Water Conservation Plan and Utility Profile CITY OF AUSTIN WATER CONSERVATION PLAN Developed to Meet Requirements Outlined in 30 TAC §288.2 and §288.5 May 2, 2024 Page 1 of 50 Water Conservation Plan and Utility Profile Page 2 of 50 Water Conservation Plan and Utility Profile Message from the Director Thank you for your interest in Austin’s most precious natural resource: water. The city was founded in the mid-1800s on the banks of the Colorado River to take advantage of that abundant water resource. Our water supply is just as critical today, but now we face unprecedented challenges: record high temperatures, record low flows into the Highland Lakes, water quality concerns, and continued rapid population growth. Together, we can meet these challenges. The City of Austin’s 100-year Water Forward Integrated Water Resources Plan is focused on water conservation and water use efficiency, as well as strategies to strengthen the diversity of Austin’s water supply. Austin has come a long way over the last decade – in 2023, we used essentially the same amount of water as we did in 2011, despite having 140,000 more residents. But the impacts from climate change require us to become even more water-wise and water-efficient. The update of this Water Conservation Plan is required by the State of Texas every five years to provide short-term strategies to address changing conditions. Even more importantly, the update is a necessary part of the city’s future sustainability. This document describes Austin Water’s conservation initiatives, programs, and projects to help residents and businesses increase their water use efficiency. In addition, it describes how Austin Water is maximizing our water supply from the Highland Lakes through conservation and water reuse. Learn more about what you can do to conserve our most precious resource at AustinWater.org. Shay Ralls Roalson, P.E. Austin Water Director Page 3 of 50 Water Conservation Plan and Utility Profile Table of Contents Executive Summary 5 Conservation Program History 7 Public Education and Information 9 Residential Customer Programs 11 Commercial Customer Programs 15 Regulatory Programs 17 Metering and Water Loss 20 Water Reuse 23 Water Rates 25 Goals for Water Use and Water Loss 26 Utility Profile 30 System Data 35 Appendices 42 Page 4 of 50 Water Conservation Plan and Utility Profile Executive Summary The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Water Development Board require an update to the City of Austin’s Water Conservation Plan …
M E M O R A N D U M TO: Mayor and Council Members THROUGH: Robert Goode, P.E., Assistant City Manager FROM: Shay Ralls Roalson, P.E., Director, Austin Water DATE: April 15, 2024 SUBJECT: Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plan Updates We would like to share an overview of Austin Water’s upcoming Recommendations for Council Action, which update both the Water Conservation Plan (WCP) and Drought Contingency Plan (DCP), along with related amendments to the City Code to enforce the plans. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) requires the City’s WCP and DCP to be updated every five years. Staff have coordinated revisions with changes being made to the Lower Colorado River Authority’s (LCRA) DCP. RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTIONS On May 2, 2024, Austin Water is requesting consideration of the following: • • • Approve a resolution adopting the Water Conservation Plan, as required by the TCEQ, and repeal the resolution for the 2019 Water Conservation Plan. Approve a resolution adopting the Drought Contingency Plan, as required by the TCEQ, and repeal the resolution for the 2016 Drought Contingency Plan. Approve an ordinance amending Austin City Code Chapter 2-13, Chapter 6-4, and Chapter 15-9 to codify necessary changes to enact the updated 2024 Water Conservation Plan and Drought Contingency Plan. BACKGROUND The City of Austin’s 100-year Integrated Water Resources Plan, known as Water Forward, includes a number of strategies to provide for a sustainable water future for Austin, including water conservation and water use efficiency, reclaimed water use, like that of the recently adopted GoPurple Program, and strengthening the diversity of Austin’s water supply. While these plans have always served as an important element to water conservation and water supply planning, they are increasingly important tools as Austin continues to grow and as our region faces a prolonged drought. Current drought conditions have reduced the combined storage of the Highland Lakes to 43% of the available storage when full. The updated WCP and DCP describe current and additional activities to increase water efficiency and reduce water use. Page 1 of 3 WATER CONSERVATION PLAN The WCP provides a description of the activities by Austin Water to conserve water, both in times of plenty and in scarcity. Activities include customer education, incentives, and enforcement; water loss reduction activities; and water reuse, both centralized reclaimed and onsite. In addition to current and expanded conservation activities, the WCP includes goals for 5- …
