Something for you guys to start thinking about. It's possible that there is going to be some radical city charter amendments next spring for Austin voters.
Essentially, it would convert Austin's government from a Council/Manager format where the mayor is mostly ceremonial (outside of emergency declarations) and has an equal voice to other council members to a Council/Strong Mayor System where the elected mayor basically runs the city government which is how most large cities work like Houston, Chicago, Philly, NY, San Diego etc. It would also:
-Move the election for Mayor to presidential years because of higher voter turnout starting in 2024
-Add another city council district to keep the number of city council members an odd number since the mayor would not be on the council.
I don't know how I would vote on this yet however I do think it would be great to put it on a ballot for voters to decide. The system we have now provides for stability but poor flexibility. A strong mayor system can better reflect a community due to the head of the government being more motivated around issues as oppose to the status quo with city managers like Cronk.