5. Draft Joint Sustainability Committee Bond Recommendations — original pdf

Backup

JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION 20260225-005 Sustainability in Bond Proposals WHEREAS, the purpose of the Joint Sustainability Committee is “to advise the council on matters related to conservation and sustainability; and review City policies and procedures relevant to the Austin Community Climate Plan and the Austin Climate Equity Plan, including planning, implementation, community engagement, goal setting, and progress monitoring”; and WHEREAS, it is the duty of the Joint Sustainability Committee to “promote close cooperation between the council, City management, City boards, commissions, committees, and taskforces, and individuals, institutions, and agencies concerned with the politics, procedures, and implementation of the Austin Community Climate Plan and the Austin Climate Equity Plan with the goal of coordinating all similar activities within the City and the community in order to secure the greatest public benefit”; and WHEREAS, the climate crisis continues to worsen each year and the window of opportunity to preserve a livable climate is rapidly closing as climate tipping points are likely already being reached; and WHEREAS, on July 18, 2024, the Austin City Council adopted a resolution stating “The City Manager is directed to bring to Council two items: 1) a comprehensive bond package that funds and addresses climate, infrastructure, and any other public improvements for the purpose of conducting an election no later than November 2026, and 2) a comprehensive climate implementation program of which one component is a climate bond proposition contained in the comprehensive bond package.” and WHEREAS, the Austin Climate Action and Resilience department has identified city fleet vehicle electrification as the most cost-effective strategy for reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions, and calculated that reducing emissions using this strategy saves the city $41 per ton of avoided emissions; and WHEREAS, heavy duty vehicles with diesel engines are dangerous for the Austin community because they create hazardous particulate matter and other pollution harmful to human health - especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory and cardiac conditions - in addition to greenhouse gas emissions; and WHEREAS, additional charging infrastructure, especially for heavy-duty vehicles - including refuse trucks, is needed to enable the City of Austin fleet to transition from polluting internal combustion engine vehicles to zero emissions electric vehicles, and is itself one of the most cost-effective ways for the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and WHEREAS, City of Austin staff have identified electric vehicle charging infrastructure as eligible for voter-approved general obligation bonds; and WHEREAS, the certain City of Austin buildings, including Austin’s Central Library, Austin Energy’s Headquarters, and the forthcoming Convention Center, are built to higher standards than LEED Silver and incorporate elements that further reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including low-carbon concrete and other low-carbon building materials, salvaged building materials, on-site solar, and rainwater collection and reuse systems; and WHEREAS, significant resources and capacity are still needed for safe and equitable pedestrian-, cycling-, and transit-oriented infrastructure to help the Austin region move away from single passenger vehicles that emit harmful air pollutants, provide people with more mobility options, and achieve Vision Zero’s goal of zero traffic deaths; and WHEREAS, climatic changes are already being felt in Austin and around the world, with prolonged drought punctuated by unpredictable torrential downpours and flooding, more frequent extreme heat events, wildfires, more frequent large hail and warmer water temperatures that can result in increasing severe storms and rising costs that are taking an unsustainable economic toll on the city and working people; and WHEREAS, on August 8, 2019 the Austin City Council unanimously approved a resolution declaring a climate emergency and called for an immediate emergency mobilization to restore a safe climate; and WHEREAS, the Austin City Council adopted the Austin Climate Equity Plan, which includes the goal of reaching net-zero community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 2040; and WHEREAS, the City of Austin is facing significant budget shortfalls in the coming years and must increase revenue, decrease costs or both to balance future budgets; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Joint Sustainability Committee recommends: 1. That the the collection of bond proposals put forward to voters in 2026 be carbon-neutral or carbon-negative; and 2. That climate resilient and carbon-reducing building design and features, including but not limited to low-carbon concrete, salvaged building materials, on-site solar energy systems, electric vehicle charging, rainwater capture and reuse systems, and green infrastructure be fully utilized in all bond-funded projects, as applicable; and 3. That significant transportation-related funding be used for transit-supportive infrastructure – including but not limited to Vision Zero safety projects, new and improved sidewalks, dedicated bike and transit lanes, and critical urban trail network connections, and other active transportation infrastructure – to bolster the success of the Project Connect light rail and rapid bus transit project, minimize lives lost in traffic accidents, address transportation equity issues, and reduce the massive carbon emissions and air pollutants associated with traditional car-centric infrastructure; and 4. That sufficient funding to enable electrification of City of Austin heavy duty fleet vehicles – including Austin Resource Recovery refuse trucks – be prioritized as a primary strategy to reduce the carbon impact of the bond package as a whole and eliminate harmful air pollutants affecting the health and wellbeing of communities.