F.1. Approval of the Sustainability Commission meeting minutes dated March 1, 2018.

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1 NOTICE OF MEETING OF THE SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION OF BUDA, TX 7:00 PM - Thursday, April 5, 2018 City Hall Council Chambers 121 S. Main Street Buda, TX This notice is posted pursuant to the Texas Open Meetings Act. Notice is hereby given that a Regular Sustainability Commission Meeting of the City of Buda, TX, will be held at which time the following subjects will be discussed and may be acted upon. A. CALL TO ORDER B. INVOCATION C. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAGS OF THE UNITED STATES AND TEXAS PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS FLAG: Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible. D. ROLL CALL E. PUBLIC COMMENTS At this time, comments will be taken from the audience on non-agenda related topics, for a length of time not to exceed three minutes per person. To address the Sustainability Commission, please submit a Citizen s Comment Form to the City Liaison prior to the start of the meeting. No action may be taken by the Sustainability Commission during Public Comments. F. CONSENT AGENDA F.1. Approval of the Sustainability Commission meeting minutes dated March 1, G. REGULAR AGENDA Minutes from docx G.1. Discussion and possible action on becoming a Keep Texas Beautiful affi liate organization. G.2. Discuss filing of a Tree City USA application with the Arbor Day Foundation. G.3. Discuss outreach and planning efforts for the Library's Spring Fling community event. H. STAFF REPORTS 1 Sustainability Commission Agenda Page 1 April 5, 2018

2 H.1. Introduce Water Resources Coordinator Blake Neffendorf. H.2. Update on the Capital Area Council of Governments solid waste grant Household Hazardous Waste event. H.3. Update on the Violet Crown Trail public meetings. I. COMMISSION REQUEST FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS J. ADJOURNMENT City Hall is wheelchair accessible and accessible parking spaces are available. Requests for accommodations must be made 48 hours prior to the meeting. Please contact City Hall at (512) , or FAX (512) for information or assistance. I, the undersigned authority, do hereby certify that the above Notice of Meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Buda, was posted on the bulletin board in front of Buda City Hall, which is readily accessible to the public at all times, by 5:00 pm on DATE. /s/ Staff Liaison Meetings scheduled in the Council Chambers are set up to publicly broadcast meetings. You may be audio and video recorded while in this facility. Meetings scheduled in other City Facilities are set up to publicly audio record meetings. You may be audio recorded in the other City Facilities. In accordance with Article III, Section 3.10, of the Official Code of the City of Buda, the minutes of this meeting consist of the preceding Minute Record and the Supplemental Minute Record. Details on meetings may be obtained from the Board Liaison, or video of the entire meeting may be downloaded from the website. (Portions of the Supplemental Minute Record video tape recording may be distorted due to equipment malfunction or other uncontrollable factors.) Attendance by Other Elected or Appointed Officials: It is anticipated that members of other governmental bodies, and/or city boards, commissions and/or committees may attend the meeting in numbers that may constitute a quorum of the body, board, commission and/or committee. Notice is hereby given that the meeting, to the extent required by law, is also noticed as a possible meeting of the other body, board, commission and/or committee, whose members may be in attendance, if such numbers constitute a quorum. The members of the boards, commissions and/or committees may be permitted to participate in discussions on the same items listed on the agenda, which occur at the meeting, but no action will be taken by such in attendance unless such item and action is specifically provided for on an agenda for that body, board, commission or committee subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act. 2 Sustainability Commission Agenda Page 2 April 5, 2018

3 CITY OF BUDA SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES MARCH 1, :00 P.M. A. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. B. INVOCATION C. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAGS OF THE UNITED STATES AND TEXAS PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS FLAG: Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible. D. ROLL CALL Commissioner Vincent Lecca Commissioner Rex Drake Commissioner Eric Martinez Commissioner Carly Montez Commissioner Amy Chung Commissioner Marni Martinez Commissioner Ashley Prendergast Resigned Present Present Absent Present Present Present E. PUBLIC COMMENTS At this time, comments will be taken from the audience on non-agenda related topics, for a length of time not to exceed three minutes per person. To address the Sustainability Commission, please submit a Citizen s Comment Form to the City Liaison prior to the start of the meeting. No action may be taken by the Sustainability Commission during Public Comments. No comments were made. F. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Approval of the Sustainability Commission meeting minutes dated February 1, Commissioner Marni Martinez made the motion to approve the minutes dated February 1, 2018 of the Sustainability Commission meeting. Commissioner Ashly Prendergast seconded the motion. The motion passed 5-0. G. REGULAR AGENDA ITEMS 1. Discussion and possible action on becoming a Keep Texas Beautiful affiliate organization. Melody Alcazar with Keep Texas Beautiful presented to the Commission on the process, benefits, and ongoing requirements of becoming a Keep Texas Beautiful affiliate. Becoming a member opens the City up to training and outreach opportunities. Annual requirements include 4 hours of training and filing of an annual report that details the activities of the local affiliate from the preceding year. 3