2024 Water Conservation and Drought Contingency Plans Updates Water and Wastewater Commission – April 17, 2024 Kevin Critendon, P.E., Assistant Director Agenda Water Supply Planning Overview Proposed Water Conservation Plan (WCP) Proposed Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) Next Steps 2 Austin’s Water Supply: 325,000 Acre Feet Per Year Colorado River • Combination of State-granted water rights & long-term contract with LCRA • Up to 325,000 acre- feet per year (afy) LCRA reservation & use fees pre-paid in 1999 • Additional use payments trigger when average for 2 consecutive years exceeds 201,000 afy Centralized Reclaimed System 3 What plans and why do we need them? Texas utilities must provide a Water Conservation Plan (WCP) and a Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) Required by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) every 5 years WCPs identify programmatic activities aimed at reducing overall water consumption and improve water use efficiency 4 DCPs identify water supply triggers and related drought response activities How are these plans different? Water Conservation Plan (WCP) Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) Plan for all weather conditions Focuses on drought conditions Describes Describes • Utility and water use information • Conservation (rebates, education, enforcement) • Water loss reduction • Reuse activities Includes water consumption and water loss • Drought Stages • Drought Triggers (demand and supply) • Drought Actions & Restrictions Must be consistent with the LCRA DCP Requires Chapter 6-4 changes goals 5 How does this work regionally with our water supply partner? LCRAs Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) AWs DCP aligns with LCRAs DCP LCRA recently updated its DCP on March 26, 2024 LCRAs significant updates include: • Adjusting drought trigger levels (From 4 stages to 5 stages) • Adding LCRAs inflow trigger for Drought Stage 2 • Adding specific drought condition water use restrictions 6 Austin’s Water Conservation Plan (WCP) Public education & outreach Residential assistance Incentive programs Regulatory programs Water loss reduction Water reuse 7 2024 WCP Updates Updated program activity and water savings Increased integration with My ATX Water Updated Conservation Goals and Water Loss goals 8 2024 WCP Proposed Goals Based on a 5-year average and measure attainable achievements and updated targets for: • Total Population Gallons Per Capita per Day (GPCD) reduction of water use • Residential Gallons Per …
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20240417-002A Luis Osta Lugo (8) Date: April 17, 2024 Subject: City’s FY 2024 – 2025 Budget (Renters) Motioned By: Michael Nahas (4) Seconded By: Recommendation The Budget of the City of Austin should respect renters as the equal of homeowners. Description of Recommendation to Council Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget respect renters as "Typical" residents of Austin. Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget's "Taxpayer Impact Statement" add a line for the average tax per rental unit, which includes the property tax and all other taxes and annual fees on rental properties. Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget's "Taxpayer Impact Statement" rename the line "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT" to "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT (homeowner)" and add a line for "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT (renter)", which includes the average taxes and fees paid per rental unit. Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget's "Taxpayer Impact Statement" include a calculation of "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT (renter)" for the previous budget, Fiscal Year 2023- 24, and compute a percentage increase from Fiscal Year 2023-24 to Fiscal Year 2024-25. Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget's "Taxpayer Impact Statement" use the bottom half of the page to hold a table of "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT" for Austin residents at all income levels. Rows should be by household income for every 10th percentile, from bottom 10% to top 10%. City Staff should estimate what proportion of each income bracket are homeowners and renters and assign an average (mathematical mean) property tax weighted by that proportion, based on properties that income bracket would rent or own. Unless City staffCity staff may have have more detailed knowledge;, they should investigate ifcan assume that residents in the bottom 10th percentile of income uses the average (mathematical mean) of the bottom 10th percentile of residential Austin Energy usage, residential Austin Water usage, etc. Rationale: The City of Austin 2023-24 Budget's “Taxpayer Impact Statement” refers to a “Typical” Resident Ratepayer” who pays property tax with a homestead exemption and, therefore, 1 of 2 must be a homeowner. The 2023-24 budget claims that this “Typical” Austin resident owns a house worth $499,524. In fact, the City of Austin actually has a majority of renters. The U.S. Census Bureau for the time period 2017-2021 reports that only 44.7% of the housing units in Austin are owner-occupied. A household owning a property worth $499,524 is likely …
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20240417-002B Date: April 17, 2024 Subject: City’s FY 2024 – 2025 Budget (Retirement Programs) Motioned By: Seconded By: Recommendation Reduce risk by moving retirement programs from pensions to defined contribution. Description of Recommendation to Council Remove risk by changing our retirement programs from pensions to defined-contribution programs. Remove risk by paying other parties to accept Austin’s existing pension liabilities. Payment could be either a series of future annual payments or an immediate payment, using funds raised by General Obligations bonds. Rationale: The City of Austin currently promises pensions to its employees. That is, we specify benefits after they retire for as long as they live. This sounds nice, but the hard truth is that we do not know the financial future. We do not know the price today of those promises. Those promises have already created a gigantic problem. The 2023-24 Budget says our unfunded actuarial accrued liabilities in 2020 were “nearly $2.4 billion”. That is more than one-and-a-half years of the annual General Fund. Every resident, adults and children, lost more than $100 benefits in Fiscal Year 2023-24 because the City of Austin spent that money fixing just 1/30th of our pension liability. Pensions are dangerous. They crippled America’s car industry. They almost ended America’s steel industry. And multiple cities have declared bankruptcy due to the burdens of pension: Detroit MI, Stockton CA, San Bernardino CA, and more. Pension programs can harm more than the City of Austin; they might harm our employees in the future who would be relying on the City of Austin for those pensions in their retirement. To ensure the City of Austin’s economic prosperity, it should not make unpredictable promises about the future. It should “pay as we go” with its employees. That means a defined contribution plan, which puts a fixed-multiple of the employee’s salary into a retirement program this fiscal year, without any promises about the future. 1 of 2 The risk from existing liabilities caused by past pension programs should be removed from the City of Austin budget. That can be done by paying a financial firm to accept the risk, in exchange for fixed future payments or a lump sum, raised with General Obligation bonds. The risk could also be removed by offering fixed or lump sum payments to holders of the pensions. Vote For: Against: Abstain: Absent: Attest: [Staff or board member can sign] 2 …
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20240417-002C Date: April 17, 2024 Subject: City’s FY 2024 – 2025 Budget (Sales-Tax Income) Motioned By: Seconded By: Recommendation Investigate hedging sales-tax income to reduce uncertainty and increase the budget. Description of Recommendation to Council Ask the City Manager to investigate hedging as a way to reduce the uncertainty in sales-tax income. Specifically, the City Manager should ask financial institutions how much they might bid in exchange for 80% of next fiscal-year’s sales tax revenue. If City Council accepted such an offer, the City of Austin would have a more stable and predictable income, allowing us to plan better and increase the budget. Rationale: The City of Austin’s income from sales tax is large and unpredictable. The 2023-24 Budget states that sales tax was 7% of income. But it also shows that, over the last decade, its income is unpredictable: growing 25% some years and 0% in others. But most of the City of Austin’s expenses are predictable and fixed. According to staff, “70 to 80%” of the expenses are wages, which are steady expenses. With a variable income and fixed expenses, it is easy for the City of Austin to overspend and run out of money. The result would be drastically slashing programs during the middle of a fiscal year, which would be harmful to the economic prosperity of all Austinites. The City’s staff knows about this danger and warns about it in the 2023-24 Budget: “City financial staff have long