TipSheet: Austin City Council, 12.12.24

Today’s City Council meeting is the last of the year, which always makes for a packed agenda. This Thursday is no different, so there’s a lot we have our eye on. It’s also the last meeting for Council members Alison Alter, Leslie Pool and Mackenzie Kelly, who said goodbye in a ceremony on Tuesday.

The biggest item on today’s agenda is, without a doubt, the potential adoption of Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2035, which has already gone back to the drawing board once in the process. This time around, it’s expected to pass with a host of amendments from City Council members that were laid out at Tuesday’s work session. At the heart of the issues that people have with it is, as usual, the ongoing failure to shut down the Fayette Power Project and, newly, the prospect of new “peaker” plants that would come online during periods of extreme demand. We’re expecting those discussions to continue as well as the refinement of the many amendments from Council (many of which can be seen on the City Council Message Board).

Despite the worry of ballooning costs, Council will also vote on funding for the Interstate 35 cap-and-stitch program that is intended to mitigate the impact of expanding the highway through downtown.

Though it’s unlikely to garner as much discussion, Council is also set to approve a Tourism Public Improvement District, which would help raise much-needed money to combat homelessness.

Preparation for the expansion of the Convention Center continues to move forward as well, with the pending approval of $600 million for its redevelopment at today’s meeting. Council will also consider special rules for the project that will allow extended hours of construction with an end time of 9 p.m. every day, with extensions to 10:30 p.m. when needed. Accompanying these extra hours will be noise mitigation like truck backup alarms “that make a ‘swoosh’ noise instead of ‘beeping’.”

Council could also put into effect new rules that will require signs at archery and shooting facilities. The signs will inform the public about safe gun storage and national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotlines.

Among other homelessness items, Council will also vote on extending the operation of the Marshalling Yard through September 2025 at a cost of $6.75 million. The high cost and continued operation of the yard despite an original understanding that it would be temporary has been frustrating to some on the dais and, though this is exceedingly likely to be approved, we’re expecting questions about the funding and future plans.

Council Member Alison Alter has a resolution that seeks to expand trails and parks along the Colorado River, downstream from the Longhorn Dam.

With the MoPac South plan back on the table, Council Member Paige Ellis has a resolution that looks to align the city’s environmental and mobility plans with the project – and adding a park-and-ride while they are at it. Whether it will allay public concern about the project, which has been percolating for more than a decade, remains to be seen.

And, as we reported earlier this week, Council Member Ryan Alter is kicking off the process of revising the city’s many boards and commissions with his resolution.

Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison has a resolution that would extend professional development and continuing education to city employees, Council members and commissioners. (You can read the full resolution here.)

Council will also vote on the city’s state and federal legislative agendas at today’s meeting. The documents lay out the city’s priorities and focus, broken down by topic, and can be read here: state agenda, federal agenda.

The city announced Wednesday that the Elisabet Ney Museum will close this month for renovations, with an anticipated reopening in the summer of 2026. Council will vote on a $5 million contract to make that happen.

In terms of zoning, there’s usually a push to get things settled before the Christmas break. Today, we’re keeping an eye on the potential rezoning of a century-old building on East 12th Street that is now owned by Eureka Holdings. Though the company would like to see the building demolished, the Historic Landmark Commission is fighting for its preservation, with Preservation Austin joining the effort to get the word out of late. We’re also tuned in to a massive project for Anderson Square, the rezoning of the Manor Road Plaza, the rezoning of the Alpha Seventh Day Adventist Church in East Austin, the rezoning of Cherrywood Coffeehouse and all the PUDs and PDAs and DB90 cases that you throw at us. Speaking of PDAs, we’re also looking to see if Planned Development Area 2 (PDA) moves forward today.

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