City Council

Thursday, September 24, 2026, 10 a.m. (Austin time), Austin City Hall

Video of the meeting

On the agenda

Roll-call votes

Summary

The council adopted its consent agenda, which included two lawsuit settlements ($300,000 and $112,000), social services contract extensions on items 48 through 59 with Mayor Watson shown voting no, and immigration legal services contracts. It also approved items 72 and 73, eminent domain items 74 through 78 (Council Member Qadri voted no on 74 through 77), and public hearing items 79, 80 and 82; item 81 was withdrawn, and item 99, adopted in the morning, was reconsidered and postponed to November 5, 2026. At the 2 p.m. zoning session, the council approved the Knuckles Crossing neighborhood plan amendment and rezoning (items 86 and 87) with Council Member Fuentes's amendments making multifamily a conditional use and directing staff to consider street impact fee funds and speed measures for the curve. After extended testimony from Circle C residents, the council approved item 83, an amendment to the Circle C development agreement for Tract 110, and item 92, the related rezoning, with Council Member Duchen abstaining on both. It also approved MF-6-CO zoning for the former Rosedale Elementary School site (item 93) as amended by Council Member Siegel to address the 49th Street and Burnet Road intersection, with Duchen voting no.

Transcript

0:07 You are watching a meeting of the Austin City Council with Mayor Kirk Watson, Mayor pro, tim cheadle,

0:16 Vela council members Natasha Harper Madison, Vanessa Fuentes, José velazquez, Ryan Alter, crystal lane, Mike Siegel, Paige Ellis, zoe

0:39 cadre, mark uchin, city attorney deborah thomas, city clerk erica brady, and city manager tc broad.

1:06 Good morning, everybody. It is 10 o'clock in the morning on September 24th, 2026, and I will call to order

1:12 the meeting of the Austin City Council.

1:16 Um, we are, uh, meeting in the City Council chambers located in City Hall at 3 0 1 west second

1:21 street in Austin, texas, and a quorum of the City Council is present.

1:26 Uh, the order for the day is that in a moment I'll read changes and corrections into the

1:30 record, uh, to make the official record of the changes and corrections.

1:35 We will then go to our consent agenda.

1:37 Uh, members, I don't have any items that have been pulled from the consent agenda other than in

1:41 the normal course, and I'll talk about that in just a second.

1:44 But if anybody has an item they wish to pull from the consent agenda, please let me know.

1:48 We will then take up non-consent items.

1:51 Uh, we have two items referred from council committees.

1:54 Item 72 and 73, we will take up imminent domain.

1:57 Those are items 74 through 78.

2:00 We have public hearings, item 79, 80, uh, 81, 82, and 99 for the record.

2:08 Item number 81 on our agenda, which is a public hearing, has been withdrawn.

2:14 Item number 81 has been withdrawn from the agenda, so I will not be calling that up as

2:20 an agenda item. If you are here or signed up to speak on item number 81, we will

2:25 not call it up.

2:26 It has been withdrawn.

2:28 Uh, also with regard to, um, uh, we, we have a public hearing on item number 83.

2:34 Item number 83 is related to a zoning case.

2:39 Item number 92. I will call up the public hearing on item number 83 during our two o'clock

2:47 time certain, which deals with zoning items.

2:50 For those that are not familiar with the system, two o'clock time certain, we deal with zoning items.

2:56 And those are items 84 through 93 on our agenda today.

2:59 But I will hold off calling up the public hearing on 83 until that time, certain, the way

3:05 I will do this is we will have the public hearing on item number 83.

3:08 We will close the public hearing, then we'll pull up item number 92.

3:13 We will hear from any speakers that have signed up on item number 92.

3:16 And then we will deal with the action items at noon or thereabouts, as close as I can

3:22 get to it. Uh, we will have our public communications.

3:25 We will recess, uh, around 12 30, 12 35 for live music.

3:30 And then, um, we'll take up what other items we haven't made it to at that point in

3:34 time, up to, and getting close to our two o'clock time certain, and around two o'clock, we'll take

3:39 up the time. Certain members is there, are there any questions with regard to the order of the

3:43 day? Okay. Then I will read changes and corrections into the record.

3:47 Item number 81, item number 81.

3:50 I've already said this out loud a couple of times, but I wanna read it officially into the

3:53 record. When public hearings are taken up, this item, item 81, will be withdrawn, meaning we will not

4:00 take, I take up the item.