advocated thoughtfulness and restraint in projecting sales tax revenues, in the knowledge that periodic economic disruptions and resulting contractions of sales tax revenue—such as the one witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic—are inevitable.” And “… actual sales tax receipts falling short of budgeted levels can have severe repercussions with respect to maintaining a balanced General Fund budget, there are no corollary consequences should this revenue exceed projections.” The City of Austin could plan better and have a larger budget if we exchange the variable income from sales tax for a steady predictable income. That is, find a financial institution that is willing to trade: it will pay Austin a stead income in return for 1 of 2 accepting the unsteady income from sales tax. In the financial lingo, this is called “selling risk” or “hedging”. It is very common in the business world. For example, Southwest Airlines could lose a lot of money if fuel …
& A U T M H Q P R O G R A M S Austin Urban Technology Movement (AUTMHQ) is increasing diversity in tech through its workforce development tech ecosystem . Us Digital Equity Workforce Development Job Placement OUR Christian B. Darrell K. Yasenia E. During my three-month tenure at AUTMHQ, I evolved from a blind volunteer into a tech-savvy AI enthusiast. My collaboration with the supportive AUTMHQ team made my experience memorable, introducing me to the tech world and instilling a lifelong fascination with AI. I was an Austinite facing housing challenges, but I found a lifeline in AUTMHQ's digital literacy class at Operation Liberty Hill. The program gave me a laptop, hotspot, and skills to help me online so I could apply for more opportunities with the Affordable Connectivity Program, too! As a busy mom of five living near Operation Liberty Hill, I found a way to change my life in AUTMHQ's digital literacy class. The program gave me a device to support my kids’ education and gave me a passion for learning. Now, I’m excited to master Excel to manage my money and imporove my conversational English. The Problem There's a significant gap between the number of tech jobs available and the qualified individuals to fill them. The tech industry highlights: sectors. 1. Millions of unfilled tech roles across 2. Barriers for underrepresented groups to entre the tech industry, thus not meeting industry talent demand. The takeaway: There's a clear disconnect. Tech jobs are being created exponentially, but the number of talented individuals from underrepresented groups are not entering the tech field at the rate needed to meet 1. The Diversity Index Score uses the Simpson’s Diversity Index methodology, a calculation of tech occupation diversity across the 7 top level race and ethnicity groups as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. demand. 2. Job postings are a measure of employer demand for tech talent during 2022. The total figure represents job postings across the 17 tech occupations used within Cyberstates. The emerging tech job posting figure uses a basket of 15 emerging job roles and skills, such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics, digital business transformation, and more. Source: Lightcast Labor Market Trends www.autmhq.org Demographics Trends Across the U.S. Zippia. "25 Trending Tech Industry Statistics [2023]: Tech Industry Demographics, Worth And More" Zippia.com. Jun. 29, 2023, https://www.zippia.com/advice/tech-industry-statistics/ The Solution: Awareness-to-Employment Pipeline Digital Equity Workforce …
Bond Oversight Commission Discussion Items April 17, 2024 Executive Lead: Stephen Grace, PE, PMP Assistant Director Capital Delivery Services “Effectively and Efficiently Deliver Quality Projects with the Concept of Speed” 1 Agenda Items - Discussion Item #2: Feedback on the Capital Project Public Improvement Bond Dashboard - Discussion Item #3: Progress of the 2016 Mobility Bond execution - Discussion Item#4: Proposed resolution for the Bond Oversight Commission to submit to Council - Discussion and Action Item #5: Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair - Future Agenda Items City of Austin | Capital Delivery Services Department | One City, One Team, One Approach 2 Discussion Item #2: Dashboard Discussion City of Austin | Capital Delivery Services Department | One City, One Team, One Approach 3 Discussion Item #3: 2016 Mobility Bond Discussion 2020 bond - Power BI (powerbigov.us) City of Austin | Capital Delivery Services Department | One City, One Team, One Approach 4 Discussion Item #4: Proposed Resolution Discussion City of Austin | Capital Delivery Services Department | One City, One Team, One Approach 5 Discussion and Action Item #5: Elections Discussion: • Chair nominations and elections • Vice Chair nominations and elections City of Austin | Capital Delivery Services Department | One City, One Team, One Approach 6 Future Agenda Items Public Improvement Bond Projects of Interest: - Longhorn Dam - Barton Springs Bridge - Trail Conservancy Update - Watershed Improvement Projects - PARD Project Portfolio - Fire/EMS Five New Stations Other Topics: - Capital Project Milestones - Examples of Capital Project delivery delaying factors City of Austin | Capital Delivery Services Department | One City, One Team, One Approach 7
