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Voters in Austin gave one Austin City Council incumbent another four years while two others couldn't quite avoid a runoff.

Driving the news: In District 9, incumbent Zohaib "Zo" Qadri earned 51.4% of the vote, defeating Rich Heyman (24.7%) and Katie Kam (17.5%) and two other candidates, in a central city district where the race became a referendum on dense development in the city's older neighborhoods.

In District 5, which includes the Zilker and Barton Hills neighborhoods, incumbent Ryan Alter (47.8% of the vote) will face David Weinberg (26.2%) in a runoff. The race was focused on City Council spending, homelessness and safety. 

In District 3, which includes a swath of South Austin and straddles the Colorado River east of I-35, incumbent José Velásquez (47.4% of the vote) will face Neha Shah (24.7%) in a runoff. 

Zoom out: Amber Goodwin and Misael Ramos will head to a runoff to represent District 1, an open seat covering East and northeast Austin.

And in District 8, which encompasses much of Southwest Austin, Selena Xie, an EMS commander and labor leader, defeated Jeffery Bowen, a neighborhood leader, to replace Paige Ellis, who failed in her petition efforts to get on the ballot for a third term.

Colorful district map of a city with ten numbered zones (1–10). Each district shown in a different color (pink, yellow, green, blue, purple). Lake Travis to the west; visible highways 130, 35, 45.

A map of Austin's City Council districts. Image: Courtesy of the city of Austin

The big picture: The City Council determines the city budget, sets the city's property tax rate and oversees city operations.

Follow the money: Austin voters also approved a pair of bond measures that would raise $295 million to support parks and libraries.

The bonds will cost about $50 per year for an average homeowner.

And in a win for progressives, voters rejected a proposition that calls for an outside audit of city finances. Opponents of the measure had argued it would lead to funding cuts. The political action committee Save Austin Now, which argues for fiscal constraints, supported it as a check on city spending.

What's next: The runoff elections will be Dec. 12. 

dense development in the city's older neighborhoods

Austin 2026 election results

Voters had the chance to weigh in on Austin City Council incumbents.

Illustration of Austin City Hall over a divided green and gold background with elements of ballots.

<p><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Voters" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/10/19/austin-election-midterm-city-council" data-vars-content-id="0c867061-0d92-48cb-bd2f-87d9ed0b03e0" data-vars-headline="Austin 2026 election results" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/10/19/austin-election-midterm-city-council" target="_self">Voters</a> in Austin gave one Austin City Council incumbent another four years while two others couldn&#x27;t quite avoid a runoff.</p><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> In District 9, incumbent Zohaib &quot;Zo&quot; Qadri earned 51.4% of the vote, defeating Rich Heyman (24.7%) and Katie Kam (17.5%) and two other candidates, in a central city district where the race became a referendum on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="dense development in the city&#x27;s older neighborhoods" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/10/21/austin-city-council-zo-heyman" data-vars-content-id="0c867061-0d92-48cb-bd2f-87d9ed0b03e0" data-vars-headline="Austin 2026 election results" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/10/21/austin-city-council-zo-heyman" target="_self">dense development in the city&#x27;s older neighborhoods</a>.</p>

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It's trivia time! See how well you absorbed this week's news with our quiz.

Email us at austin@axios.com with a screenshot of your perfect score for a chance at a shoutout in our Axios Austin newsletter next week!

Take the Axios Austin news quiz!

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<div><iframe name="opinionstage-widget" alt="Opinion Stage Embed" src="https://www.opinionstage.com/api/v2/widgets/601a6a7d-f844-492e-a585-3b1645bc0b6a/iframe" data-opinionstage-iframe="601a6a7d-f844-492e-a585-3b1645bc0b6a" data-vars-category="embed" data-vars-sub-category="embed-poll" data-vars-asset-id="601a6a7d-f844-492e-a585-3b1645bc0b6a" data-vars-content-id="4f26c743-7f42-4d38-95f0-582f75deeda0" width="100%" height="800" allow="fullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" class="gtmView" referrerPolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe><div style="display:none"></div></div><p><strong>It&#x27;s trivia time!</strong> See how well you absorbed this week&#x27;s news with our quiz.</p>

Things to Do

If you have strong feelings about the Barton Springs Road Bridge, the century-old structure that spans Barton Creek by Zilker Park, now's your chance to air them.