4 No action was taken by the Commission, but they did request that this item be brought back at their next meeting for further discussion. 2. Discussion and possible action on submitting an application to become a Dark Sky Certified community. Assistant City Manager Micah Grau reviewed the requirements of becoming an International Dark Sky Association (IDA) Certified community. The City s current lighting ordinance was set to the IDA for evaluation. The response was that the lighting requirements did not include language required by the IDA and that the City would be required to amend the recently adopted Unified Development Code to include the language. The City would also be required to host community events that promoted and provided education on dark skies. The Commission discussed working with the Parks Department to host an astronomy event after one of the summer Movies in the Park. Commissioner Prendergast made a motion to recommend to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council to amend the Unified Development Code to meet the International Dark Sky Association certification program and to assess city-owned lighting for compliance. Commissioner Marni Martinez seconded the motion. The motion passed Discussion and possible action on the Fiscal Year Capital Improvements Planning process. The Commission was provided a copy of the Capital Improvement Plan Development Procedure and was asked to provide any input on the City s upcoming FY19-23 capital planning process. The Commission asked that staff draft language about sustainability to include in the procedure that touched on native landscaping, using locally sourced materials, utilizing alternative energy, and other sustainable practices. No action taken. 4. Discuss planning efforts for the Library s Spring Fling and Master Gardener community events. Commission members discussed the upcoming events and decided to focus their efforts on the Library Spring Fling event scheduled for Saturday, April 14. Commissioners Amy Chung and Ashley Prendergast will take the lead on developing ideas for a Sustainability Commission table. B. STAFF REPORTS 1. Staff report on the Capital Area Council of Governments solid waste grant applications. Assistant City Manager Micah Grau informed the Commission that the City s application to host a Household Hazardous Waste collection event was selected for grant funding. The City s funds would be available in FY19 with the plan to host an event in fall Staff report on marketing materials received from the Take Care of Texas program. Assistant City Manager Grau shared free educational material that he received from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The material could be given away when the Commission hosts a booth or table at community events. H. COMMISSION REQUESTS FOR FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS No deliberation or discussion may take place by the Commission during this agenda item. 4

5 None. I. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:28 p.m. ATTEST: Recording Secretary 5

6 Sustainability Commission Agenda Item Report Date: Thursday, April 5, 2018 Agenda Item No Contact: Micah Grau Subject: Discussion and possible action on becoming a Keep Texas Beautiful affiliate organization. 1. Executive Summary Mission/Vision/Impact For 50 years, Keep Texas Beautiful has been committed to making Texas communities better places to live, work and play. OUR MISSION To inspire and empower Texans to keep our communities clean and beautiful. OUR VISION To make Texas the cleanest, most beautiful state in the nation. CORE VALUES We promote clean and beautiful communities by keeping them litter-free and preserving our natural environment. We empower residents to take initiative at the local level to beautify their hometowns. We partner with public and private sector organizations and individuals who are similarly committed to our mission. Education is at the core of our work and we provide tools and resources to the general public, affiliates and volunteers to strengthen their capacity. History Our history dates back to 1967, when Texas was preparing for the 1968 HemisFair in San Antonio and more than 16 million tourists were expected to descend upon the state. A variety of representatives from diverse entities, including the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation, decided that Texas cities and highways should be given a facelift so visitors would see a clean, beautiful state. To accomplish this goal, the group created a non-profit educational corporation, supported totally by membership dues, known as the Beautify Texas Council. Realizing the importance of what had been accomplished via local volunteers and their love of their 6

