Austin City Council

Promises of change made by council members on the campaign trail last year are still trying to be fulfilled with items up for consideration during the April 2 Austin City Council meeting.

Mayor Steve Adler is asking for more staff that other council members have so far been reluctant to give him. He is also proposing a resolution that would direct City Manager Marc Ott to reduce the backlogof city development permits. Many businesses and developers have voiced concerns in the past about the permit backlog, claiming it increases project costs, hurts business owners by delaying openings and ultimately contributes to Austin's affordability issues. While the additional staff proposed for Adler’s office would not necessarily handle permit issues, he has said the new staffers would deal with big-picture items and find solutions for citywide issues like traffic, affordability and education. Adler originally asked for five new full-time staffers from the Mayor’s Better Austin Foundation that would have added no extra cost to taxpayers. Some council members worried about that effort creating an imbalance of power between the council and mayor's office, so a new proposal was drafted that would add five full-time positions to the mayor's office on the city’s dime. The Audit and Finance committee instead recommended that Adler receive two full-time staffers and place another staff member in each council office. City of Austin Deputy Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo said during the council's March 31 work session that there is enough money allocated this year to bring on new staffers under the committee’s recommendation without having to amend the fiscal year budget. Adler said he respectfully pushed back against the proposal to add only two staffers to his office. He said he would like to have at least three or four extra staffers because he originally requested five. Other April 2 agenda highlights: There are 38 agenda items, with 25 of those items on the consent agenda.