier One Urban Trails network, and sidewalks and shared streets as recommended in the Urban Transportation Commission's "Climate Equity Investment" Recommendation 20240305-006. We recommend the following specific investments: 1. $48,960,000 to build out an additional 148 miles of the AAA Bicycle Priority Network and meet the 2023 Bike Plan Goal of 380 miles built out by 2026. Projects should be selected using the project prioritization model in the 2023 Bicycle Plan, which scores projects based on equity, destinations & travel demand, connectivity & safety, and cost. Relevant plan sections: Austin Strategic Mobility (ASMP) Bicycle Policy 2, Austin Climate Equity Plan (ACEP) Transportation and Land Use (TLU) Goal 3, and 2023 Bike Plan Item 4.7.la. 2. $22,600,000 to build out an additional 200 Metro Bike Stations to reach the 2023 Bike Plan goal of 300 stations by 2025. The investment should prioritize new stations in low-income areas with high mobility needs and connections to CapMetro's existing high-frequency bus and Metro Rail network. Relevant plan sections: ASMP Shared Mobility Policy 1, ACEP TLU Goal 3, and 2023 Bike Plan Item 4.7.2. 3. $75,826,000 to build out 15.6 miles of Tier One Urban Trails by 2028 and put COA on track to reach the 2023 Urban Trails goal of building all 94 miles of Tier 1 trails by 2043. City Manager should also consider investments to ensure "the Urban Trails Plan is deliver[ing] projects on an accelerated timeline" as the Urban Trails Plan notes doing so is "dependent on increasing internal City of Austin capacity across supporting departments concerning staffing, systems, and the processes for permitting" Urban Trails Plan Section 3.5). Relevant plan sections: See ASMP Urban Trails Policy 2 & 3, ACEP TLU Goal 3, and 2023 Urban Trails Plan Section 3.5. 4. $64,000,000 to build out 136 miles of new sidewalks and 80 miles of shared streets per year through 2028, putting Austin on track to address all "Very High" and "High" priority sidewalks and shared streets within 10 years. Projects in the highest Equity Analysis Zones …
“Environmental Investment Plan” 20240215-025 STATUS UPDATE April 24, 2024 1 Resolution 20240215-025 Reaffirm commitment to net-zero by 2040, act with urgency required to achieve this goal. Solicit community input and prepare options and associated costs of capital improvements or programs that would: 1. Reduce carbon emissions 2. Decrease water usage and improve water quality and detention 3. Advance the sustainability of City Operations, and 4. Improve Community Resilience Post a public hearing of the JSC in March (27) / April (24) to gather input from the public and the Committee is requested to submit any recommendations for investments to Council by May 1 Review whether recommendations can be funded through: - Utility rates - General Fund Expenditures - Grants - General Obligation Bonds (may include Nov 2024) 2 Resolution 20240215-025 In addition to proposals put forth by the JSC, analyze investments needed to fulfill the following adopted plans: - Climate Equity Plan - Water Forward - Watershed Protection Strategic Plan - One Austin: Climate Resilience Action Plan - Austin Strategic Mobility Plan - ARR Comprehensive Plan - AE Resource Generation Plan - PARD Land Management Plan and Long Range Plan - Austin Travis County Wildfire Preparedness Plan - Central Texas Regional Air Quality Plan - Urban Forest Plan - Austin Travis County Food Plan - Green Infrastructure Strengths and Gaps Assessment Analysis should also identify options for fulfilling either all or specific elements of these plans before their current target date. 3 Final Product A list of projects and programs that: 1. Reduce carbon emissions 2. Decrease water usage and improve water quality and detention 3. Advance the sustainability of City Operations 4. Improve Community Resilience For each project or program - General Scope / Description - Aligned with which Plan and Goal - - Approximate Cost - Potential Funding Mechanism Timeline (Short, Medium, Long term) - Utility base rates - General Fund Expenditures - Grants - General Obligation Bonds A Memo with attached Report / Spreadsheet Attachments - JSC and Community Recommendations A Presentation to Council on May 28 4 Process Scoping and Screening Initial review JSC and Public Input Finalization OOS has created a catalog of all goals / strategies in all plans called out in the Resolution Teams + Departments worked on a shared assignment spreadsheet to populate projects and information Departments reviewed their own Plans & Goals - Identified gaps Teams convened to share their findings …
