20250402-006: DRAFT JSC 2026 Budget Recommendations — original pdf

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ENVIRONMENTAL COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION 20250402-006 Date: April 2, 2025 Subject: 2026 Budget Recommendations from the Joint Sustainability Committee Motion by: Haris Qureshi WHEREAS, … AND WHEREAS, … AND WHEREAS, … THEREFORE, The Environmental Commission recommends the following budget recommendations, as recommended by the Joint Sustainability Committee: Sustainable Building Budget recommendations: Second by: 1. Water Leak Detection and Repair Programs: In 2023, Austin Water loss was 8,678,000,000 gallons of water which equates to 21.68 gallons per capita per day of water loss. This waste also results in unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions from the energy needed to pump and treat the water. Austin Water’s current budget includes $2 million/year for leak detection and $6 million for repairs, but water waste would be reduced faster with an increased budget. An additional staff person would be needed to help manage the additional work. The Environmental Commission Recommends that the Austin Water water leak detection budget be increased to $3 million/year and the repair budget be increased to $7 million/year, including the addition of one full time staff position to manage the increased work. 2. Residential and Commercial Landscape Conversion Rebates for Water Conservation: During summer months, the use of water dramatically increases, mainly due to the watering of landscapes. Turf areas in particular require the most water per square foot in any landscape. While ordinances for new construction can help reduce the amount of turf areas, existing properties don’t have requirements to adapt their landscapes to conserve water. Reducing the amount of turf grass that requires a lot of water to survive will help conserve water and reduce energy use needed for pumping and treatment. Austin Water should offer more substantial and accessible rebates for landscape conversions. Currently, Austin Water offers a landscape conversion rebate of $100 per 100 square feet, up to a maximum rebate of $3000. Most conversions will be smaller areas and thus, the currently offered rebate amounts don’t incentivize many customers to implement landscape conversions. In 2023, only 19 rebate applications were submitted to Austin Water. Austin 1 of 9  Water should implement a tiered rebate structure that offers more rebate money for smaller areas of landscape conversion for residential properties and should substantially increase the maximum rebate offered. As suggested by the Get Fertilizer Wiser campaign, there should also be incentives that are more easily accessible to individuals who may not need to fully remove turf grass in order to reduce or eliminate watering. The Environmental Commission recommends increasing Austin Water’s Landscaping Conversion budget from $40,000/year to $150,000/year. 3. Establish Sustainability Revolving Fund to Reduce GHG Emissions, Starting with Rooftop Solar and Refrigerant Leakage Mitigation: Revolving funds are an effective way to pay for upgrades that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many such upgrades also reduce costs by reducing electric, gas and/or water bills. Office of Climate Action and Resilience did an analysis of the financial costs and benefits of installing solar on City of Austin General Fund Buildings that shows that a $14 million investment in solar for those buildings would pay off in just over 6 years. Solar panels are generally warrantied for 25 years and can last much longer. The additional 19 years of warranted production would be worth at least $43.3 million. Investments in refrigerant leak detection and replacement of old HVAC systems with efficient heat pumps that use low GHG refrigerants at city buildings should also be a top priority. Goal 2 of the Austin Climate Equity Plan is to “By 2030, reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerant leakage by 25%.” and an assessment of refrigerants at city facilities is currently in progress and will yield recommendations that need funding. The Environmental Commission recommends that $14 million in certificates of obligation be allocated to install solar on City of Austin buildings, starting with General Fund Buildings. These funds and the resulting savings should be put in a Sustainability Revolving Fund that is envisioned as part of the Comprehensive Climate Implementation Program. Additionally, $110,000 per year should be allocated for a new Sustainability Revolving Fund Program Manager for the Office of Climate Action and Resilience. 4. Air sealing task force and training program: According to RMI and DOE air sealing is the lowest cost path to lowering operational carbon. Air sealing is a sequencing and trade knowledge problem, not a technical or product problem, so training up our trade base is the best way to ensure higher quality, more air sealed buildings. Under this new program, Development Services would publish air sealing results of all new buildings and retrofits and Austin Energy would host training sessions for people working in the building trades on how to execute tight building envelopes. The Environmental Commission Recommends that Austin Energy be allocated $75,000 to conduct air sealing trainings. Consumption Budget Recommendations: 1. 