REGULAR MEETING OF THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25TH, 2026, AT 6 PM CITY HALL, COUNCIL CHAMBERS 301 W 2ND ST AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701 Some members of the Joint Sustainability Committee may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live 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 remotely, contact Rohan Lilauwala telephone. To (rohan.lilauwala@austintexas.gov or 512-974-9394). to speak register CURRENT JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE 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 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 Alternate Al Braden Member Kaiba White (Chair) Charlotte Davis (Vice-Chair) GeNell Gary Varun Prasad Haris Qureshi Iris Suddaby Vacant Andrew Smith Aaron Gonzales Chris Maxwell-Gaines Lane Becker Jon Salinas Josh Hiller Chris Crookham Justin Jacobson Vacant Vacant Vacant Marissa Bell Zain Pleuthner Amanda Marzullo Shelby Orme Evgenia Murkes Peter Breton Vacant Vacant Rodrigo Leal Anna Scott Mridula Madipakkam Christopher Campbell Diana Wheeler Vacant N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 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. Approve the minutes of the Joint Sustainability Committee Regular Meeting on February 25th, 2026. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. 3. Staff briefing on the City of Austin Action Plan to Transition to Low-Embodied Carbon Concrete in Pursuit of a Carbon Neutral Austin. Presentation by Amica Bose, P.E., Assistant Director, Civil Engineering Services, Austin Transportation and Public Works Staff briefing on Solar on City Facilities. Presentation by Rohan Lilauwala, Austin Climate Action and Resilience. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 4. Approve a recommendation related to climate and sustainability in the FY26 City of Austin Budget. DISCUSSION ITEMS 5. Discussion of San Antonio’s Free Bus Pilot Program and its applicability in Austin. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is …
JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING SPECIAL CALLED MEETING MINUTES Nov 19, 2025 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a hybrid meeting via videoconferencing and at Austin Energy HQ. Board Members in Attendance in Person: Kaiba White, Anna Scott, Iris Suddaby, Mridula Madipakkam, Charlotte Davis Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Josh Hiller, Lane Becker, Aaron Gonzales, Varun Prasad, Lane Becker, Rodrigo Leal, Chris Crookham Board Members Absent: Chris Campbell, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Jon Salinas City Staff in Attendance: Rohan Lilauwala, Phillip Duran CALL TO ORDER Chair Kaiba White called the meeting to order at 6:10 pm. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Joint Sustainability Committee Regular Meeting on November 19, 2025. a. Scott motion, Suddaby second, passes on a 11-0 vote with Crookham off the dais. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing on Carbon Offsets. Presentation by Phillip Duran, Austin Climate Action and Resilience. a. White: how much do we spend annually? i. Duran: don’t have exact numbers, but estimating $50-60k annual, will follow up later. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 3. Approve the creation of working groups for FY27 City of Austin Budget, funding, and priority policy recommendations. a. How can we be more effective? i. JSC has spent a lot of time working on budget recommendations in the past with mixed success ii. Thematic/refined recommendations, immediate impact, small dollar wins, fewer items, most effective GHG reduction strategies, identify funding sources iii. We have the staff response to past recommendations iv. Motion to create a budget working group (members: Scott (chair) Becker, Leal, Gonzales, Davis, White, Suddaby, Madipakkam) 1. Motioned by White, Davis second, passes 12-0 4. Approve a recommendation related to climate and sustainability in the FY26 City of Austin Budget. a. Conversation had as part of Item #3 5. Approve a recommendation related to climate and sustainability in the 2026 bond. a. Not a lot of carbon-negative items in the bond b. Uncertainty around scale/scope c. Interest in ARR charging, sidewalks/bike lanes, battery storage d. Should highlight cost-effective measures e. Overarching recommendations 6. Approve a recommendation related to Leak Detection and Repair in the Texas Gas Service Franchise Agreement. a. Davis motion, Gonzales second, passes 11-0 with Scott recusing. b. Davis motion, Suddaby second to amend: i. #3 should say ‘Austin Metropolitan area’ instead of city ii. Additional bullet under #3 – the number of leaks repaired and analysis of (DOUBLE CHECK RECORDING) iii. #4 …
