Transportation and Land Use Budget Recommendations — original pdf

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DRAFT Joint Sustainability Committee Transportation & Land Use Budget Recommendations Transportation Electrification Budget Recommendations The Joint Sustainability Commission (JSC) recommends that the City of Austin (COA) Equity Office conduct an Electric Vehicles Needs Assessment in collaboration with a hired consultant, CapMetro, Austin Energy, and COA Departments of Transportation and Public Works, Public Health, Economic Development, and Office of Sustainability. The assessment should focus on the Eastern Crescent, including the Rundberg and Dove Springs areas. The assessment should build on community engagement and feedback (such as leveraging an Ambassadors program and partnering with entities such as Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance [TxETRA] education fund) to address mobility challenges in these regions and consider other electric mobility options such as buses, shuttles, neighborhood circulators carsharing. The Assessment should include the following: ● A report and presentation to JSC, COA Office of Sustainability, and key identified community members within one year of the budget approval. The report and presentation should include but is not limited to: ○ Identifying the intersections of mobility challenges, transportation electrification, public health and racial and economic justice ○ Action items and recommended programs on how to achieve EV education and adoption focusing on overburdened communities, along with funding sources to implement the programs. ○ Identify major obstacles for EV adoption and corresponding action items to address the obstacles ○ A framework for EV education that focuses on clarifying the EV charging process, raising awareness about available incentives, and increasing community involvement by connecting systematically excluded groups with job and training/education opportunities in the EV field ○ Build on existing community assessments and recommendations such as Austin/Vamos Austin’s (GAVA’s) neighborhood circulators carsharing and TxETRA workshop on transportation justice in the EV Ecosystem ○ Status for achieving Austin’s Climate Action Plan Transportation Electrification Goal 1 of 40% of total vehicle miles traveled in Austin electrified by 2030 and a description for a path to achieve this goal Budget: ● Total: 300K. Breakdown includes: ○ Hire consultant to assist with the Assessment: 150K ○ Equity Office to create a paid ambassador program to provide stipends to individuals and organizations that already have trust in the community to assist in the Assessment: 50K ○ Pilot for four (4) recommended programs in on the Eastern Crescent, including the Rundberg and Dove Springs areas: 100K Transportation & Land Use Budget Recommendations ID Amount ($) 1 $120k Request Dept. Notes 1 FTE: Community Engagement & Partnerships Specialist Resilience ● Responsible for coordinating community outreach activities associated with CoA Resilience Office efforts 2 $100k Outreach & Partnerships: Funding for grants or contracts for CBO and NGO partners to support community outreach Resilience ● Funding for community engagement and partnership activities, including community member and CBO stipends to support city outreach efforts 3 $2-3M Housing Home Weatherization & Repairs: Funding to supplement existing home weatherization and improvement programs targeted to LMI households; can be used as “matching funds” for other depts. or state/federal grants or to fund pilot projects ● Example outreach priorities include identification and recruitment of households for weatherization support, disaster preparedness training, coalition building with community organizations, etc. ● Funds would be used to reduce and/or eliminate weatherization and home repair costs for LMI households ● Funds would supplement existing city/state/federal programs designed to support weatherization and home repair for LMI households ● Benefits include reduced energy burden, potential anti-displacement benefits via lower utility and HVAC maintenance costs, and improved physical and mental health (esp. during intense summer months) ● Program should prioritize groups most at-risk of displacement and housing in poor condition, including mobile and manufactured homes coordinating resilient infrastructure projects ● Potential projects include green infrastructure and shade/cooling 4 $120k Resilience ● Responsible for identifying and 1 FTE: Resilient Infrastructure & Capital Improvement Coordinator 5 $1-2M Resilience ● Funds would be used to supplement infrastructure on city property, as well as pilot or demonstration projects in partnership with other entities existing city department funding for resilient infrastructure projects ● Example: Resilience Office identifies opportunity to install additional shade and cooling infrastructure at a city park, along a heavily frequented sidewalk, or at bus station; Resilience Office would provide “matching funds” to make these projects feasible in partnership with other city depts. and local, regional, and federal agencies Heat Resilience Infrastructure: Funding to supplement departmental spending on shade & cooling interventions, green infrastructure, and other resilient infrastructure projects; can be used as “matching funds” in addition to funding from other depts. (e.g., PARD) or state/federal grants or to fund pilot projects