7 communities, the Beautify Texas Council continued to support communities in their beautification efforts even after HemisFair. By 1968, the Council had supplied almost every Texas town with information on how to improve their city s appearance. In response to enthusiastic efforts from dedicated volunteers across the state, the Council eventually increased its focus to highway beautification, environmental education and public awareness, procurement and distribution of funding and support to local volunteers, and creating and maintaining valuable relationships with state officials and agencies. In 1985, the Beautify Texas Council officially became Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc., and a state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful. Since that time, we have won top honors as an outstanding KAB state affiliate and have grown by creating an extensive affiliate program. Keep Texas Beautiful now has the largest environmental and community improvement network in the state. 2. Background/History KTB has the largest environmental and community improvement network in the state, comprised of nearly 400 community affiliates, which have the potential to educate upwards of 21 million Texans. Keep Texas Beautiful AffiliatesAffiliates are qualifying cities, counties and/or communities that work alongside us in our mission to educate and engage Texans to take responsibility for improving their communities. These organizations are comprised of volunteers who organize local cleanups, design and implement recycling programs, and educate local populations about issues like sustainability and water quality. KTB affiliates are as diverse as they are dedicated; some are all-volunteer organizations while others have a paid staff. Some are a recognized arm of local government while others originate in church groups or youth organizations. No community is too big or too small - the hill country of Utopia has a population of less than 250 full-time residents, while Houston has more than two million. Affiliates not only organize local events and programs based on their community's needs, but also participate in KTB-sponsored programs such as Great American Cleanup and Don't mess with Texas Trash-Off. Affiliates recruit volunteers from all walks of life, from elementary students to garden clubs, service organizations to master naturalists to aid in grassroots efforts to improve the environment. The thread that runs through each and every affiliate is the desire to affect positive change in their communities. Affiliate Benefits The tools and services provided by KTB empower affiliates to focus on and become effective in the mobilization of grassroots volunteers to address such issues as litter prevention, solid waste management, recycling, beautification and general community improvement. PROSPECTIVE AFFILIATE: Complete and submit our KTB Prospective Affiliate Form and watch our Intro to KTB webinar. Staff will review your form and set up a time to discuss your interest. Steps to Becoming a KTB Affiliate PROVISIONAL AFFILIATE: Complete and submit the online affiliate application and $150 application fee. Once all materials have been received by staff, you will move into Provisional Affiliate status and receive online access to our Affiliate-only training resources. Review the KTB Affiliate Handbook and KTB Affiliate Coordinator Packet ot help you: Determine organizational structure and board membership. Prepare mission statement. 7

8 Prepare bylaws, organization guidelines, ordinance, and/or resolution for the organization. Get the facts about your community. Develop a one-year strategic plan, including the project(s) you would like to accomplish in the first year. Establish a budget; this may be in-kind. Develop lists of community/volunteer organizations and media, including any locations that will assist you in accomplishing your intended projects. OFFICIAL AFFILIATE: After submission of all necessary documents, to be reviewed and approved by KTB staff, you will move into Official Affiliate status. A KTB Affiliate sign will be mailed and you will be recognized on the KTB website. As an Official Affiliate, you are required to submit dues, complete a report, participate in training and conduct an event annually. 3. Staff's review and analysis 4. Financial Impact A $150 application fee is to be submitted with an application to become an affiliate. Annual affiliate dues are unknown. 5. Summary/Conclusion 6. Pros and Cons Pros: networking with other similar organizations from across the state; branding and recognition as a Keep Texas Beautiful affiliate organization; access to training and other educational opportunities; ability to apply for the Governor's Achievement Award for beautification projects in the community. Cons: annuals dues and reporting requirements 7. Alternatives N/A 8. Recommendation N/A 8

9 Sustainability Commission Agenda Item Report Date: Thursday, April 5, 2018 Agenda Item No Contact: Micah Grau Subject: Discuss filing of a Tree City USA application with the Arbor Day Foundation. 1. Executive Summary 2. Background/History To qualify as a Tree City USA community, you must meet four standards established by the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters. These standards were established to ensure that every qualifying community* would have a viable tree management program and that no community would be excluded because of size. Four Standards for Tree City USA Recognition Standard 1 A Tree Board or Department Someone must be legally responsible for the care of all trees on city- or town-owned property. By delegating tree care decisions to a professional forester, arborist, city department, citizen-led tree board or some combination, city leaders determine who will perform necessary tree work. The public will also know who is accountable for decisions that impact community trees. Often, both professional staff and an advisory tree board are established, which is a good goal for most communities. The formation of a tree board often stems from a group of citizens. In some cases a mayor or city officials have started the process. Either way, the benefits are immense. Involving residents and business owners creates wide awareness of what trees do for the community and provides broad support for better tree care. Standard 2 A Tree Care Ordinance A basic public tree care ordinance forms the foundation of a city s tree care program. It provides an opportunity to set good policy and back it with the force of law when necessary. A key section of a qualifying ordinance is one that establishes the tree board or forestry department or both and gives one of them the responsibility for public tree care (as reflected in Standard 1). It should also assign the task of crafting and implementing a plan of work or for 9