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Downtown Commission Recommendation Number 20240417-003: Request to centralize graffiti programs; create and fund a new City of Austin department WHEREAS graffiti is a crime under the laws of the state of Texas; and WHEREAS Title 7 of the Texas State Penal Code 28.02 addresses offenses against property, including graffiti. WHEREAS title 7 of the Texas Penal Code addresses criminal trespass; and WHEREAS Title 3 of the Texas Penal Code 12.43 establishes penalties for repeat and habitual misdemeanor offenses; and WHEREAS graffiti is a public nuisance; and WHEREAS graffiti defaces public and private property, leaving property owners and taxpayers to bear the burden of remediation, and adversely affects citizens, communities, businesses, and property values; and WHEREAS graffiti is a growing problem that cost the Austin Parks and Recreation Department $546,000; Building Services $437,325; TxDot and CTRMA more than $150,000 just for central sections of Mopac Loop 1 and IH35; and WHEREAS the Downtown Austin Alliance abated 26,485 instances of graffiti and stickers/posters in 2022 in the Downtown PID through a third-party vendor, incurring a considerable cost to do so that would have been better spent elsewhere; and WHEREAS tagging traffic signage creates public safety hazards and damages the reflective coating needed for visibility, resulting in replacement of signage at a considerable cost to taxpayers. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Downtown Commission requests that the City of Austin centralize its various graffiti programs into a new Department of Nuisance Abatement; and that it be placed under the authority of the Code Enforcement Department; and that it be funded to the sum of $2 million dollars. Date of Approval: 4/17/2024 Record of the vote: 6-0 vote Ayes: Chair Harris, Vice Chair Ishmael, Commissioners Levinson, Major, Ortega, Shifferd Absent: Commissioners Cardona-Beiler, Coufal and Lavigne Attest: Christi Vitela (Downtown Commission Staff Liaison)
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20240417-002 Luis Osta Lugo (8) Date: April 17, 2024 Subject: City’s FY 2024 – 2025 Budget (Renters) Motioned By: Michael Nahas (4) Seconded By: Recommendation The Budget of the City of Austin should respect renters as the equal of homeowners. Description of Recommendation to Council Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget respect renters as "Typical" residents of Austin. Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget's "Taxpayer Impact Statement" add a line for the average tax per rental unit, which includes the property tax and all other taxes and annual fees on rental properties. Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget's "Taxpayer Impact Statement" rename the line "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT" to "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT (homeowner)" and add a line for "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT (renter)", which includes the average taxes and fees paid per rental unit. Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget's "Taxpayer Impact Statement" include a calculation of "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT (renter)" for the previous budget, Fiscal Year 2023- 24, and compute a percentage increase from Fiscal Year 2023-24 to Fiscal Year 2024-25. Require that the City of Austin 2024-25 Budget's "Taxpayer Impact Statement" use the bottom half of the page to hold a table of "TOTAL YEARLY IMPACT" for Austin residents at all income levels. Rows should be by household income for every 10th percentile, from bottom 10% to top 10%. City Staff should estimate what proportion of each income bracket are homeowners and renters and assign an average (mathematical mean) property tax weighted by that proportion, based on properties that income bracket would rent or own. City staff may have more detailed knowledge; they should investigate if residents in the bottom 10th percentile of income uses the average (mathematical mean) of the bottom 10th percentile of residential Austin Energy usage, residential Austin Water usage, etc. Rationale: The City of Austin 2023-24 Budget's “Taxpayer Impact Statement” refers to a “Typical” Resident Ratepayer” who pays property tax with a homestead exemption and, therefore, 1 of 2 must be a homeowner. The 2023-24 budget claims that this “Typical” Austin resident owns a house worth $499,524. In fact, the City of Austin actually has a majority of renters. The U.S. Census Bureau for the time period 2017-2021 reports that only 44.7% of the housing units in Austin are owner-occupied. A household owning a property worth $499,524 is likely in the top 25th percentile …