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240XXX-XXX Motioned By: Date: XXX, 2024 Description of Recommendation to Council Subject: Joint Sustainability Committee Environmental Investment Plan Recommendations (Natural Systems) Seconded By: D R A F T 1. Preservation of existing agricultural land: The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that $XX be allocated to preserve existing agricultural land and increase the amount of farmland using practices that improve soil health through land trusts, land banks, conservation easements and/or other legal or financing mechanisms. a. Details: Develop an inventory of available farmland in Austin/Travis County, conduct appraisals, fund conservation easements and/or incentives for farmers adopting regenerative agricultural practices (TBD but may include cover cropping, crop rotation, no/low-till, mulching, compost application, elimination/ reduction of synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use, etc.) a. Plan alignment: Food Plan Goal 1 and the Climate Equity Plan Natural Systems b. Benefits: Slows the loss of local farmland; improves the quality of locally produced food and protects soil carbon pools. Soils with healthy levels of organic material increase water retention, improve water quality, protect biodiversity, sequester carbon and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. c. Cost estimate: $TBD for inventory and appraisals (one-time); $TBD per acre for easements (one-time); $TBD for incentives (annual) Goal 2. 2. Revolving loan fund for Working Farms Fund pilot: The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that $5.5 million be allocated to establish a revolving loan fund to preserve agricultural land in Austin/Travis County through a pilot program that provides a path to ownership for a new generation of farmers and increases the amount of farmland acting as carbon pools. a. Details: A collaboration with the Conservation Funds Working Farms Fund and local agricultural nonprofits will acquire and permanently protect small to mid-sized farms, and provide a pathway for underrepresented farmers to own their own farms b. Plan alignment: Food Plan Goal 1 and the Climate Equity Plan Natural Systems Goal 2. c. Benefits: Slows the loss of local farmland, improves the quality of locally produced food, protects carbon pools, and serves as a template for program replication. d. Cost estimate: $5.25M to establish a revolving loan fund; $250K annually for operational expenses d. Cost: $350K (TBD) real-time response to leaks, solar panel outages etc. and improving management of water and electricity usage in City parks, pools and buildings. 3. Energy and water dashboard for City facilities: The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that $350K (TBD) be allocated to create a consolidated energy and …
UT City Climate Colab Empower communities with climate data and tools A framework for cities to build climate smart infrastructure (netzero, heat/health, fire, investments..) Dev Niyogi¹ Allysa Dallmann¹, Marc Coudert², Zach Baumer², Patrick Bixler¹, Paola Passalacqua¹, Junfeng Jiao¹, Yang Zong Liang¹, Zoltan Nagy1, Heidi Schmalbach¹ 1. The University of Texas at Austin 2. The City of Austin utcitycolab.org URGENCY • Increase in the climate extremes; city needs to prepare for eventualities • Disadvantaged communities greatly challenged in "bouncing back" Infrastructure investments and response plans underway • • Students interested in place-based research • Federal grant opportunities are growing TEMPERATURE One of the “simplest” climate variables Austin changes not explains by global changes alone City scale information needs bottom up rather than top down approach only (Top down is global to local which is what we see for El Nino, La Nina effects for example) Climate Downscaling (coarse grid (100 km x 100 km ) global information statistically brought to local scale (10km or finer) – This is top down and most common way of getting climate information AUSTIN’S FUTURE CLIMATE Rain events will become more intense and less frequent Temperatures will become hotter Less frequent, but more intense cold events CIMBY CLIMATE IN MY BACKYARD There is a need to localize data climate information To complement community experience UT City Climate CoLab This creates a framework that is tied into local city departments, communities, and UT EXPERIENCE from the community, and the city UT + City Climate CoLab DATA from the climate and atmospheric sciences USEFUL TO USEABLE UT City Climate CoLab • National - NOAA NCEI • Texas has State Climate Office • Regional Climate Hubs (for agriculture) UT City Climate CoLab • City needs are unique • Data needs are localized UT City Climate CoLab • Climate models are complicated • Scenarios, Resolutions, Model Choices • Reanalysis, Data, AI/ML output UT City Climate CoLab • Localizing data and information with lived experience is important to develop local policies and investment decisions. UT Investments -Climate Program Coordinator (Allysa Dallman JSG + PT2050) - 2 postdocs (JSG; Ali and Manmeet) - LBJ 5 summer GRAs, part of Program Manager (Deidra Miniard) - Faculty time - Research Grants City Investments -CoLab Program Manager (Alexia Leclercq) - Product Developer (advertised) - ILA projects (e.g. Water Fwd; AFD) - Office of Resilience/ Sustainability - Access/Partnership Open source, Build height data sets for cities …