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 2 of 9  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. This work is also foundational for achieving Climate Equity Plan goals for private sector sustainable purchasing in the Austin Community. Current staff in the Office of Climate Action and Resilience and the Purchasing Department have been making efforts to accomplish this goal while also doing their other work, but the focus has been limited to two products because the volume of work needed is beyond staff’s existing capacity. The Environmental Commission recommends that $110,000 per year be allocated to adding a full-time Sustainable Purchasing Program Manager position to the Financial Services Department or the Office of Climate Action and Resilience. 2. Pro-Climate/Pro-Health Food Implementation: The City of Austin Climate Equity Plan Food & Product Consumption Goal 1 says: “By 2030, ensure all Austinites can access a food system that is community- driven, addresses food insecurity, prioritizes regenerative agriculture, supports dietary and health agency, promotes plant-based foods, and minimizes food waste.” The Austin/Travis County Food Plan includes “Goal 8: Pro- climate, Pro-health Raise awareness of the benefits of foods that nourish our bodies and reduce the overall environmental impact of our food system while addressing barriers to access.” A key need for the plan is for community education and outreach. Partners have developed some materials but there is no budget for community outreach to share information and opportunities. The JSC recommends that $75,000 be allocated to the Office of Climate Action and Resilience for community outreach and education on benefits and opportunities to eat more pro-climate/pro-health foods. 3. Circular economy and waste diversion programs: The City of Austin Climate Equity Plan Food & Product Consumption Goal 3 says : “Aggressively pursue waste reduction, organics composting, and recycling to achieve a new zero-waste goal following adoption of the new Austin Resource Recovery Zero Waste Plan.” In 2011, Austin’s City Council adopted a Zero Waste Goal that challenges our city to divert 90% of material away from the landfill by 2040. Achieving this goal requires diverting significant amounts of waste from our landfill, but unfortunately, the diversion rate has stagnated at or below 40% for many years. Because such a large portion of greenhouse gas emissions is attributable to products and materials we use, reducing waste is essential to achieving the community net-zero goal. Also, Austin-area landfills are near capacity and building additional landfills would be unpopular and costly in today’s expensive real estate market. Many of the circular economy and waste diversion programs can also reduce costs for residents and spur local economic development. This is a challenging goal that will require a multi–pronged effort. A commensurate amount of resources is not being deployed to meet established goals. Thus, the JSC recommends that the Austin Resource Recovery (ARR) waste diversion and circular economy budget should be increased by approximately $750,000 to support the following waste reduction initiatives: a. MoveOutATX: This program helps students donate unwanted, gently used items at to organizations that can use them, rather than sending them to a landfill. The 3 of 9  current $15,000/year budget only allows for this event to take place in July in West Campus, but students live in other parts of the city, including the E. Riverside area. Increase the budget to $45,000/year to allow for more events in areas where students live. b. Fix-It and Repair Clinics: The current $7,650/year budget only allows for 3 Fix-It Clinics and 8 Repair Clinics per year, which isn’t much given how many different types of items can be repaired and the size of the city. Increase the Fix-It and Repair Clinics budget to $50,000/year to allow for more frequent events in more parts of the city. c. Zero Waste Business Incentives and Rebates: This program provides incentives to businesses to reduce waste, including switching from plastic or Styrofoam containers to reusable or compostable alternatives. The current program has a $25,000/year budget to provide a one time incentive up to $3,000, but only about $5,000/year is actually being spent because the program structure doesn’t align with costs. The incentive should be increased and expanded to be a multi-year incentive to help businesses address ongoing costs. Increase budget to $250,000/year to provide $5,000 per year to 50 businesses. d. ARR zero waste education: Multifamily properties are now required to provide both composting and recycling collection, but the education provided by the private sector is minimal compared to what ARR provides to its customers. The Direct Mail and Postage budget should be doubled from $257,000 to $514,000 and the Advertising, publication and educational outreach budget should be doubled from $163,000/year to $326,000/year (for a total increase of $419,000) to allow ARR reach the full Austin community, including in residents in multifamily homes. ARR should also consider using some of these funds for paid canvassing in neighborhoods where diversion rates are lower than average. 4. Electric Mower: The City of Austin Climate Equity Plan Food & Product Consumption Goal 2 says: “By 2030, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from institutional, commercial, and government purchasing by at least 50%.” Electric mowers have no direct exhaust emissions, eliminate oil runoff from engine leaking and the spilling of oil which harms water quality, and have lower maintenance costs than fossil-fuel riding mowers. Additionally, the use of battery electric landscaping equipment will help protect the health of city staff and the public from air and noise pollution. The city has yet to purchase an electric mower and would gain valuable information by piloting this equipment. The Environmental Commission recommends that $75,000 be allocated to the Parks and Recreation Department or the Transportation Public Works Department for the purchase of one commercial-grade battery electric riding lawn mower and the building or upgrading of the necessary charging infrastructure. 