Austin voters will choose representatives for five City Council seats in an election framed by debates over housing costs, major public projects, city spending and transparency. The stakes follow a political shift in 2022, when voters elected five candidates who supported New Urbanism—a planning approach that favors denser, mixed-use development and public transit. Those council members joined a supermajority that adopted the Home Options for Mobility and Equity reforms, allowing up to three dwellings on a lot and reducing minimum lot sizes for homes, among other changes. Housing costs, a central concern in the 2022 campaigns, rose sharply through 2023 and stabilized by the end of 2024. But inflation continued to squeeze residents’ purchasing power. Voters later rejected Proposition Q, a proposed property-tax increase, signaling that cost-of-living concerns extend beyond housing alone. The next council will also face questions about large infrastructure commitments, including Project Connect, the convention center and Cap and Stitch. Those projects were initiated before the city’s budget outlook deteriorated. Fiscal priorities are another point of scrutiny after the city spent more than $1 million on a logo last fall while seeking additional revenue from residents. Public participation and oversight have also become campaign issues. A council decision known as the Dog’s Head agreement involved annexing 2,600 acres for development; critics have raised concerns about the speed of the vote, limited public input and the level of oversight planned for the project. The election offers Austin residents a chance to assess the council’s record on land use and affordability alongside its stewardship of public money and decision-making. The five winners will help determine the city’s priorities for the next four years.