Austin City Council

The Austin City Council is the unicameral legislature of the city of Austin, Texas, United States of America. The mayor is included as a member of the council and presides over all council meetings and ceremonies. The current mayor of Austin is Kirk Watson. The duty of the council is to decide the city budget, taxes, and various other ordinances.[1] While the council is officially nonpartisan,[2] all but one current council member are affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Austin City Council
Type
Type
Leadership
Mayor
Mayor Pro Tempore
Paige Ellis
Structure
Seats10-1
Political groups
officially nonpartisan

Majority

  •   Travis County Democratic Party (10)

Minority

Elections
Last election
December 15, 2022 (runoff)
Meeting place
Austin City Hall
Website
Council Meeting Information

Before 2012, the council was composed of six at-large elected members and the mayor, and members could only serve three terms (nine years) on the council. However, in 2012 the citizens of Austin approved two propositions that established ten single-member districts within the city and assigned council and mayoral seats staggered four-year terms, with members limited to two terms. However, the mayor remains as the 11th member on the council, an arrangement known as 10-1. The new setup was first implemented after the 2014 elections.[1]

Duties

The duty of the Austin City Council is to oversee and decide on the city budget, local taxes, amendment of laws, and creation of ordinances and policies. The council members meet every Thursday.[1] There are several boards and commissions that are composed of non-elected appointed citizens to give advice and recommendations to council members. These board generally review, debate, and comment on recommendations for the council.[3][1]

Members

Members of the council are elected to 4 years terms and can serve a maximum of 2 terms. The current council was elected in 2018.[1] The council is officially nonpartisan; however, all but one current council members and the mayor are affiliated with the Democratic Party.

DistrictNameParty (officially nonpartisan)Term startLocation[4]References
MayorKirk WatsonDemocraticJanuary 6, 2023Citywide[5][1]
1Natasha Harper-MadisonDemocraticJanuary 7, 2019East Austin (North), Harris Branch, MLK[6][5]
2Vanessa FuentesDemocraticJanuary 6, 2021Southeast Austin, Airport, South End of Congress[7]
3José VelásquezDemocraticJanuary 6, 2023East Austin (South), Montopolis, St. Edwards/Elmo[8][5]
4Jose "Chito" VelaDemocraticFebruary 4, 2022North Central Austin, Highland, Rundberg[9][5]
5Ryan AlterDemocraticJanuary 6, 2023South Lamar, Menchaca, Westgate[10][5]
6Mackenzie KellyRepublicanJanuary 6, 2021Northwest Austin, Lakeline, Lake Travis[11][5]
7Leslie PoolDemocraticJanuary 6, 2015North Austin, Burnet Road, The Domain[12][5]
8Paige EllisDemocraticJanuary 7, 2019Southwest Austin, Oak Hill, Circle C[13][5]
9Zohaib "Zo" QadriDemocraticJanuary 6, 2023Downtown, Central Austin, South Congress[14][5]
10Alison AlterDemocraticJanuary 6, 2017West Austin, Tarrytown, Northwest Hills[15][5]

History

The city of Austin was officially incorporated by the Fourth Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 27, 1839. The city was established at the confluence of the Colorado River and Shoal Creek, which was then the site of a small community known as Waterloo. The city was founded to act as the capital of the Republic of Texas and was named in honor of Stephen F. Austin, the so-called Founder of Texas.[16] The governmental structure established by the original Austin charter called for "one mayor, and eight Aldermen", with the mayor being elected city-wide, and each Alderman representing one of the city's eight wards.[17] Austin had its first mayoral election on January 13, 1840, in which citizens elected Edwin Waller to be the city's first mayor.[18]

References
  1. "Austin, Texas". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  2. "Austin City Council signals progressive unity with Ruth Bader Ginsburg accessories". KXAN.com. December 18, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  3. "Boards and Commissions | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin". www.austintexas.gov. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  4. "Geocortex Viewer for HTML5".
  5. "Terms of Office | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin". www.austintexas.gov. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  6. "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Natasha Harper-Madison". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  7. "About | VANESSA FUENTES FOR AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL". Vanessa for Austin. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  8. "District 3 Council Member | Statesman Votetracker". City of Austin. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  9. "Jose Vela". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  10. Smith, Amy. "District 5 Council Member". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  11. "Mackenzie Kelly". Ballotpedia. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  12. "Leslie Pool". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  13. "Paige Ellis represents sharp political shift for Southwest Austin's District 8". Austin Monitor. December 28, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  14. "About Council Member Zohaib Zo Qadri". City of Austin. May 30, 2011. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  15. "Alison Alter". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  16. "When was Austin founded?". The Austin Public Library. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  17. "City of Austin Resource Guide" (PDF). Austin Public Library. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  18. "Edwin Waller". Texas State Cemetery. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
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