REGULAR MEETING of the AUSTIN-TRAVIS COUNTY FOOD POLICY BOARD MONDAY, MARCH 18th, 2024, FROM 6:00 TO 8:00 PM CITY OF AUSTIN PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM 1406 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board 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 Amanda Rohlich, 512-974-1364, Amanda.Rohlich@austintexas.gov. CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS/COMMISSIONERS: Andrea Abel Lisa Barden, Vice-Chair Marissa Bell Mark Bethell Joi Chevalier, Chair Larry Franklin Kacey Hanson Rosamaria Murillo Natalie Poulos Sari Vatske 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 Approve the minutes of the Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board Regular Meeting from Monday, February 12, 2024 Austin-Travis County Food Planning, Draft Release, Timeline and Communication Updates, Edwin Marty 1. 2. STAFF BRIEFINGS DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Discuss advocacy plan and schedule for board member outreach to elected officials on food planning Board vacancies, appointments, and reappointments. Three vacancies from Judge Andy Brown and Commissioners Shea & Gomez. Andrea Abel’s reappointment by Judge Andy Brown. Discussion of Joint Sustainability Committee meeting on February 28, 2024, Larry Franklin Review Board Member Assignments (Note for Chair: take item out of order and discuss at end of meeting) DISCUSSION & ACTION ITEMS Discuss and approve the City of Austin budget recommendations from the Food in All Departments working group to fund a Full Time Employee (FTE) to help implement the food plan Discuss and approve the Travis County budget recommendations from the Food in All Departments working group to fund a Full Time Employee (FTE) to help implement the food plan Discuss and approve the Joint Sustainability Committee’s budget recommendation on Sustainable Purchasing Discuss and approve the Joint Sustainability Committee’s budget recommendation on Incentives and Education for Pro-Climate, Pro-Health Foods Discuss and appoint a back-up representative to the Joint Sustainability Committee WORKING GROUP UPDATES …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Austin and Travis County Food Policy Board Recommendation Number: 20240318-XXX (XXX is the agenda item number): Recommended Support for Food Plan Implementation WHEREAS, the Austin City Council passed RESOLUTION NO. 20210610-039, which directed the City Manager to initiate a planning process for an Austin Food Plan in June 2021 to support a more resilient, equitable food system for the City of Austin; and WHEREAS, the Austin/Travis County Food Plan is currently being developed through comprehensive and collaborative community workgroups across five identified issues areas including 1.) Food Access and Consumption, 2.) Food Markets and Retail, 3.) Food Production, 4.) Post-Consumption and Food Waste, 5.) Food Processing and Distribution, as well as Community Advisory Committee, Community Food Ambassadors, planning team across both City and County offices, and public engagement; and WHEREAS, the developed Food Plan will outline strategic, measurable, ambitious, realistic, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable objectives, goals, and strategies that can be accomplished within the next five years to create a more just, accessible, and culturally diverse food system for Austin and Travis County that supports and sustains thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and solutions to climate changes where all individuals can reach their full potential; and WHEREAS, the final draft of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan will be presented to Austin City Council by summer 2024 for review and approval; and WHEREAS, it is critical to begin implementation of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan immediately following the approval of the Food Plan by the Austin City Council to satisfy the recommendations of the 5-year plan timeline; WHEREAS, concerns about the need to prevent duplication of services are complex and implementation that will avoid redundant actions requires significant coordination leadership; WHEREAS, established funding for implementation from the City is needed to support and implement the work of thousands of community members to fully realize and begin the transformative change that is outlined in the Austin/Travis County Food plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board strongly encourages the Austin City Council to allocate funds and explore all means to create one full-time equivalent positions within the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability to support the implementation of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan once approved. Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: Attest: _____________________________________________ (Staff or board member can sign)
