City Council

Thursday, February 5, 2026, 10 a.m. (Austin time), Austin City Hall

Video of the meeting

On the agenda

Roll-call votes

Documents

Transcript

0:06 You are watching a meeting of the Austin City Council with Mayor Kirk Watson, Mayor pro timm cheadle,

0:15 Vela, council members Natasha Harper Madison, Vanessa Fuentes, José velazquez, Ryan Alter, crystal lane, Mike Siegel, Paige Ellis, zoe

0:38 cadre, mark uchin, city attorney, deborah thomas, city clerk erica brady, and city manager, tc broad.

1:05 Not much more to say after that.

1:07 Right. Okay. Well, in that case, it's 10 o'clock in the morning on February 5th, 2026.

1:14 And, um, I'll call to order the Austin City Council meeting for this regular scheduled meeting of the

1:19 Austin City Council. We have a quorum of the City Council president.

1:22 In fact, everybody's present.

1:23 And, uh, we are meeting in the City Council chambers located in City Hall at 3 0 1 west second

1:30 street. Uh, folks, the way we're going to follow today is in just a few minutes, I'm gonna

1:36 read changes and corrections to our agenda into the record.

1:40 Uh, we will then go to our consent agenda members.

1:43 Uh, I don't have any items that have been pulled from the consent agenda unless they are withdrawn

1:48 items, and I'll talk about that in just a second.

1:50 When I read changes and corrections into the record, we will hear from our speakers on the consent

1:56 agenda. We will then go to the non-consent items.

1:59 Those include public hearings on items 48 and 49.

2:05 We will also at noon, uh, have our public communication, which is a time certain at noon, and

2:12 that will be followed by our live music.

2:14 What I anticipate will happen is that we will begin at noon.

2:18 That will finish at 1230 ish, and we will then recess until around one 10 or one 15,

2:26 depending upon where we are in the agenda itself, because the ne the next items are set for

2:32 a two o'clock time.

2:33 Certain, those are public hearings on items 50 and 51 and the two o'clock time certain on our

2:40 zoning items. So, unless there's, uh, questions from anybody, I will now read changes and corrections into the

2:48 record for Thursday, February 5th, 2026.

2:51 Item three is withdrawn.

2:53 Item 45 is withdrawn, and item 58 is withdrawn for members of the public that are here or

3:02 listening on listening and are waiting to, uh, provide public comment on any of those three items, items

3:10 3 45 and 58, because those items have been withdrawn, there will not be public comment on those items.

3:21 So if you're here for that, um, you just bought yourself some part of a new day, uh,

3:26 it's an, it is a pretty day.

3:27 So get out there, enjoy and enjoy it.

3:29 Same is true. If you're listening and we planning to speak remotely.

3:33 Items 3 45 and 58 are withdrawn members that will take us, unless there's, uh, questions or objection, take

3:41 us to our consent agenda.

3:44 Uh, and as I indicated, there's nothing been pulled.

3:47 I'm getting ready to ask the city clerk to, uh, help us walk through that.

3:53 And I, before I do that, I wanna just say, uh, for everybody within the sound of my

3:59 voice, we are very pleased.

4:01 I, I saw our city clerk, erica brady here just a second ago.

4:05 She's hiding behind the, okay.

4:07 Um, we all wanna say welcome back.

4:10 We are very happy to have, uh, our city clerk back.

4:14 And at the same time, I wanna say that stephanie hall has done a remarkable job.

4:18 Our deputy city clerk, uh, on a, on a, on a variety of things that she's been, she's

4:27 been outstanding on. And we wanna say thank you for that.

4:30 So with that, uh, let's see how good a job you do.

4:33 Calling out people's names.

4:35 Thank you, Mayor. On item one, we have bernard kaufman and enovia.

4:40 Joseph kaufman,

4:46 kaufman, or joseph, are you here?

4:48 Are you here? Okay, let's go on.

4:51 We'll now move to item two.

4:53 Xia joseph. Ms. Joseph, are you here?

4:58 Ms. Joseph? Okay. I don't believe she's here.

5:03 We'll, now move to item seven.

