AUSTIN, Texas — It’s been a busy few days for Austin Mayor Kirk Watson who attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 93rd Annual Winter Meeting in Washington D.C.
The conference, held from January 17-19, brought together over 250 mayors from across the country to discuss solutions to pressing urban issues. Watson actively participated in the conference, highlighting Austin’s successes while acknowledging the city’s ongoing challenges.
Watson emphasized that many of the issues facing Austin are also faced by cities across the country, making collaboration and shared learning essential.
“We’re not as unique as we might think we are when it comes to the problems,” said Watson, “We’re also not as unique when it comes to thinking we’re the best there ever was.”
Watson emphasized Austin’s innovative approach to workforce development, pointing to the Austin Infrastructure Academy as a model for creating career pathways for residents without requiring a four-year degree. “This morning when I was asked to speak, we talked specifically about the Austin Infrastructure Academy and other [mayors] are interested in how we’re doing that and how they might participate in something like that in their cities,” Watson said.
He also touted Austin’s progress on affordable housing, suggesting the city has become a national model. “Austin’s kind of the vanguard right now when it comes to housing because we’ve done some things,” Watson stated. He emphasized the importance of performance reviews in ensuring accountability for housing programs.
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However, Watson acknowledged that Austin’s success has brought its own set of challenges, particularly in the areas of affordable housing and growth management. “Some of our biggest challenges are a result of our strong successes– that creates things like affordable housing issues, how you address growth and deal with that,” Watson said.
Transportation was another key topic for Watson at the conference. He discussed the importance of integrating rail into Austin’s mobility solutions and the need for direct federal funding for major transportation projects. Watson also revealed that he met with Amtrak leadership to explore expanding passenger rail service in Austin.
Public safety concerns were also addressed by Watson, who touted the recently approved five-year police contract as a sign of stability. “A lot of people didn’t think we could get a police contract, and as you know, we now have a five-year long-term police contract. The fact that that was passed on a 10/1 vote by the Council and then the police union passed it with a 90% vote, tells you that we’re in the right place,” Watson said.
President Joe Biden spoke to the conference Friday afternoon, in what was one of his last speeches as President of the United States– Watson described the speech as one of the highlights of his trip.
Watson spoke highly of President Biden’s administration and its focus on “localism,” praising their direct funding of city projects through federal programs.
He expressed hope that this commitment to localism would continue under the incoming Trump administration, especially in areas like transportation and housing. “[I’m hoping that] the [federal] money will not have to run through the state so that it comes to the city so that big projects that we want to see done, that will make mobility and transportation in Austin better, we will have direct access to funding of that. Those are not things that can be met and solved without effective funding from the federal government,” Watson concluded.
Watson said he will be returning to Austin on Saturday ahead of the severe winter weather rolling through early next week to address any safety concerns.