10 documenting annual tree care activities. Ideally, the ordinance will also provide clear guidance for planting, maintaining and removing trees from streets, parks and other public spaces as well as activities that are required or prohibited. Beyond that, the ordinance should be flexible enough to fit the needs and circumstances of the particular community. Standard 3 A Community Forestry Program With an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita City trees provide many benefits clean air, clean water, shade and beauty to name a few but they also require an investment to remain healthy and sustainable. By providing support at or above the $2 per capita minimum, a community demonstrates its commitment to grow and tend these valuable public assets. Budgets and expenditures require planning and accountability, which are fundamental to the long-term health of the tree canopy and the Tree City USA program. To meet this standard each year, the community must document at least $2 per capita toward the planting, care and removal of city trees and the planning efforts to make those things happen. At first this may seem like an impossible barrier to some communities. However, a little investigation usually reveals that more than this amount is already being spent on tree care. If not, this may signal serious neglect that will cost far more in the long run. In such a case, working toward Tree City USA recognition can be used to reexamine the community's budget priorities and redirect funds to properly care for its tree resources before it is too late. Standard 4 An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation An effective program for community trees would not be complete without an annual Arbor Day ceremony. Citizens join together to celebrate the benefits of community trees and the work accomplished to plant and maintain them. By passing and reciting an official Arbor Day proclamation, public officials demonstrate their support for the community tree program and complete the requirements for becoming a Tree City USA! This is the least challenging and probably most enjoyable standard to meet. An Arbor Day celebration can be simple and brief or an all-day or all-week observation. It can include a tree planting event, tree care activities or an award ceremony that honors leading tree planters. For children, Arbor Day may be their only exposure to the green world or a springboard to discussions about the complex issue of environmental quality. The benefits of Arbor Day go far beyond the shade and beauty of new trees for the next generation. Arbor Day is a golden opportunity for publicity and to educate homeowners about proper tree care. Utility companies can join in to promote planting small trees beneath power lines or being careful when digging. Fire prevention messaging can also be worked into the event, as can conservation education about soil erosion or the need to protect wildlife habitat. 3. Staff's review and analysis The Tree City USA program provides direction, assistance and national recognition for your community. It s the framework for a healthy, sustainable urban forestry program in your town. And the benefits are substantial. Reduce costs for energy, stormwater management, and erosion control. Trees yield 3 5 times their cost in overall benefits to the city. Cut energy consumption by up to 25%. Studies indicate that as few as three additional trees planted around each building in the United States could save $2 billion annually in energy costs. house Boost property values across your community. Properly placed trees can increase property 10

11 values from 7 20%. Buildings in wooded areas rent more quickly, and tenants stay longer. Build stronger ties to your neighborhood and community. Trees and green spaces directly correlate to greater connections to neighbors. Honor your community and demonstrate your commitment to a healthier environment through Arbor Day celebrations and Tree City USA recognition. Benefit from a framework for action provided by the four core standards. Many communities use the Tree City USA standards as a way to begin caring for city trees. Others regularly enhance urban forest management through improved ordinances, innovative programs and increased emphasis on planting and care. Educate people living in your city about the value of trees and the importance of sustainable tree management. Annual participation as a Tree City USA community provides this opportunity and makes it easier to engage individuals and organizations throughout the city. Tree City USA status can also create a strong working relationship with your state forestry agency and other groups. flag Improve community pride. Participation in the Tree City USA program helps residents feel good about the place they live and work. Annual recognition shows visitors and prospective residents that trees, conservation, and the environment are important to your community. like Gain publicity with recognition materials. Tree boards, parks departments, public works officials and volunteers are recognized for the valuable work they provide to the community. Many communities share their Tree City USA recognition across city departments as well as with elected officials, students and business leaders. 4. Financial Impact The program specifies that a community must invest at least $2 per capita each year for forestry management services. Based on an estimated population of 16,000, this would equate to $32,000 per year. 5. Summary/Conclusion 6. Pros and Cons Not applicable. 7. Alternatives Not applicable. 8. Recommendation Not applicable. 11