Austin City Council — January 2012

Courtesy City of Austin

Meetings

The council meets some Thursdays at 10 a.m., Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St., 947-2497, www.austintexas.gov/department/city-council

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

• 2012 general election date — City Council chose to retain its charter-mandated May 2012 general election instead of switching the date to November 2012 to capture cost efficiencies.
• Sanders Settlement — City Council approved a $750,000 settlement with the family of Nathaniel Sanders II. Sanders was fatally shot by an Austin police officer in 2009.
• Mothballing WTP4 — An Austin City Council resolution passed in July directed city staff to find the cost of delaying the 2014 completion of Water Treatment Plant 4 by either five or 10 years. Later, council deemed the cost too high for a delay to be feasible.
• F1 race endorsement — City Council endorsed a contract between Formula 1 event organizers to bring the United States Grand Prix to Austin beginning in 2012 and allowed F1 race officials to receive $250 million during the course of 10 years from the state's Major Events Trust Fund.

Top issues for 2012

• Geographic representation — City Council may ask voters to approve an amendment to the city charter that would establish geographic representation for City Council seats.
• Approval of Imagine Austin — In early to mid-2012, City Council will be asked to approve the Imagine Austin comprehensive plan that sets forth an outline for development and redevelopment. Approval will lead to a revision to the city's development code.
• 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.
• Plastic bag ban — City Council may ban plastic bags beginning in 2012 with a yearlong "education period," followed by a three-year phase-in, at which time bags would cost 25 cents, and a complete ban in 2016.