Changes planned for City Council committees

Although most members of City Council, including all the newly elected ones, had earlier indicated they wanted to be part of the Audit & Finance Committee, that has changed. As previously announced, Mayor Kirk Watson will lead the committee. Council Member Ryan Alter will serve as vice chair. Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes and Council members Marc Duchen and Chito Vela will round out the group. All of this is according to a post on the City Council Message Board.

Council members Krista Laine and Mike Siegel, who both indicated they wanted to be on Audit & Finance in earlier posts, withdrew those requests. Laine will now plan to serve as vice chair of the Public Safety Committee and as a member of the Mobility Committee. Vela will take over as chair of the Austin Energy Committee, with Siegel as vice chair. All members serve on this committee.

Alter is slated to serve as chair of the new Climate, Water, Environment and Parks Committee. This committee replaces the Austin Water Oversight Committee and adds new subject matter. Also, Council is adding an Economic Opportunity Committee. Council Member Zo Qadri is expected to serve as chair, along with Council members Natasha Harper-Madison, José Velásquez and Siegel. Mayor Pro Tem Fuentes is listed as vice chair.

Council Member Paige Ellis will serve as chair of the Mobility Committee, with Qadri as vice chair and Council members Harper-Madison, Vela and Laine as members. Harper-Madison is still listed as chair of the Housing and Planning Committee and Vela as vice chair. However, no one else has signed up for it and the message board post indicates a need to discuss it.

Fuentes is slated to serve as chair of the Public Health Committee. Other members will include Council members Alter, Duchen, Qadri, and Velásquez. There are also a number of regional appointments up for consideration, including CAMPO and the joint Austin/AISD/Travis County committee. Laine has indicated that she wants to serve on that panel. Current members include Watson, Alter and Velásquez. All of these assignments are subject to change when Council meets to vote on next Thursday’s agenda.