1. 11192025 JSC Minutes for approval — original pdf

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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, Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Haris Qureshi, Charlotte Davis, Anna Scott Board Members in Attendance Remotely: Shelby Orme, Chris Crookham, Chris Campbell, Varun Prasad, Diana Wheeler, Rodrigo Leal, Andy Smith, Jon Salinas Board Members Absent: Aaron Gonzales, Josh Hiller City Staff in Attendance: Rohan Lilauwala, Phillip Duran CALL TO ORDER Chair Kaiba White called the meeting to order at 6:07 pm. PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Scott Johnson – spoke in favor of electric landscape equipment and additional staff for Austin Climate Action and Resilience APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Joint Sustainability Committee Regular Meeting on October 22, 2025. a. Davis motion, Scott second, passes on a 12-0 vote with Crookham off the dais. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing regarding Solar on City Facilities. Presentation by Rohan Lilauwala, Climate Project Manager, Austin Climate Action and Resilience. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Presentation regarding Austin Resource Recovery Fleet Electrification. Presentation by Nia Nickens, Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow. a. Scott: questions around equity, how to measure benefits. Potential for further study. b. Crookham: could they be used as backup power? Nickens: potentially, done in other places. c. Campbell: is future energy mix factored into GHG calculations? Nickens: current makeup, future greening would improve GHG reductions. d. Campbell: was cost of charging at different times considered? Nickens: no, potential future analysis. e. Salinas: how long were vehicles replaced in 2026 in operation for? What is life cycle? Nickens: unknown, will follow back up. f. Salinas: is anyone else doing this? Nickens: a couple of trucks, not large scale g. White: how many vehicles can a daisy chain charge? Nickens: unknown, new proprietary technology h. Scott: what’s the scale of program to be cost saving? Nickens: in current scenario, by 2032, break even, future savings after. i. Campbell: what’s the biggest barrier? Nickens: cost. 4. 5. Presentation regarding Commercial Landscape Survey. Presentation by Jen Cregar, Terra Lumina Consulting. a. Smith: affirms phased rollout, Presentation regarding Farmland Acquisition and Preservation. Presentation by Andy Smith, Marissa Bell, and Matt Simon, Austin-Travis County Food Policy Board. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 6. Approve the creation of working groups for FY27 City of Austin Budget, funding, and priority policy recommendations. a. White motion, Davis second, passes 12-0 with Crookham off the dais. i. Transportation – Chris Campbell (lead), Varun Prasad, Rodrigo Leal, Aaron Gonzales ii. Buildings – Kaiba White (lead), Chris Maxwell-Gaines, Jon Salinas iii. Natural Systems – Lane Becker (lead), Charlotte Davis, Natural Systems iv. Consumption – Anna Scott (lead), Kaiba White, Diana Wheeler 7. 8. 9. Approve a recommendation related to climate and sustainability in the FY26 City of Austin Budget. a. Discussion of revolving fund seed money, $300k was in August budget, but no longer in it. Solar savings should flow to it. b. White motion, Qureshi second, passes 12-0 with Crookham off dais. Approve a recommendation supporting funding for on-site solar and energy efficiency improvements for city facilities. a. Qureshi motion, Scott second, passes 12-0 with Crookham off the dais. Approve a recommendation related to climate and sustainability in the 2026 bond. a. White to refine list and bring back from December meeting. 10. Approve a recommendation in support of investing in farmland acquisition and preservation Austin and Travis County. a. ATCFPB recommends that any land acquisition piece includes a carve out for farmland. Question around why Travis County should manage this? They have experience doing this already. b. Smith motion, Qureshi second, passes 9-0 with White abstaining and Crookham, Davis, and Salinas off the dais. HOME COMMISSION UPDATES 11. Update regarding the status of updates to the City’s Design Guidelines from the Design Commission – Jon Salinas, Design Commission. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Meeting adjourned at 9:12 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).