With a new City Council term underway and several new faces on the council dais, Austin officials have updated their assignments for committees working on several priority topics.

The overview

Austin's council committees can hear public feedback, receive staff briefings, review information and propose policies in specific subject areas. Committees are typically filled by up to five council members, who can serve on multiple.

In those smaller groups, officials have occasionally forwarded policy proposals to the full council dais. Some members also signaled they hope the bodies can take more time to vet important items and allow for closer community review before making it to a final vote.

After some deliberation since the start of the year, officials finalized their 2025 committee spots and created new bodies to oversee areas of interest in late January.


The specifics

The Audit and Finance Committee is responsible for reviewing audits and investigations from the city auditor's office; Austin's many boards and commissions; and information related to bonds, taxes, budgeting and other financial issues. It now includes:
  • Mayor Kirk Watson, chair
  • District 5 council member Ryan Alter, vice chair
  • Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes
  • District 4 council member Chito Vela
  • District 10 council member Marc Duchen
Council voted Jan. 30 to create a new body replacing and expanding on the former Austin Water Oversight Committee. In addition to reviewing the city water utility, the new Climate, Water, Environment and Parks Committee will handle matters related to resilience and public open spaces. Membership includes:
  • Alter, chair
  • District 8 council member Paige Ellis, vice chair
  • District 7 council member Mike Siegel
  • Duchen
Officials also revived the dormant Economic Opportunity Committee to tackle economic and workforce development issues, including child care—a council and county priority. It includes:
  • District 9 council member Zo Qadri, chair
  • Fuentes, vice chair
  • District 3 council member José Velásquez
  • District 1 council member Natasha Harper-Madison
  • Siegel
The Housing and Planning Committee, which reviews land-use and civic planning, includes:
  • Harper-Madison, chair
  • Vela, vice chair
  • Siegel
  • Ellis
The Mobility Committee covers forms of transportation from public transit to air travel, and some land-use matters, now includes:
  • Ellis, chair
  • Qadri, vice chair
  • Harper-Madison
  • Vela
  • District 6 council member Krista Laine
The Public Health Committee has recently prioritized city homelessness strategy in its work, and also considers education, food access, social and animal services and more. It now includes:
  • Fuentes, chair
  • Duchen, vice chair
  • Qadri
  • Alter
  • Velásquez
The Public Safety Committee, which tackles police, fire and emergency medical services, the legal system, and city courts, includes:
  • Velásquez, chair
  • Laine, vice chair
  • Qadri
  • Watson
  • Duchen
The Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee is responsible for issues related to the city-owned electric utility and will be led by Vela and Siegel as chair and vice chair, respectively. It's a committee of the full council, meaning all other members are involved without specific assignments.