JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE HYBRID MEETING FORMAT April 23, 2025 at 6 pm City Hall – Council Chambers 301 W 2nd St, Austin TX 78701 Some members of the Committee 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, email or call Rohan Lilauwala at (Rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394). Alternate Randall Chapman Member Kaiba White (Chair) Charlotte Davis (Vice-Chair) Genell Gary Diana Wheeler Haris Qureshi Melissa Rothrock Vacant Vacant Richard Brimer Craig Nazor Miriam Garcia Rosamaria Murillo Luis Osta Lugo Vacant Shelby Orme Ben Luckens Alberta Phillips Vacant Vacant CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS: Home Commission Electric Utility Commission Resource Management Commission Urban Transportation Commission Environmental Commission Zero Waste Advisory Commission Community Development Commission Austin Travis County Food Policy Board Marissa Bell Economic Prosperity Commission Water & Wastewater Commission Parks & Recreation Board Design Commission Planning Commission Austin/Travis County Public Health Commission City Council Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Mayor’s Representative Amy Noel Chris Maxwell-Gaines Lane Becker Vacant Vacant Natalie Poindexter Vacant Rodrigo Leal Anna Scott Yure Suarez Christopher Campbell Heather Houser For more information, please visit: www.austintexas.gov/jsc 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 1. Approval of minutes from the March 26th, 2025 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee DISCUSSION 2. 2026 Bond Development Process – Eric Bailey and Marcus Hammer, Capital Delivery Services Department; Braden Latham-Jones, Office of Climate Action and Resilience 3. I-35 Cap and Stitch Updates – Michelle Marx, Transportation and Public Works Department 4. Update from the Electric Utility Commission on the Solar for All Program – Kaiba White, Electric Utility Commission DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. Recommendations for Climate and Sustainability in the 2026 Bond 6. Recommendation on the I-35 Cap and Stitch 7. JSC officer elections for the 2025-2026 term FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications …
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING MEETING MINUTES March 26, 2025 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a hybrid meeting via videoconferencing and at Austin Energy Headquarters. Board Members in Attendance in Person: Anna Scott, Haris Qureshi, Kaiba White, Charlotte Davis Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Heather Houser, Christopher Campbell, Marissa Bell, Lane Becker, Rodrigo Leal, Melissa Rothrock, Yure Suarez Board Members Absent: Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Amy Noel, Chris Crookham, Alberta Phillips, Diana Wheeler City Staff in Attendance: Rohan Lilauwala, Braden Latham-Jones, Michelle Marx CALL TO ORDER Chair Kaiba White called the meeting to order at 6:29 pm. Public Communication • Adam Greenfield on item 2, in favor of the Austin Core Transportation Plan. Suggestion to convert all remaining one-way streets to two-way streets. Also in support of protected bike lanes, bus lanes, trees. • Scott Johnson speaks in favor of low-carbon concrete and residential landscape incentive program. • Zenobia Joseph speaking in opposition to light rail plans on civil rights grounds. 1. Approval of minutes from the February 26th, 2025 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee. • Qureshi motion, Scott second, passes on a 10-0 vote (Suarez off dais). DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Austin Core Transportation Plan Update – Michelle Marx, Transportation and Public Works Department. • Qureshi – does this change transit routing? Marx – CapMetro has provided info on routing that has been incorporated into the plan. • White – should JSC consider recommendation to maximize one-way to two-way conversions. Marx – not a panacea for improving safety. With tight intersection spacing in East Downtown, allows for signal coordination to reduce speeds. Context dependent – would work in places with wide streets, widely spaced intersections. 3. CapMetro Sustainability Updates – David Carr, CapMetro • Qureshi – can you comment on lack of electric buses on new rapid routes? Carr – Proterra bankruptcy has affected commissioning of new buses. New Flyer buses in service now. Charging infrastructure still being installed – especially in-route charging. • White – why is CapMetro backing away from electric bus purchases? Carr – very expensive. MetroRapid costs being covered by grants and other sources. Range performance capabilities aren’t there yet. • Carr – issues with a lack of parts and service from Proterra. New company has taken over – CapMetro pause until they catch up with servicing and parts. Nationwide issue. • Rothrock - can charging infrastructure be shared? Carr – theoretically, yes. New buses use …
Capital Delivery Services Public Improvement Bond Program Integrated Bond Program Development and Delivery Plan Joint Sustainability Committee Update Eric Bailey Deputy Director Capital Delivery Services “Effectively and Efficiently Deliver Quality Projects with the Concept of Speed” 1 AGENDA • CDS Overview • What is a General Obligation Bond Program? • Improved Bond Development Process • Staff Work Completed to Date • Guiding Principles, Technical Criteria, & Scoring Matrices • Progress to Date & Upcoming Milestones “Effectively and Efficiently Deliver Quality Projects with the Concept of Speed” 2 Created in 2023 with the goal of reducing project delivery time Who we are • Engineers • Architects • Project managers • Community Engagement Our partners • Consultants • Contracting teams • City asset owners • Community members • Mayor & Council Role in 2026 Bond Program One City – One Team – One Approach to effectively and efficiently deliver quality public projects. • Convene asset owner departments to develop needs assessment • Guide the process to ensure projects are vetted and