Environmental Commission Regular Meeting of the Environmental Commission - Remote meeting to be held with social distancing modifications. See agenda for details.
Regular Meeting of the Environmental Commission June 17, 2020 at 3:00 P.M. Environmental Commission to be held June 17, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (day before the scheduled meeting, June 16, 2020 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the June 17, 2020 Environmental Commission Meeting, residents must: •Call or email the commission liaison at: Kaela Champlin (512) 974-3443 or Kaela.Champlin@austintexas.gov, no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The information required is the speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, and a telephone number or email address. •Once a request to speak has been called in or emailed to the board liaison, residents will receive either an email or phone call providing the telephone number to call on the day of the scheduled meeting. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start in order to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Kaela.Champlin@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •Residents may watch the meeting here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live 1 1. 2. 3. Regular Meeting of the Environmental Commission June 17, 2020 3:00 P.M. To 4:30 P.M. VIA VIDEOCONFERENCING http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live COMMISSIONERS: Andrew Creel (D-1) Curtis Smith (D-2) Pam Thompson (D-3) Ryan Nill (D-4) Mary Ann Neely (D-5) Katie Coyne (D-6) Peggy Maceo (D-7) Linda Guerrero (D-9) Chair _________________________________________________________________________________ (Mayor) Vice Chair Wendy Gordon (D-10) Perry Bedford Kevin Ramberg (D-8) Secretary CALL TO ORDER Agenda APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND ACTION a. Approval of the June 3, 2020 Environmental Commission Meeting Minutes (5 minutes) ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION a. Consider Watershed Protection Department’s FY 21 Operating Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program Plan—Anupa Gharpurey, Financial Manager III, Erin Wood, Principle Planner, and Kelly Gagnon, Environmental Program Coordinator, Watershed Protection Department (1 hour) COMMITTEE REPORTS a. Urban Growth Policy and Water Quality Protection Committee – Pam Thompson, Kevin Ramberg, Mary Ann Neely, Curtis Smith, and Perry Bedford b. Urban Forestry Committee – Peggy Maceo, Pam Thompson, Linda Guerrero, and …
Watershed Protection Department FY21 Budget 1 FY21 Operating Budget Significant Items • No rate increase in FY21 and FY22 • 15 new FTEs to support the operations • Capital investment of $35M per year for 5 years • Increased investment in Homeless Encampment Cleanup services • Increased investment in equity training for department staff • No reduction in programmatic services 2 FY21 Staffing Details Activity Data Management Local Flood Floodplain Office Downtown Operations Pond Maintenance Pond Maintenance Stream Restoration Human Resources Finance PIO Administration Water Quality Total Position Type Sr. GIS Analyst CAD engineer Supervising Engineer Supervisor Supervisor Crew CAD Analyst Performance Consultant Procurement Specialist Community Engagement Consultant Business Process Consultant Env. Scientists - Development Review # of Positions 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 15 3 Stream Restoration & Watershed Education Env. Information Specialist Five-Year Revenue Projection 115 110 105 100 95 90 85 FY20 Budget FY20 Est FY21 Prop. FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 DUF Revenue Other Revenue In $ Millions DUF Revenue Other Revnue Total Revenue Median Rate FY20 Bgt 95.7 4.6 100.3 $11.80 FY20 Est 96.5 3.9 100.4 $11.80 FY21 97.1 4.1 101.2 $11.80 FY22 97.4 4.1 101.5 $11.80 FY23 104.6 4.1 108.7 $12.62 FY24 107.9 4.1 112.0 $12.98 FY25 108.4 4.1 112.5 $13.00 4 FY21 Fund Summary FY19 Actual FY20 Budget FY20 FY21 Estimated Proposed Beginning Balance Revenue Expenditures Excess/(Deficit) Ending Balance FTEs Budget $ 18.8 100.5 98.0 2.5 21.3 347 $ 15.2 100.3 103.8 (3.5) 11.7 362 $ 21.3 100.4 101.7 (1.3) 20.0 362 $20.0 101.2 107.1 (5.9) 14.1 377 5 FY21 Operating Budget by Category $107.1M Other Transfers 16% Personnel 36% Transfer to CIP 33% Other Program Exp. 15% 6 FY21 Operating Budget by Programs $55M Capital program Stream Restoration 2% 2% Flood Risk Reduction 12% Watershed Policy 4% Support Services 17% Data Mgmt 5% Water Quality Protection 13% Infrastructure & Waterway Maint. 45% 7 Capital Improvement Program Stream Restoration Project on Tannehill Branch 8 Five-Year CIP Plan: Overview • Outlines WPD’s projected major capital improvements during the next five years based on existing funds and anticipated revenues (e.g., DUF, bonds, development fees, TIF) ➢ $337 million of total project funding for FY21-25 • Projects are identified using Watershed Master Plan problem scoring and prioritization • Appropriations for the upcoming fiscal year are adopted in the annual budget • Allows the department to plan ahead for funding …
