On April 14, Austin City Council is scheduled to deliberate over several issues, including transit priorities and public comment time limits.
A proposed resolution council will consider April 14 directs City Manager Marc Ott to make recommendations for a transit priority policy using input from Capital Metro, city boards and committees, and other stakeholders.
The policy would include goals for public transit, such as increased safety and capacity, criteria to determine which corridors should be considered for transit options and potential agreements with Capital Metro, according to the resolution.
"No single fix will address our mobility challenges, and we must consider and provide more options to create a better connected system of roads, transit, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in order to have more choices about how we can reliably get around," the resolution reads.
City Council will also discuss, but likely not vote on, changes to its public comment structure, such as when speakers may sign up to give testimony and how long they may be allowed to speak, Mayor Steve Adler said.
Council passed an ordinance April 7 that limited public comment time at City Council and committee meetings to 90 minutes per agenda item. The ordinance was passed on first reading only, with the expectation that it would be changed before proposed passage on the second and third readings.
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo suggested at an April 12 work session that the city shorten speaker time after the 20th speaker on a given issue.
District 6 Don Zimmerman said that if members of the public are limited in their comment time, city staff and council members should be limited as well.
"Let's put a timer on everybody," he said.