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. While the council is officially nonpartisan, all current council members are affiliated with the Democratic Party. District 7 council member Mike Siegel is associated with the Democratic Socialists of America.

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 to 1. The new setup was first implemented in advance of the 2014 elections, following a 2012 ballot initiative.

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. 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. At the start of each term, Council elects a Mayor Pro Tempore from its members, usually serving 1 to 2 years. While largely a symbolic title, the Mayor Pro Tempore is in charge of running meetings upon the absence of the mayor. The current Mayor Pro Tempore is Vanessa Fuentes, elected on January 6, 2025.

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 2022 and 2024. The council is officially nonpartisan; however, all current council members and the mayor are affiliated with the Democratic Party. District 7 council member Mike Siegel is associated with the Democratic Socialists of America. District Name Party (officially nonpartisan) Term start Location References Mayor Kirk Watson Democratic January 6, 2023 Citywide 1 Natasha Harper-Madison Democratic January 7, 2019 East Austin (North), Harris Branch, MLK 2 Vanessa Fuentes Democratic January 6, 2021 Southeast Austin, Airport, South End of Congress 3José Velásquez Democratic January 6, 2023 East Austin (South), Montopolis, St. Edwards/Elmo 4 Jose "Chito" Vela Democratic February 4, 2022 North Central Austin, Highland, Rundberg 5 Ryan Alter Democratic January 6, 2023 South Lamar, Menchaca, Westgate 6 Krista Laine Democratic January 6, 2025 Northwest Austin, Lakeline, Lake Travis 7 Mike Siegel Democratic Socialists of America January 6, 2025 North Austin, Burnet Road, The Domain 8 Paige Ellis Democratic January 7, 2019 Southwest Austin, Oak Hill, Circle C 9 Zohaib "Zo" Qadri Democratic January 6, 2023 Downtown, Central Austin, South Congress 10 Marc Duchen Democratic January 6, 2025 West Austin, Tarrytown, Northwest Hills

Notable past members

Emma Long (1948–1959, 1963–1969) The first woman elected to serve on the Austin city council. Emma Long Metropolitan Park was named in her honor. Hub Bechtol (1959) Greg Casar (D), U.S. Representative from the 35th District (2023–present) Sheryl Cole (D), State Representative from the 46th District (2019–present) Lee Cooke (R), Mayor of Austin (1988–1991) Jimmy Flannigan (D), Austin council member (2017–2021), first openly gay male city council member in Austin history Gustavo L. "Gus" Garcia (D), Mayor of Austin (2001–2003) Delia Garza (D), Travis County Attorney (2021–present) Jackie Goodman, Austin council member (1993-2005); Mayor Pro Tem (1998-2000) Ann Kitchen (D), State Representative from the 48th District (2001–2003) Ron Mullen, Mayor of Austin (1983–1985) Brigid Shea (D), Travis County Commissioner (2017–present) Randi Shade (D), Austin council member (2008–2011), first openly gay city council member in Austin history Homer Thornberry (D), U.S. Representative from the 10th District (1949–1963) John Treviño Jr. (D), Austin council member (1975–1988), first Mexican-American city council member in Austin history Ellen Troxclair (R), State Representative from the 19th District (2023–present)

Election results

2024

{| class="wikitable " style="; margin-right:1em; font-size:95%" |+ colspan="11" style="background-color:#EAECF0;margin-bottom:-1px;border:1px solid #aaa;padding:.2em .4em" | Austin City Council 2024 election summary |- ! colspan="2" style="width:230px"|Party (officially nonpartisan) ! style="width:30px"|Seats ! style="width:30px"|Gains ! style="width:30px"|Losses ! style="width:30px"|Net gain/loss

| style="color:inherit;background:" | | colspan="4" | Democratic Socialists of America gain from Democratic

2022

{| class="wikitable " style="; margin-right:1em; font-size:95%" |+ colspan="11" style="background-color:#EAECF0;margin-bottom:-1px;border:1px solid #aaa;padding:.2em .4em" | Austin City Council 2022 election summary |- ! colspan="2" style="width:230px"|Party (officially nonpartisan) ! style="width:30px"|Seats ! style="width:30px"|Gains ! style="width:30px"|Losses ! style="width:30px"|Net gain/loss

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. 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. Austin had its first mayoral election on January 13, 1840, in which citizens elected Edwin Waller to be the city's first mayor.

