📰 CivicIn7 Austin | Wednesday, October 29, 2025
⚡ Be the most informed neighbor in Austin — in 7 minutes or less.
⚡ TL;DR — What You Need to Know Today
Austin Energy names Stuart Reilly permanent GM (Effective Nov 2) ✅
Winter bills to drop slightly for most customers (official memo pending) ⚠️
Travis County expands non-police mental-health crisis response ⚠️
City Council: Nov 4 Work Session canceled; next meeting Nov 6 🗣️
AISD: Special Education & Dyslexia family sessions today 🎓
This Weekend: “My Mars” illumination launch at Domain Northside 🌕
⚡ TODAY’S FOCUS (Lead Story)
Austin Energy Appoints Stuart Reilly as Permanent General Manager
🟢 Confidence: HIGH (✅ Verified)
Austin Energy announced on October 27, 2025, that Stuart Reilly has been named the permanent General Manager, effective November 2. The decision stabilizes leadership for the city-owned utility as it prepares for winter and manages major load growth driven by Austin’s population boom and expanding data-center demand.
Key Data Points:
Appointee: Stuart Reilly — [Austin Energy Press Release, 10/27/2025] (✅)
Start Date: November 2, 2025 — [Austin Energy Press Release, 10/27/2025] (✅)
Customer Base: 500,000 + customers — [Austin Energy Newsroom] (✅)
Direct Austin Impact:
Leadership continuity influences outage readiness, winter preparedness, long-term reliability planning, and rate policy for every Austin Energy customer.
Civic Engagement:
Follow Reilly’s upcoming winter-readiness briefings to the Electric Utility Commission (EUC) and City Council, and track rate updates on the Austin Energy Rate Page.
🗞️ THE RUNDOWN
1️⃣ City Council: Nov 4 Work Session Canceled, Nov 6 Meeting Set
🟢 Confidence: HIGH (✅ Verified)
The November 4 Work Session has been canceled. The next Regular Meeting is Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 10 a.m.
Key Data Points:
Nov 4 Work Session — Canceled (✅)
Nov 6 Regular Meeting — 10:00 a.m. (✅)
Speaker Registration Opens Mon, Nov 3 @ 10:00 a.m. — [City Clerk Portal] (✅)
Direct Impact: Residents planning to speak or monitor city business should note the schedule change.
Engage: Register to speak starting 10 a.m., Mon Nov 3 via the City Clerk’s Information Center.
2️⃣ Travis County Expands Mental Health Crisis Response
🟡 Confidence: MEDIUM (⚠️ Pending verification)
On October 28, 2025, Travis County Commissioners Court approved an expansion contract with Integral Care to strengthen the Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT) program — expanding non-law-enforcement responses to mental-health 911 calls.
Key Data Points:
Action approved — [Travis County Commissioners Court Agenda, 10/28/2025] (✅)
Provider: Integral Care — [MCOT Program Page] (✅)
[VERIFY] Contract amount ($4.5 M) and 5-0 vote tally pending official minutes
Direct Impact: More mental-health professionals will respond to crisis calls instead of law enforcement alone.
Engage: Review minutes once posted via the Travis County Clerk Portal.
3️⃣ Austin Energy Winter Bills to See Modest Decrease
🟡 Confidence: MEDIUM (⚠️ Awaiting official memo)
Austin Energy finalized seasonal rate adjustments expected to slightly lower residential bills starting with the November 2025 billing cycle. Exact dollar impacts are still pending an official memo.
Key Data Points:
Seasonal rate adjustment finalized — [AE Rate Information Portal] (✅)
Effective Date: Nov 1, 2025 (✅)
[VERIFY] Awaiting AE memo confirming per-household impact
Engage: Monitor your bill or follow the Austin Energy Newsroom.
4️⃣ AISD Hosts Special Education & Dyslexia Family Sessions (Today)
🟢 Confidence: HIGH (✅ Verified)
Today, Wed, Oct 29, Austin ISD hosts virtual family events including a Special Education Family Advisory Committee meeting and a Dyslexia “Family Empower Hour.”
Engage: View times and links on the AISD District Calendar.
📝 BRIEF MENTIONS
HOME Initiative Phase 2 Refresher: Adopted May 16, 2024; reduces minimum lot sizes to 2,500 sq ft and allows up to 3 units on SF-1/2/3 lots. Applications open since Aug 2024. [City of Austin HOME Page] (✅)
AISD 2026–27 Calendar: Previously adopted; download the final version at the AISD Calendars Page.
🎯 HAPPENING NEAR YOU
📚 Texas Book Festival — Nov 8–9, 2025 (⚠️ pending final festival site confirmation). State Capitol grounds & Congress Ave. Festival Website
🌕 “My Mars” Launch Event — Fri, Nov 1 | 5 p.m., The Domain Northside. A 22-foot illuminated Mars sculpture installation opens to the public with live music and STEM activities through Nov 17. ⚠️ (Local arts event)
📢 HOW TO ENGAGE RIGHT NOW
🗣️ Speak at City Council (Nov 6): Registration opens Mon, Nov 3 @ 10 a.m. via the City Clerk Portal.
💬 Share Input on CAMPO 2050 Plan: Public comment open until Nov 30 — Review & Submit Comments.
📅 CIVIC CALENDAR
Wed, Oct 29 (Today) — AISD Special Education & Dyslexia Family Sessions (virtual) — [AISD Calendar] (✅)
Fri, Nov 1 | 5 p.m. — “My Mars” Launch Event at The Domain Northside (⚠️ Local arts event)
Mon, Nov 3 | 10 a.m. — Speaker registration opens for Nov 6 City Council meeting — [City Clerk Portal] (✅)
Wed, Nov 5 | 5:30 p.m. — CapMetro Access Advisory Committee Meeting (virtual) — [CapMetro AAC Page] (✅)
Thu, Nov 6 | 10 a.m. — Austin City Council Regular Meeting — [City Council Agenda] (✅)
📊 BY THE NUMBERS
+5 % — Year-over-year increase in ERCOT electric-power demand (Jan–Sep 2025), totaling 372 TWh. Wind and solar generation are meeting most of the increased demand. [U.S. EIA] (✅)
$420,000 — Median home price for the Austin–Round Rock MSA (Sept 2025). (Unlock MLS figure; City median may vary.) (⚠️)