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MEETING MINUTES Apr 24, 2024 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a hybrid meeting via videoconferencing and City Hall. Chair Kaiba White called the Board Meeting to order at 6:06 pm. Board Members in Attendance in Person: Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Lane Becker, Larry Franklin, Charlotte Davis, Kaiba White, Haris Qureshi, Jon Salinas Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Diana Wheeler, Anna Scott, Heather Houser, Chris Campbell, Yure Suarez Board Members Absent: Bertha Delgado, Alice Woods, Melissa Rothrock, Amy Noel, Rodrigo Leal City Staff in Attendance: Rohan Lilauwala, Zach Baumer CALL TO ORDER Chair Kaiba White called the meeting to order at 6:20 pm. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION 1. Melinda Chow- River Watch, speaking in favor of Austin Civilian Conservation Corps (ACCC) success stories 2. Parc Smith – American Youth Works, speaking in favor of ACCC 3. Chase Wright – Hungry Hill Foundation, speaking in favor of ACCC 4. Jaquan Jackson – Hungry Hill Foundation, speaking in favor of ACCC 5. Paul Robbins – Environmental activist, vice chair of RMC. Speaking on the need for stronger restrictions on water use and for reclaimed water. Green choice program is obsolete, needs to be repurposed for dispatchable renewable energy 6. Adam Greenfield – Safe Streets Austin, speaking in favor of Urban Transportation Commission’s transportation package, Farm and City’s recommendations. In support of dais). converting 1 lane on every arterial to protected bike or bus lanes. 110 miles - $40 million for quick build. Savings from crash cost reduction. Example of longhorn dam 7. Scott Johnson – speaking on the importance of low-emission asphalt 1. Approval of minutes from the March 27th meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. Davis motions to approve, Maxwell-Gaines seconds, passes on 11-0 vote (Suarez off 3. UT City Climate Colab – Dev Niyogi, UT-Austin Presentation on the new collaborative research framework between University of Texas at Austin and the City of Austin Commissioners agree of value of Colab Suggestions of project – citywide solar potential assessment Offer to come back regularly to update JSC 2. Joint Sustainability Committee Officer Elections for the 2024-2025 Term Qureshi nominates White as chair, Maxwell-Gaines seconds, passes 12-0. Wheeler nominates Davis as vice chair, Qureshi seconds, passes 12-0. 4. Presentation on the Staff Response to Resolution 20240215-025, the “Environmental Investment Plan” – Zach Baumer, Office of Sustainability Discussions on how to maximize community benefits …
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Inclusion Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240424-12 Transgender, Sexual Identity, and Gender Identity Protection WHEREAS, the City of Austin has been one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States for over a decade, resulting in rapidly increasing demands on housing, infrastructure, public safety, and other city resources; and WHEREAS, in 2023, the Texas state legislature passed legislation restricting or criminalizing access to gender-affirming healthcare across Texas, which was subsequently signed by the governor and became law effective September 1, 2023; and WHEREAS, as a home-rule city, the City has the authority and responsibility to prioritize the use of its limited resources and taxpayer dollars to address the most urgent needs of all residents, including focusing the use of public safety resources on substantive and broad threats to residents’ safety and livelihood; and WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes that families and healthcare providers in Austin are living in uncertainty and fear, and many are considering moving away or have already moved to other states to access medical care for their children or to be able to practice medicine freely in accordance with professional and ethical standards; and WHEREAS, multiple healthcare providers in Texas have