The seven major policy areas that dominate the City Hall agenda and the questions Austin voters are most likely to be asked about — written plainly, without partisan framing.
Austin’s rapid growth has driven housing costs to historic levels. Land-use reform through CodeNEXT (later the HOME initiative) aims to increase density and allow more housing types on existing lots. Zoning reform, ADU expansion, and affordable-housing bond packages remain central to the council’s work.
Project Connect, approved by voters in 2020, is Austin’s $7.1 billion transit plan — light rail, expanded bus service, and new corridors. The I-35 Capital Express Central expansion through central Austin is one of the largest highway projects in Texas history and the source of long-running litigation.
Approach has been politically contentious. The 2021 passage of Proposition B reinstated the public-camping ban. The city’s HEAL initiative (Housing-focused Encampment Assistance Link) connects people experiencing homelessness with services and housing. Funding levels and outcomes are debated each budget cycle.
Major tech hub: Tesla’s Gigafactory, Samsung’s chip plant, Apple’s second-largest campus, thousands of startups. Managing growth, workforce-development pipelines, and the displacement pressure that follows high-wage employers are ongoing council priorities.
Central Texas is prone to multi-year drought. Austin’s water supply depends on the Highland Lakes system — Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan. Stage water restrictions, long-term supply planning, and the city’s Water Forward strategy are critical as population growth continues.
The Austin Police Department has faced multi-year staffing challenges, with officer counts well below authorized levels. Response times, training-academy capacity, civilian oversight, and contract negotiations between the city and the police union are active policy areas.
Austin’s identity as the “Live Music Capital of the World” faces pressure from rising rents, noise complaints, and venue closures. The city operates a Music Venue Preservation Fund and a dedicated Music Officer; debates over the appropriate scale of public support continue.