Austin City Council Updates Meeting Rules to Enhance Public Engagement
Austin, Texas – In an effort to boost public engagement and improve transparency, the Austin City Council has made significant changes to its meeting rules. These updated regulations were approved during a meeting on Thursday, just a few months after a Travis County judge ruled that the city had violated the Texas Open Meeting Act by not providing residents with adequate time to voice their concerns during public comment periods.
The judge’s decision, rendered in May, was upheld in July, leading city officials to reconsider how they conduct their meetings. City Manager T.C. Broadnax along with staff members presented new rules to the Council aimed at providing a “new way forward for conducting city business in an efficient and transparent manner while also allowing for meaningful and deliberate public participation,” according to a memo sent on September 20.
New Speaking Regulations and Work Session Engagement
Under the new rules, residents will now have at least two minutes to speak per item on the agenda during City Council meetings. This marks a departure from previous practices, which allowed citizens a total of two minutes to address all agenda items collectively, regardless of how many issues they wanted to discuss.
Additionally, for the first time, residents will be allowed to speak during Council work sessions. These work sessions typically occur the Tuesday before a Council meeting and serve as an opportunity for staff to provide briefings and for Council members to discuss items in greater depth before casting votes.
Previously, public input was not permitted during these non-voting sessions. This limitation drew criticism from groups such as Save Our Springs Alliance (SOS), which argued that restricting comments during work sessions violated the Texas Open Meetings Act.
Community Feedback on Changes
In April, SOS filed a lawsuit against Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and the City Council for limiting public speaking opportunities, raising concerns about transparency and engagement. SOS Executive Director Bill Bunch welcomed the recent changes but emphasized that there is still more work to be done to ensure that all community voices are heard.
Bunch pointed out that if a resident comes to speak about an agenda item that gets postponed, they are only allowed to comment on the postponement itself, missing the chance to provide feedback on the original matter. “It’s bad policy. If someone makes the effort to come down and be heard, they should be able to speak on it because they might not be able to come back,” he stated.
He also expressed concerns regarding the adequacy of speaking time in the new format. While the opportunity to address items during work sessions is a step in the right direction, Bunch stressed that more needs to be done to foster inclusivity and open dialogue. “People still might not have enough time to comment,” he said.
Background on Legal Challenges and Transparency Issues
The changes come on the heels of another legal challenge related to transparency. In August, a Travis County judge ordered the city to remove over a dozen charter amendments from the upcoming November ballot after ruling that the city had again violated the Open Meetings Act. Critics argued that the amendments should have been presented as individual items, allowing residents the chance to understand and comment on each one separately.
Bunch indicated that the new rules do not clearly address the need for items to be listed individually on the agenda, which could continue to hinder public engagement.
Looking Ahead
The updated rules will take effect starting with the City Council’s next work session and meeting, which are scheduled for October 8 and October 10, respectively. The city hopes that these adjustments will create a more welcoming environment for public participation in local government decision-making.
Austin residents are encouraged to attend City Council meetings and work sessions to take advantage of the new opportunities for engagement and to ensure their voices are heard.
