Reappraise flood victims' properties for tax purposes Issues: Flooding buyouts, Taxes Final vote passed This resolution asks the Travis Central Appraisal District to reappraise properties damaged in the 2015 Halloween flooding. If their properties are reappraised, the affected property owners would have lower payments for the 2015 tax bill in the months of November and December because of their properties' lower, post-flood values. Though the resolution affects only the city portion of the tax bill, Travis County and the Austin school district have approved similar measures.

Create three new homestead preservation districts Issues: Housing, Affordability, Development, East Austin Final vote passed The ordinances in items 26, 27 and 28 were approved in one vote to create three homestead preservation districts in Southeast Austin, far East Austin and North Austin. As the tax base in these districts grows, the city will put a portion of the extra tax revenue toward repairing and building affordable housing in that district.

Create new disclosure rules for lobbyists Issues: Lobbying, open government Final vote passed This resolution championed by Council Member Leslie Pool directs staffers to draw up stronger lobbying reporting requirements, which would return to the council next year for final approval. Pool has called for closing the loophole that allowed people who lobbied only part-time to not register as lobbyists; requiring the city clerk to review lobbyist registrations and report violations to the Ethics Review Commission; and requiring lobbyists to report their compensation in ranges and provide more information about whom they are lobbying for, including the subject matter.

Allow staff to crack down on payday lending providers Issue: Affordability Final vote passed These revisions clarify and strengthen the city’s 2011 regulations for payday and auto title lenders who offer small, short-term loans to borrowers strapped for cash until their next paycheck. The changes range from requiring those businesses to hang posters with information about the city ordinance, to allowing city staffers to revoke the registration certificate of Austin lenders that don’t follow the rules.

Put more tax revenue toward affordable housing Issues: Housing, Affordability, Development, Taxes Final vote passed Final vote passed This resolution is expected to add $40.9 million to the city's affordable housing fund over the next decade by increasing the amount of tax revenue flowing into the fund. Previously, the fund received 40 percent of the city tax revenue from previously city-owned property that gets redeveloped. Now 100 percent of the tax revenue from those properties will go into that fund.

Approve new rules for ride-hailing companies Issues: Ride-hailing, Transportation Final vote passed This ordinance imposes new requirements on ride-hailing apps such as Lyft and Uber, most notably requiring the companies to screen drivers by using fingerprint-based background checks instead of name-based searches they prefer. The ordinance goes into effect Feb. 1, 2016 and sets dates over the following year for a growing percentage of drivers to have the fingerprint-based checks done. Mayor Steve Adler called the measure "incomplete," as it still lacks other details, such as what criminal offenses would block someone from becoming a driver for hire or what penalties the ride-hailing companies would face if they don't meet the background check deadlines.

Approve Pilot Knob development with affordable housing Issues: Housing, Affordability, Development Final vote passed The council approved a planned unit development for Pilot Knob, also known as Easton Park, which will include up to 10,000 housing units plus commercial and retail development at 2,200 acres at William Cannon Drive and McKinney Falls Parkway. Council Member Delia Garza praised the deal for its unusual structure that ensures 650 homes will be occupied by low-income households in perpetuity. Another 350 rental units will be reserved for low-income households for a 40-year period.

Close short-term rental advertising loophole Issues: Housing, Short-term rentals Final vote passed While a larger ordinance is still being developed to regulate short-term rentals, the council passed a measure removing the “testing the water” provision in city code, which had let owners advertise a property for rent without having the proper license. The original goal was to allow owners to gauge potential interest in the property before deciding whether to go through the licensing process. But officials say some owners used the provision as a loophole to rent properties without the necessary approvals. This item did not address the larger debate over short-term rentals, including proposed occupancy limits and the phasing out of existing STRs in residential areas.