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Solar Austin asks RMC to charter cross-department working group to slash permitting times; commissioners pledge two resolutions
Summary
Solar Austin told the Resource Management Commission that residential and commercial solar projects face average permit-to-completion times around 120 days because of data silos, inconsistent inspection and interdepartmental misalignment; the commission signaled support for forming a working group and drafting two resolutions to ask council and departments to participate.
Representatives from Solar Austin urged the Resource Management Commission on June 16 to form a short-term, outcome-focused working group to tackle permitting and interconnection delays that industry participants say average roughly 120 days from application to final inspection.
Stan Pipkin (Solar Austin board member) and David LeVac (Solar Austin program coordinator) described case studies in which small administrative errors (an omitted unit number or a data-entry mistake) delayed projects by weeks or months, and where multiple unstructured PDFs and disconnected software platforms require manual re-entry that introduces errors. "Time is the enemy," Pipkin said. "If it takes months to close an installation, that time becomes cost and friction for customers and contractors."
Solar Austin recommended a working group that would include commissioners, Austin Energy, ADS/Development Services (now ADS), Austin Water, the Electrical Utility Commission and industry representatives; it also urged two separate formal actions: (1) RMC to form an RMC working group to pursue outcome-based recommendations and (2) an RMC resolution asking council to direct relevant departments to participate in cross-department work.
Commissioners responded positively. Vice Chair Robbins and Commissioner Silverstein said they would co-sponsor resolutions and asked staff liaisons to schedule customer-energy-stakeholder conversation in an upcoming meeting. Commissioners discussed the mechanics: a working group can be formed with fewer than a quorum of members, invite staff to brief and participate, and ultimately bring its findings back to the RMC for formal recommendations to council.
Solar Austin highlighted specific technical steps: migrate from unstructured PDFs to structured data, use third-party permitting authority where state law allows to speed approvals, streamline inspection coordination to reduce multi-week inspection waits, and align electrical and development services requirements to avoid rework. Presenters and commissioners emphasized that the working group should be outcome-focused and time-bound so incremental fixes can be implemented quickly.
Next steps: Commissioners agreed to place the item on a future agenda, RMC members said they would draft and cosponsor two resolutions, and staff indicated that Customer Energy Solutions or ADS could be invited to present follow-up material at the next meeting.
