Council creates Regional Affordability Committee

In addition to the handful of items that City Council approved at its first official meeting, it also created a Regional Affordability Committee. Council Member Don Zimmerman voted against the committee, noting that all of the appointing entities would “benefit, in one way or another, from the increase in taxes.” Council Member Delia Garza, who sponsored the item that created the committee, said that she hoped to serve on the committee as a representative of taxpayers and was sure that other members would, too. The committee will consist of appointees from the Austin City Council, AISD, the Travis County Commissioners Court, the Austin Community College board of trustees, the Capital Metro board of directors, the Central Health board of directors, the Del Valle ISD, the Pflugerville ISD, the Williamson County Commissioners Court, the Round Rock ISD and the Leander ISD. The three Council members who will serve are Garza, Ann Kitchen and Ellen Troxclair.