City Council

Thursday, October 8, 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 adopted its consent agenda, which included item 22 strengthening the construction training program and item 36 setting bond planning for 2028 and 2034, with Council Member Duchen shown voting no on item 2 and abstaining on item 13. The council adopted its proposed meeting calendar (item 17) with the July 27 budget meeting moved to Wednesday, July 28 at 9:00 am to allow a delegation to attend Saltillo's 450th anniversary, and discussed but did not decide a suggestion from Council Member Fuentes to push budget adoption back a week. Sitting as the Austin Housing Finance Corporation board, members held a public hearing and approved up to $33 million in multifamily housing revenue bonds for the rehabilitation of the 130-unit Elm Ridge Apartments and a $10 million increase (to $32 million) for the GO Repair home repair contracts; the council then adopted item 27 and authorized eminent domain for items 24 and 25. During general public communication, residents near 6200 Manchaca opposed the scale of a proposed city-initiated MF-4 rezoning and a speaker raised hydrilla management on Lake Austin. On the zoning consent agenda, items 28 through 31 were approved on all three readings after Lost Creek and Woods of Westlake residents spoke against the item 29 rezoning, and the council adopted Council Member Ellis's direction for the city manager to work with TxDOT and other agencies on traffic safety improvements along Loop 360.

Transcript

0:04 You are watching a meeting of the Austin City Council with Mayor Kirk Watson, Mayor pro timm cheadle,

0:14 Vela. Council members Natasha Harper Madison, Vanessa Fuentes, José velazquez, Ryan Alter, crystal lane, Mike Siegel, Paige Ellis, zoe

0:37 cadre, mark uchin, city attorney deborah thomas, city clerk erica brady and city manager tc broad kn

0:56 well, good morning everybody.

0:57 It's 10 o'clock in the morning.

0:59 Um, we are meeting in the Austin City Council chambers and I will call to order the October 8th, 2026

1:05 meeting of the Austin City Council.

1:07 We're meeting in the City Council chambers, as I indicated.

1:10 Uh, they're located in City Hall at 3 0 1 west second street, and we have a, um, quorum of

1:17 the Austin City Council present.

1:19 Uh, the order that will go in today is, is typical of what we typically do in a

1:24 moment. I'm gonna read changes and corrections into the record.

1:27 Uh, we will also, uh, then go to consent items.

1:31 We have one item that has been pulled, only one item's been pulled, and that's item number 17.

1:37 Um, and we will hear from speakers on the consent agenda members.

1:42 Then what we will do is we will go to the non, we will take up item number

1:45 17, which shouldn't take that long.

1:47 Um, it's, it's changing a date on our proposed calendar.

1:50 Then we will go to the non-consent items of imminent domain.

1:54 I will take up the Austin housing finance corporation.

1:57 We will recess the City Council meeting to call to order the board of managers meeting of the

2:02 Austin housing finance corporation.

2:04 We will take those items up before we take up the public hearing.

2:09 Item item number 27.

2:11 Then we will come back to item number 27.

2:13 Uh, but it, it, it, it needs to be taken up after we finish with a hfc items.

2:19 Um, my in, I'm anticipating that we will be finished before our 12 o'clock time certain, uh, we

2:28 will then come back for our 12 o'clock time certain and, and Austin music.

2:33 What I anticipate is that we will do is probably between the time that we've, uh, we have

2:38 finished the agenda items that aren't time certains, we will then go into an executive session, um, and

2:45 we will take up the executive session before we do the 12 o'clock time certain.

2:49 We'll come back in for that.

2:50 And then of course, we have our two o'clock time certain related to zoning and neighborhood planning.

2:55 Uh, unless there are any questions or comments by the council, we will, um, uh, I'll now read

3:01 changes and corrections into the record.

3:03 We have, uh, two things.

3:05 Item number 27, as I've indicated, the public hearing will be taken up after the Austin housing finance

3:11 corporation board of directors meeting.

3:13 And in addition to that, on item number 21, Council Member Siegel is removing his nominee to the

3:21 animal advisory commission from those recommendations.

3:26 So, uh, when we take, when I call for the motion on the consent agenda, it will not

3:33 include Council Member siegel's nominee to the animal advisory commission.

3:39 That will be, he is removing that item.

3:42 Those are the two changes or corrections to the record.

3:45 And again, unless there's questions or comments by counsel, we will now go to the consent agenda.

3:50 Remember, members only item number 17 has been pulled unless somebody else has something they want to do

3:55 right now and doesn't look like it.