Driving the news: The city of Austin is hosting an open house Monday about the bridge reconstruction project — with a chance for the public to ask the project team questions directly.

State of play: The aging bridge needs significant structural work to remain safe and reliable, per city officials. 

The project will replace the bridge with a new structure designed to improve safety and mobility for all users, while honoring the original bridge's design.

Satellite view of Zilker Park, Austin: river along the east edge, Lou Neff Rd looping by the bank; shows the Austin City Limits Music Festival site and Zilker Sand Volleyball Courts amid green fields.

The Barton Springs Road Bridge spans Barton Creek. Image: Courtesy of Google Maps.

Flashback: In 2024, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that the city of Austin had been awarded $32 million to replace the Barton Springs Road Bridge.

What they're saying: "All of us know that scary feeling of holding your breath as you walk across the 1920s bridge towards Barton Springs," U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Austin) said at the time.

"With these federal dollars, every driver, biker, and pedestrian will be able to breathe easier. With an improved bridge, we can finally get to these Austin gems safely."

The other side: Bill Bunch, Save Our Springs Alliance's executive director, asked the Austin City Council not "to destroy this community treasure" in a letter earlier this month.

Instead, the group is asking the city to build a new bike and pedestrian bridge a short distance away from the current bridge.

In an email, the group warned its followers that the replacement would be "a bigger, uglier, and more dangerous highway bridge."

If you go: The open house is Monday, 5-7pm, at Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Rd.

Speak your mind on the Barton Springs Bridge replacement 

The city of Austin is hosting an open house Monday.

Under a large concrete bridge with arched spans, heavy beams and tall piers rise from the water. Graffiti covers the lower portions of the pillars, and trees are visible in the background.

The Barton Springs Road Bridge. Photo: Larry D. Moore via Wikimedia Commons

<p>If you have strong feelings about the Barton Springs Road Bridge, the century-old structure that spans Barton Creek by <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Zilker Park" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/10/04/acl-fest-zilker-mud-austin" data-vars-content-id="6d7e825c-84e8-48e2-9811-b8c6039bdf9a" data-vars-headline="Speak your mind on the Barton Springs Bridge replacement " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2026/10/04/acl-fest-zilker-mud-austin" target="_self">Zilker Park</a>, now&#x27;s your chance to air them.</p><p><strong>Driving the news:</strong> The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="city of Austin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/09/08/austin-unveils-brand-logo" data-vars-content-id="6d7e825c-84e8-48e2-9811-b8c6039bdf9a" data-vars-headline="Speak your mind on the Barton Springs Bridge replacement " data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2025/09/08/austin-unveils-brand-logo" target="_self">city of Austin</a> is hosting an open house Monday about the bridge reconstruction project — with a chance for the public to ask the project team questions directly.</p>

A plan to extend light rail to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is back on the drawing board.

Why it matters: The light rail vision that Austin voters approved in 2020 included an airport connection, but that was later scrapped because of rising costs.

Critics panned the slimmed-down version for not connecting to areas outside the city's core. 

Driving the news: Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said Tuesday that transportation planners will start working on a potential extension of the city's light rail project to the airport.

What they're saying: "A world-class airport needs a multimodal, world-class transportation system to connect to it," Watson wrote in his Watson Wire newsletter.

As part of a massive expansion, the airport is aiming to nearly double the number of gates it offers, with the lion's share of them coming in the early 2030s.

Zoom in: "Extending to the airport makes perfect sense and will broaden support for the overall project," Jake Wegmann, a professor in the University of Texas' community and regional planning program, wrote in response to the mayor's push.

