THE LOGISTICS 

Since City Council meetings are running a little different these days, we’ve grouped the logistical info below into two categories – During COVID-19 and not during COVID-19. But, a few things that remain the same no matter when the meetings happen are:

• Testifiers are usually given three minutes to speak, but if lots of people have signed up, then only the first 20 or so get three minutes and everyone else just gets one minute. The mayor is usually pretty strict about these time limits, so try and prepare testimony that won’t go too long. 

• City Council agendas can be found online here. This is where you’ll find everything that Council will be discussing, along with the item numbers. 

During COVID-19

Council is still holding all of their meetings remotely, which means that instead of showing up to City Hall to testify, you have to call in. 

Here’s how that process works:

• Fill out the speaker form on this website by noon the Wednesday before the Council meeting 

• Once you submit the form, you’ll receive either an email or a phone call with the telephone number you should call on Thursday

• Call that number 45 minutes before the meeting begins 

• Stay on the line until your name is called

• Deliver your testimony!

A quick note – It pretty much goes without saying that this is not a perfect system. At recent Council meetings, people have had to stay on the phone line for hours waiting for their name to be called. This system is still pretty new for Council (they’ve never had this call-in structure before), so hopefully the process will continue to improve. (You can also always email your Council member and ask them to improve it.) 

If you’re not able to dedicate the time to calling into a Council meeting, you can also just email your Council member. All of their contact info can be found here. 

During non-pandemic times

During normal times, there are two opportunities for the public to speak at City Council meetings. The process for signing up to speak works like this… 

Citizen Communication – 

• This happens at noon on Council meeting days. 

• Ten Austinites are allowed to sign up to speak for three minutes each on the topic of their choice. You do not have to talk about an issue that Council is actually discussing at that meeting. This is your chance to bring new issues to Council’s attention. 

• Signups for Citizen Communication open up 21 days before the Council meeting. You can sign up here.

On a specific agenda item – 

• This is the most common way to speak at Council meetings. The public is invited to testify on specific agenda items that Council will be discussing at that day’s meeting. 

• To sign up, simply show up to City Hall (signups open at noon the Monday before a meeting) and find one of the big computer kiosks in the City Hall atrium. Select the agenda item you would like to speak on and fill out the accompanying form. Even though signups open early, you’re still able to sign up to speak on the day of the actual Council meeting, although this will probably mean you’ll be further down the speakers list and might have to wait a little while for your name to be called. 

• On the day of the meeting, all you have to do is show up and wait for your name to be called. You can keep track of when your item will be discussed by watching the livestream via ATXN. Oftentimes, if an issue is controversial, Council will wait to discuss it until after their dinner break, in the evening, so that the public can more easily attend. You’ll be called based on the order in which you signed up. 

A few more logistical tips… 

• Costumes and special t-shirts are encouraged – During non-pandemic times, it’s very common for everyone supporting/opposing a particular issue to all wear the same colored shirt (or some other identifier). If you don’t have time to wait for your name to be called or are uncomfortable public speaking, simply showing up at the meeting with the right t-shirt on can send a signal to Council. 

• You can donate your time – Public speaking not your thing? Have a friend who’s amazing at it? You can donate your time to them! (One thing to remember – you must be present in the building in order to donate your time. You can’t just sign up to donate and then leave.) 

• Parking is validated – Once we’re allowed to gather at City Hall again, don’t forget that parking at City Hall is free! Just use the garage entrance on Guadalupe Street and bring your ticket inside. There will be a table right when you walk in with a validation machine. 

• Stay up-to-date on what Austin City Council is discussing by following The Austin Common on Instagram – The Wednesday before every Council meeting, we post an “Austin City Council Meeting, Explained” series, with all the key info you need to know.