3:58 So I'll turn to the city clerk and ask you to call on folks to speak with regard

4:02 to the consent agenda.

4:04 Thank you, Mayor. Beginning with in-person speakers on item two, enovia joseph.

4:10 Ms. Joseph, are you here, ms. Joseph?

4:16 Moving to item three, soia joseph.

4:20 Ms. Joseph, have you made it since item two, moving to item six, phillip fitzgerald.

4:32 Mr. Fitzgerald, I don't see al.

4:35 Also on item six, enovia joseph.

4:41 Moving to item seven, phillip fitzgerald,

4:50 also on item 10.

4:52 Phillip fitzgerald. Mr. Fitzgerald moving to item 19.

4:57 Carlos leon, here he comes.

5:01 No need to run.

5:04 You're all right. Don't need to have a heart attack.

5:08 Not a chance, Mayor.

5:09 Okay, good. <Laugh>. Oh, uh, city clerk.

5:17 The time is not showing.

5:32 Okay.

5:37 So carlos leon, first and foremost, gna for letting me speak against item 19 because a pl cannot

5:45 be trusted. August 6th, Mayor Watson and city attorney thomas approved proposition b for 35 million for the purpose of

5:54 designing, acquiring, constructing, expanding, renovating, rehabilitating, replacing, improving, upgrading, enhancing, and equipping library facilities with priority given to

6:06 the existing hampton at oak hill branch, and a new colony park library branch.

6:11 End quote. Yet, in apls September report, hannah terrell wrote, quote, Austin voters will consider a 2026 bond measure

6:23 that would fund a 20 million expansion, $20 million expansion of oak hill branch library and invest 15 million in phase

6:33 one for a future colony park library.

6:37 Because phase one is pre-construction only, a pl will almost certainly also push a 2028 bond to raise

6:45 property taxes yet again for more money to build and open that colony park library over and above

6:51 their $80 million budget, which they're not telling voters now yet, in luke 14 verses 28 through 30, jesus

7:00 warns us not to start a project like this without sufficient funds to finish it.

7:05 In fact, old quarry's library renovation phase two and three problems are why it's still closed more than

7:12 two years and three months later, and voters are only being asked to approve 35 million for library facilities

7:21 end quote, which could be anything anywhere, a bull crap bait and switch, thus yes to a colony

7:29 park library, but know to prop b the wrong way in time to do this, I'll explain how

7:35 to do this the right way and the right time during item 21.

7:39 Thanks, Mayor. Thank you, mr. Leon.

7:42 Awesome. On item number 19 x noia joseph.

7:47 Next item for 21.

7:49 Mr. Leon and zia joseph, well, I'll, I'll call you in order.

7:56 We start at 10 o'clock mm-hmm <affirmative>.

8:03 So carlos leon, first and foremost for letting me speak to item 21 at last month's library commission

8:11 meeting, future advocacy opportunities and development of a framework for commission engagement in the next year was a

8:19 discussed agenda item. Therefore, City Council, deploy them to colony park to conduct open meetings there with their

8:28 community members to hear what they want in a library, what they want it to look like, where

8:35 they want it to be, and what programs and services they want offered there to collaboratively design with

8:42 a pl staff, a prototype inside and out, unique to and welcome by colony park residence.

8:49 Those back and forth 2027 conversations should ground a detailed a pl proposal, justifying a 2028 bond measure

8:59 to fully fund phases one, two, and three to plan, build and open a colony park library branch

9:07 with phase one pre-construction, discussing project initiation and conceptual co conceptualization plans, plus feasibility studies, budgeting and cost

9:18 estimation, site selection and acquisition with zoning, environmental regulations, design and planning, including drawings, permitting and regulatory compliance,

9:29 risk assessment, mitigation, and contractor selection.

9:33 Phase two construction should explain site preparation to ensure that location will be ready for foundation and framing,

9:40 followed by structural work, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, interior finishes, as well as doing quality control and

9:47 inspections, and ensuring safety measures from start to finish.

9:52 Phase three, post-construction synopsis, synopsis should include final inspections and testing, punch list and corrections and post occupancy

10:01 evaluations. That's how you build trust with voters.

10:05 In jesus name I pray.

10:06 Amen. Thank you, Mayor Watson.

10:08 Thank you mr. Leone.

10:11 Moving to item 22, daniella silva and enovia joseph.

10:19 Item 23, enovia, joseph, oh, sorry.