5. Farm-to-Institution Supply Chain Assessment: The Austin-Travis County Food Plan (Goal 5, Strategy 5.1) prioritizes the development and support of food hubs to strengthen regional supply chains, and the Austin Climate Equity Plan (Food and Product Consumption section, Goal 1, Strategy 1) aims to support institutions in sourcing sustainable, local food by building supply-chain infrastructure and regional food 4 of 9  networks. Schools in the Austin-Travis County region spend millions of dollars annually on food, yet most of it comes from large-scale distributors outside of Texas, missing opportunities to support local farmers. Despite institutional efforts to source more hyper- local food, barriers remain, including gaps in regional supply chain infrastructure and coordination. Hyper-local sourcing not only strengthens the regional food economy and reduces food miles but also improves food quality and freshness in school meals, enhances nutrition education by connecting students to the origins of their food, and supports better health outcomes for children through increased access to fresh, minimally processed ingredients. The Environmental Commission (JSC) recommends that $150,000 be allocated to the Office of Climate Action and Resilience (OCAR) for a market and infrastructure assessment of the farm-to-institution supply chain to identify gaps, investment opportunities, and solutions for enhancing local food procurement, strengthening food hub infrastructure, and expanding the regional farm-to-school network. As part of this work, the JSC also recommends that OCAR facilitate regular stakeholder convenings, with the City serving as a neutral convener, bringing together farmers, food service institutions, food hubs, and community organizations to strengthen the Austin farm-to-institution network. Natural Systems Budget Recommendations: 1. Public Tree Inventory: Urban forests serve as carbon sinks that promote climate mitigation efforts, but the city does not have a comprehensive tree inventory that would allow for effective urban forest planning and maintenance. Developing and maintaining a robust catalog of existing trees is a necessary first step to ensuring the city can maintain the health of the overall tree ecosystem, and also supports the increase of our overall tree canopy to the 50% goal outlined in the Climate Equity Plan. The Environmental Commission recommends that $10,000,000 be allocated to fully fund a comprehensive public tree inventory across all City-owned properties as directed by Council resolution 20240418-051. This data will enable the city’s Urban Forester to implement a comprehensive urban forest management plan including robust tree planting and replacement efforts. Methods should follow national best practices and involve collaboration with relevant partners. Data should be stored for easy access and sharing across departments. 2. Natural Land Restoration and Wildfire Prevention: Most city parkland natural areas have not been managed for ecosystem health and are thus degraded. Threatened by heat, drought, disease, and wildfire, they present safety risks to both park users and neighbors. In 2023, City Council approved the Parks and Recreation Department’s Land Management Plan, created to guide the restoration of natural areas to improve climate resilience and reduce wildfire risk. The program currently has a budget of $828,000 and four FTEs to oversee the 10,300 acres under city management. The Environmental Commission recommends fully funding this program at an estimated cost of $250 per acre per year for a total cost of $2,575,000, which will allow the program to expand efforts to address biodiversity loss, wildfire risk, and tree mortality. 3. Land Acquisition and Preservation: According to the Austin State of the Food System Report (2022), less than 0.6% of food consumed in Travis County is produced locally and 16.8 acres of farmland are lost daily to development. The Austin/Travis County Food Plan (Goal 1) prioritizes expanding community food production and preserving agricultural land, and the Austin Climate Equity Plan (Natural Systems Goal 2) aims to 5 of 9  protect 500,000 acres of regional farmland by 2030. The Environmental Commission recommends that: a. $50,000 be allocated to conduct an inventory of agricultural land for potential acquisition, as well as identify existing City-owned land that could be utilized for agricultural purposes; and b. $2,000,000 be allocated to establish a revolving loan fund dedicated to protecting farmland through conservation easements or direct land purchases, prioritizing regenerative agriculture practices. This fund could also attract philanthropic or private investment and serve as a foundation for future bond funding expansion. 