WATER AND WASTEWATER COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, April 17, 2024 The Water and Wastewater Commission convened in a regular called meeting on April 17, 2024, at Austin Energy Headquarters, 4815 Mueller Boulevard, Austin, Texas. Commissioner Jesse Penn, acting as Chair on behalf of Chair Turrieta and Vice Chair Musgrove called the Water and Wastewater Commission to order at 6:01 p.m. Commission Members in Attendance: William Moriarty (remote), Jesse Penn, Alex Navarro, Sabrina Reichert (remote) Mike Reyes, Sam Angoori, Shwetha Pandurangi, Vice Chair Judy Musgrove (remote), Christopher Maxwell-Gaines, Marcela Tuñón Sion (remote) Commission Members Absent: Chair Susan Turrieta PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL There were no speakers registered to speak. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approval of minutes from the March 13, 2024, regular meeting of the Water and Wastewater Commission. The minutes from the March 13, 2024, regular meeting were approved on Commissioner Pandurangi’s motion and Commissioner Angoori’s second on a 9-0 vote with Commissioners Navarro and Chair Turrieta absent. DISCUSSION AND ACTION 2. Recommend approval to execute a contract for crane and boom lift rentals with GAC Equipment, LLC d/b/a Austin Crane Service, for a term of five years in an amount not to exceed $3,100,000. Recommended by the Water and Wastewater Commission on Commissioner Reyes’ motion and Commissioner Pandurangi’s second on a 9-0 vote with Commissioners Navarro and Chair Turrieta absent. 3. Recommend approval to negotiate and execute a cost participation agreement with United Properties Development, LLC for the City to reimburse the developer for an amount not to exceed $5,077,250 for costs associated with the design and construction of oversized wastewater interceptors and appurtenances related to Service Extension Request No. 5132 that will provide wastewater service to a proposed mixed-use development located at E. Howard Lane and SH 130. Recommended by the Water and Wastewater Commission on Commissioner Maxwell- Gaines’ motion and Commissioner Reyes’ second on a 9-0 vote with Commissioners Navarro and Chair Turrieta absent. 4. Recommend approval to negotiate and execute of a cost participation agreement with MFMG – Burnet Austin Project Owner, LP for the City to reimburse the developer for an amount not to exceed $1,012,000 for costs associated with the design and construction of an oversized wastewater main and appurtenances related to Service Extension Request No. 5391R that will provide wastewater service to a proposed multi-family development located at 11911 Burnet Road. (District 7) Recommended by the Water and Wastewater Commission on Commissioner …
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, April 17, 2024 The Economic Prosperity Commission convened in a REGULAR CALLED meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 301 W. 2nd Street, Room 1101, Austin, Texas. Vice Chair Michael Nahas called the Economic Prosperity Commission Meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. • Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance in Person: Luis Osta Lugo (8), Michael • Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Kelsey Hitchingham (10), Nahas (4), Rodrigo Cantu (5) Christiana Ponder (1), Amy Noel (7) • Absent: Laura Dixon (Mayor), Benjamin Salazar (2), Raquel Valdez Sanchez (3) • Vacancy: District 6, District 9 PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Economic Prosperity Commission Regular Meeting on March 20, 2024. The minutes from the meeting of March 20, 2024, were approved on Commissioner Osta Lugo’s motion, Commissioner Nahas’ second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Dixon, Salazar, and Valdez Sanchez were absent. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Discuss and approve the commission’s potential recommendations to City Council for the City’s FY 2024-2025 budget. Drafts of these recommendations were introduced at the commission’s March 20, 2024 meeting; however, due to a loss of quorum during the meeting, the commission did not take action on any recommendation. • Recommendation 20240417-002A (Renters): Approved, as amended, on Commissioner Nahas’ motion, Commissioner Osta Lugo’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Dixon, Salazar, and Valdez Sanchez were absent. 