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

Summary

The Austin City Council met on February 5, 2026, with all members present. Items 3, 45, and 58 were withdrawn. After public comment, the consent agenda was adopted with Council Member Duchen abstaining on item 47 and Council Member Alter voting no on item 57. Item 36 (support for the Rowan Vale low-income housing tax credit application) drew substantial neighbor opposition over parking, traffic, and plan inconsistencies; staff clarified the project proposes 75 total units, all income-restricted. Council approved a green social housing study (item 47), the Trust Act surveillance transparency resolution (item 61, co-sponsored by the Mayor Pro Tem), an economic incentive for a Korean life-sciences company in District 6 (item 57), and postponed a Red River zoning case (item 54) to March 26. Public hearings on items 48-51 were held with no speakers, and the zoning consent agenda (items 52-55) was adopted. The meeting adjourned at 2:09 pm following live music by Where Are The Bats.

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1:43 Uh, I don't have any items that have been pulled from the consent agenda unless they are withdrawn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