REGULAR MEETING OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION November 18, 2025 6:00 p.m. Austin Energy Headquarters; 1st Floor; Shudde Fath Conference Room 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, Texas 78723 Some members of the Resource Management Commission maybe participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register contact Natasha Goodwin, at Natasha.Goodwin@austinenergy.com or 512-322-6505. Members: Charlotte Davis, Chair Paul Robbins, Vice Chair Kamil Cook Trey Farmer CALL MEETING TO ORDER AGENDA GeNell Gary Joseph Gerland Harry Kennard Martin Luecke Raphael Schwartz Alison Silverstein Danielle Zigon PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 5 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Resource Management Commission Meeting on October 21, 2025. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Staff Briefing on Austin Water’s quarterly report on Water Management Strategy Implementation for Q3, Kevin Kluge, Water Conservation Division Manager, Austin Water. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 3. Discussion and recommend a policy for the Texas Gas Service franchise negotiations. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Natasha Goodwin at Austin Energy, at (512) 322-6505 or Natasha.Goodwin@austinenergy.com to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Resource Management Commission, please contact Natasha Goodwin at Austin Energy, at 512-322-6505 or Natasha.Goodwin@austinenergy.com .
Water Management Strategy Implementation REPORT Third Quarter 2025, July - September | November 2025 Resource Management Commission, November 18, 2025 Contents Third Quarter Summary Water Conservation Updates Water Loss Reduction Updates Reclaimed Water and Onsite Reuse Updates Conservation Outreach Updates Water Supply Project Updates Water Use and GPCD Notes Regarding Data 2 Third Quarter Summary The Water Management Strategy Implementation Report is intended to provide transparency and accountability regarding the execution of strategies from the 2024 Water Conservation Plan and the 2024 Water Forward Plan. The plans include proactive and substantial demand management strategies and innovative local supply strategies, but the hard work necessary to complete the strategies and meet the goals are illustrated in the implementation reports. The third quarter of 2025 (July – September) includes what is typically the hottest and driest part of the year in Central Texas. In early July, Central Texas was struck by severe storms that caused severe damage and loss of life but filled Lakes Buchanan and Travis from 50 percent storage capacity to over 90 percent. On September 2, the City of Austin returned to the baseline Conservation Stage water restrictions from Stage 2 Drought restrictions. While the city’s water supply was nearly full, the latter two months of the quarter proved to be the typical hot and dry Texas summer. 3 Water Conservation Updates New Community Outreach Grants to support innovative, community-lead conservation initiatives. (WCP, p. 40) Applications accepted Oct. 15 – Nov. 30 Up to $3,000 Irrigation enforcement: 480 Customer 311 reports, 1,700 warnings, 243 citations Stakeholder engagement for new Uniform Plumbing Code landscape irrigation restrictions (pressure reduction and 50% irrigation area in new homes) Categorized all commercial, institutional, and industrial customer with North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code to aid in high use/leaks identification and the establishment of water use benchmarks Began inclusion of conservation programs in the utility’s enterprise customer relations management software. 4 Water Conservation Metrics Residential Rebate Programs Approved Rebates 50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Drought Survival Tools Irrigation Upgrades Rainwater Harvesting Rebates WaterWise Landscape WaterWise Rainscape Other Residential Programs Q3 2024-Q2 2025 Q3 2025 5 Water Conservation Metrics Commercial Rebate Programs Approved Rebates 5 4 3 2 1 0 4 4 4 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 Bucks for Business Other …
Draft Resource Management Commission Resolution on Texas Gas Service Franchise October 20, 2025 Introduction The City of Austin (The City) has a 20-year franchise agreement with Texas Gas Service (TGS), which is the company’s license to operate in the city limits. That franchise agreement expires in October of 2026. The renewal of the franchise is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to correct or reform longstanding problems that include high rates, high fuel costs, poorly designed rate structures, poorly performing energy conservation programs, scant funding to assist low-income ratepayers, and lack of progress in shrinking the company’s carbon footprint with the company. 1.0 Selection of Company and Term of Franchise WHEREAS, Texas Gas Service, the fifth consecutive owner of the main private gas utility that has provided service in the city limits of Austin since the 1870s, has never participated in a competitive process to determine if the company offers ratepayers adequate or better service; and WHEREAS, the current term of the franchise is 20 years (a 10-year initial period with a subsequent 10-year automatic renewal with minimal conditions), is too long a time period to lapse without a revised regulatory agreement; and 1.1 High and Inequitable Rates WHEREAS, retail residential gas rates have gone up about 132% between 2016 and 2025, which is 96% above inflation; and WHEREAS, Texas Gas Service has proposed three rate increases in since 2024; and WHEREAS, these rate increases are largely driven by the cost of capital expansion or improvements of the system, and no city or state regulator has the ability to prevent these expenditures prior to their occurrence; and WHEREAS, TGS does not collect full payment for new infrastructure (known as Contribution in Aid of Construction or Capital Recovery Fees) required for new customers, thus subsidizing new customers while increasing gas bills of existing customers; and WHEREAS, the recent combination of TGS Central Texas and Gulf Coast regions for purposes of ratemaking has raised Austin’s bills while lowering bills in the Coastal region; and 1.2 Rate Structure (Conservation-Based Rates that Also Help Low-Income Customers) WHEREAS, Austin’s municipal utilities have progressive tiered rates that charge less per unit for less usage, while Texas Gas Service has historically maintained a regressive flat rate, which discourages conservation and adversely affects lower-income ratepayers who typically consume less energy; and 1.3 Low-Income Assistance WHEREAS, TGS currently has no customer assistance program that reduces monthly gas bills for low-income customers; and …
