Backup_2A_R2R_Overview_JSC_20220622 — original pdf

Backup

N I T S U A F O Y T I C A Strategic Plan to Protect Austin’s Creeks and Communities Joint Sustainability Committee June 22, 2022 W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T Watershed Protection Department 2 MISSION The Watershed Protection Department (WPD) protects lives, property, and the environment of our community by reducing the impact of flooding, erosion, and water pollution. N I T S U A F O Y T I C W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 3 What is the Strategic Plan? N I T S U A F O Y T I C GUIDING BLUEPRINT FOR DEPARTMENT – Sets goals and objectives – Establishes method to prioritize problems – Creates a process for evaluating solutions EVALUATION FRAMEWORK Provides framework for evaluating future programs, projects, and regulations and measuring success of current portfolio COMMUNICATION TOOL Helps explain WPD’s work and priorities to staff, City executives, policymakers, and Austin community W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T N I T S U A F O Y T I C 4 Why are we updating the plan? • Watershed Protection Master Plan was originally adopted by City Council in 2001 The previous planning effort did not prioritize gathering input from the full diversity of Austin’s residents • Revisions have been ad-hoc and focused on updates to technical information without public input The plan does not address major challenges like climate change, population growth, and racial inequities The plan does not sufficiently capture the knowledge and experience our staff have gained over the last 20 years The plan does not reflect the findings and recommendations of other City plans The plan does not set time-specific targets or objectives to demonstrate we are making measurable progress • • • • • W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T N I T S U A F O Y T I C 5 What are our goals for the update? The Plan • Reflect the vision and values of our community • • Be informative and accessible Incorporate equity and climate resilience The Process • Be open to changing WPD’s priorities and operations based on • • community values and priorities Strive for consensus, but make decisions and resolve conflicts when consensus cannot be achieved Identify questions that cannot be resolved within the process timeline and commit to next steps • Create clear connections between engagement and plan content W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 6 What’s in the Strategic Plan? • Our Community’s Vision and Values • Our Mission Statement and Guiding Principles • Goals to Implement the Community’s Vision • Issues and Challenges What is preventing us from achieving our goals? • Strategies How do we overcome these issues and challenges? • Objectives and Metrics N I T S U A F O Y T I C How do we show we’re making significant progress toward our goals? • Problem Identification and Prioritization • Guidelines for Decision-Making • Approach for Future Updates W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 7 Community Engagement Phases PHASE 1: Community Input Objective: Gather community input and answer research questions using a broad range of strategies. PHASE 2: Did We Get it Right? Objective: Evaluate how effectively we translated what we heard from the community during Phase 1 into content. Gather input on community priorities for identified issues and strategies. PHASE 3: Review the Draft Plan Objective: Present the draft plan to the community, gather reactions to the content, and finalize the plan for adoption. N I T S U A F O Y T I C W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 8 Project Timeline N I T S U A F O Y T I C W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecFocused Outreach and PartnershipsCommunity Engagement Phase 1Community Engagement Phase 2Plan DevelopmentCommunity Engagement Phase 3Plan Review and Adoption202220232024Draft Project TimelineEngagement Approach 9 N I T S U A F O Y T I C RESPECTFUL TO PARTICIPANTS • Make it easy and enjoyable to contribute input • Be transparent about how feedback is being used; respect participants by only seeking feedback when it will inform a decision • Utilize the most appropriate strategies and tools for specific groups or topics • Use an iterative process; check in about what we’ve heard ADAPTIVE PROCESS • Define success metrics for engagement, track performance, and commit to continuing engagement until we have met the metrics for success • Adapt to potential limitations on engagement strategies due to COVID-19 • Coordinate and collaborate with other organizations on engagement efforts when possible FOCUSED ON RELATIONSHIPS • Build relationships and trust with entities, leaders, and individuals in historically under-served groups and groups impacted by negative watershed outcomes • Create systems to gather input from historically under-served communities that can be used beyond this engagement process W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T N I T S U A F O Y T I C 10 Priority Stakeholders Prioritize the following groups: • Under-served groups. Residents who have been systematically marginalized from or denied a full opportunity to participate in past planning and decision-making processes and/or who are more likely to experience negative quality of life outcomes • Impacted groups. Residents who have experienced or are at an increased risk of experiencing impacts of negative watershed outcomes (flooding, erosion, water pollution) • Organizations with relevant expertise. Organizations that work on environmental, community health, or safety issues and who bring environmental and/or technical and policy expertise W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T And reach representative sample of the Austin community N I T S U A F O Y T I C 11 Priority Stakeholders Under-served groups: • People of color o Hispanic/Latinx residents o Black/African American residents o Asian/Asian American residents o American Indian/Indigenous residents o Additional POC residents • Low-income people • Non-English-speakers • • People with disabilities • People lacking digital literacy and /or internet access • People lacking access to transportation • People experiencing homelessness • • LGBTQIA+ people Youth and seniors Immigrants and refugees W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T N I T S U A F O Y T I C 12 Priority Stakeholders Impacted groups: • • • • • • • • People who live in areas susceptible to negative watershed outcomes (creek flooding, local flooding, erosion, water pollution) People impacted by recent major flood events People who have accepted a floodplain buyout or who have been displaced by flooding People who live in poor housing conditions that are more susceptible to flood damage People with homes or businesses that are threatened by severe erosion People who swim, paddle, or fish in water bodies impacted by significant pollution or harmful algal blooms People who live in areas where WPD has recently carried out an infrastructure project Local businesses and organizations directly impacted by flooding, erosion, or water pollution W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T N I T S U A F O Y T I C 13 Priority Stakeholders Organizations with relevant experience: • Environmental advocacy groups o e.g., Austin Youth River Watch, Clean Water Action, Environment Texas, Hill Country Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), TreeFolks, Save Barton Creek Association, Save Our Springs Alliance, Sierra Club, Shoal Creek Conservancy, Waterloo Greenway • Professional organizations o e.g., American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI), American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) • Community health and public safety advocacy groups o e.g., Austin Parks Foundation, Bike Austin, Go Austin/Vamos Austin (GAVA), Keep Austin Beautiful, Red Cross, The Trail Foundation, Travis Austin Recovery Group, River City Youth Foundation • Other government entities o e.g., Austin Independent School District (AISD), Barton Springs Edward Aquifer Conservation District (BSEACD), Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), Travis County, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Faculty with relevant expertise at local universities • W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 14 Engagement Strategies PRIORITY STAKEHOLDERS • Community Ambassadors (compensated) • Focus groups (compensated) • Mini-grants for community organizations N I T S U A F O Y T I C • One-on-one meetings with community leaders and organizations • Participate in community meetings and events In-person walk-and-talks ALL STAKEHOLDERS • Surveys • • Virtual open house • Online educational events • Partnerships with Council Members • Paid advertisements • Website and communications • Commissions and Council review W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 15 Visit RaintoRiverATX.com and sign up for our contact list! N I T S U A F O Y T I C W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 16 Take the Community Vision Survey and add to our map! N I T S U A F O Y T I C W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 17 N I T S U A F O Y T I C Spread the word! www.RaintoRiverATX.com RaintoRiverATX@austintexas.gov Andrea.Bates@austintexas.gov W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T 18 N I T S U A F O Y T I C Thank you! www.RaintoRiverATX.com RaintoRiverATX@austintexas.gov Andrea.Bates@austintexas.gov W A T E R S H E D P R O T E C T I O N D E P A R T M E N T