10:32 Good morning, uh, Mayor and council.

10:34 My name is daniella siva.

10:35 I'm the Austin policy coordinator at workers' defense.

10:38 Um, I'm here to speak in support of item 22.

10:42 Um, I'm glad to see, uh, there's, um, efforts to increase the number of folks, um, who are

10:49 in department of labor, um, apprenticeship programs.

10:53 Um, if y'all aren't familiar with the better builder program, which came out of workers' defense, um, our

11:01 standards actually advocate for 30% of a labor force on any project being department of labor, um, apprentices.

11:07 So we are very pleased to see, um, that the city is moving in the direction of getting

11:12 even closer to that 30%, and I hope to see that percentage increase even more over time.

11:18 Thank you. Thank you.

11:22 Item 23, enovia joseph.

11:25 Item 32, madeline berger is monica guzman here?

11:31 She'll have time donated.

11:33 It'll be four minutes.

12:05 Okay. Hello, my name is madeline bruger and I am a resident of district nine.

12:10 I'm here to speak today on item 32 and the upcoming bond election.

12:15 Despite over four years of advocacy from residents in district four, which began in September, 2022 with Council Member

12:22 and Mayor Pro Tem Vela speaking at the bond advisory task force and park board meetings, it's disappointing

12:29 that both parks and rec and council did not add the gus garcia splash pad to the pard

12:34 bond priorities list. I'm here to demonstrate the effects of extreme heat and the need for investments in

12:39 additioning cooling infrastructures in district four, building on years of advocacy around extreme heat and rundberg and summer

12:46 2025. The thermal witnessing projects started as a community-based project in collaboration with go Austin vamos Austin, the

12:53 ut digital writing and research lab, and the ut city climate colab.

12:57 The mission of thermal witnessing is to bear witness to extreme heat through sensitizing instruments such as thermal

13:03 cameras. Over a period of time.

13:05 In this project, resident leaders residing in austin's eastern crescent collected field notes and thermal images of their

13:11 lived daily environments using thermal sensors.

13:14 Collectively, 15 resident leaders captured over a thousand thermal images, 105 field notes, and told over 30 hours

13:21 of stories about heat in their neighborhoods.

13:24 This past weekend, we put on an exhibition of the photographs in austin's first exhibition on extreme heat.

13:30 Since none of council, though everyone was invited, was able, uh, was invited to the exhibition, but none

13:35 of y'all were able to make it.

13:37 I thought that we could maybe bring the exhibition to you today.

13:40 You can click. This photo is of the bus stop near doby middle school off rundberg lane.

13:46 As you can see from the thermal photo, the bus stop cover measures 117 degrees surface temperature.

13:52 As one of the residents said, quote, I felt really, really bad and sad that we have this

13:57 beautiful, elegant bench, but can't use it.

13:59 It's extremely dangerous. It's made of metal, it gets so, so hot that it can cause serious burns.

14:05 The roof is useless.

14:06 If it were to rain, there would be no way to take shelter.

14:09 So these new beautiful bus stop benches with shade aren't really suitable for the community or the city.

14:14 Their design isn't well suited for taking a relaxing break when it's very hot click.

14:20 This photo was taken in a neighborhood near rundberg lane, as the resident who captured this image said,

14:25 quote, I took this photo while walking down a street lined with trees on both sides, and you

14:30 can see the difference in temperature.

14:32 As for everything else in this photo, we wanna emphasize that trees are essential.

14:36 Click. This last photo titled anger fury and violence on rundberg lane was taken at the northgate shopping

14:42 center on the corner of rundberg and lamar.

14:45 The asphalt in this image measures 140 degrees fahrenheit at 5:54 pm these photos are only the surface of

14:53 how extreme heat impacts residents living in district four.

14:56 Given this information and the lack of inclusion of the gus garcia splash pad, I asked for a

15:01 meeting with the parks and rec department director to account for why a splash pad and gus garcia

15:05 was not included in the pard bond.

15:07 I hope that you all learned a lot from looking at these images.

15:10 I'm happy to share more images in resident field notes with you, and I thank you all for

15:14 your time. Thank you.

15:18 Moving to item 34, enovia joseph, item 36, phillip fitzgerald and enovia joseph,

15:44 phil fitzgerald, district six.

15:45 So I'm, uh, against this six year bond cycle.

15:49 Uh, the reason being is because a lot of people in Austin, uh, and across our state in

15:53 general, are asking for, uh, faster changes in, in our cities.