HOW THE CITY OF AUSTIN WORKS
1: The “Charter” Is the City’s Constitution. It’s the Source of Power for Everything.
Austin’s constitution is called a “Charter.” It’s a long document, approved by voters, that makes Austin into a city and that gives the city certain powers and obligations.
It tells us the following
What the city generally has the power to do—including how the city is allowed to get and spend money
Who runs the city government—plus, how these people are chosen/removed and what these people can do, can’t do, and have to do
How city laws (“ordinances”) are made—including how residents themselves can propose and vote on city laws
What the city’s departments are and do
A city court (“municipal court”)—plus, how the judge and clerk of that court are selected/removed and what the court’s job is
A city department of finance—plus, what it does, and how the director of finance is selected/removed and what they’re allowed to do
A city human resources department—plus, how the director is selected/removed and what they have to do
What the city’s citizen-led “commissions” are and do
A municipal civil service commission—plus, how people get selected to serve in this group and what this group does
A planning commission—plus, how members are selected and what they must do
A grab bag of other, smaller policies—including HR policies, selection procedures for city employees, etc.
2: Under the Charter, a “Council” and “Manager” Run the City Together
2a. Article I, section 2 of the Charter says that Austin is a “council-manager government.”
1) There’s a council of people who have the exclusive power to “enact legislation, adopt budgets, determine policies and appoint the city manager.”
Who’s in it: The council consists of one “mayor” elected by everyone in the city, plus 10 council members who each represent a district in the city. The mayor presides at the city council’s meetings but has “no regular administrative duties” and has “no veto power.” It’s just a ceremonial role.
The districts of Austin can be found here. Each district has its own webpage on the City of Austin’s website, like this one. And you can find photos and names of all the council members including the mayor here.
Term limits: Council members including the mayor serve for four years and can’t serve for more than two consecutive terms. However, candidates can get around these term limits if more than 5% of voters sign a petition.
2) There’s a city manager, appointed by the council, who “shall execute the laws and administer the government of the city.” In many other cities, this role would be called “mayor.” The duties also include:
No term limits: The city manager is NOT “appointed for a definite term, but may be removed at the will and pleasure of the council by a majority vote of the entire membership of the council.”
2b. The Council Meets Weekly at City Hall to Make Laws and Adopt Policies
The Charter requires the council to meet in “City Hall at least once each week.” All actions by the council need at least a majority vote to have legal effect.
You can find the schedule of council meetings here and here, and you can find agendas and notes from previous meetings here. You can watch live and recorded versions here, and you can access transcripts of the meetings here.
As mentioned earlier, the council’s laws are called “ordinances.” You can find all them by going here, clicking the “Council Documents” tab, then on the right side under “Document Type” scrolling down and clicking “Ordinance,” and then clicking the “Search” button below. The City compiles all of the ordinances into a book organized by topic area called the “City Code,” which you can find here. Because the City only edits this book every once in a while, not every ordinance is in the code yet.
2c. The Council and City Manager Each Get to Appoint Different City-Wide Officers
(by council)
The all-important City Manager
Commissioners of the municipal civil service commission
Commissioners of the planning commission
(by city manager)
The directors of all departments
The city attorney (head of department of law)
Director of finance