Meetings

Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St., 947-2497, www.austintexas.gov/department/city-council

The council meets some Thursdays at 10 a.m. Check its website for meeting dates.

Terms and compensation

The mayor and council serve a staggered three-year term with six-year term limits. Compensation ranges from $62,795.20–$64,043.20 for most council members to $75,420.80 for the mayor.

TV Coverage

Meetings are televised live on cable Channel 6 and webcast live at www.austintexas.gov/department/channel-6

Big decisions made in 2011

• Downtown parking meters — The council approved charging for weekend parking and extending the weekday hours downtown in March, but in August, amid growing opposition, decided to scale back the hours to 8 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday and until 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.
• Working toward zero waste — By 2040, the city aims to divert 95 percent of its waste away from landfills, as proposed by the city's solid waste department, now known as Austin Resource Recovery. The council approved the 30-year plan Dec. 15.
• Local elections — An ordinance to move local elections in Austin from May to November, a move that would save taxpayers $500,000, failed with a 4-3 vote in September.
• No-kill status — The Austin Animal Shelter reported a 91 percent live-animal outcome rate for 2011, making Austin a no-kill city.

Top issues for 2012

• Redistricting — The City of Austin 2012 Charter Revision Committee is discussing the city's current at-large system to elect council members versus single-member districts with more equal representation. Voters could vote on amendments to the city's charter in November.
• Short-term rentals — After a year and-a-half of working on regulations to manage the operation of short-term rental properties, the city continues to work on research and community outreach to come to an ultimate decision on how the new policy should be developed. As of January, the city was undergoing an audit of its STR homes, and the Planning Commission was presented with its subcommittee's recommendation on how it should move forward.
• Bond election — City Council may ask voters to approve a $385 million to $725 million bond package in the November election to fund capital improvements, among other projects. Taxes may be raised in fiscal years 2014–16 depending on the size of the bond package.