As Austin City Council navigates through its new committee structure and 10-1 system of representation, some elected officials are discussing ways to streamline the committee process and make more effective use of public input opportunities.

Council committees consider recommendations from city-appointed commissions and discuss specific policies in detail before recommending items for a vote of the full 11-member council.

Existing practice



  • Members of the public may attend committee meetings and provide input. The amount of public comment time is uncapped during committee meetings.

  • Members of the public may attend City Council meetings and provide input, with each speaker typically limited to 3 minutes. If the item has already been heard at the committee level, public comments are capped at 16 minutes on each side of the issue, with each speaker typically limited to 2 minutes.

  • Public comment period is uncapped on items not previously heard at the committee level.


Proposed changes


On Jan. 19, the Council Transition Work Group discussed recommendations by District 4 Council Member Greg Casar to standardize the amount of public comment at committees and council meetings. Options discussed include:

  • Set a standard 1-hour limit on public comments for an item at the committee level.

  • Set a limit of 2 hours of public comment for a council meeting item previously heard at committee


Differing opinions


Council members at the Council Transition Work Group differed in their opinions on whether it was more effective to gather the bulk of public input earlier in the process—during committee meetings—or at council meetings after issues have been narrowed down by committees.

District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo said she would prefer the bulk of public comment be heard at council meetings when the full council is present. District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool said she does not want to limit the amount of public comment time.

Mayor Steve Adler said the discussion on public comment caps is a difficult one with no easy answers.

“There’s no good choice here,” he said. “The good choice is to have unlimited public testimony at each stage of the process, and we can’t do that.”

The issue will be brought forward at a later City Council work session for the governing body to consider.