5:05 Jen robes and xia.

5:06 Joseph. Ms. Roba, ms. Joseph, oh, there's ms.

5:13 Roba, please come forward.

5:15 And by the way, for the re uh, for those of you all that are here and going

5:18 to give testimony, if an item is called, uh, what he, you can see what he's doing, he's

5:23 calling names. Please feel free just to come down when you hear your name called and take one

5:27 of these chairs and, uh, and then say your name for the record.

5:31 And ms. Robshaw, the floor is yours.

5:34 Good morning, Austin City Council.

5:36 I am jen robosho, a district two resident.

5:39 As an experienced customer service representative, I'm speaking on item seven, the proposed contract with creative consumer research

5:46 for customer satisfaction market research.

5:48 For Austin energy, this contract would pay up to $1.5 million over five years, 200,000 for the first year,

5:56 and then 300,000 per year if extended.

5:59 The goal is to run annual surveys and focus groups to help Austin energy improve service, billing and

6:04 energy programs. I believe this work should be brought in-house instead of outsourced.

6:09 This is a long-term ongoing need.

6:11 The contract is for five years, but customer feedback will be required for decades.

6:16 The budget could easily fund two or three full-time city employees, people who would build lasting skills right

6:22 here in Austin. In-house work gives us more control, faster improvements and better connection between staff and customers,

6:30 outsourcing ads, distance and coordination costs.

6:34 We already have a customer service team that talks to customers every day.

6:38 They can support an internal research and development team at much lower cost.

6:42 Austin has a huge local talent in research and data.

6:46 We should create good jobs here instead of sending money out of the city.

6:51 And the recent city managers report on ai challenges shows Austin energy already struggles to recruit and keep

6:57 talent outsourcing signals. There's no growth path for employees and works against protecting city jobs.

7:05 Please reconsider this contract in your options.

7:08 Approving a multimillion or multi-year one and a half million dollar contract would lock us into this large

7:15 expenditure and miss a real opportunity to build stronger internal capacity and invest in our own workforce.

7:22 Thank you for your time.

7:23 Thank you. Next on item 16, william herman

7:33 on item 17, william herman.

7:35 Mr. Herman, item 31, salvador esposa.

7:44 On item 36, andrew weinberg, diana phillips, martha newman.

7:54 On item 36, please state your name and begin speaking.

8:02 Uh, good morning, mr.

8:03 Mayor, members of the council, my name's andrew weinberg and, uh, thank you for the opportunity to come

8:08 on and speak with you about the roman vale proposal.

8:11 Item 36 on the council agenda.

8:14 Uh, I've lived in 2 0 3 east milton street since I, I hate to interrupt you, but you're pretty

8:18 soft spoken. Would you get me a little closer to that microphone?

8:21 Sure. Okay. Is that better?

8:22 That is better, thank you.

8:24 Thank you. Okay. Yeah.

8:25 Uh, I've lived in 2 0 3 east milton street since 1989, and my backyard adjoins the proposed development.

8:32 I'm here today to speak for myself and my neighbors who have signed the statement that we've entered

8:35 into the record and several of whom are here in attendance today.

8:39 While we applaud the city's efforts to increase affordable housing in Austin, we respectfully request that the council

8:45 reject the roe and veil application for the low income housing tax credits.

8:49 In this time, our concerns since are on three points.

8:53 First, the proposal is factual errors and lacks knowledge or understanding of the community.

8:58 It cites becker elementary instead of travis heights as the local elementary school.

9:03 Becker is closing next year shows the distance the twin oaks library is 2000 feet when it's over

9:08 4,200 feet. This tiny grocer on south congress is our neighborhood grocery store.

9:14 Tiny grocers closing too.

9:16 Representatives of the developer prevented plans to us that differ from the proposal submitted to the council.

9:23 The proposal submitted, so 75 affordable housing units, a plan provided to the neighborhood by an osda representative

9:29 has 71 units and a pre-k.

9:32 The story keeps changing.

9:34 Third, the proposed location on a two lane neighborhood street lacks the infrastructure to safely support such high

9:40 density development. All of the other projects on today's agenda for these tax credits face four lane streets

9:46 and have adjacent commercial property.

