Council members also finalized their assignments for city committees and other intergovernmental bodies in Central Texas. Officials will next meet Feb. 7 for a work session and Feb. 9 for a voting session.
Child care policy approved
Council's first policy direction of the new year, approved in a unanimous vote, is aimed at simplifying the development process for new child care centers.
Proposed by District 2 Council Member Vanessa Fuentes, the measure kicks off a code amendment process she said would help child care operators seeking to build or expand a facility. The action could also lead to the creation of a new grant program to support such facilities.
“I firmly believe that everyone in Austin, every single neighborhood, should have access to high-quality child care, that it should be accessible and affordable, and this policy really is rooted in that," she said.
The item received support across the council dais and passed after a handful of amendments from members.
District 6 Council Member Mackenzie Kelly added a focus on child care services for public safety professionals; District 4 Council Member Chito Vela brought an edit to remove parking requirements at child care facilities; and District 3 Council Member José Velásquez requested a focus on equitable distribution of city dollars through the potential grant program.
“We’ve had this discussion before about affordability that child care, it’s one of the primary cost barriers that people experience. And I really appreciate that we’re starting 2023 out recognizing that removing barriers for essential elements for our constituents requires us being bold and innovative," said District 1 Council Member Harper-Madison, a co-sponsor on the item.
Committees in place
With new members on board, City Council also updated its committee assignments Jan. 26. After some juggling—those interested in joining the Housing and Planning Committee had to draw lots for membership—roles on the subject-specific groups are set.
The previous council used its committees mainly to receive updates and briefings from city staff on relevant topics. During a Jan. 24 discussion, members signaled some interest in potentially making committees more policy-focused to deliberate over officials' proposals ahead of consideration by the full council.
Mayor Kirk Watson said a final decision on committee practices and other aspects of council business could come during a member retreat as soon as February.
“It’s a question of, ‘Can we make things work better for the people we serve?’ And my hope is that this council, as energetic as it is, is willing to experiment with some things because it’s OK if we experiment with something and then ... it doesn’t work; well, we can declare it doesn’t work and try something else,” he said,
In addition to the various intergovernmental roles, new city committee assignments include:
Audit and Finance Committee
- District 10 Council Member Alison Alter, chair
- District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool, vice chair
- Fuentes
- Kelly
- District 5 Council Member Ryan Alter
- Pool, chair
- Kelly, vice chair
- Pool, chair
- Ryan Alter, vice chair
- Alison Alter
- Velásquez
- Fuentes, chair
- Velásquez, vice chair
- Kelly
- District 9 Council Member Zo Qadri
- Watson
- Harper-Madison, chair
- Ryan Alter, vice chair
- Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis
- Qadri
- Velásquez
- Ellis, chair
- Qadri, vice chair
- Fuentes
- Harper-Madison
- Kelly
- Watson, chair
- Kelly, vice chair
- Vela, vice chair
- Harper-Madison
- Qadri
