20210324 JSC Meeting Minutes- approved — original pdf

Approved Minutes

Item 1 JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES REGULAR MEETING March 24, 2021 The Joint Sustainability Committee convened in a special meeting on March 24, 2021 via videoconferencing. Chair Kaiba White called the Board Meeting to order at 5:33 pm. Board Members in Attendance: Kaiba White Chair, Katie Coyne Vice-Chair, Alberta Phillips, David Carroll, Nhat Ho, Rob Schneider, Fisayo Fadelu, Alexis Taylor, Karen Magid Board Members Absent: Melissa Rothrock, Kelly Davis, Karen Hadden City Staff in Attendance: Zach Baumer, Phoebe Romero CALL TO ORDER CITIZEN COMMUNICATION The speakers who registered in advance for public comment have three minutes each to address items on the agenda at this time. • None 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a) March 12, 2021 meeting of the Joint Sustainability Committee • Commission Schneider requested an amendment to remove a duplication error: Remove Rob Schneider from Board Members Absent section, keep in Board Members in Attendance • Motion to approve (Commissioner Coyne), second (Commissioner Schneider), 7 approved, 0 opposed, 1 abstained. 2. NEW BUSINESS a) Update on Climate Resilience (Discussion and/or possible action) • Provided an overview of the Climate Resilience Action Plan for City Assets and Operations and ongoing existing and proposed efforts in response to the 2019 Climate Resilience Resolution 20190509-019 • Discussed resilience hubs concept and key points from the draft council resolution on this topic • Commissioners discussed the importance of addressing food supply and opportunities for the farming community, the extensive outreach needed for resilience hub planning—including using models like GAVA’s Climate Resilience Navigators, determining geographic areas of need based on where calls from assistance came from, and ensuring equipment inventory for events. b) Update on Austin Climate Equity Plan Implementation (Discussion and/or possible action) • Reviewed recent events and next steps on the plan process • Evaluated climate plan strategies based on their equity impact and feasibility to develop a categorized list, including ready now, capital intensive or otherwise complex; provided an overview of “ready now” strategies across the different sections of the plan to provide commissioners perspective on near-term actions • Commissioners discussed importance of keeping process transparent regarding discussions on the gas, energy, and code portions of the plan, discussed deadline for energy code public comment on April 15th, how federal actions may affect this work and ongoing business engagement c) Austin Civilian Conservation Corps Briefing— Daniel Culotta, Innovation Office (Discussion and/or possible action) • Overview of how ACCC program was created • Program is split across five areas: Parks, Preserves and Wildfire, Green Building and Solar, Cultural Arts, Community Co-creation, and Green Pathways • Long-term goals include having the program be a permanently funded, community- driven process, expanding the number partnerships, including to a regional level, diversifying communications channels, and helping other organizations replicate a similar program d) Budget Discussion (Discussion and/or possible action) • In looking at the information presented, commissioners approved a Budget Recommendation with items pertaining to winter storm equipment, workforce development, community resilience work, energy poverty, resilience hubs and the Climate Ambassadors program • Motion to approve (Commissioner White), Second (Commissioner Coyne) o Record of the vote: 8 approve, 0 opposed, 0 abstained. e) Commission members report back on any relevant discussions from their respective boards and commissions – (Discussion and/or possible action) • Economic Prosperity Commission passed a budget recommendation regarding Winter Storm Uri • Planning Commission will discuss how code updates may impact electrical infrastructure in context of winter storm Rob FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Item to take action to make recommendation to council on various code adoptions • • Staying updated on Deputy City Manager position hiring process Motion to adjourn (Commissioner Schneider). Meeting adjourns at 8:09 pm ADJOURNMENT 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 (48 hours) before the meeting date. Please call Zach Baumer with the Office of Sustainability at 512-974-2836, for additional information; TTY users route through Relay Texas at 711. For more information on the Joint Sustainability Committee, please contact Zach Baumer at (zach.baumer@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2836).