Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

ELECTRICAL BOARD REGULAR CALLED MEETING Approved MINUTES 15, APRIL 2026 The ELECTRICAL BOARD convened in a REGULAR CALLED meeting on April 15, 2026, at 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR. in Austin, Texas. Chair JOHNSON called the ELECTRICAL BOARD Meeting to order at 10:08 a.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Chairman: Johnson V. Chair Flores, Goss Delwin, Grant, Michael; Hernandez, Joseph; King, Kenny; Wallace, Rogelio Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: None PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL No Public speakers were registered APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1 The minutes from the meeting of January 21, 2026 were approved on board member Grant motion, board member Goss second on a 6-0 vote. Board member Hernandez was late and did not participate in the vote. Board members Cochren, Shope and Deschaine were absent. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Austin Energy Disconnect Program- Austin Energy’s Craig Brooks reported that the utility is continuing with plans to discontinue the Austin Energy disconnect program. According to Brooks, internal process changes at Austin Energy have made the program unnecessary, allowing it to phase out naturally as staff no longer saw value in maintaining it. However, Board Member Johnson noted that the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) oppose ending the program. 3. Discussion: Update on Austin Energy metering on the proposed changes in the Austin Energy Criteria Manual- There were no updates provided from Austin Energy at this time. AE representative Josh Contreras provided that an update will be provided at the next electrical board meeting following Austin Energy stakeholder meetings that were taking place this week. 1 4. Update on the 2026 National Electrical Code ordinance- Marty Starrett, Division Manager of Commercial Building Inspections, reported that City Council has approved moving forward with the Development Services public hearing on the National Electrical Code. The public hearing is now scheduled for Thursday, April 23, as Agenda Item 48, and will be held in the City Council Chambers. 5. Discussion and update on Commercial Plan review- James Epperson from Commercial Plan Review reported that the electrical review team now has three reviewers, down by one. Review volumes and on-time performance for the first quarters of the past three years were as follows: • 2024: 930 electrical reviews completed, with a 98% on-time rate. • 2025: 810 reviews completed, with a 96% on-time rate. • 2026: 853 reviews completed, with an 87% on-time rate. The lower on-time percentage in 2026 was primarily due to staff vacations and a spike in plan submissions during that period, but the team has since caught up. Additionally, a new Plans Examiner Manager has been hired, with a formal announcement forthcoming. 6. Discussion and update on Building and Trade Contractor Services- Maria Jaramillo reported that the Building Trade Contractor Service (BTCS) group recently hired three temporary staff members but has already lost one, leaving two temps and a total team of sixteen. The group is currently maintaining a one-day turnaround time, but increasing requests, especially for standalone trade permits, are expected to push turnaround times to two or three days. Maria also highlighted ongoing issues with electricians using unclear or overly technical jargon in standalone permit requests, causing delays while staff seek clarification before issuing permits. 7. Discussion and update on Commercial and Residential Inspections-Residential supervisor Aaron Finney provided that residential inspections are at 90% on time with 5 vacancies. Stil assisting commercial electrical inspections in the ETJ properties. Commercial Supervisor of Electrical inspection Hyatt Dunn noted that 2 vacant positions remain and does not see a re-hiring of those lost positions anytime soon. Currently maintain a 90% on time on scheduled inspections. 8. Discussion and Action on Chair and Vice Chair elections- V. Chair Flores nominates Dave Johnson as Chair, board member King, second the vote. Vote passes 6-0. Chair Johnson nominates Gabe Flores as V. Chair, board member Goss second the vote. Vote passes 6-0 FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 1. Update with Austin Energy Contractor disconnect program. 2. Update with Austin Energy metering on proposed changes in the Austin Criteria manual. 3. Discussion on Commercial Plan Review on updates with staff vacancies and review timelines. 4. Discussion on Residential and Commercial inspection updates on vacancies and inspections. 2 5. Discussion and updates on Building and Trade contractor services with staff vacancies and review timelines. ADJOURN: Board member Goss made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Board member Shope seconded the motion. Motion passed 6-0. Meeting adjourned at 10:59 am. The minutes were approved at the August 19, 2026 meeting on Grant’s motion, Goss second the motion. Motion passed on a 6-0 vote. 3