Memo To: Travis County Commissioners Court From: Austin/Travis County Food Policy Board Date: March 18, 2024 Re: Support for Food Plan Implementation/Recommendation #: WHEREAS, the Austin City Council passed RESOLUTION NO. 20210610-039 in June 2021, which directed the City Manager to initiate a planning process for an Austin/Travis County Food Plan to support a more resilient, equitable food system for our community, and which directed the City Manager to engage Travis County in this effort; and WHEREAS, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved Travis County’s formal participation in and support for the Food Plan on December 13, 2022, creating the current directive to develop a comprehensive Plan that incorporates both the City of Austin and Travis County, thus expanding the scope and support for an Austin/Travis County Food Plan; and WHEREAS, the Austin/Travis County Food Plan is currently in development through a robust public engagement process including: Comprehensive and collaborative community workgroups across five identified issues areas of, 1) Food Access and Consumption, 2) Food Markets and Retail, 3) Food Production, 4) Post-Consumption and Food Waste, and 5) Food Processing and Distribution; a Community Advisory Committee; Community Food Ambassadors; and a planning team across both City and County offices; and WHEREAS, the Food Plan will outline strategic, measurable, ambitious, realistic, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable objectives, goals, and strategies, of which meaningful progress can be accomplished within a five year time period to support the Food Plan’s vision: a more just, accessible, and culturally diverse food system for Austin and Travis County that supports and sustains thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and solutions to climate change where all individuals can reach their full potential; and WHEREAS, the final Austin/Travis County Food Plan will be presented to Austin City Council and the Travis County Commissioners Court during summer 2024 for approval; and WHEREAS, it is critical to begin implementation of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan following the approval of the Food Plan by the Austin City Council and Travis County Commissioners Court to satisfy the recommendations of the 5-year plan timeline; WHEREAS, implementation of the Food Plan will be complex, and reducing duplication of efforts will require significant coordination and leadership WHEREAS, dedicated resources from the City of Austin/Travis County are needed to support the implementation of the Food Plan, which represents the work of thousands of community members to begin achieve, and sustain transformative change for our food system. NOW, THEREFORE, BE …
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20240228-014 Date: February 28, 2024 Subject: Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations 1. Climate Equity Plan Project Manager: The Austin Climate Equity Plan contains ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals and strategies to achieve those goals that touch every City department. Fully implementing the plan will reap great benefits to the City of Austin and its residents. The Office of Sustainability needs additional staff to track, report on, and coordinate this work to make the vision of the plan a reality. This position would be responsible for continually updating the Austin Climate Equity Plan Dashboard to reflect progress on each sub-strategy in the plan, including opportunities for the public to engage in the various initiatives (i.e. surveys, public meetings, working groups) and lists of NGOs engaging in various aspects of implementation. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that: one (1) Climate Equity Plan Project Manager be added to the Office of Sustainability. (est. $150,000) Motioned By: Qureshi Vote: 14-0 Yes: Kaiba White, Rodrigo Leal, Anna Scott, Jon Salinas, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Christopher Campbell, Haris Qureshi, Charlotte Davis, Larry Franklin, Diana Wheeler, Melissa Rothrock, Amy Noel, Heather Houser, Alberta Phillips Off Dais: Stephanie Bazan Absent: Yure Suarez, Bertha Delgado Seconded By: Scott 2. Outreach and Engagement for Sustainability Incentives: The City of Austin has numerous sustainability incentive programs aligned with the goals of the Climate Equity Plan. However, many of these programs are underutilized, especially among low-income households. Additional community outreach by trusted organizations can increase the effectiveness of these programs. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that $320,000 be allocated to the Office of Sustainability for: a. A Community Engagement Specialist (1 FTE) to coordinate community outreach and partnership activities associated with promoting the full suite of City of Austin sustainability incentives (i.e., home weatherization and repair, water conservation, rainwater collection, landscape and green infrastructure programs), with a focus on building relationships with low-income communities, communities of color, and related organizations and service providers. (est. $120,000) b. $200,000 for grants, contracts, and stipends for community leaders and community-based organizations to do direct outreach to promote sustainability incentive programs in targeted Austin communities, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability. Motioned By: Qureshi Vote: 14-0 Yes: Kaiba White, Rodrigo Leal, Anna Scott, Jon Salinas, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Christopher Campbell, Haris Qureshi, Charlotte Davis, Larry Franklin, Diana Wheeler, Melissa Rothrock, Amy Noel, Heather Houser, Alberta Phillips Off Dais: Stephanie Bazan Absent: Yure Suarez, Bertha …