City of Austin Plan to Transition to Low – Embodied Carbon Concrete In Pursuit of a Carbon Neutral Austin Transportation and Public Works Amica Bose, P.E., Assistant Director, Office of the City Engineer March 25, 2026 City of Austin Path to Sustainability: Low Carbon Concrete Why This Initiative Matters ▪ Traditional cement and concrete have a significant impact on the sustainability of our built environment and infrastructure. ▪ Austin has a near-term opportunity to reduce emissions; have direct impact on infrastructure and capital projects ▪ Scalable across city operations and private development ▪ A resolution from the Austin City Council enables the City to begin advancing lower- carbon concrete practices. ▪ Low Carbon Concrete is one of the multiple focus areas within the Climate Resilience Framework 2 City Council Resolution Resolution 20230420-024 passed on April 20, 2023 City of Austin Low-Embodied Carbon Concrete Initiative ▪ Develop a plan to progress toward Low-Embodied Carbon Concrete 1) Provide Concrete Tracking that a) Identifies how much concrete is used and its impact b) Require the use of EPDs to influence and encourage more sustainable concrete production c) Strategy to review, pilot, and approve alternative, more sustainable concrete mix designs 2) Establish specifications and designs that allow for meeting the need for lower-embodied carbon concrete. 3) Provide annual report to City Council on progress toward the overall goal of more sustainable concrete. 3 Roadmap for Implementing Low-Carbon Concrete Measure • Measure Carbon Footprint – Establish a protocol to calculate and track the City of Austin carbon footprint annually. (Task 1a) Increase • Increase Material Transparency – Implement Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). (Task 1b) Enable • Enable Low-Carbon Mix Designs – Develop processes allowing sustainable and innovative concrete materials and admixtures. (Task 1c) Update • Update Specifications & Contracts – Revise concrete specifications and procurement documents to encourage lower-carbon mixes. (Task 2) Report • Report Progress Annually – Provide updates to the Austin City Council. (Task 3) 4 Concrete and Cement Volume Tracking • Started collecting quarterly data since FY23 from concrete producers and internal city departments • CO₂ footprint includes city of Austin and surrounding areas • FY 23: 499,641 CY concrete (Approx.175M lbs CO₂) • FY 24: 516,319 CY concrete (Approx. 174M lbs CO₂ ) • FY 25: 462,790 CY concrete (Approx. 166M lbs CO2) ) Y C ( s d n a s u o h T 540 520 500 480 460 …
Solar on City Facilities Joint Sustainability Committee – March 25, 2026 Part of the CCIP, Support by JSC CCIP: • • Install 8MW of rooftop solar on City facilities $22 million cost, $28 saved per ton of GHGs reduced Support from JSC • Recommendation 20250625-004: Resolution on Revolving Fund for Solar and Efficiency Investments at City Properties • Recommendation 20251119-008: Funding for Solar and Energy Efficiency Investments at City Facilities 2 Collaborative Team Effort Resolution No. 20250522-052: Analyze City-owned property and property for solar generation potential, make recommendations for priority projects, and return to Council with the recommendations and analysis needed to implement development. Austin Climate Action and Resilience Austin Facilities Management Austin Energy Finance and Procurement Rocky Mountain Institute 3 Assess Procure Decide and Build Inventoried and assessed 250+ facilities, narrow to ~110 Engaged with building owning departments upfront to build support and understanding Issue multi-site RFP to achieve economies of scale Evaluate proposals and ownership models: • City Owned • Solar Standard Offer Select winning proposal(s) Build Solar ASAP to leverage tax credits Build O&M into the contract for long-term performance Approach 4 Procurement Process Dec Jan Feb Mar Two phase flexible RFP released, 110 sites Phase 1 closes, 16 submissions, eval committee advances 8 firms on qualifications Phase 2 closes, lots of evaluation, Best and Final Offer phase begins Best and Final evaluation, selected vendor recomended, target April council approval 5 Next Steps • • • Council approval Contract negotiation and execution Commence construction by July 4, 2026 to ‘safe harbor’ the entire portfolio for the Solar Investment Tax Credits 6 Thank you. Rohan Lilauwala AustinTexas.gov/climate Rohan.Lilauwala@AustinTexas.gov