1 • Recommendation 20240417-002B (Retirement Programs): Commission declined to take action on this recommendation. • Recommendation 20240417-002C (Sales-Tax Income): The motion to approve this recommendation failed on Commissioner Nahas’ motion, Commissioner Osta Lugo’s second. Those voting aye were: Commissioners Nahas, Osta Lugo, Cantu, Hitchingham, and Ponder. Those voting nay were: Commissioner Noel. Commissioners Dixon, Salazar, and Valdez Sanchez were absent. 3. Conduct officer elections for Chair and Vice Chair for one-year terms of office from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025. • The motion to approve Commissioner Nahas for Chair was approved on Commissioner Hitchingham’s motion, Commissioner Osta Lugo’s second on a 6- 0 vote. Commissioner Nahas accepted the nomination. Commissioners Dixon, Salazar, and Valdez Sanchez were absent. • The motion to approve Commissioner Osta Lugo for Vice Chair was approved on Commissioner Nahas’ motion, Commissioner Hitchingham’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioner Osta Lugo accepted the nomination. Commissioners Dixon, Salazar, and Valdez Sanchez were absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. Presentation by Michael Ward Jr. on …
COMMISSION ON VETERAN AFFAIRS REGULAR MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 The COMMISSION ON VETERANS AFFAIRS convened in a REGULAR Meeting on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024, at the City of Austin Permitting & Development Center at 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr, Austin, TX 78752. Chair CHRISTOPHER WILSON called the COMMISSION ON VETERANS AFFAIRS MEETING to order at 7:07pm CST. Commissioners in Attendance: Christopher Wilson (Chair) Armando Gonzales Michael Mcinerney Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Kevin Lenau (Vice-Chair) Mark Balch Patrick Bissett William Dahlstrom Amber Schleuning Philip Reichert Commissioners Absent: Curtis Wyman Maria Brown-Spence Staff in Attendance: Jesus Simental – Veterans Administrator, Office of Civil Rights PUBLIC COMMUNICATION – GENERAL APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. The minutes from the meeting of 3/21/2024 were approved on Chair Christopher Wilson’s motion, second by Michael Mcinerney on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Curtis Wyman and Maria Brown-Spence were absent. STAFF BRIEFINGS DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Staff liaison, Jesus Simental, reminded all Commissioners of the requirement to complete Sexual Harassment Training by 10 May 2024. 3. Presentation by Sergio Torres-Peralta from the Office of Sustainability on the Food Planning Process and gave the Commission an opportunity to provide feedback on the upcoming Food Plan draft. 4. Presentation by Kris Vandenberg on veteran needs and how the commission can support veterans in Austin was postponed and rescheduled for the May 15, 2024 meeting. 5. Commissioner Maria Brown-Spence was absent for the meeting so discussion on results and findings on a list of nonprofits from I Live Here I Give Here Amplify Austin nonprofits is postponed and rescheduled for the May 15, 2024 meeting. 6. Commissioners were seeking details on the upcoming meeting for the Veterans Day Parade. Staff liaison, Jesus Simental, advised commissioners that the agenda and date for the start of the planning meetings have not yet been released and when they do send it out it will be forwarded to all commissioners. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 7. Michael Mcinerney was elected chair, nominated by Christopher Wilson second by Patrick Bissett on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Curtis Wyman and Maria Brown-Spence were absent. Amber Schleuning was elected vice-chair, nominated by Christopher Wilson second by Michael Mcinerney on a 9-0 vote. Commissioner Curtis Wyman and Maria Brown-Spence were absent. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 8. Commissioners recommended they follow up with their appointed council member on Recommendation 20240320-004 and 20240320-006 and report findings in the May meeting. ADJOURNMENT END: 7:51 PM 9. Chair …