9:49 This project faces the two lane street and is surrounded by single family homes.

9:53 I've submitted to the record a set of google maps that demonstrate the differences between this project and

9:58 others proposed. Today, we recognize that additional housing density in the urban core is needed, but we submit

10:05 that the rowan veil development as proposed is not ready for your approval.

10:09 Thank you very much.

10:10 Thank you, sir. Ms. Phillips and diana phillips, I have donated my time to diana?

10:16 Yes. Is, is that, are you martha newman?

10:18 Yes. Okay. Diana phillips, we'll get four minutes.

10:20 Yeah. Four minutes. Ms. Phillips.

10:23 Thank you all. I'm diana phillips, my husband david.

10:27 Our daughter liz and I live on east milton street.

10:31 Our home of 46 years backs up to the project at a time when we feel helpless to

10:37 change what's happening on the national level.

10:39 We and our neighbors are here because we believe that as individuals and as a neighborhood, we can

10:45 have an impact on our community.

10:48 Our homes are not the mansions of judges hill.

10:51 They're hand-built homes of working in middle class Austin in the late 18 hundreds and early 20th century.

10:58 Front porches and narrow streets foster a thriving community.

11:02 We look out for each other, feed neighbors, pets, celebrate achievements and mourn the loss of friends.

11:11 Most houses don't have garages or driveways.

11:14 They were built before.

11:15 There were many cars south of the river.

11:17 We have permits to park in front of our homes on pay to park streets.

11:23 Traffic safeties are greater.

11:24 Our greatest concern, traffic volume and speeding are up as drivers seek shortcuts between downtown and 35.

11:32 Milton street is a city place.

11:34 Street barriers say local traffic only then a pickup heading a few blocks away.

11:39 Barrel passed a barrier and nearly killed two children.

11:44 We now use two barriers at each end of the street.

11:46 Effectively closing the street, the project adds parking for 90 cars with access on two lane annie street.

11:54 Fire trucks from the station a block away use any daily to respond to calls to the east.

12:01 The pre-k can add more than 70 trips per day on a side street.

12:05 Current plans include classrooms for three and four year olds that are not in the project before the

12:12 council. That's 40 to 60 students.

12:15 Only 10% would be residents.

12:17 According to the company's own data, a contracted private company would compete with the established pre-k at aisd,

12:25 travis heights elementary. That offers free and low cost tuition and spanish immersion.

12:33 This project is the exception that proves the rule.

12:38 It's not safe. Plans are unclear and changing.

12:42 It's not viable. There is no quick fix.

12:48 We ask the council not to consent to this project, come walk with us, come play with us.

12:55 Let's work together to create affordable living on any street that is safe and works for residents and

13:03 for the neighborhood alike.

13:05 Thank you all. Thank you.

13:08 Continuing on item 36, patricia harris.

13:12 James vincent.

13:22 Hello, my name is patricia harris.

13:26 I'm from 1711 drake, one block from the proposed construction.

13:31 The proposed 71 unit.

13:33 Rowan vale housing project is an incompatible addition to a neighborhood already beset with traffic, congestion and parking

13:40 limitations. Osda has offered inconsistent estimates of the amount of resident parking spaces.

13:47 Its building will contain as to as 40 total spaces or 1.3 spaces per unit.

13:54 Um, those are the two estimates.

13:56 Neither will sufficiently address actual demand for parking, which also includes apartment management, pre-k staff, residents, visitors, and

14:08 two vehicle households. Our streets are an inelastic resource.

14:13 We cannot make them longer or wider to meet new demand over that already required by existing homeowners,

14:20 employees of local businesses, tours and shoppers arriving in personal or rented vehicles, and the need of residents

14:28 lacking driveways to park in the street.

14:31 And that's not counting delivery trucks parked in traffic lanes, nor does it account for the inevitable obstruction

14:38 of bike and traffic lanes by queued vehicles awaiting staggered reception by the building's pre-k staff.

14:46 Your support for osda appears to be based on four factors, an available lot, a corporate purchaser, ample