The Austin City Council is the

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

legislature of the city of

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, 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 Kirk Preston Watson (born March 18, 1958) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the 59th mayor of Austin since 2023, previously holding the office as the 54th mayor from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United S ...

. The duty of the council is to decide the city budget, taxes, and various other ordinances. While the council is officially

nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...

, all current council members are affiliated with the Democratic Party. 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 10-1. The new setup was first implemented after the 2014 elections.

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 1-2 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

; however, all current council members and the mayor are affiliated with the Democratic Party.

Notable past members

Hub Bechtol Hubert Edwin "Hub" Bechtol (April 20, 1926 – October 22, 2004) was an American college and pro player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, the Texas Longhorns and the Baltimore Colts. Bechtol was born in Amarillo, Texas, grew up in west Texas and ...

(1959) *

Greg Casar Gregorio Eduardo Casar (born May 4, 1989) is an American politician who is the member for Texas's 35th congressional district in the United States Congress since 2023. He served as a member of the Austin City Council from the 4th district from 2 ...

(D), U.S. Representative from the 35th District (2023-present) *

Sheryl Cole Sheryl Nelson Cole (born August 16, 1964) is a Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives for House District 46, which is located within Travis County, Texas. Education Cole earned her Bachelor of Arts in accounting from Univer ...

(D), State Representative from the 46th District (2019-present) *

Lee Cooke Carlton Lee Cooke (born 1944) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 52nd mayor of Austin from 1988 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, Cooke was described by ''The Austin Chronicle'' as a "business-booster". Educa ...

(R), Mayor of Austin (1988-1991) * Jimmy Flannigan (D), Austin council member (2017-2021), first

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

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) *

Ann Kitchen Ann Elizabeth Kitchen (born December 15, 1954) is an American attorney and politician who served as a member of the Austin City Council from the 5th district from 2015 to 2023 and as a member of the Texas House of Representatives from 2001 to 200 ...

(D), State Representative from the 48th District (2001-2003) *

Ron Mullen Ron Mullen (born 1939) is an American politician who served as the 50th mayor of Austin from 1983 to 1985. He also served on Austin City Council from 1977 to 1983. He is an insurance broker. Mullen was married to Caroline Elizabeth King from Dec ...

, Mayor of Austin (1983-1985) * Brigid Shea (D), Travis County Commissioner (2017-present) * Randi Shade (D), Austin council member (2008-2011), first

city council member in Austin history *

Homer Thornberry William Homer Thornberry (January 9, 1909 – December 12, 1995) was an American politician and judge. He served as the United States representative from the 10th congressional district of Texas from 1949 to 1963. From 1963 to 1965 he was a j ...

(D), U.S. Representative from the 10th District (1949-1963) *

John Treviño Jr John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

. (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

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Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...

) gain from Democratic , -

2022

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History

The City of Austin was officially incorporated by the Fourth Congress of the

Republic of Texas The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...

on December 27, 1839. The city was established at the confluence of the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

and Shoal Creek, which was then the site of a small community known as

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

. 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 Edwin Leonard Waller (November 4, 1800 – January 3, 1881) was an American businessman, signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the first mayor of Austin, Texas, and the designer of its downtown grid plan. Texas independence He ...

to be the city's first mayor.

Districts

District 1

The Austin City Council 1st district covers east

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

. 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 1

{, class="wikitable" border="1" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 1 !Party Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2019 , Ora Houston , Democratic , - !January 2019 !Incumbent , Natasha Harper-Madison , Democratic

District 2

The Austin City Council 2nd district covers southeast

, 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 2

{, class="wikitable" border="1" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 2 !Party Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2021 , Delia Garza , Democratic , - !January 2021 !Incumbent , Vanessa Fuentes , Democratic

District 3

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

. 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 3

{, class="wikitable" border="1" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 3 !Party Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2023 , Pio Renteria , Democratic , - !January 2023 !Incumbent , Jose Velasquez , Democratic

District 4

The Austin City Council 4th district covers north

. In November 2021, Councillor Greg Casar resigned his seat to run for Congress. District 4 was vacant until a January 25, 2022 special election was held to fill the vacancy. 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 4

{, class="wikitable" border="1" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 4 !Party Affiliation , - !January 2015 !November 2021 ,

, Democratic (

^{Left in 2022}) , - !February 2022 !Incumbent , Jose "Chito" Vela , Democratic

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 5

{, class="wikitable" border="1" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 5 !Party Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2023 ,

, Democratic , - !January 2023 !Incumbent , Ryan Alter , Democratic

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 6

{, class="wikitable" border="1" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 6 !Party Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2017 , Don Zimmerman , Republican , - !January 2017 !January 2021 , Jimmy Flannigan , Democratic , - !January 2021 !January 2025 , Mackenzie Kelly , Republican , - !January 2025 !Incumbent , Krista Laine , Democratic

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

List of city councillors from District 7

{, class="wikitable" border="1" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 7 !Partisan Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2025 , Leslie Pool , Democratic , - !January 2025 !Incumbent , Mike Siegel , Democratic (

)

District 8

The Austin City Council 8th district covers southwest

, including

Zilker Park Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas, at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated t ...

Barton Creek Barton Creek is a tributary that feeds the Colorado River as it flows through the Texas Hill Country. The creek passes through some of the more scenic areas in Greater Austin, surrounded in many parts by a greenbelt of protected lands that ser ...

, 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 8

{, class="wikitable" border="1" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 8 !Party Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2019 , Ellen Troxclair , Republican , - !January 2019 !Incumbent , Paige Ellis , Democratic

District 9

The Austin City Council 9th district covers central Austin, including

Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

The University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

, Travis Heights, Hyde Park, and Mueller. The current councillor is Zohaib "Zo" Qadri, who has represented the district since 2023. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

List of city councillors from District 9

{, class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align:left" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 9 !Party Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2023 , Kathie Tovo , Democratic , - !January 2023 !Incumbent , Zohaib "Zo" Qadri , Democratic

District 10

The Austin City Council 10th district covers west Austin, including

Tarrytown Tarrytown is a village in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, approximately north of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and is served by a stop on th ...

, Bryker Woods, Northwest Hills, and River Place. The current councillor is Marc Duchen, who has represented the district since January 6, 2025. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

List of city councillors from District 10

{, class="wikitable" border="1" style="text-align:left" !Assumed Office !Left Office !District 9 !Partisan Affiliation , - !January 2015 !January 2017 , Sheri Gallo ,

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

, - !January 2017 !January 2025 , Alison Alter , Democratic , - !January 2025 !Incumbent , Marc Duchen , Democratic

References

External links

Council Meeting Information
{{Austin Government of Austin, Texas Texas city councils