Districts District 1

The Austin City Council 1st district covers east Austin. The current councillor is Natasha Harper-Madison who has represented the district since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

+List of city councillors from District 1Assumed officeLeft officeDistrict 1Party affiliationJanuary 2015January 2019Ora HoustonDemocraticJanuary 2019IncumbentNatasha Harper-MadisonDemocratic

District 2 The Austin City Council 2nd district covers southeast Austin, including Dove Springs, Bluff Springs, and the Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

The current councillor is Vanessa Fuentes, who has represented the district since 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

On January 6, 2025, she was elected by council to serve as Mayor Pro Tempore for the duration of 2025. +List of city councillors from District 2Assumed officeLeft officeDistrict 2Party affiliationJanuary 2015January 2021Delia GarzaDemocraticJanuary 2021IncumbentVanessa FuentesDemocratic

District 3 The Austin City Council '3rd district covers east and south Austin.

The current councillor is Jose Velasquez, who has represented the district since 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. +List of city councillors from District 3Assumed officeLeft officeDistrict 3Party affiliationJanuary 2015January 2023Pio RenteriaDemocraticJanuary 2023IncumbentJose VelasquezDemocratic District 4 The Austin City Council 4th district covers north Austin.

In February 2022, Councillor Greg Casar resigned his seat to run for Congress.

The current councillor is Jose "Chito" Vela, who has represented the district since February 2022. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

On January 6, 2025, he was elected by council to serve as Mayor Pro Tempore for the duration of 2026. +List of city councillors from District 4Assumed officeLeft officeDistrict 4Party affiliationJanuary 2015February 4, 2022Greg CasarDemocratic Socialists of AmericaLeft in 2022February 4, 2022IncumbentJose "Chito" VelaDemocratic

District 5 The Austin City Council 5th district covers south Austin.

The current councillor is Ryan Alter, who has represented the district since 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party. +List of city councillors from District 5Assumed officeLeft officeDistrict 5Party affiliationJanuary 2015January 2023Ann KitchenDemocraticJanuary 2023IncumbentRyan AlterDemocratic

District 6 The Austin City Council 6th district covers northwest Austin including portions of the city within Williamson County.

The current councillor is Krista Laine, who has represented the district since January 6, 2025. She is a member of the Democratic Party. +List of city councillors from District 6Assumed officeLeft officeDistrict 6Party affiliationJanuary 2015January 2017Don ZimmermanRepublicanJanuary 2017January 2021Jimmy FlanniganDemocraticJanuary 2021January 2025Mackenzie KellyRepublicanJanuary 2025IncumbentKrista LaineDemocratic

District 7 The Austin City Council 7th district covers north Austin including Crestview, Allendale, and Shoal Creek.

The current councillor is Mike Siegel, who has represented the district since January 6, 2025. He is a member of the Democratic Party, as well as the Democratic Socialists of America. +List of city councillors from District 7Assumed officeLeft officeDistrict 7Partisan AffiliationJanuary 2015January 2025Leslie PoolDemocraticJanuary 2025IncumbentMike SiegelDemocratic Socialists of America

District 8 The Austin City Council 8th district covers southwest Austin, including Zilker Park, Barton Creek, and Oak Hill.

The current councillor is Paige Ellis, who has represented the district since 2019. She was re-elected in 2022 with over 60% of the vote. She is a member of the Democratic Party. +List of city councillors from District 8Assumed officeLeft officeDistrict 8Party affiliationJanuary 2015January 2019Ellen TroxclairRepublicanJanuary 2019IncumbentPaige EllisDemocratic

District 9 The Austin City Council 9th district covers central Austin, including Downtown, The University of Texas, Travis Heights, Hyde Park, and Mueller.

Austin City Council

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