ATCFPB Approved Minutes - February 10, 2025 — original pdf

Approved Minutes

MEETING MINUTES February 10, 2025 Austin/Travis County Food Policy Board The Austin/Travis County Food Policy Board (ATCFPB) convened on Monday, February 10, at the City of Austin Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Dr, Room 1406, Austin, TX 78752. Board Members in Attendance: Andrea Abel, Lisa Barden, Marissa Bell, Mark Bethell, Joi Chevalier, Beth Corbett, Hilda Gutierrez, Kacey Hanson, Natalie Poulos, Matt Simon, Andy Smith Board Members Absent: Larry Franklin, Staff in Attendance: Edwin Marty (City of Austin), Amanda Rohlich (City of Austin), Angela Baucom (City of Austin), Yaira Robinson (Travis County) CALL TO ORDER Chair Joi Chevalier called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION None Andy Smith joined the dais at 6:03 pm APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Board Member Andrea Abel motioned to approve the meeting minutes from the Regular Meeting on January 13, 2025, with Board Member Marissa Bell, seconding the motion. Minutes passed on an 11-0 vote. STAFF BRIEFING DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Briefing on Austin-Travis County Food Plan Implementation, Edwin Marty, Food Policy Manager at City of Austin and Yaira Robinson, Assistant Director of Environmental Programs at Travis County (see back-up materials for presentation). 3. Discuss and take possible action on the recommendation to support Goal 1, Strategy 1.12 of the Austin Travis County Food Plan: Fully fund City and County park plans that include strategies to support community agriculture (such as the Vision Plan at John Trevino Jr. Metropolitan Park) and include support for staff to implement community agriculture programs in these locations and distribute food grown to surrounding communities. Board Member Andrea Abel and Board Member Lisa Barden. a. Suggestion to clarify and define what community agriculture includes possibly referencing the food plan definitions (pg. 29 mentions “community food production”) b. Kacey Hanson made a motion to submit the recommendation with some edits to include definition of community agriculture and Andy Smith seconded the motion. The recommendation passed on an 11-0 vote. 4. Discuss and take possible action on the recommendation(s) to support Goal 1 of the Austin Travis County Food Plan: Expand community food production, preserve agricultural lands, and increase the amount of farmland dedicated to regenerative food production long-term in Austin/Travis County, Board Member Andrea Abel and Matt Simon (support for farmland for new farmers), Board Member Marissa Bell (land acquisition) and Board Member Matt Simon (regenerative agriculture). a. Recommendation: Support for Access to Farmland for New Farmers (City) i. Andrea Abel made a motion to support the recommendation to City Council to support for access to farmland for new farmers with Marissa Bell seconding the motion. 1. Discussion: A concern was raised about listing out specific organizations in the whereas statements. Andrea Abel noted that listing the examples by name might be helpful to provide context. 2. Discussion: A concern was raised the whereas that mentions the previous recommendation requesting an FTE did not feel relevant to this ask. Andrea Abel explained that it was included because the recommendation needs staffing. Suggestion to edit that text for clarity. 3. Discussion: Does the FACE grant need to be introduced in the whereas text? 4. Discussion: Does the language around the FTE need clarification? 5. The board took a vote on the recommendation. The vote 0-8-3 with none in favor, 8 nays, and 3 abstentions. b. Recommendation: Support for Access to Farmland for New Farmers (County) c. Andy Smith made a motion to approve the recommendation: Support for Farmland Acquisition and Preservation in Austin, Texas 1. There was a friendly amendment to change in these recommendations to replace “should” with “could” in the second and third “be it further resolved” for points of clarity. The friendly amendment was accepted. language ii. In the first be it resolved, second sentence should be connected by “and” iii. The Joint Sustainability Committee is interested in supporting the resolution as- is. iv. The recommendation passed on an 11-0 vote. d. Recommendation: Support for Farmland Acquisition and Preservation in Travis County. Andy Smith motioned to approved the recommendation with Matt Simon seconding the motion. i. There was a friendly amendment to replace “should” with “could” in the second and