Austin Travis CountyFood Policy Board Questions Regarding Winter Weather Event on Jan17-19 2024, Austin Texas March 18th 2024 The City of Austin’s response to providing support to impacted communities in the winter weather events of January 2024 was a collaboration between Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM), the Homeless Strategy Division (HSD), the Office of Sustainability (OoS), Austin Public Health (APH), Parks and Recreation Department (PARD), the Office of Equity (OoE), and the Office of Resilience (OoR). HSD has contracted with The Austin Area Urban League (AAUL) to manage up to three shelters for People Experiencing Homelessness (PEH) during inclement weather events (cold/ heat). These shelters can house up to a hundred people per shelter for a total of 300 people per night. If conditions require more than the three shelters for PEH provided for by the contract with AAUL, HSEM will open shelters in collaboration with PARD and APH as need is identified. HSEM handles the logistics for these ‘surge’ shelters. In addition, HSEM and APH have plans to provide shelter for the ‘general public’ if needed at PARD facilities. There are also plans for providing ‘mass food and water’ to the general public if needed. There was no need for these options during the January 2024 Winter Weather event. 1) Was the Disaster Food Access and Drinking Water Appendix to the Emergency Operations Plan (approved March 2023) implemented during this time? If so, were the Daily Feeding Site Reports completed for each shelter site? If not, how does this appendix fit into these and other mass care situations? Was there an After-Action Report? If you are willing, please share the Daily Feeding Site Reports and the After- Action Report. - HSEM: The Food and Water appendix was utilized, but as the incident was limited in scope and duration, only specific components of appendix were implemented. The components included actions like activating a Situational Assessment Team for enhanced awareness, engagement with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) and Community Based Organization (CBO) to share information and resources, as well as conducting assessment of community food and water needs. • Daily Feeding Site Reports: EOC Logistics collects Daily Feeding data as part of their standard processes through WebEOC Resource Request board, which is done in coordination with Shelter Managers and NGO/CBOs. This board would connect Logistics with each site, and the sites could provide data regarding population numbers, food and water or dietary …
A Food Plan for Austin-Travis County ATCFPB March 18th 2024 Developing a Food Plan What is a Food Plan & why do we need one? ● A Food Plan will set clear Goals and Strategies to move toward a more equitable, sustainable & resilient food system ● The Food Plan build on several other initiatives made by the County, City, and Communities to tackle key food system issues. ● The Food Plan will center equity and the lived expertise of those most impacted by the current food system Plan Authorization ● 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 ● ATCFPB assisted with the creation of the ‘plan for the plan’, including the review of the RFP for the planning consultant, development and on-boarding of the CAC, and participation in the Issue Area Group Link to full resolution Project Timeline We are here 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 2023 - August 2023 March 2024 - July 2024 September 2023 - February 2024 ● ● ● ● 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 …
Austin and Travis County Food Policy Board BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Recommendation Number: 20240318-7: Recommended Support for Food Plan Implementation WHEREAS, the Austin City Council passed RESOLUTION NO. 20210610-039, which directed the City Manager to initiate a planning process for an Austin Food Plan in June 2021 to support a more resilient, equitable food system for the City of Austin; and WHEREAS, the Austin/Travis County Food Plan is currently being developed through comprehensive and collaborative community workgroups across five identified issues areas including 1.) Food Access and Consumption, 2.) Food Markets and Retail, 3.) Food Production, 4.) Post-Consumption and Food Waste, 5.) Food Processing and Distribution, as well as Community Advisory Committee, Community Food Ambassadors, planning team across both City and County offices, and public engagement; and WHEREAS, the developed Food Plan will outline strategic, measurable, ambitious, realistic, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable objectives, goals, and strategies that can be accomplished within the next five years to create a more just, accessible, and culturally diverse food system for Austin and Travis County that supports and sustains thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and solutions to climate changes where all individuals can reach their full potential; and WHEREAS, the final draft of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan will be presented to Austin City Council by summer 2024 for review and approval; and WHEREAS, it is critical to begin implementation of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan immediately following the approval of the Food Plan by the Austin City Council to satisfy the recommendations of the 5-year plan timeline; WHEREAS, concerns about the need to prevent duplication of services are complex and implementation that will avoid redundant actions requires significant coordination leadership; WHEREAS, established funding for implementation from the City is needed to support and implement the work of thousands of community members to fully realize and begin the transformative change that is outlined in the Austin/Travis County Food plan. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board strongly encourages the Austin City Council to allocate funds and explore all means to create one full-time equivalent positions within the City of Austin’s Office of Sustainability to support the implementation of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan once approved. Date of Approval: March 19th, 2024 Record of the vote: 7 – 0 – 2 Voting in Favor: Andrea Abel, Lisa Barden, Marissa Bell, Joi Chevalier, Kacey Hanson, Rosamaria Murillo, Natalie Poulos, Attest: Voting Against: none …
