Austin City Council Meets Today
Austin city leaders are set to take up several significant policy questions today, including a push to expand where duplexes and triplexes can be built across the city — a move supporters say would help ease Austin’s persistent housing affordability crunch. The council will also consider establishing a formal economic development framework and moving to fill a long-vacant director’s position overseeing the city’s business attraction efforts.
On the technology front, council members will weigh in on a controversial city IT consolidation initiative known as “One ATS,” with some members seeking to pump the brakes on staff reorganizations tied to the project until more details are provided to Council.
The afternoon will bring a series of zoning public hearings, including a high-density multifamily rezoning request on land owned by Austin ISD near West 49th Street, and a major planned development proposal along South Lakeshore Boulevard near Lady Bird Lake.
Members of the public are also signed up to address the council on issues ranging from public transit and litter along the Butler Hike and Bike Trail to immigrant rights and mental health funding — a reminder that today’s meeting reflects the full breadth of concerns facing one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.
A summary of the key items on today’s agenda:
Proclamations (9:00 AM) The meeting opens with recognitions for Building Safety Month, Air Quality Awareness Week, Jewish American Heritage Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and the 50th Anniversary of the Martha Chapter #35 Order of the Eastern Star.
Consent Agenda Highlights Most routine items are bundled for a single vote, including:
- A $330,000 public art contract for the Ross Road Substandard Streets project
- A $497,299 amendment for behavioral health/primary care services through Integral Care
- First readings of franchise agreements for Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and Texas Gas Service Company
- A $6M+ contract for Zilker Clubhouse restoration at Zilker Metro Park
- A $3.3M watershed protection project along Williamson Creek
Council Resolutions (Notable Items)
- Item 24 – Establishing a comprehensive economic development framework and filling the Director of Economic Development position
- Item 25 – Supporting youth aging out of foster care through housing and local partnerships
- Item 26 – Amending land development code to allow two- and three-unit housing in all residential zoning districts (an extension of HOME Phase 1 & 2 policy)
Zoning & Public Hearings (2:00 PM) Several rezoning cases, including:
- Rezoning near West 49th/Rosedale for AISD-owned land to high-density multifamily (MF-6-CO)
- Historic landmark designations for the Mayer-Howse House and the Dr. O.H. & Thelma Elliott House
- A planned unit development proposal for properties along South Lakeshore Boulevard/East Riverside Drive
Other Notable Items
- Item 41 – A resolution to pause reorganizations tied to the “One ATS” city technology initiative until Council has more information
- Item 42 – A closed executive session to discuss legal matters related to the Yogurt Shop criminal cases
Public Communication (12:00 PM) covers citizen comments on topics like bus lane expansion, affordable housing, mental health funding, and environmental protection of ash juniper trees.
The meeting begins at 10:00 AM at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second Street.
After roughly a year and a half of work, the task force that’s been tapped to recommend a 2026 bond package to Austin City Council is out with its recommendations.
A proposed 1,000-unit housing complex with preapproved office space in Southwest Austin is moving forward in the rezoning process, despite objections from Circle C Ranch residents who packed City Hall to raise concerns about traffic, environmental impacts and safety near a nearby school.
A Cinco de Mayo celebration turned deadly early Wednesday morning when a dispute inside a Pflugerville restaurant erupted in gunfire, killing one man and sending four others to the hospital.
Police say an altercation began inside Down South CaJJun Eats on FM 1825 and spilled into the parking lot, where shots were fired. The victim, 27-year-old Mykal Jones, was pronounced dead at an area hospital around 2:13 a.m. — marking Austin’s 22nd homicide of 2026. Suspects fled the scene but were later detained by Austin police a few miles away.
CAPTURED
A northwest Austin massage business is being forced to close after evidence of “illicit sexual activity” was reportedly found.
Austin police and Capital Area Crime Stoppers are searching for a 28-year-old man wanted on an outstanding warrant for failure to register as a sex offender.
Taylor authorities are investigating the suspicious death of a 48-year-old man whose body was discovered Sunday evening.
The driver of a garbage truck was arrested Wednesday after leading law enforcement on a multi-county chase on Interstate 35, according to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety.
FOLLOW @AustinJustice on X
A South Austin middle school featured in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused is one of 10 Austin ISD schools set to close at the end of the 2025-26 school year as part of the district’s effort to save $21 million amid a $181 million budget deficit. (KUT 90.5)
Austin ISD superintendent Matias Segura is set to answer questions today about budget cuts.