4. Regenerative Agriculture: The Austin-Travis County Food Plan and the Austin Climate Equity Plan identify regenerative agriculture as a key strategy to strengthen the community food system and meet climate goals. The Resilient Farm Planning Framework provides a clear, science-based definition of regenerative agriculture by incorporating USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Practice Standards, which will help quantify the climate benefits of regenerative practices, extend their application beyond farms to public parks and green spaces, and enhance coordination among City departments. The Environmental Commission recommends that: a. $50,000 be allocated to expand the Food and Climate Equity (FACE) grant program, funding five $10,000 grants for agricultural producers to implement Resilient Farm Plans, and b. 200,000 be allocated to support a pilot project for developing and implementing a Resilient Farm Plan (also known as a “Carbon Sequestration Plan”) at a municipal park such as John Treviño Park to improve soil health, quantify and enhance carbon sequestration, and serve as a model for potential expansion across all 17,000 acres of publicly owned parkland. 5. Floodplain Reforestation: The Austin Climate Equity Plan aims for 50% citywide tree canopy coverage by 2050 and emphasizes protecting water quality and supply. To address disparities in tree coverage, ecosystem degradation and health risks from extreme heat, the City should pursue aggressive tree planting efforts in heat-vulnerable distressed eastern watersheds, where creeks are more degraded. Reforesting floodplains by planting trees along creeks improves flood control and water quality, protects ecosystems, and supports public health. Currently, Watershed Protection’s Floodplain Reforestation Program restores about 10 acres of public land per year at a cost of $143,000. Expanding these efforts is crucial, but recent local nursery closures have strained the diversity, quality and availability of native tree seedlings, posing a challenge to expansion. The Environmental Commission recommends that: a. $400,000 be allocated to expand floodplain reforestation efforts, focusing on green jobs development, likely through external partnerships with community organizations. A cross-departmental solicitation to complement existing programs should be considered. These initiatives support environmental education and promote public stewardship. b. $400,000 be allocated to support native tree sourcing. In partnership with community-based organizations, this could fund tree nursery infrastructure, including greenhouses and shade structures, electricity and water access, storage areas, and equipment for both existing and new native tree nurseries. Funding is necessary to secure a reliable supply of native trees that are adapted to survive Austin’s climate. 6 of 9  Transportation and Land-Use Budget Recommendations: 1. Transportation Electrification Recommendation Transportation Electrification Goal 2 of Austin Climate Equity Plan (ACEP) aims for 40% of vehicle miles traveled be supported by a mix of charging infrastructure by 2030. Based on ACEP Implementation Dashboard, as of 2023, Austin is behind on this goal, necessitating additional assistance to accelerate EV charging and adoption. The City of Austin will complete an assessment of city facilities to identify installation of charging stations, focusing on fleet, workplace, and public needs. The Environmental Commission recommends that $110,000 per year be allocated for a full-time Program Manager position within the Capital Delivery Services or Office of Climate Action and Resilience, to facilitate the acceleration of installing the identified charging stations to accelerate EV adoption and to identify and manage funds for the installations. Capital Improvement Program (CIP) funds should be prioritized rather than operating budgets in order to be rolled over multiple years and be tied to city- owned assets. Also, the Program Manager should prioritize charging stations benefiting low-income and marginalized communities, heavy-duty diesel vehicle electrification, and city buildings near small businesses to boost the local economy. The Environmental Commission recommends that $1,000,000 be allocated for the installation of priority charging stations identified as part of the COA assessment, to help the acceleration of EV adoption. 2. Cool Corridor Pilot Projects The lived realities of increasing extreme heat in Austin demand greater investment in mitigating heat through the development of “cool corridors.” Cool corridors are high-transit areas that provide relief from extreme heat via a suite of green infrastructure and cooling amenities, including shade structures, water fountains, drought-tolerant trees, and other vegetation and plantings. Cool corridors offer multiple benefits, including improved air and water quality, reduced heat island impacts and tree canopy disparities, increased walkability, bikeability, and transit ridership, neighborhood greening and beautification, and improved health outcomes and quality of life. Creating cool corridors serves ACEP Transportation and Land Use Goal 3, "50% of trips in Austin are made using public transit, biking, walking, carpooling, or avoided altogether by working from home" through strategies 3 (enhance transit stops and stations), 4 (prioritize bicycle networks), and 6 (improve sidewalks, urban trails, and crossings). Cool corridors also support the ACEP Natural Systems Goal 3, “Achieve at least 50% citywide tree canopy cover by 2050, focusing on increasing canopy cover equitably.” Additional funding is needed to implement cool corridor pilot projects and support ongoing care and maintenance of cool corridors and the existing urban tree canopy via community stewardship programs. These projects should align with existing plans to install bus shelters, bike paths, sidewalks, and other updated infrastructure in chosen corridors and focus on areas with disproportionate heat burdens, low tree canopy cover and that have