At a Real Estate Council of Austin forum Jan. 13, media representatives discussed the successes and challenges of Austin City Council.[/caption]During a Jan. 13 forum hosted by the Real Estate Council of Austin, area media representatives discussed the new 10-1 Austin City Council's successes, challenges and public perception.
In 2015, Austin City Council transitioned from a governing body of six at-large council members and one at-large mayor to a system of 10 geographically representative districts with an at-large mayor.
Panelists Joe Lanane of Community Impact Newspaper, Mike Kanin of the Austin Monitor, Andra Lim of the Austin American-Statesman and Mike Theis of the Austin Business Journal discussed how this change has and could affect council policies and priorities.
Based on their research and interaction with council members, panelists predicted topics that may emerge during the upcoming municipal election as well as housing and development issues they expect the new council to face.
Other topics discussed by panelists included:
- The community's response to the 10-1 system
- Any concerns about so-called ward politics
- Successes and challenges from the new committee system in 2015
- City council's management of its meeting agenda
- Land-use issues
- 2016 election outlook
