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• Item 1 · Full record No final action

  Source information changed after this summary was written. The earlier summary is withheld.

  Current official agenda wording

  Presentation and discussion of the City Manager’s Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Proposed Budget.

  "presentation and discussion of the city manager's fiscal year 2026 2027 proposed budget" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Budget director Kerri Lang presented an updated certification adding $4.7 million in new general fund property tax revenue
  • Chief Davis discussed a proposed internal telephone crime reporting unit that could save ~$2 million
  • Extended discussion of APD's $549M budget and the $24-25M increase described as largely contractual
• Item 2 · Full record Passed 11-0

  Source information changed after this summary was written. The earlier summary is withheld.

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve a resolution adopting a maximum proposed property (ad valorem) tax rate that will include an increase for the operations and maintenance of the City for Fiscal Year 2026-2027; and setting a public hearing to receive and consider public comment on the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 property (ad valorem) tax rate (Suggested date, time, and location: August 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., Austin City Hall, 301 West Second Street, Austin, Texas). Funding: This item has no fiscal impact as it is not the final action to set the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 tax rate.

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Roll call vote required by state law
  • Ben Sotheby urged setting the rate at the voter-approval ceiling; Jeff Dickerson urged rejecting the increase
  • Harper-Madison and Fuentes later added as voting in favor
• 3 No vote recorded

  In plain language — from agenda source text

  This item bundles a slate of proposed changes to Austin's city charter for voters to decide in a November 3, 2026, special election. The changes touch a lot of how City Hall runs: reworking rules for the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, dropping the requirement that Council meet weekly, shifting how the City Attorney is appointed and removed to the Council, raising the signature threshold to recall a Council Member (other than the Mayor) from 10% to 15% of a district's qualified voters, and requiring an independent affordability and efficiency review before any tax rate increase. It also covers campaign finance timing and limits, initiative and petition election dates, accounting practices, City Auditor staffing, and cleanup of outdated or superseded charter language.

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: A) clarifying that the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is independent of Council control, allowing the ICRC to review City districts after changes to the City’s boundary lines, providing an effective date for the redistricting plan adopted by the ICRC, increasing the number of individuals in the pool of potential appointees to the ICRC, clarifying the method and timing of filling vacancies on the ICRC, and allowing City staff to communicate with the ICRC outside of a meeting; B) deleting language providing that the Council shall meet at least once each week; C) deleting language requiring the Council to determine its rules and order of business by ordinance; D) clarifying the meaning of the term “election” and to provide that the campaign contribution and expenditure limits shall be modified each year by January 1st instead of with the adoption of the budget; E) providing that initiative elections and petitioned charter amendment elections must be held on the next available November election date that occurs in an even-numbered year and that allows sufficient time to comply with other requirements of law; F) providing that a petition for an election to recall a Council Member other than the Mayor must contain valid signatures of at least 15% of the qualified voters of the respective Council district, instead of the current 10%, and clarifying that the affidavit on the recall petition must be signed by a petition circulator; G) providing that the Council appoints and removes the City Attorney; H) making the time frame for the automatic resignation provision for municipal court judges the same as that provided in the Texas Constitution for other officials; I) ensure that City financial practices are consistent with generally accepted accounting principles, reflect current practices for appropriations for department-level work programs; J) removing appointees and employees of the office of the City Auditor from the classified civil service; K) making non-substantive corrections of typographical errors, punctuation, and sentence structure, and to change or remove language that is moot or unenforceable because it has been superseded by state law or by a final court order; L) removing the restriction that officeholders must wait until after leaving office to solicit and accept political contributions to pay unpaid campaign expenses or to reimburse campaign expenditures made from personal funds and to impose contribution limits on such officeholders; M) requiring an independent affordability and efficiency initiative before any tax rate increase and requiring the independent contractor to identify annual and multi-year savings; N) any other charter amendments proposed by the City Council or the public.

• Item 4 · Full record Passed 11-0

  Source information changed after this summary was written. The earlier summary is withheld.

  Current official agenda wording

  Authorize a contract for a comprehensive efficiency study of City departments for Austin City Auditor’s Office with Public Works LLC, for an initial term of three years with up to two 1-year extension options in an amount not to exceed $5,230,000. Funding: $200,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Operating Budget of the Office of the City Auditor. Funding for the contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets.

  "item number four is unanimously adopted" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Mayor questioned Public Works LLC on independence and alleged Texas tax delinquency; Eric Schnur said they had actually overpaid
  • Auditor recommended Public Works with Dr. Marc Funkhouser as project manager, projecting potential $75M+ annual savings
  • Zenobia Joseph opposed the $5.2M contract, arguing prior audits already flagged the issues
• Item 5 · Full record Postponed 10-0

  Source information changed after this summary was written. The earlier summary is withheld.

  Current official agenda wording

  Conduct a public hearing and take possible action on the proposed City of Austin Budget for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 beginning on October 1, 2026, and ending on September 30, 2027.

