With the retirement of City Council members Alison Alter and Leslie Pool, who served as the chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Council Audit & Finance Committee, as well as Council Member Mackenzie Kelly, who served on the committee, Mayor Kirk Watson has announced that he would like to serve as chair of that […]
Austin City Council
The Austin City Council is the body with legislative purview over the City of Austin. It offers policy direction, while the office of the City Manager implements administrative actions based on those policies. Until 2015, the body contained seven members, including the city’s Mayor, all elected at-large. In 2012, City of Austin residents voted to change that system and as of 2015, 10 members of the Council are elected based on geographic districts. The Mayor continues to be elected at-large.
Posted inCity Council
At citizens’ request, City Council reannexes land
Some property owners object to the rules and fees governing use of their land in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction and seek to escape from those rules. But their neighbors may not agree. City Council took action during their final meeting of 2024 to bring some property owners back into the city’s ETJ as they requested. […]
Posted inDevelopment
Density proponents encouraged by HOME six-month progress report
The city of Austin’s Development Services Department has released its six-month report on the early outcomes of the Home Options for Mobility and Equity (HOME) Phase 1 initiative. A memo released last month by José G. Roig, director of DSD, analyzed the early results of the initiative, which took effect in February 2024 and was […]
Posted inCity Council
Watson touts moves toward stability, predictability for city services in 2024
Mayor Kirk Watson returns to the word “stability” frequently when discussing the moves and decisions inside City Hall in 2024 and what residents want headed into 2025. For Watson, stability and predictability come in the form of things like the five-year contract the city reached with the Austin Police Association. There was also the hiring […]
Posted inCity Council
From deep dives to creative thinking, Alison Alter brought an innovative approach to her policy work
When Alison Alter came into office in 2017, her primary issues were parks, climate change and responsible growth. That was just a preview. Over the next eight years, the District 10 City Council member built an expansive policy portfolio that extended well beyond its initial focus. On a late afternoon in December, Alter reflected on […]
Posted inCity Council
Marc Duchen readies to take his place on the dais for District 10
After besting his only opponent in the Nov. 5 election, Marc Duchen is getting ready to take the City Council District 10 seat. He will succeed Council Member Alison Alter, who is retiring after two terms. Duchen represents a change in personality but has been in agreement with many of his predecessor’s ideas, particularly as […]
Posted inCity Council
Paige Ellis is feeling energized for Council collaboration on parks, climate and mobility in 2025
If Paige Ellis had to sum up City Council’s work this year in one word, she said she would choose “momentum.” Ellis, who represents Southwest Austin’s District 8, has served on Council through a series of challenges that were truly unprecedented – a pandemic, severe winter storms accompanied by sweeping power outages and contentious, generational […]
Posted inCity Council
Drawing on his last two years, Qadri hopes to expand his leadership on mobility
After a busy year, Zo Qadri has set his sights on taking on more mobility work in 2025. That seems an apt role for the City Council member who represents District 9, which covers Downtown, the University of Texas and much of Central Austin. When the mayor hands down new committee assignments – a decision […]
Posted inCity Council
Pool reflects on housing and environmental progress as she closes 10 years on Council
Leslie Pool faced something of a quandary nearly two years ago, when she considered running for the office of tax assessor-collector for Travis County. Knowing that her time as a City Council member would expire in 2024, she saw the county post as an opportunity to further extend her role in public and an opportunity […]
Posted inCity Council
Mike Siegel plans to balance ‘big goals and broad ambitions’ with pragmatism during his first year on Council
After winning a close runoff election on Dec. 15, incoming District 7 City Council Member Mike Siegel told the Austin Monitor he is feeling “tired, busy and excited.” Siegel, a former assistant city attorney and organizer with Ground Game Texas, beat out runoff opponent Gary Bledsoe by around 200 votes. The two were the top […]
Posted inCity Council
As she exits Council, Kelly sees police contract passage among highlights of 2024
While cleaning out the District 6 satellite office that was opened to give residents in Williamson County and far Northwest Austin easier access to their City Council member, outgoing D6 seat holder Mackenzie Kelly took time to reflect on her four years representing the district. “We are the furthest district from downtown, and we’re the […]
Posted inCity Council
From Round Rock’s school board to City Hall, District 6 newcomer Krista Laine gives conservatives a run for their money
If, in the days leading up to 2020, you had asked Krista Laine where she saw herself halfway through the decade, she likely would have told you she’d be back in the world of commercial real estate, where she’d made a name for herself as an appraiser handling land development projects across Central Texas. But […]