Tell Austin City Council “NO” to TAX BREAKS for Data Centers and Artificial Intelligence

In This Issue: 

1. City Council Item 24, Thursday: Say "NO" to Incentives for Data Centers and A.I.
2. Help Save the Barton Springs Bridge: Sign Up by Noon Today
3. How a Simple Change to Building Codes Could Save Birds’ Lives
4. THANK YOU! A Massive Outcry Against Proposed MoPac Expansion 

Illustration courtesy of Wall Street Journal

This Thursday, May 7th, the Austin City Council will vote on Item 24, a resolution that opens the door to economic incentives for data centers and the artificial intelligence industry. We need you at City Hall!

The resolution establishes a “new economic development framework” that names “Data Management & Artificial Intelligence” as one of the ten Target Economic Sectors in Exhibit A, which calls it an “explosive growth sector: three of Austin's four largest-ever venture funding rounds closed in 2025; enterprise AI and data infrastructure.”
If Council passes Item 24 on Thursday, here is what it actually does:

• Puts tax rebates on the table. Data centers would become eligible for Chapter 380 performance grants, where Austin’s taxpayer dollars would be used to incentivize data centers and AI-backed companies to move here!
• Turns on a fast lane for permits, immediately. The resolution from the Council directs the City Manager to activate a “permitting concierge service” for any target-sector project already in the development pipeline.
• Pre-clears land. The City would identify “ready sites” in advance to enable rapid recruitment of data centers and AI-backed companies. 

Austin's Environmental Commission Asked for the Opposite
On April 1, 2026, Austin's Environmental Commission voted 10-0 to adopt Recommendation 20260401-004, urging the City Council to take a coordinated, protective approach to data center development in Central Texas. Among other things, the Commission asked Council to:

• Prohibit tax breaks and financial incentives for data centers locating in Austin;
• Invoke a moratorium on all new data centers in the City Limits and the Extraterritorial Jurisdiction, in alignment with bipartisan national calls;
• Publish the report on "projected environmental impact and resource usage of local data centers over the next ten years" that Council itself directed the City Manager to produce in April 2025;
• Require Tier II and higher data centers to generate at least 50% of their electricity onsite from renewable sources;
• Require Data centers to use reclaimed water and direct investment in the City's purple pipe program via a water mitigation fund;
• Require operational curtailment during declared electrical emergencies;
• Mandate Council approval for large-load extension requests;
• Define "data center" in City Code;
• Require public notice to property owners within one mile of any data center construction site.
  

Item 24 does none of this. It moves in the opposite direction.
This resolution will pave the way for tax breaks and other incentives for data centers that drink hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a day and pull as much electricity as small cities. This Thursday, we need you at City Hall. Speak for the springs, the grid, and the water.

Here's How to Show Up!
1. Speak at City Council on Thursday, May 7
Where: Austin City Hall, 301 W. 2nd Street, Council Chambers
When: Meeting begins at 10:00 AM; AGAINST Agenda Item #24 (Regular Meeting) (Sign up to speak online before noon on Wednesday or at City Hall before 8 am on Thursday).  Speaker Form Here.  
2. Spread the Word - Send this email to your friends and neighbors that care about Austin’s water and are concerned about the proliferation of data centers locally

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Speak Up for Our Historic Barton Springs Bridge at Austin Environmental Commission Tomorrow
The Austin Environmental Commission will hear a briefing on the proposed demolition and replacement of our historic Barton Springs Bridge tomorrow, Wednesday, evening at 6:00 P.M, at the City's Permitting and Development Center, Room 1405, 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE.

To register to speak remotely (on Item 2), sign up before noon today by contacting Nicole Corona (512-974-3146), [email protected]. You may sign up to speak in person at the meeting, before it starts. City staff and contractors continue to say the bridge cannot be repaired, but their own reports show the bridge can be saved for tens of millions of dollars less than tearing it down and replacing it with a giant highway bridge that, if built, will pave Zilker Park land and tear up Barton Creek and riparian habitats. Go to Austin Free Press here for the overview.  

The Commission will also discuss, and hear comments, on the proposed 6 to 8 lane expansion of MoPac South. That is Agenda Item 4.

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How a Simple Change to Building Codes Could Save Birds’ Lives​Millions of birds migrate across Austin’s skies every year. The city is in the heart of the Central Flyway, one of the most important migratory corridors in North America. When developers raise buildings in their path with reflective glass and bright nighttime lighting, birds get disoriented. As a result, building collisions kill an estimated one billion birds each year in the United States. In 2024, the Austin City Council took a step toward addressing the crisis by exploring bird-friendly building designs, but progress stalled when builders objected. Austin could save birds’ lives with simple tweaks to the build code, like patterned or frittered glass that birds can see, shielded outdoor lighting, and reduced nighttime lighting during migration seasons. Our friends at Travis Audubon are encouraging Austin residents to sign a petition to encourage the City Council to act on a bird-friendly ordinance. You can find that petition link below.

Austin's Bird-Friendly Building Initiative

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Austin Singing Resistance along with local activists come together at Barton Springs for song circle and to submit final comments against MoPac South expansion

A Massive Outcry Against Proposed MoPac Expansion -- THANK YOU!
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​The Austin community flipped the script for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, who claims that its 8.77-mile expansion, with an additional 6-8 lanes over the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, will have “no significant impact” on Austin’s environment. More than 6,000 comments were filed through the Better Mopac Coalition advocacy page, with thousands more submitted directly to CTRMA. The home stretch brought a massive wave of support and joyful resistance. On Sunday, nearly a hundred people gathered at Barton Springs Pool with songs and education led by Singing Resistance Austin, Jade Fusco, Mary Olivar, Matt Dietrichson, and others. It was a strong, spirited close to a 75-day sprint of collective action, grounded in shared purpose and place.

What’s Next?
While the official public comment on CTRMA's draft Environmental Assessment closed at midnight Sunday, the CTRMA Board of Directors will not decide on its next steps until after its staff has prepared responses to public comments and made a recommendation. That will likely be in late summer or this fall. Between now and then, please stay engaged with us and the Better MoPac Coalition and watch for opportunities to speak up.
In the short term, we will share expert reports and summary comments from SOS and the Better MoPac Coalition. More updates to come as the process moves forward. Stay tuned!

In Solidarity and Gratitude, 
SOS Alliance 

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