  "we will take action by having a vote to postpone the budget adoption until the August 12th meeting" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Public hearing recessed after Antonio Williams's family and protesters disrupted the chamber over his police killing
  • Extensive testimony urged keeping the APD budget flat and restoring social service cuts; AFSCME sought a progressive COLA
  • Farmshare, Safe Alliance, and Harvest Trauma Recovery Center speakers pleaded against social-service reductions
• Item 3A · Full record Passed 9-0

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: A) clarifying that the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is independent of Council control, allowing the ICRC to review City districts after changes to the City’s boundary lines, providing an effective date for the redistricting plan adopted by the ICRC, increasing the number of individuals in the pool of potential appointees to the ICRC, clarifying the method and timing of filling vacancies on the ICRC, and allowing City staff to communicate with the ICRC outside of a meeting;

  "item three a, as amended, is adopted with council members, harper-madison and Fuentes temporarily off the dais" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Council member Alter's amendment clarified language so students aren't excluded from the ICRC
  • Alter thanked resident Jack for calling attention to the student exclusion issue
• Item 3B · Full record Passed 6-4

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: B) deleting language providing that the Council shall meet at least once each week;

  "There being six votes in favor, four votes in opposition ... Item three B is approved" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Mayor noted the charter already requires weekly meetings not practiced; Siegel argued canceled-meeting workaround suffices
  • Siegel and Alter foreshadowed voting no to limit number of ballot amendments
• Item 3C · Full record Passed 7-3

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: C) deleting language requiring the Council to determine its rules and order of business by ordinance;

  "there being seven in favor, three in opposition and one councilmember, Fuentes off the dais. The motion to adopt item three C is approved" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Mayor pro tem vela argued this aligns council with other governing bodies that set rules internally
• Item 3D · Full record Passed 7-3

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: D) clarifying the meaning of the term “election” and to provide that the campaign contribution and expenditure limits shall be modified each year by January 1st instead of with the adoption of the budget;

  "There being seven in favor and three in opposition ... Item three D is adopted" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • The three in opposition were alter, Laine and qadri
• Item 3E · Full record Passed 8-2

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: E) providing that initiative elections and petitioned charter amendment elections must be held on the next available November election date that occurs in an even-numbered year and that allows sufficient time to comply with other requirements of law;

  "there being eight in favor, two in opposition and one abstaining. Item three E is adopted" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Robin Schneider opposed, citing the SOS petition and delayed accountability
  • A UT student speaker explained the trade-off between long federal-election ballots and low-turnout May elections
  • Fuentes abstained; Watson, alter and duchen opposed
• Item 3F · Full record Failed 4-7

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: F) providing that a petition for an election to recall a Council Member other than the Mayor must contain valid signatures of at least 15% of the qualified voters of the respective Council district, instead of the current 10%, and clarifying that the affidavit on the recall petition must be signed by a petition circulator;

  "The motion to adopt item three F fails and item three F will not be on the ballot" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Watson amendment restored the recall threshold from 15% back to 10% (passed 10-1)
  • Harper-Madison opposed, warning low-turnout districts could target Black council members
  • After amendment, several members who had opposed the 15% now voted against the item entirely
• Item 3G · Full record Passed 8-2

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: G) providing that the Council appoints and removes the City Attorney;

  "there being eight in favor. Two in opposition. Mayor Watson and councilmember zo qadri and councilmember Siegel abstaining. The motion to approve item three G is adopted" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • No public speakers signed up on this item
• Item 3H · Full record Failed 0-11

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: H) making the time frame for the automatic resignation provision for municipal court judges the same as that provided in the Texas Constitution for other officials;

  "Item three H fails. And ... the record will reflect that it failed unanimously" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Council member Ellis, who made the motion, asked to withdraw it but was told it belonged to the whole council
  • Vela said he agreed in substance but wanted fewer ballot amendments
• Item 3I · Full record Failed 1-10

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: I) ensure that City financial practices are consistent with generally accepted accounting principles, reflect current practices for appropriations for department-level work programs;

  "there being one vote in favor, councilmember duchen and ten in opposition item three I fails" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Only Duchen supported the accounting-practices amendment
• Item 3J · Full record Failed

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: J) removing appointees and employees of the office of the City Auditor from the classified civil service;

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • No motion was made to place the item on the ballot
• Item 3K · Full record Passed 9-2

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: K) making non-substantive corrections of typographical errors, punctuation, and sentence structure, and to change or remove language that is moot or unenforceable because it has been superseded by state law or by a final court order;

  "item three K is adopted with those two being shown voting no" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • Siegel and qadri voted no on the non-substantive corrections item
• Item 3L · Full record Failed

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: L) removing the restriction that officeholders must wait until after leaving office to solicit and accept political contributions to pay unpaid campaign expenses or to reimburse campaign expenditures made from personal funds and to impose contribution limits on such officeholders;

  "Item three L is does not have a second. So it will not be on the ballot" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • No motion or second was made; Jeff Dickerson still spoke against removing the officeholder contribution restriction
• Item 3M · Full record Passed 11-0

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: M) requiring an independent affordability and efficiency initiative before any tax rate increase and requiring the independent contractor to identify annual and multi-year savings;

  "item M is adopted. And will be will appear on the ballot" — meeting transcript (unofficial)

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • This item came from a certified citizen petition, requiring it be placed on the ballot
  • Speaker Philip Fitzgerald urged passage focused on performance and finding overlaps
• Item 3N · Full record Failed

  Current official agenda wording

  Approve the following items for inclusion in a November 3, 2026, special charter amendment election: N) any other charter amendments proposed by the City Council or the public.

  Attributed transcript statements, not official agenda values.

  • No council member or member of the public brought forward additional proposals