scopes/schedules/budgets are accurate and realistic • Coordinate projects across departments to achieve mutual benefits What is a General Obligation Bond Program? Typical Bond Projects: • Flood and Erosion Control Improvements • New or Replacement City Facilities • Rehabilitation of Existing Facilities • Housing Infrastructure/Housing Projects • Street and Thoroughfare Improvements o Sidewalks o Traffic Signals • Park and Recreation Facilities • Public Safety Facilities (Fire/EMS/Police) • Land Purchase 4 What is a General Obligation Bond Program? Types of work NOT included: • Routine operations and maintenance activities o Potholes o Minor street repair o Landscaping maintenance o General building maintenance Improvements for short term leased space • • Code enforcement initiatives • Employee salaries (including police & fire) • AE/AW Capital Projects typically funded by using debt are funded via AE and AW revenue bonds, not General Obligation debt and thus are not for the 2026 GO Bond Program City of Austin | Capital Delivery Services Department | One City, One Team, One Approach to Capital Delivery 5 Improved Bond Delivery Process for 2026 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Council calls for Bond Election (Aug) Bond Election (Nov) BEATF Meetings, Council, and Public Engagement HOW WE’VE DONE BONDS IN THE PAST: Project Proposals RFP’s/RFQ’s Project Planning to develop scope, schedule, budget Design Construction WHAT WE’RE DOING NOW: Needs Assessment and Project Evaluation Project Planning to develop scope, …
2026 Bond Development Update Joint Sustainability Committee - 4.23.25 Resolution 20240718-093 Resolution 20240718-093 was approved in July 2024. Staff was directed to bring two items to Council. 1. A comprehensive bond package that funds and addresses climate, infrastructure, and any other public improvements for the purpose of conducting an election no later than November 2026, and 2. A comprehensive climate implementation program of which one component is a climate bond proposition contained in the comprehensive bond package. Funding for this implementation program shall not be limited to general obligation bonds but should include grants, fees, utilities, general fund, cost sharing, etc. 2 OCAR’s Role ● Lead ● Advise ● Coordinate 3 How OCAR is supporting the bond process ● Lead: Developed a list of GO bond eligible projects that support climate action ○ Environmental Investment Plan ○ Comprehensive Climate Implementation Program ● Advise: Subject Matter Expert (SME)- Supporting Asset Owner Departments ○ Answering Questions ○ Developing Criteria ○ Advising Departments ● Coordinate: Participating in cross-departmental bond development working group. 4 Definitions Sustainability: Actions that avoid, reduce, or capture greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Resilience: Actions that increase our ability to prepare for, withstand, and recover from shocks and stressors related to climate change. Climate Equity & Resilience Framework Climate Equity Plan — Mitigation Resilience & Climate Adaptation Actions that avoid, reduce, or capture greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Actions that increase our ability to prepare for and recover from shocks and stressors related to a changing climate. Sustainable Buildings, Energy Generation, and Water Demand Transportation Electrification Natural Systems Regional Collaboration & Green Jobs Climate and Environmental Data, Research, & Modeling Long Range Planning Recovery & Economic Resilience Materials, Purchasing, Food and Product Consumption Mass Transit, Planning, Land Use, and Housing Social Infrastructure and Community Preparedness Green Infrastructure (creeks, rivers, trees, landscape) Utility Infrastructure (water, power, drainage) Equity and Affordability Strategies for consideration 1. Projects funded by a bond (that meet all the criteria for voter approved bonds) which directly address climate change (reducing GHG emissions or adapting to a changing climate). Example: Land purchase to protect water quality, ecosystem protection, and carbon sequestration. 2. Integration of principles, policies, and approaches to reduce GHG emissions and increase resilience to a changing climate into Departmental Bond Proposals. Example: New library is built, achieves LEED Platinum certification, has solar + batteries to serve the community in times of need. …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation Number 20250423-006: I-35 Cap-and-Stitch WHEREAS, the Joint Sustainability Committee and the Office of Climate Action and Resilience have identified billions of dollars of needed investments to meet the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan; and WHEREAS, there is not currently sufficient funding from taxes, financing, grants or other sources to meet all needed local climate investment needs; and WHEREAS, climate investments will already be competing with all other community needs (such as pools, senior centers, and libraries) when bonds are put forward to voters in 2026; and WHEREAS, capping and stitching segments of I-35 won’t advance the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan because this strategy won’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and WHEREAS, capping and stitching segments of I-35 won’t reduce local air pollution at the regional or neighborhood level;1 and WHEREAS, capping and stitching segments of I-35 will require a tremendous amount of concrete and steel, both of which contain embedded greenhouse gas emissions from their production, resulting in increase in Austin greenhouse gas footprint; and WHEREAS, the large fans that will be installed to run when traffic is stopped under the caps (which is likely to be often), will require energy to run and will increase the city’s greenhouse gas footprint; and WHEREAS, the ongoing cost of maintaining the caps will be a perpetual drain on already-tight city finances, forcing more trade-offs that will likely reduce funding availability for climate