Austin and Travis County Food Policy Board BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Recommendation Number: 20240318-8: Recommended Support for Food Plan Implementation WHEREAS, the Austin City Council passed RESOLUTION NO. 20210610-039 in June 2021, which directed the City Manager to initiate a planning process for an Austin/Travis County Food Plan to support a more resilient, equitable food system for our community, and which directed the City Manager to engage Travis County in this effort; and WHEREAS, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved Travis County’s formal participation in and support for the Food Plan on December 13, 2022, creating the current directive to develop a comprehensive Plan that incorporates both the City of Austin and Travis County, thus expanding the scope and support for an Austin/Travis County Food Plan; and WHEREAS, the Austin/Travis County Food Plan is currently in development through a robust public engagement process including: Comprehensive and collaborative community workgroups across five identified issues areas of, 1) Food Access and Consumption, 2) Food Markets and Retail, 3) Food Production, 4) Post-Consumption and Food Waste, and 5) Food Processing and Distribution; a Community Advisory Committee; Community Food Ambassadors; and a planning team across both City and County offices; and WHEREAS, the Food Plan will outline strategic, measurable, ambitious, realistic, time-bound, inclusive, and equitable objectives, goals, and strategies, of which meaningful progress can be accomplished within a five year time period to support the Food Plan’s vision: a more just, accessible, and culturally diverse food system for Austin and Travis County that supports and sustains thriving communities, healthy ecosystems, and solutions to climate change where all individuals can reach their full potential; and WHEREAS, the final Austin/Travis County Food Plan will be presented to Austin City Council and the Travis County Commissioners Court during summer 2024 for approval; and WHEREAS, it is critical to begin implementation of the Austin/Travis County Food Plan following the approval of the Food Plan by the Austin City Council and Travis County Commissioners Court to satisfy the recommendations of the 5-year plan timeline; WHEREAS, implementation of the Food Plan will be complex, and reducing duplication of efforts will require significant coordination and leadership WHEREAS, dedicated resources from the City of Austin/Travis County are needed to support the implementation of the Food Plan, which represents the work of thousands of community members to begin achieve, and sustain transformative change for our food system. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin …
Austin and Travis County Food Policy Board BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Recommendation Number: 20240318-9: Recommended Support for the Joint Sustainability Committee’s budget recommendation on Sustainable Purchasing WHEREAS, the Joint Sustainability Committee passed a budget recommendation on Sustainable Purchasing on February 28th 2024 with the following language: Sustainable Purchasing: The City of Austin Climate Equity Plan Food & Product Consumption Goal 2 says “By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions from institutional, commercial, and government purchasing are reduced by at least 50%.” Strategy 2 to achieve that goal is “Strengthen the City’s sustainable purchasing program.” Recent analysis by the Office of Sustainability shows that over 80% of the City of Austin’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the products and services that the city purchases. It is essential that the City establish a comprehensive Sustainable Purchasing Plan that sets minimum standards for all products and services the City procures. And the City must prioritize ongoing staff support to educate all departments on sustainable purchasing and ensure that purchasing decisions comply with the Sustainable Purchasing Plan. The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that: a. $125,000 be allocated to hire a sustainable purchasing contractor and/or purchase needed software and databases to develop a Sustainable Purchasing Plan that sets minimum standards for all products, materials and services purchased by the city; and b. A full-time Sustainable Purchasing Director position should be added to the Purchasing Department. If an FTE is determined to be infeasible in this budget cycle, a temporary Sustainable Purchasing Director position should be established and funded. (est. $170,000) NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Austin Travis County Food Policy Board supports the Joint Sustainability Committee’s budget recommendation on Sustainable Purchasing with an additional recommendation to ensure consideration is taken in the implementation of this Plan for smaller businesses, and especially Black and Brown owned-businesses, to prevent unintended consequences, such as limiting participating in City business by minority-owned companies. Date of Approval: March 19th, 2024 Record of the vote: 8 – 0 – 0 Voting in Favor: Andrea Abel, Lisa Barden, Marissa Bell, Joi Chevalier, Kacey Hanson, Rosamaria Murillo, Natalie Poulos, Larry Franklin Voting Against: none Abstaining: none Attest: Not on the dais: Mark Bethell, Sari Vatske Edwin Marty, City of Austin, Office of Sustainability, Food Policy Manager/ ATCFPB Staff Liaison