The other side: "Focusing billions of dollars on transit service between downtown and the airport is not what is needed," Katie Kam, a community planner who lost a City Council bid last week, wrote on LinkedIn about the mayor's proposal. 

"That route is not our high demand route. That route will not serve the everyday needs of Austinites."

Between the lines: Watson's push comes as rail proponents are emboldened by the November election, which saw key GOP figures who had been opposed to rail plans ushered out of office.

"Light rail is much more likely to move forward," Austin City Council member Chito Vela said on election night, pointing to Democrat Nathan Johnson's election as Texas attorney general. 

Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, had led the way in undercutting financing for the city transportation plan known as Project Connect.

State of play: As it currently stands, the nearly 10-mile all-electric train line would feature 15 stations, connecting the University of Texas with downtown, South Congress Avenue and East Riverside Drive.

Officials with the Austin Transit Partnership (ATP), which was established to design, finance and build the project, said Tuesday in a memo to its board members that construction will start in 2027.

Follow the money: The transit plan depends on the federal government to pay for up to half the $7.1 billion rail project.

ATP officials say they're working with the Federal Transit Administration to secure the grants.

"My challenge to ATP is to pursue this extension within our existing budget approved by voters — no new taxpayer dollars," Watson wrote on Tuesday.

What's next: ATP staff plans to coordinate design work with Austin airport officials and put together a cost estimate and funding possibilities, "including potential federal funding support," per the ATP memo on Tuesday.

The analysis could take nine to 12 months, per the memo.

The extension to the airport would be approximately 3 miles and mostly elevated, per the memo.

"The number one comment we received from Austinites was to extend light rail to the airport — to increase mobility capacity and mobility choices, and to improve reliability in getting to the airport for both passengers and the airport workforce," says the memo.

Reality check: The project scope has been shrinking, not growing, dogged by the inflation of construction costs and soaring real estate expenses.

Watson pushes for light rail to the airport

Planners envision a 3-mile, mostly elevated line from East Riverside Drive to the airport.

Red light-rail train on tracks approaches a red signal; construction fencing lines the right side. A yellow "LOOK FOR TRAINS" sign and a foreground "DO NOT TRESPASS" sign are visible.

A Capital Metro Red Line train on the move in 2023. Photo: Ricardo B. Brazziell/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images

<p>A plan to extend light rail to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is back on the drawing board.</p><p><strong>Why it matters: </strong>The light rail vision that Austin voters approved in 2020 included an airport connection, but that was later <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="scrapped" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/03/14/austin-light-rail-airport-plan" data-vars-content-id="b920b37d-9831-4390-9073-08901c444be0" data-vars-headline="Watson pushes for light rail to the airport" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2023/03/14/austin-light-rail-airport-plan" target="_self">scrapped</a> because of rising costs.</p>

Transit

How closely have you been following the week's news?

Cartoon on teal background: a blue figure with large eyes leans on a tall black block on a stage with round lights. A person with a red headband sits behind it. A speech bubble says "news quiz!"

<div><iframe name="opinionstage-widget" alt="Opinion Stage Embed" src="https://www.opinionstage.com/api/v2/widgets/287f7815-0252-4346-9d1a-8fa06b0ff86a/iframe" data-opinionstage-iframe="287f7815-0252-4346-9d1a-8fa06b0ff86a" data-vars-category="embed" data-vars-sub-category="embed-poll" data-vars-asset-id="287f7815-0252-4346-9d1a-8fa06b0ff86a" data-vars-content-id="cfd28525-18ff-4f68-8d37-b49b51107b42" width="100%" height="800" allow="fullscreen" webkitallowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" class="gtmView" referrerPolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe><div style="display:none"></div></div><p><strong>It&#x27;s trivia time!</strong> See how well you absorbed this week&#x27;s news with our quiz.</p>

Asher Price

Featured stories

Speak your mind on the Barton Springs Bridge replacement

Take the Axios Austin news quiz!

Watson pushes for light rail to the airport

Take the Axios Austin news quiz!

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