Question 1: How much did tree trimming cost the city last year?

 

Austin Energy spent $31.8 million trimming trees around the city last year. That means about one in every 12 dollars they spent paying outside vendors went to a tree trimming company.

 

That money was split fairly evenly among three different companies the city’s had on contract for years now. And three other companies got a few thousand dollars each.

 

That’s less than the $50 million they spent in 2023, but it’s still much more than a typical year before that.

 

Austin Energy Tree Trimming Costs

2024: $32 million

2023: $50 million

2022: $21 million

2021: $16 million

2020: $14 million

 

Austin signed a contract in 2020 where they planned to spend $85 million in five years to trim trees. But in the end, the total cost was actually $133 million.

 

 

Question 2: When can we expect those costs to start decreasing again?

 

It will take until 2028 to get tree trimming back on schedule. That’s what the city told us last year and they’ve repeated that to other news outlets more recently.

 

The industry standard is to trim trees every five years. Many major cities trim even more often. Los Angeles every year, Jacksonville every 2.5 years.

 

But some community groups disliked the way the frequent trimmings looked and pressured City Council to change its policy to every seven years instead back in 2006. And previous audits found that Austin Energy wasn’t even keeping up with the seven year cycle - it was closer to a 15-year cycle, which Austin Energy blamed on labor shortages and the city’s long contract approval process. 

 

When the trees get so overgrown like they are now, it takes more people, more time and more money to trim them. When we spoke to Austin Energy about it last year they told us it’s taking them twice as long as it should to trim each of these trees.

 

 

Question 3: Can you give us a broader view of Austin Energy’s spending?

 

In total Austin Energy spent $430 million paying outside vendors last year. That was more than any other city agency. $393 million in 2023 (but that included $20 mil to TxDOT, which isn’t exactly an outside company).

 

(Will break down largest expenses).

 

Transformers, Power Distribution	$           52,243,886
Software Maintenance/Support	$           44,084,839
Tree Trimming	$           31,770,078
Construction, Power Lines	$           24,149,339
Utility Powerline Overhead Transmission	$           20,019,419
Consulting Services	$           19,584,114
Construction Workers	$           18,357,476
Employment Agency/Search Firm Services	$           13,478,149

 

Search Firm category  is all for AppleOne employment agency. Connects employers with applicants (“talent”) who are vetted and interviewed by AppleOne.

 

Consulting for computer software, energy conservation, roofing, medical, power generation, communications.

 

Question 4: And what did Austin Energy spend on payroll last year?

 

We’ve already talked in the past about Bob Kahn. He’s the head of the agency making $480k, more than anyone else in the city.

 

But there’s 235 others on Austin Energy’s payroll who made more than Gov. Abbott last year ($153,750).

 

That’s because the agency is more bureaucratic than you might expect. It’s not just field workers on the payroll. There’s 7 vice presidents and 35 “directors” of divisions like Communications, Finance, Corporate Compliance.