scaled back healthcare services in response to legal challenges, perception of legal risk, harassment, or threats of violence; and WHEREAS, gender-affirming healthcare has been proven to be evidence-based, medically necessary, and lifesaving by the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatricians, the Endocrine Society, the American Psychiatric Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, amongst other institutions; and Page 1 of 4 WHEREAS, studies have shown that gender transition, including access to gender-affirming healthcare, improves the overall well-being of transgender people and that access to gender-affirming healthcare for youth is associated with better mental health outcomes and lower risks of suicide; and WHEREAS, over 94 percent of LGBTQIA+ youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in late 2021 said recent politics have negatively impacted their mental health, and 93 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth surveyed by the Trevor Project in 2022 said they have worried about transgender people being denied access to gender-affirming medical care due to state or local laws; and WHEREAS, a majority of U.S. adults agree that transgender minors should have access to gender- affirming care; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin has consistently declared its commitment to furthering transgender equity and …
REGULAR MEETING of the HISPANIC/LATINO QUALITY-OF-LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION TUESDAY, APRIL 23rd, 2024, at 6:00 P.M. CST CITY HALL, BOARDS & COMMISSIONS RM #1101 301 W. 2ND STREET, AUSTIN, TX 78701 Some members of the Hispanic/Latino Quality-of-life Resource Advisory Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, call or email Alejandra Mireles at (Community Services Program Coordinator, Equity Office) at (512) 974-8045 or alejandra.mireles@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMISSIONERS Daniela Silva Amanda Afifi Vanessa Maldonado Ivanna Neri Kevin M Jackson Jr. Lyssette Galvan Eliza May Jesus Perales Leonor Vargas Dulce Castañeda AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. Approve the minutes of the COMMISSION’S REGULAR MEETING on MARCH 26, 2024. 1 STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Lila Valencia, City of Austin Demographer, Presenting to Commission on 2024 City of Austin Demographics Updates and Impacts of. Stephanie Gonzales, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator – APD, and Fausto Rodriguez, Lieutenant – APD, Presenting to Commission on City of Austin Procedures and Policies for Senate Bill 4. 3. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. Daniela Hernandez, Workers Defense Project – Presenting on the latest Community updates with Senate Bill 4; specifically, Senate Bill 4’s impact on the Latiné Community, and how Workers Defense Project is preparing for the implementation of Senate Bill 4. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. Approve a recommendation on the FY 2024-25 Budget for Increase Funding for Community Navigators in the Economic Development Department’s Arts Funding Programs. Conduct officer elections for the Chair. Conduct officer elections for the Vice Chair. WORKING GROUPS/COMMITTEE UPDATES 8. Budget & Policy Priorities Workgroup – Updates from the last workgroup meeting related to policy matters and the FY 2024-25 budget. (Amanda Afifi, Sharon Vigil, Jesus Perales, Dulce Castañeda, and Leonor Vargas) Language Access Workgroup – Updates from the workgroup on issues pertaining to their assignment. (Amanda Afifi, Dulce Castaneda, Vanessa Maldonado, Daniela Silva, and Hector Ordaz) Public Safety & Immigrant Affairs Workgroup …
HISPANIC/LATINO QUALITY-OF-LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES The HISPANIC LATINO QUAITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION convened a REGULAR meeting on TUESDAY, MARCH 26rd, 2024 at 6:00 P.M. CST, in CITY OF AUSTIN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM #1101 – CITY HALL (301 W. 2ND STREET; AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701). Chair AMANDA AFIFI called the HISPANIC LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION Meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Amanda Afifi (Chair) Daniela Silva Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Ivanna Neri (Co-Chair) Jesus Perales Leonor Vargas Kevin Jackson Commissioners Absent: Eliza May Vanessa Maldonado Staff in Attendance: Equity Office, Community Services Program Coordinator – Alejandra Mireles Office of City Clerk, Business Process Specialist – Christi Vitela CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. 