20220322-008: Recommendation on City of Austin 2022-2023 Budget Recommendation — original pdf

Recommendation

BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Resource Management Commission Recommendation No. 20220322-008 Resolution on City of Austin 2022-2023 Budget Recommendations Whereas in a memo dated February 2nd, Kerri Lang, City of Austin Budget Officer, requested feedback on the City’s FY 2022-23 budget from Boards and Commissions by March 31st, 2022. Whereas the Resource Management Commission would like to provide feedback and recommendations regarding certain items on the FY 2022-23 budget. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Resource Management Commission has the following comments and recommendations regarding the City of Austin FY 2022-23 Budget: 1. Customer Energy Solutions (Green Building Program): Austin Energy staff are requesting “$50,000 to hire a firm to look at an existing database of hazardous materials, add to it, and develop a calculator to direct decision making for building designers based upon healthy material typology. The tool will provide the information necessary to allow a project team to identify which materials should be prioritized to maximize the long-term health benefits to building occupants.” The RMC supports this budget request, as both the RMC and Austin Energy staff are interested in exploring ways to incentivize the use of healthy materials and reduce the use of hazardous materials in building construction. The RMC recommends that the consultant work with a community advisory group assembled by the RMC and Austin Energy staff and that this process not preclude a more near-term solution to address this issue. 2. Customer Energy Solutions (Community Solar): The Resource Management Commission recommends that a Community Solar subsidy sufficient to allow for deployment of additional Community Solar installations on the local distribution grid in line with the criteria previously adopted by the RMC, funded by the Energy Efficiency Services (EES) Fee be included in Austin Energy’s FY 2023 Customer Energy Solutions budget. This subsidy will improve transparency and will enable equitable deployment of local rooftop solar. All customers pay the EES fee, which supports both energy efficiency and solar programs at Austin Energy, including residential solar rebates for those who install solar on their homes. Using some of those funds to support the Community Solar program will give renters, multifamily dwellers, lower-income and middle- income residents, those with poor credit, and those with rooftops unsuitable for solar greater ability to participate in a program that can utilize available roof space for solar. In addition to equity benefits, this reduces overall environmental impact by reducing land use for energy production and creates greater local economic benefit by supporting the local solar industry. Based on staff estimates that the Community Solar rate paid by non-CAP customers under- recovers program costs by approximately $0.015 per kilowatt-hour, our estimate is that this would currently cost less than $100,000 per year. Our recommendation is that these funds be allocated from currently unallocated EES funds, if there are any. If all EES funds are currently allocated to other programs, the RMC recommends that the Community Solar subsidy be allocated from other solar programs, not energy efficiency programs. Additionally, the RMC recommends that the current subsidy for CAP customers be maintained and potentially expanded, to be paid for by CAP funds, or other funds that staff believes to be appropriate. Commissioner Jonathon Blackburn, Chair; Commissioner Kaiba White, Vice Chair; Commissioner Charlotte Davis; Commissioner Shane Johnson; Commissioner Tom “Smitty” Smith; Commissioner Louis Stone; Commissioner Dana Harmon; Commissioner Rebecca Brenneman; Commissioner Lisa Chavarria Vote: For: 9-0 None Against: Abstentions: None Off Dais: None Vacancies: District 7 Absences: Commissioner Sam Angoori Attest: Natasha Goodwin, Staff Liaison