4:03 Um, before we get started with the consent agenda, let me point out that, uh, in Austin we

4:09 sometimes talk about mbs and mbs, but today is tim b braze, timb, tim b's birthday, and I

4:17 wanna point that out.

4:18 We also celebrate timbs finally turned 21.

4:20 He finally turned 21, and, um, so we're, we're very excited for him.

4:24 I also wanna point out, because I I, I just get a kick outta the fact that this

4:27 is the case, is that on Monday the Mayor pro tim Council Member Harper Madison, and Council Member

4:34 Fuentes are gonna celebrate a birthday.

4:36 I get a kick outta the fact that all three of 'em celebrate on the same day.

4:38 So I actually feel a little left out.

4:41 I, but, but I'm trying to avoid birthdays at this point in my life, and so I'm not

4:44 gonna say anything more about that.

4:45 So, happy birthday to all of them as well.

4:48 Um, with that being said, we will go to the consent agenda and I'll turn to the city

4:52 clerk and ask the city clerk if you will help us work through this.

4:55 For those of you all that have signed up to speak, when she calls your name, and she'll

4:59 call your name in batches, please don't just sit there and, and wait for your name to be

5:03 called. Again, make your way down front and if there's a microphone available, take that microphone and we'll

5:08 call on you. We need you to state your name for the record, want to hear what you

5:12 have to say, but we wanna make sure that you're, everybody's moving forward so that we're efficient with

5:16 the people that are behind you that also want to speak.

5:19 With that being said, I'll turn it over to the clerk.

5:21 Thank you, Mayor. Starting with item one, I have ajit, gianni, jeffrey bowen, william bunch, and zenobia joseph.

5:30 If your name's been called, please come forward.

5:33 Hello, mr. Bowen. Hello, mr. Mayer.

5:36 How the hell are you?

5:37 Well, now that you're here, I'm really good, <laugh>.

5:41 Glad to see that, sir.

5:43 Yeah, you kinda messed me up on 83, so since I gotta be someplace at two o'clock.

5:47 So, uh, good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

5:50 Uh, mr. Mayor, City Council members, jeffrey bowen, district eight.

5:55 Good job. Thank you, sir.

5:57 I've been practicing. Um, I'm here today about item number one, and actually I really wanted to be

6:04 the first one outta the box this morning.

6:05 So, um, this is regarding this, um, loan that we're gonna basically be taken for $131 million.

6:13 So we're actually, looks like we're gonna be, um, and I'm gonna go back and repeat some of

6:19 my lines, which I know have been repeated before, even by some of the members up there.

6:23 Are, are we actually living within one's means?

6:26 And is this needs versus wants?

6:29 Because we have a history of spending on this council and past councils too.

6:36 Uh, just recently during the, uh, the last budget session, there was $4.7 million that, you know, came from

6:44 tca after some protest.

6:45 And it, it was amazing to see how fast the council members could jump on that $4.7 million.

6:52 I would've thought it was like roadkill on convict hill.

6:55 So, but my real issue with this is that are we using a credit card to pay for

7:00 these items and then borrow the money to pay off the credit card?

7:05 What is the total cost on this 131 million with the interest, and is that debt gonna be paid

7:13 down prior to us taking this money in 27 in August of 27?

7:19 So I'd really like to understand whether or not the debt is gonna be paid down before we

7:24 take on more debt and doing this, this is just basically a, a, from my perspective, we're robbing

7:31 peter to pay paul, and I would really like for us to be considerate when we start looking

7:37 at these things. I realize that the law allows us to do this, and I, and that's fine.

7:41 I get it, but I just have those questions that would like to be answered.

7:45 Thank you, sir, for your time, and, uh, you are getting old like me too.

7:50 Thank you mr. Bowen. I have a remote speaker for item one, catherine chamblee.

8:03 Good morning City Council Mayor.

8:05 Uh, thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

8:08 I just wanted to say briefly as to item one.

8:11 Um, the, the backup agenda shows a $3 million, um, uh, amount or budgeted amount for, uh, spending for

8:22 the Austin, excuse me, the animal services facility.

8:26 I just wanted to ask that the, um, that that specification be made that the, um, that $3 million

8:34 be spent specifically for the ser animal services facility located at 72 0 1 levander loop, Austin, texas 78 70 0 2, if

8:43 that can be added to that portion of the $3 million budgeted item, because of my fear is that

8:50 that $3 million will not go to our municipal animal shelter, but will instead be used in part for

8:58 other city property that isn't used by city animals.