1 ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MOTION 20200617 002a Date: June 17, 2020 Program Program Subject: Watershed Protection Department FY21 Operating Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Seconded by: Mary Ann Neely Motion by: Kevin Ramberg RATIONALE: WHEREAS, the Environmental Commission is charged with the review and recommendation of the Watershed Protection Department’s (WPD) annual operating budget and five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Plan; and WHEREAS, the proposed budget includes no rate increase for FY21 and does not anticipate a rate increase for FY 22; and WHEREAS, the proposed FY21 operating budget is estimated to be $107.1M; and WHEREAS, the FY21-FY25 Capital Improvement Program outlines WPD’s projected major improvements during the next five years based on existing funds and anticipated revenues; and WHEREAS, the FY21-FY25 Capital Improvement Program is estimated to total approximately $337 MM; and WHEREAS, the Watershed Protection Department has provided a power point presentation detailing the totals and breakdown of the FY21 operating budget and FY21-25 CIP which is included in the backup for this agenda item; and WHEREAS, the WPD has made significant strides to address their primary objectives and have critical goals and initiatives for future improvements. THEREFORE, the Environmental Commission recommends approval of the Watershed Protection Department’s FY 2021 Operating Budget and Five-Year CIP program with the following Environmental Commission conditions: For future annual budgets, the Environmental Commission is provided detailed budget documentation including tracking anticipated future rate increases in FY23 or FY24 and current and future projects broken out by district prior to the request for Environmental Commission action on the budget. VOTE 7-0 For: Creel, Thompson, Nill, Ramberg, Guerrero, Neely, Gordon Against: None Abstain: Bedford, Smith Recuse: None Absent: Coyne, Maceo Approved By: Linda Guerrero, Environmental Commission Chair 2
2. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, June 17, 2020 The Environmental Commission convened in a public meeting on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 with Social Distancing Modifications via remote video conferencing. Commissioners in Attendance: Andrew Creel Ryan Nill Curtis Smith Pam Thompson Mary Ann Neely Kevin Ramberg Linda Guerrero Wendy Gordon Perry Bedford Commissioners Absent: Katie Coyne Peggy Maceo Staff in Attendance: Kaela Champlin Kelly Gagnon Anupa Gharpurey Chris Herrington Erin Wood CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Guerrero called the meeting to order at 3:04 P.M. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES AND ACTION a. Approval of the June 3, 2020 Environmental Commission Meeting Minutes (5 minutes) The minutes of the June 3, 2020 Environmental Commission regular meeting were approved on Commissioner Ramberg’s motion, Commissioner Thompson’s second on a 7-0 vote. Commissioners Creel and Neely were off the dais. Commissioners Coyne and Maceo were absent. ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION a. Consider Watershed Protection Department’s FY 21 Operating Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program Plan—Anupa Gharpurey, Financial Manager III, Erin Wood, Principle Planner, and Kelly Gagnon, Environmental Program Coordinator, Watershed Protection Department (1 hour) 1 3. A motion to approve the Watershed Protection Department’s FY 21 Operating Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program Plan with conditions was approved on Commissioner Ramberg’s motion, Commissioner Neely’s second on a 7-0 vote. Commissioners Smith and Bedford abstained. Commissioners Coyne and Maceo were absent. COMMITTEE REPORTS a. Urban Growth Policy and Water Quality Protection Committee – Pam Thompson, Kevin Ramberg, Mary Ann Neely, Curtis Smith, and Perry Bedford b. Urban Forestry Committee – Peggy Maceo, Pam Thompson, Linda Guerrero, and Mary Ann Neely c. Report on the Joint Sustainability Committee – Katie Coyne d. Report on the Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee – Mary Ann Neely e. Report on the Joint Committee of the Environmental Commission and Parks and Recreation Board – Mary Ann Neely, Peggy Maceo, Linda Guerrero, and Pam Thompson f. Report on the South Central Waterfront Advisory Board – Linda Guerrero ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Guerrero adjourned the meeting at 3:50 P.M. 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 before the meeting date. For additional information, please call Kaela Champlin, Watershed Protection Department, …