Joint Sustainability Committee RECOMMENDATION 20260228-XXX Subject: FY 2027Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations WHEREAS a changing climate presents both a costly disruption and an urgent threat to Austinites way of life; and WHEREAS in 2021, Council approved the Austin Climate Equity Plan that provided 74 strategies to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions equitably by 2040; and WHEREAS Austin FY2027 faces an estimated budget shortfall of $54 M; and WHEREAS Austin is considering the FY2026 budget; AND WHEREAS Council Resolution 20250522-052 directs the City Manager to calculate any energy cost savings or revenue generated annually, realized by solar generation installed on City facilities for departmental use and utilize an equivalent amount of funding for projects that have a beneficial environmental impact, beginning with those identified in the Climate Implementation Plan; and WHEREAS analysis performed by ACAR and presented to the Bond Election Advisory Task Force - Transportation & Electrification Working Group on 10/15/25 in consideration of the CCIP demonstrated that spending on fleet vehicle electrification nets a savings of -41$ per ton of carbon dioxide avoided; and WHEREAS that same analysis demonstrated that rooftop solar nets a savings of -28$ per ton of carbon dioxide avoided, The JSC recommends the following for the upcoming FY2027 budget: 1. No Cuts to ACAR: Recommend that no positions within Austin Climate Action and Resilience be eliminated, reclassified or moved to other departments. Many departments ask ACAR for assistance in developing programs and policies needed to implement the Austin Climate Equity Plan. The department’s workload is only increasing and there already isn't capacity to do all the needed work. 2. No cuts to fire, flood, and zero waste programs: the Joint Sustainability Commission recommends the following programs maintain their budget for FY2026: a. Natural Land Restoration and Wildfire Prevention ($828,115 & 4 FTEs) b. Fire – Urban Forest Replenishment Fund ($1,000,000) c. Floodplain Reforestation Program ($143,000- $550,000) d. MoveOutATX ($15,000/year) e. Fix-It and Repair Clinics ($7,650/year) 3. Climate Revolving Fund Implementation: Recommend that Council ensure that the Climate Revolving Fund established by Resolution 20250813-022 in August 2025 is formally in place and that all appropriate savings are directed to it and that ACAR staff have authority to direct their use for appropriate projects. This fund is supposed to enable investments in city buildings that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many such investments will lead to more financial savings for the City. 4. Local Solar Energy: Recommend …
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Joint Sustainability Committee Recommendation 20260325-004: Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations Date: March 25, 2026 Subject: FY 2027Joint Sustainability Committee Budget Recommendations WHEREAS a changing climate presents both a costly disruption and an urgent threat to Austinites’ way of life; and WHEREAS in 2021, Council approved the Austin Climate Equity Plan that provided 74 strategies to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions equitably by 2040; and WHEREAS Austin FY2027 faces an estimated budget shortfall of $54 M; and WHEREAS Austin is considering the FY2026 budget; AND WHEREAS Council Resolution 20250522-052 directs the City Manager to calculate any energy cost savings or revenue generated annually, realized by solar generation installed on City facilities for departmental use and utilize an equivalent amount of funding for projects that have a beneficial environmental impact, beginning with those identified in the Climate Implementation Plan; and WHEREAS analysis performed by ACAR and presented to the Bond Election Advisory Task Force - Transportation & Electrification Working Group on 10/15/25 in consideration of the CCIP demonstrated that spending on fleet vehicle electrification nets a savings of -41$ per ton of carbon dioxide avoided; and WHEREAS that same analysis demonstrated that rooftop solar nets a savings of -28$ per ton of carbon dioxide avoided, The JSC recommends the following for the upcoming FY2027 budget: 1. No Cuts to ACAR: Recommend that no positions within Austin Climate Action and Resilience be eliminated, reclassified or moved to other departments. Many departments ask ACAR for assistance in developing programs and policies needed to implement the Austin Climate Equity Plan. The department’s workload is only increasing and there already isn't capacity to do all the needed work. 2. No cuts to fire, flood, and zero waste programs: the Joint Sustainability Commission recommends the following programs maintain their budget for FY2026: a. Natural Land Restoration and Wildfire Prevention ($828,115 & 4 FTEs) b. Fire – Urban Forest Replenishment Fund ($1,000,000) c. Floodplain Reforestation Program ($143,000- $550,000) d. MoveOutATX ($15,000/year) e. Fix-It and Repair Clinics ($7,650/year) 3. Climate Revolving Fund Implementation: Recommend that Council ensure that the Climate Revolving Fund established by Resolution 20250813-022 in August 2025 is formally in place and that all appropriate savings are directed to it and that ACAR staff have authority to direct their use for appropriate projects. This fund is supposed to enable investments in city buildings that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many such investments will lead …