9:02 In other words, it, it, it could be easily used for, uh, other city property that houses rescue

9:09 animal from other parts of the state.

9:11 I'm speaking specifically boston tuts alive.

9:14 Uh, so anyways, my, my request would be, um, and, and I do appreciate you considering this, but

9:19 adding the actual Austin animal services address, again, that being 72 1 0 1 la vander loop, Austin, texas 7 8 7 0 2 to

9:28 that budgeted item. So that with all transparency, uh, that that money be spent specifically on austin's animal

9:35 at the Austin animal services facility, because as we all know, it is badly in need of many

9:41 upgrades to include air conditioning, um, laundry facilities, uh, $3 million gives do so much for that facility, and

9:48 thank you so much for letting me speak today.

9:50 Bye-bye. Thank you for item four.

9:56 I have carlos leon, jeff richardson, and zenobia joseph.

10:06 Welcome, mr. Leon. Thanks, Mayor Watson soy carlos leon, first and foremost, gra for letting me speak to item

10:16 four, deploy integral care's behavioral health and outreach services to dollar tree at burnett and north loop, where

10:24 older black female employees continue harassing me with their abusive upside down.

10:30 Ask backward words and actions documented in my backup materials handed to city clerk brady for em's archive

10:38 last week, older black female store manager and her lacky, yolanda, again wrongly denied me service, justifying their

10:46 unjust discrimination by projecting their racism onto me falsely claiming I previously called yolanda black n word.

10:56 Their false accusation was not a little white lie, but a big black one.

11:01 And black lives matter because their attempt to create and disseminate disinformation to villainize me by portraying themselves

11:09 as oppressed victims when they are oppressive attackers reeks of kenyan obama and loser biden's fraudulent presidencies that

11:18 nearly took down our constitutional republic to never forget or allow ever again.

11:23 God willing, though dollar tree corporate apologized to me and claims to be conducting a full investigation boycott

11:31 that one store until the evil there is defeated and its works destroyed.

11:36 This is spiritual war for austin's soul.

11:39 Do not allow skin color to blind you from the truth or shield the guilty from being responsible

11:44 and lawfully held accountable for their despicable words and actions.

11:49 In one kings chapter three, verse 11, solomon asked god for understanding, to discern judgment, to know and

11:57 do right, not rationalize wrong in response.

12:02 God grants him wisdom and honor.

12:06 In jesus' name I pray, amen.

12:08 Thanks, Mayor Watson. Mr. Richardson, good morning everyone, and first off, happy birthday to half of you up here.

12:18 <Laugh>, nice to see you all.

12:20 Um, and again, my name's jeff richardson.

12:22 I'm the ceo of integral care, Austin, Austin and travis county's local mental health and intellectual and developmental

12:28 disabilities authority. I'm really, I'm, I'm here to strongly support item number four, and really want to thank

12:35 city management for helping craft this proposal.

12:39 As a city's nont taxing behavioral health governmental partner, we anticipate really tremendous benefit of consolidating 12 separate

12:47 contracts into one. We believe that the consolidation will better align the ecosystem of services and authority functions

12:55 that integral care provides on behalf of the city, and by doing so, will create much greater flexibility

13:02 and efficiency in reducing administrative burden on both integral care and the city side.

13:09 We've had similar arrangement with travis county for about two years and seen significant benefits to the county,

13:14 and really most importantly, to the folks that we serve, our vision is mental health and wellness for

13:20 everyone, and we really appreciate your support.

13:23 Thank you very much.

13:24 Have a good day.

13:25 Thank you. Appreciate it.

13:27 For item five, phillip fitzgerald and for item eight, phillip fitzgerald and william bunch.

13:45 Hi, good morning. Bill fitzgerald, district one.

13:48 So I wanted to talk about this item because I'm a big proponent of supporting local businesses, especially

13:54 in Austin. Um, I think, uh, competitions like this, this is for funding for a pitch competition at,

14:01 at ut. I think pitch competitions are an excellent way to get people together, small business owners or

14:06 or aspiring business owners, getting them together to, to talk about ideas and methods for, for how they

14:12 launched their business and how they get customers out.

14:14 So I'm a big promoting of that.