Downtown Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 17, 2024 DOWNTOWN COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 The Downtown Commission convened the regular meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 301 W. 2nd Street in hybrid meeting format. COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE August Harris, Chair Ralph E Ishmael, Jr. Vice-Chair Jennifer Franklin Kimberly Levinson Sania D. Shifferd COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE REMOTELY Taylor Major Tania Ortega Amy Mok Anne Charlotte Patterson Spencer Schumacher CALL TO ORDER Chair Harris called the meeting of the Downtown Commission to order at 5:35 pm PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL No speakers. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Downtown Commission March 20, 2024 meeting. The minutes from the meeting on 03/20/24 were approved on Commissioner Levinson’s motion, Vice Chair Ishmael’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Cardona-Beiler, Coufal and Lavigne were absent. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEM 2. Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair. Downtown Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 17, 2024 The motion to postpone this item to the next Downtown Commission meeting on 05/15/2024 was approved on Vice Chair Ishmael’s motion, Commissioner Levinson’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Cardona-Beiler, Coufal and Lavigne were absent. 3. Approve a Recommendation to centralize graffiti programs within the City of Austin by creating and funding a new department. A motion to approve Recommendation 20240417-003 was made by Commissioner Levinson and seconded by Commissioner Shifferd. A motion to amend was made by Vice Chair Ishmael, seconded by Commissioner Levinson. The amendment was to add a zero to correct an error and to read as follows: “$546,000” The amendment was approved on a 6-0 vote. The motion to approve Recommendation 20240417-003 as amended was approved on Commissioner Levinson’s motion and Commissioner Shifferd’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Cardona-Beiler, Coufal and Lavigne were absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. Presentation on mental health resources for people experiencing homelessness by Marlene Buchanan, Director of System of Care, and Kathleen Casey, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Integral Care. Marlene Buchanan, Director of System of Care and Ruth Ahearn, Practice Administrator at Integral Care presented. 5. Presentation on a proposed sound assessment requirement for residential development near Outdoor Music and Performance Venues and a disclosure requirement about nearby venues when units are leased/sold by Brian Block, Nightlife and Entertainment Services Manager, Development Services Department. Brian Block, Nightlife and Entertainment Services Manager at the Development Services Department presented. 6. Update and discussion regarding …
Bond Oversight Commission REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 The Bond Oversight Commission convened in a Regular meeting on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at 301 W. 2nd Street in Austin, Texas. Chair Charles Curry called the Bond Oversight Meeting to order at 2:01 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Charles Curry, Chair John McNabb, Vice Chair Ramiro Diaz Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Francoise Luca Edward McHorse Santiago Rodriguez PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1 Approve the minutes of the Bond Oversight Commission Regular meeting on February 21, 2024. The minutes were approved at the April 17, 2024, meeting on Commissioner Ramiro Diaz’s, motion, Commissioner John McNabb’s second on a 6-0 vote with Commissioner Stephan Gonzalez, Commissioner Kristen Weaver, and Commissioner Nicole Wren absent. 2. Discussion on feedback on the Capital Project Public Improvement Bond Dashboard. Discussion on what Capital Delivery Services is working towards on the dashboard such as easier navigation, different parameters for boards and commissions, and public. The new dashboard should reflect real-time information tied to the financial system. Discussion on the progress of the 2016 Mobility Bond execution. Discussion on information that was provided in the financial graph and opened for q&a. Discussion on the proposed resolution for the Bond Oversight Commission to submit to Council. Discussion on the concept and the feedback from FSD Commissioners provided input on the language. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS Conduct officer elections for the Chair and Vice Chair The motion to approve Charles Curry as Chair was approved on Commissioner Rodriguez’s motion, Commissioner Ramiro Diaz’s second on a 6-0 vote Stephan Gonzalez, Commissioner Kristen Weaver, and Commissioner Nicole Wren absent. The motion to approve John McNabb as Vice Chair was approved on Commissioner McHorse’s motion and Commissioner Luca’s second on a 6-0 vote with Commissioner Stephan Gonzalez, Commissioner Kristen Weaver, and Commissioner Nicole Wren absent. 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 call Nicole Hernandez, Capital Delivery Department, at 512-974-7644, for additional information; TTY users’ route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Bond Oversight Commission, please contact Nicole …