third “be it further resolved” for points of clarity. ii. The recommendation was passed on an 11-0 vote. e. Recommendation: Defining and Supporting Regenerative Agriculture. Kacey Hanson moved to approve the recommendation for Defining and Supporting Regenerative Agriculture for the City with Andy Smith seconding the motion. i. Discussion: There was a question about updating the Office of Sustainability’s name to Office of Climate Action and Resilience. ii. Friendly amendment to put quotes around regenerative agriculture in third whereas and other points of clarity. iii. The recommendation passed on an 11-0 vote. f. Recommendation: Defining and Supporting Regenerative Agriculture for Travis County. Andy Smith moved to approve the recommendation for Defining and Supporting Regenerative Agriculture for the City with Matt Simon seconding. i. County Staff Liaison, Yaira Robinson, recommended that board members review the recommendation with the appropriate staff. ii. Andy Smith motioned to table the recommendation with Matt Simon seconding the motion. The motion to table was approved on an 11-0 vote. 5. Discuss and take possible action on the recommendation(s) to support Goal 4 of the Austin Travis County Food Plan: Establish and fund a resilient, inclusive, and accessible emergency food provision system that ensures all community members, regardless of cultural background or medical needs, have access to safe, nutritious, and culturally relevant food during disasters and emergencies, Board Member Joi Chevalier a. Joi Chevalier motioned to table the recommendation until meetings with HSEM. Kacey Hanson seconded. The motion to table passed on an 11-0 vote. 6. Discuss and take possible action on the recommendation(s) to support Goal 5 of the Austin Travis County Food Plan: Create more resilient and sustainable local supply chains by adopting values aligned distribution and purchasing frameworks and increasing the percentage of institutional menus sourced locally, Board Member Marissa Bell a. Marissa Bell made a motion to approve the recommendation for Support for the Development of Local Food Hubs and Strengthening Regional Food Systems with Joi Chevalier seconding the motion. b. Marissa Bell made a friendly amendment to replace the “should” with “could” in the be it further resolved. c. The recommendation was approved on 10-0-1 vote with Beth Corbett abstaining. Additionally she recused herself from the item. 7. Discuss and take possible action on the recommendation(s) to support Goal 6 of the Austin Travis County Food Plan: Expand access to nutritious and culturally relevant food in food distribution programs and food retail locations for residents of Austin/Travis County experiencing food insecurity or facing barriers to food access (proximity, mobility, income, and availability) with priority investment in areas of experiencing high rates of food insecurity, Board Member Mark Bethell a. Mark Bethell made a motion to approve the Recommendation and Marissa Bell seconded b. Discussion: The actions in the “Be it further resolved” need further clarification of who is c. Kacey Hanson and Hilda Gutierrez will meet with Mark Bethell to edit d. The recommendation did not pass on 0-8-3 with Hilda Gutierrez, Beth Corbett, and Mark the motion. doing what. Bethell abstaining. 8. Report out from the January 22nd Joint Sustainability Committee Meeting, Marissa Bell a. Marissa Bell will bring recommendation 9. Discuss Board Member appointments and reappointments 10. Review Board Member Assignments a. Board Members to let Angela Baucom know if they’d like to join a working group to give input on the food plan collaborative RFP b. Amanda Rohlich to send out information about the Travis County Comprehensive Parks Plan community engagement survey to all board members c. Staff will share updated recommendations when edited and posted with Marissa Bell for sharing with the Joint Sustainability Committee d. Board members who are lead authors on the recommendations will make edits discussed during meeting and send those to Amanda Rohlich for posting. e. Matt Simon and Andrea Abel will meet to discuss any additional FTEs that are needed beyond what was recommended in the approved recommendations.  FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Discussion and scheduling of future agenda items ADJOURNMENT Chair Joi Chevalier adjourned the meeting at 8:11 pm. Minutes were approved at the March 10, 2025 full board meeting on Board Member Kacey Hanson’s motion with Board Member Andrea Abel seconding. Minutes passed on a 10-0 vote.