Mayor halts vote on proposed ATP downtown lease and $15M build‑out, cites affordability concerns

The mayor said a memo has gone out and that two Austin Transit Partnership (ATP) items will not be voted on Wednesday, citing affordability concerns and the recent tax‑rate election results.

“a memo has now gone out, and the 2 items that, I am opposed to and was calling for them not to be heard won't be, voted on on Wednesday,” the mayor said. He described the two items as a downtown office lease costing up to $32,000,000 over a 10‑year period and a separate authorization of up to $15,000,000 for build‑out of the space.

The mayor said he had recommended looking at co‑locating ATP staff with public partners to save money and build working relationships, and that approving large lease and build‑out costs while the city and other public entities face budget pressures would be inappropriate. He pointed to a recent vote in which Austinites rejected a tax‑rate measure and said officials should heed voters’ affordability concerns.

During the same question period, officials were asked about a sinkhole and a water‑main break on Red River. The mayor said Austin Water responded quickly after a 311 report and framed such failures as part of routine infrastructure aging that requires ongoing replacement and upgrades, pointing to work at the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant as an example of planned major upgrades.

The mayor said the immediate procedural outcome is administrative: the two ATP office items will not be on Wednesday’s agenda for a vote and will be subject to further scrutiny. No formal vote on those items occurred at the press conference and no ATP representative provided a response at the event.