projects; and 1 Neighborhood level air pollution could be improved if longer sections of the highway were capped and the air from inside the tunnel was captured and vented high into the air, but this would still contribute to the region’s air pollution. WHEREAS, air pollution is well-known to be elevated beyond healthy levels within 500-1,000 feet of major roadways, especially busy highways like I-35; and WHEREAS, the “park” resulting from capping the segment of I-35 between Cesar Chavez St and 4th St would be adjacent to 8 lanes of traffic on one side and 20 lanes on either end, making this a high-risk area for children, the elderly and anyone with respiratory or cardiac conditions; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin owns or can purchase better quality and better situated land at a more affordable price that will better suit the needs of the community, compared to capping and stitching segments of I-35; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20250423-005: Climate and Sustainability in the 2026 Bond Date: April 23, 2025 Subject: Recommendations for Climate and Sustainability in the 2026 Bond Motioned By: Kaiba White Seconded By: Charlotte Davis Recommendation The Joint Sustainability Committee recommends that the city contract with a qualified third party to conduct comprehensive climate impact analyses for each bond project under consideration. The consultant should also be tasked with recommending mitigation measures for any negative emissions or other impacts. The Joint Sustainability Committee also recommends that greenhouse gas mitigation and meeting the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan weigh heavily in the scoring criteria for project selection for all bond projects. The Joint Sustainability Committee also recommends that community impacts (including environmental, financial, and health) of all projects be evaluated. Impacts on underserved communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental injustice should be carefully considered. The process outlined in the Equity Assessment Tool of the Austin Climate Equity Plan should be utilized. The results should be communicated to the community using a variety of methods that are accessible to residents of all demographics. Vote: 13-0 For: Kaiba White, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Jon Salinas, Melissa Rothrock, Isabella Changsut, Charlotte Davis, Diana Wheeler, Shelby Orme, Marissa Bell, Alberta Phillips, Anna Scott, Heather Houser, Rodrigo Leal Against: Abstain: Absent: Amy Noel, Chris Crookham, Christopher Campbell, Yure Suarez O(cid:431) Dais: Attest: Rohan Lilauwala, Sta(cid:431) Liaison
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20250423-006: I-35 Cap-and-Stitch Date: April 23, 2025 Subject: Recommendations for I-35 Cap-and-Stitch Motioned By: Charlotte Davis Seconded By: Isabella Changsut WHEREAS, the Joint Sustainability Committee and the Office of Climate Action and Resilience have identified billions of dollars of needed investments to meet the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan; and WHEREAS, there is not currently sufficient funding from taxes, financing, grants or other sources to meet all needed local climate investment needs; and WHEREAS, climate investments will already be competing with all other community needs (such as pools, senior centers, and libraries) when bonds are put forward to voters in 2026; and WHEREAS, capping and stitching segments of I-35 won’t advance the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan because this strategy won’t reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and WHEREAS, capping and stitching segments of I-35 won’t reduce local air pollution at the regional or neighborhood level;1 and WHEREAS, capping and stitching segments of I-35 will require a tremendous amount of concrete and steel, both of which contain embedded greenhouse gas emissions from their production, resulting in increase in Austin greenhouse gas footprint; and 1 Neighborhood level air pollution could be improved if longer sections of the highway were capped and the air from inside the tunnel was captured and vented high into the air, but this would still contribute to the region’s air pollution. WHEREAS, the large fans that will be installed to run when traffic is stopped under the caps (which is likely to be often), will require energy to run and will increase the city’s greenhouse gas footprint; and WHEREAS, the ongoing cost of maintaining the caps will be a perpetual drain on already-tight city finances, forcing more trade-offs that will likely reduce funding availability for climate projects; and WHEREAS, air pollution is well-known to be elevated beyond healthy levels within 500-1,000 feet of major roadways, especially busy highways like I-35; and WHEREAS, the “park” resulting from capping the segment of I-35 between Cesar Chavez St and 4th St would be adjacent to 8 lanes of traffic on one side and 20 lanes on either end, making this a high- risk area for children, the elderly and anyone with respiratory or cardiac conditions; and WHEREAS, the default I-35 design by TXDOT includes expanded and enhanced connectivity between east Austin and downtown to enable bike and pedestrian access; and WHEREAS, the …
POTENTIAL CAP AND STITCH LOCATIONS POTENTIAL CAP AND STITCH LOCATIONS PHASING COMPONENTS COA-Funded Roadway Elements COA-Funded Deck Structures COA-Funded Amenities COST ESTIMATES BY CAP 1 (cid:1007) TIMELINE 2 3 1Cost estimates will change as project engineering progresses. 2 Phase 2 cap decks added via change order or separate contract after TxDOT letting may increase deck costs by 35% to 100% or more. 3 The difference between this estimate ($131M) and available grant funds must also be committed by May 2025. Cap + Stitch One Pager, Updated April 23, 2025 FUNDING SCENARIOS ** ** ** ** ** * Design fees are approximate pending verification from TxDOT ** Accounts for $41M SIB Loan and $105M NAE Grant 2 Cap + Stitch One Pager, Updated April 23, 2025