1. Martha Cotera, communicates support for recommendation supporting Academia Cuauhtli (agenda item six). 1 2. 3. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Carmen del Unda, communicates support for recommendation supporting Academia Cuauhtli (agenda item six). Emelio Zamora, communicates support for recommendation supporting Academia Cuauhtli (agenda item six). APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 4. Approve the minutes of the COMMISSION’S REGULAR MEETING on FEBRUARY 27th, 2024. The minutes were approved on COMMISSIONER JESUS PERALES’ motion, COMMISSIONER LYSETTEE GALVAN’s second on a 7-0 vote (Absent: Commissioners Vanessa Maldonado and Eliza May). DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. Approve a recommendation on the FY 2024-25 Budget for Supporting Hispanic/Latino College Graduates. Commissioners discuss and edit. Recommendation PASSESS on COMMISSIONER JESUS PERALES’ motion, COMMISSIONER AMANDA AFIFI’s second on a 7-0 vote (Absent: Commissioners Vanessa Maldonado and Eliza May). Approve a recommendation on the FY 2024-25 Budget for the Family Stabilization Program. Commissioners discuss and edit. Recommendation PASSESS on COMMISSIONER DANIELA SILVA’s motion, COMMISSIONER JESUS PERALES’ second on a 7-0 vote (Absent: Commissioners Vanessa Maldonado and Eliza May). Approve a recommendation on the FY 2024-25 Budget for Re-Entry Programs. Commissioners discuss and edit. Recommendation PASSESS on COMMISSIONER LYSETTE GALVAN’s motion, COMMISSIONER DANIELA SILVA’s second on a 7-0 vote (Absent: Commissioners Vanessa Maldonado and Eliza May). Approve a recommendation on the FY 2024-25 Budget for Immigrant Legal Services. Commissioners discuss and edit. Recommendation PASSESS on COMMISSIONER LEONOR VARGAS’ motion, COMMISSIONER LYSETTE GALVAN’s second on a 7-0 vote (Absent: Commissioners Vanessa Maldonado and Eliza …
ORDINANCE AMENDMENT REVIEW SHEET Amendment: C20-2023-019 Citywide Compatibility Description: Amend City Code Title 25 (Land Development) to revise height, building placement, and other related regulations that apply to property and are in addition to the base zoning regulations (also known as Compatibility Standards). Background: Initiated by Resolution No. 20230608-045. Compatibility is a regulation that restricts building height and regulates screening, building design, and noise levels based on a site’s proximity to a property with single-family zoning or a single-family use. Currently, compatibility generally applies to sites within 540 feet of a property zoned Urban Family Residence (SF-5) or more restrictive. Compatibility does not apply uniformly citywide. Different compatibility standards apply depending on a site’s location and use. Listed below are examples of where compatibility is treated differently throughout the city: • Citywide Compatibility Standards have two separate regulations for large and small sites. • The East Riverside Corridor Regulating Plan compatibility standards are less restrictive than the current citywide standards and are only triggered by single-family use. • The Lamar/Justin, MLK, and Plaza Saltillo Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Regulating Plans only apply compatibility to sites within 100 feet of the TOD boundary and within 25 feet of a triggering property. • Within the University Neighborhood Overlay (UNO), compatibility only applies within 75 feet of the UNO boundary. • Within the Educational Facility Development Standards, there are two separate compatibility height restrictions for AISD and non-AISD schools. • Neighborhood Conservation Combining Districts (NCCDs): o The E. 11th St. NCCD waives compatibility standards in lieu of its own specific compatibility standards. o The E. 12th St. NCCD waives compatibility standards within the district. o The Hyde Park NCCD deviates from the current compatibility standards by allowing parking in the rear yard. • Additional areas are exempt from compatibility, including properties zoned Central Business District (CBD), Downtown Mixed-Use (DMU), properties in the North Burnet Gateway (NBG) Regulating Plan, and developments utilizing the Affordability Unlocked density bonus program. 4/23/2024C20-2023-0191 For more information about the various compatibility standards in the code, see Exhibit A, Current vs Proposed Compatibility. Compatibility Standards were codified with the adoption of the current Land Development Code in 1984. Their purpose, as stated in the 1984 code, is to “preserve and protect single-family residential neighborhoods” and “to maintain the privacy and to allow the outdoor enjoyment typically provided in single family districts and neighborhoods.” Before compatibility, there was a practice of …