An Austin developer is reportedly under contract with the property where Lammes Candies is currently located, with a deal expected to close later this year.
After maintaining 633 feet in elevation at Lake Pflugerville, the City of Pflugerville moved to modified Stage 1 water conservation measures last week for all local water customers.
UPDATE:
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
A line of storms moving through Central Texas Wednesday morning brought hail to some.
While the past few years have seen record warm ocean water temperatures, the slight decrease still falls within the perfect conditions for hurricane development, especially as the season goes on into the fall.
We are approaching the climatological peak of severe weather season in Central Texas, including the risk for tornadoes.
LAKE TRAVIS WEATHER TIMELAPSE
Watch as yesterday’s cold front moved through the area.
After last summer’s disaster, some Texas legislators scolded local officials for their decision not to invest in flood warning sirens and for the chaotic emergency response. Other elected leaders excused the storm as so massive that no one could have prepared for it.
But lawmakers failed to address the underlying problem: They have repeatedly rejected bills that could protect residents in the state’s most dangerous, flood-prone areas, an investigation by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune found.
Meanwhile, two of the state’s top leaders say they want to waive part of a new summer camp safety law that requires camps to install fiber optic internet.
A new report from the Sierra Club details the water usage of gas, coal and nuclear power plants.
The report shows that in 2024 Texas power plants consumed roughly 100 billion gallons of water, while renewables and battery storage use barely any water at all. (Sierra Club)
The city of Three Rivers is tapping into a long-idle well which would free the city from relying on Corpus Christi for its water.
A 45-year-old Midland, Texas man is facing federal charges in connection with a shooting near the Washington Monument on Monday. (FOX 4 DFW)
Three people are dead, and a fourth is hospitalized in critical condition after what San Antonio Police Department officials are calling a murder-suicide yesterday. (KSAT-TV)
A Houston man accused of killing his pregnant wife fled the country using falsified travel documents and has since been taken into custody in Italy, according to his attorney. (Austin American-Statesman)
A staff member at a San Marcos middle school has been removed from the district after selling cookies to students who became sick. (San Marcos Express News)
A “Muslim only” event at a taxpayer-funded Texas water park has been canceled following criticism and threats by Gov. Greg Abbott to pull public safety grants.
A local Islamic group had rented out the Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie for its annual Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) “Epic Eid” celebration on June 1.
As a protest against the conservative undermining of academic integrity at Texas Tech under new Chancellor Brandon Creighton happens today, officials there are accused of asking faculty to downplay the limitations that have been placed on research
Some of Ken Paxton’s usual big backers have not pitched in yet for his U.S. Senate race. What does that tell us about the runoff election?
(Episode from May 6, 2026)
Gas generation is making a big comeback in Texas, driven by a wave of data centers flooding into the state. (Texas Tribune)
A game that was never in doubt.
NBA PLAYOFFS: Victor Wembanyama had 19 points and 15 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs handed Minnesota its worst postseason loss in franchise history, beating the Timberwolves 133-95 on Wednesday night to even their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece. (Associated Press)
GAME 3: FRIDAY, MAY 8
MLB: Wednesday saw a win for the Texas Rangers in New York and a loss at home for the Houston Astros.
Nathan Eovaldi cooled off the New York Yankees for the second time in eight days, and the Texas Rangers got early home runs from Corey Seager and Evan Carter in a 6-1 victory Wednesday night. (Associated Press)
Andy Pages set career highs with three homers and six RBIs and Shohei Ohtani broke out of a slump with two hits to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 12-2 rout of the Houston Astros Wednesday. (Associated Press)
ON THE SCHEDULE
The Astros have the day off.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: It’s been four months since Texas WR Jordan Shipley was involved in a terrifying accident which caused severe burns to his hands, arms and legs. Shipley discusses what happened that day, his incredible recovery, the support he’s received from people around the world and how this event has changed his perspective.
The Texas Country Reporter celebrates an ordinary Texan doing extraordinary things: Alfonso Hernandez, shares how losing his IT job led him to rediscover his passion for art and fully commit to making piñatas. By reimagining them as detailed, handcrafted centerpieces instead of simple party decorations, he built a unique creative career and helped elevate this fiesta staple.
