Austin council advances charter-amendment package for Nov. 3 election

Austin City Council approved a slate of proposed City Charter amendments at its July 30 budget meeting for inclusion in a planned Nov. 3, 2026 special charter-amendment election. The proposals address redistricting, recall petitions, the city attorney, campaign finance, municipal court judges, city financial practices and tax-rate oversight.

The council action advances proposed changes but does not mean Austin voters have adopted them. The city’s election calendar lists Aug. 17, 2026, as the deadline for council to order an election; that date is also the deadline for candidates to file applications for a ballot place. Final proposition wording and ballot numbering may change before election certification.

Changes to redistricting and recalls

One proposed amendment would clarify that Austin’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is independent of City Council control. The commission is among the bodies and offices affected by the package, which also includes changes involving the City Auditor’s office.

Another proposal would increase the signature requirement for a recall petition against a council member other than the mayor. Under the proposed change, petitions would need signatures from 15% of qualified voters in the member’s district, up from 10%.

City legal authority and election rules

The package would give City Council the authority to appoint and remove the city attorney. It also includes proposed changes concerning campaign-contribution limits and municipal court judges.

The council agenda identified at least 13 subject areas in the charter-amendment package. In addition to governance and election-related provisions, the subjects include city financial practices and the City Auditor’s office.

Required review before tax-rate increases

The financial provisions would require an independent affordability-and-efficiency initiative before any tax-rate increase. The initiative would also have to identify annual and multiyear savings.

That requirement would apply prospectively if voters approve the relevant charter language. The approved materials describe a proposed process for reviewing affordability and efficiency before a tax-rate increase, rather than documenting a current tax-rate increase or a specified amount of savings.

What happens next

The City Clerk lists Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, as the date of the November election. Before then, the election process must be completed, including the council’s election-order deadline listed for Aug. 17. Austin voters, rather than the July 30 council action alone, would decide whether the proposed charter changes take effect.