been historically disinvested, specifically in Austin’s Eastern Crescent. The Environmental Commission recommends that $2,000,000 be allocated to support the implementation and maintenance of cool corridors in high-heat transit corridors, including via the installation of green infrastructure and shade amenities in public and private parks, community spaces, transit stops and centers, along urban trails and sidewalks, and along the right-of-way. 3. Resilience Coordinator Extreme heat, drought, flooding and poor air quality threaten the health, safety, and quality of life of Austinites, especially children, the elderly, low- income populations, communities of color, and outdoor workers. To mitigate these impacts, the City of Austin will need to coordinate across departments to implement climate resilience and green infrastructure projects throughout the city, including the conversion of impervious cover to green cover, tree planting and shade structure projects, 7 of 9  and the installation of bioswales, rain gardens, drought-tolerant vegetation, and other shade/cooling amenities and nature-based solutions along “Cool Corridors.” To enable these projects, additional staff capacity is needed to coordinate resilient and green infrastructure projects in partnership with community stakeholders and City departments. A new FTE within OCAR can support research on best management practices for climate resilience and implementation of priority actions identified by the comprehensive climate implementation program (CCIP), Austin Heat Resilience Playbook, and other climate resilience strategies in accordance with the Austin Climate Equity Plan. The Environmental Commission recommends that $90,000 per year be allocated to the Office of Climate Action and Resilience for an Environmental Program Coordinator to build organizational capacity for climate resilience projects and partnerships. Cross-Sector Budget Recommendations: 1. Execution of the Comprehensive Climate Implementation Program: The Office of Climate Action and Resilience needs additional staff to execute the Comprehensive Climate Implementation Program, directed by Council Resolution 20240718-093. Staff are needed to track progress, identify gaps, coordinate and assist other departments with projects, and lead on some projects that fall to the Office of Climate Action and Resilience (OCAR). Some current OCAR staff are temporary and this work will be ongoing. The Environmental Commission recommends $90,000 per year for a Climate Implementation Program Project Coordinator in the Office of Climate Action and Resilience. 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. A part of the challenge is awareness. The city should host a user-friendly website that consolidates information on all sustainability incentives offered by the City of Austin (i.e., home weatherization and repair, water conservation, rainwater collection, water conserving landscaping, waste reduction, transportation electrification, public transit and green infrastructure programs), as well as state and federal incentives that align with the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan and other city sustainability plans. Additional community outreach by the city and trusted organizations can increase the effectiveness of these programs. A Community Engagement Program Manager is needed in the Office of Climate Action and Resilience to coordinate community outreach and partnership activities associated with promoting sustainability incentives, with a focus on building relationships with low-income communities, communities of color, and related organizations and service providers. This employee would manage 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 Climate Action and Resilience. The Environmental Commission recommends that $270,000 per year be allocated to the Office of Climate Action and Resilience for the following: a. $110,000 per year for a Community Engagement Program Manager b. $60,000 per year for 20 climate ambassadors to do direct outreach to promote sustainability incentive programs, under the direction of the Office of Sustainability. c. $100,000 per year for grants for community-based organizations to do direct outreach to promote sustainability incentive programs, in partnership with the Office of Sustainability. 3. Austin Civilian Conservation Corps: Equitable access to green jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities is an overarching strategy of the Climate Equity Plan. Green workforce 8 of 9 programs like the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps build more equitable pathways to employment and strengthen support networks for those most impacted by climate change. Training programs also support local businesses and increase local economic benefits, including job creation and sales tax revenue. Funding should be allocated to support the continuation and expansion of the green workforce training through the Austin Civilian Conservation Corp (ACCC) program, including the following tracks: Natural Systems (protecting critical ecosystems on preserves and parkland); Environmental Education; Waste Reduction (repairing products and producing products that can be reused, repaired and/or composted); Clean Energy (solar, energy efficiency, demand response, batteries). The Environmental Commission recommends that $4 million per year be allocated to the Austin Civilian Conservation Corp for FY 26 to allow for full payment of existing contracts with external partners, resumption of paused tracks and expansion to new tracks. Vote: For: Against: Abstain: Absent: Attest: 9 of 9