Austin City Council.

10 districts, 1 mayor.

Until 2014 every Austin council seat was elected citywide, which tended to over-represent the wealthier west side of town. Voters changed that in 2012 by approving Proposition 3, the “10-1” geographic-representation amendment to the city charter. Now every neighborhood in Austin has a council member who answers specifically to it.

Council members serve four-year terms, are limited to two consecutive terms, and are elected on officially nonpartisan ballots. Half the council stands for election every two years on a staggered schedule. The council meets at City Hall on Thursdays, typically at 10 AM, with public comment periods open to any Austin resident. Day-to-day city operations are run by a professional City Manager appointed by the council.

Mayor Pro Tem & Committee Chairs.

The Mayor Pro Tem is elected by colleagues each year to preside in the mayor’s absence. Standing committees do most of the early-stage work on legislation before it comes to the full council.

Committee leadership rotates and may change mid-cycle. The roles above reflect the current published committee structure on austintexas.gov; for the latest, see the official council site.

What the 2022 cycle cost.

City Clerk filings from the 2022 election cycle — the most recent full mayoral and council class — tell a story of rising campaign spending and uneven reporting compliance:

• The 34 candidates who sought any Austin office in 2022 collectively raised about $4.8 million, although the figure is understated because not every candidate filed the required reports.
• Mayor Kirk Watson alone accounted for more than 43% of that total, raising and spending roughly $1.95 million on his return campaign — a record for an Austin mayoral race.
• Predecessor Steve Adler had previously held the spending record at about $1.5 million from his 2014 campaign, in which he loaned his own committee more than $387,000.
• Three of the four officeholders whose terms ended at the close of 2022 left City Hall with personal campaign loans they never recouped: Adler ($444,000+), Kathie Tovo ($162,000), and Ann Kitchen ($36,000+). Pio Renteria left with no campaign debt.
• 17 of the 34 candidates — exactly half — failed to file their January 2023 campaign-finance report. Two were exempt under a $940 statutory threshold; the remaining fifteen were not.
• The 2023 council ended up with 6 women and 5 men, down from 7 women and 4 men in 2022.

Source: City Clerk campaign-finance filings; Texas Ethics Commission penalty schedule for late or unfiled reports tops out at $5,000 or three times the amount at issue, whichever is greater.