REGULAR MEETING OF THE ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026, 6:30 PM AUSTIN CITY HALL, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS ROOM, #1101 301 WEST 2ND STREET AUSTIN, TEXAS 78701 Some members of the Economic Prosperity Commission may be participating by videoconference. The meeting may be viewed online at: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Chelsea Pfeifer at chelsea.pfeifer@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2498. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Commissioner Appointment VACANT Ofelia Zapata District 1 District 2 Raquel Valdez Sanchez (Vice Chair) District 3 VACANT Kevin Roberts Shakeel Rashed CALL TO ORDER District 4 District 5 District 6 PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Commissioner Zain Pleuthner VACANT Appointment District 7 District 8 Aaron Gonzales (Chair) District 9 Aditi Joshi Jake Randall District 10 Mayor The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Economic Prosperity Commission regular meeting on August 19, 2026. DISCUSSION ITEMS 2. Discussion of Austin Economic Development department strategy and listening session schedule. 3. 4. Discussion regarding permitting process reform for restaurants. Discussion regarding tool for tracking Council and Council Committee Meeting agenda items related to commission business. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 5. Approve a recommendation to Council regarding strengthening responsiveness to AI Labor Impacts in Austin. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Chelsea Pfeifer at the Austin City Clerk’s Office, at 512-974-2498 or chelsea.pfeifer@austintexas.gov to request service or for additional information. For more information on the Economic Prosperity Commission please contact Chelsea Pfeifer at 512-974-2498 or chelsea.pfeifer@austintexas.gov.
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026 The Economic Prosperity Commission convened in a regular meeting on Wednesday, August 19, 2026 at Austin City Hall Boards and Commissions, Room #1101, Austin, TX 78701. Chair Gonzales called the Economic Prosperity Commission Meeting to order at 6:47 P.M. Commissioners in Attendance: Aaron Gonzales, Chair Raquel Valdez Sanchez, Vice Chair Aditi Joshi Michael Nahas Kevin Roberts Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Jacob Randall Nicole Tomaszewski Ofelia Zapata Shakeel Rashed Zain Pleuthner PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Economic Prosperity Commission Regular Meeting on January 21, 2026. The minutes from the Economic Prosperity Commission regular meeting on January 21, 2026 were approved on Commissioner Joshi’s motion and Commissioner Nahas’ second on a 6-0 vote. Vice Chair Valdez Sanchez and Commissioners Cantu, Rashed, and Pleuthner were absent. STAFF BRIEFINGS ECONOMIC PROSPERITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 2026 Staff briefing regarding Economic Development Department updates on programs and initiatives. Presented by Mac Cummins, Director, Austin Economic Development and Ann Eaton, Assistant Director, Austin Economic Development. The presentation was made by Ann Eaton, Assistant Director, Austin Economic Development and Eric Ugalde, Chief Administrative Officer, Austin Economic Development. 3. Staff briefing regarding Levers of Economic Mobility. Presentation by Gary Aaron, Business Process Consultant Senior, Austin Equity and Inclusion and Shivani Datar, Business Process Specialist, Austin Equity and Inclusion. The presentation was made by Gary Aaron, Business Process Consultant Senior, Austin Equity and Inclusion and Shivani Datar, Business Process Specialist, Austin Equity and Inclusion. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 4. 5. Approve a recommendation to Council regarding language education programs access in workforce development. Withdrawn without objection. Approve a recommendation to Council regarding strengthening responsiveness to AI Labor Impacts in Austin. Discussed. The motion was withdrawn without objection. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Discussion and Possible Recommendation about Permitting process with Restaurants Chair Gonzales adjourned the meeting at 8:17 p.m. without objection. 2
. RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Economic Prosperity Commission Recommendation Number: 20260916-005: Strengthening Responsiveness to AI Labor Impacts in Austin WHEREAS, Austin has a high concentration of knowledge workers, early-career professionals, and technology companies, placing the city at high exposure risk for labor disruptions due to artificial intelligence; and WHEREAS, the Austin metropolitan area entered 2026 with ~1.41M nonfarm jobs and 3.4% unemployment, and office and administrative support represent 12.4% of employment, with a computer and mathematical workforce at nearly twice the national concentration; and WHEREAS, recession-like labor disruptions due to artificial intelligence adoption in the workplace could pose a risk to future city budgets and revenue, sales tax, property tax, and fees, while simultaneously driving up demand for social services, housing assistance, and public safety response; and WHEREAS, the City Council’s resolution of April 24, 2025 (agenda item 55) directed attention to AI oversight, workforce considerations, and digital equity, and the Commission’s analytical report, Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Austin Residents (July 2026), attached as backup, provides the supporting baseline, assessment, and recommendations; and WHEREAS, previous City Council resolutions have addressed AI oversight and digital equity in the workplace for the City of Austin as an employer, and this recommendation is intended to serve as a starting point for policies to help individuals navigate AI-driven labor disruptions and to help the City itself withstand these disruption risks; and WHEREAS, published exposure research and 2025-26 payroll evidence show AI is already changing tasks and hiring, first in clerical, customer support, business and financial, and early-career technical occupations, including a ~20% national employment decline for software developers aged 22 to 25 since late 2022, while the scale of broad job loss and the ease of transition remain debated and the worst effects have yet to be seen; and WHEREAS, those who are experiencing the earliest disruptions have limited economic security: office and administrative support workers represent the region’s highest AI exposure with the lowest ability to withstand reduced hours or hiring, and median rent absorbs ~41% of that group’s annual mean wage, posing economic-security risk to lower-buffer households; and . WHEREAS, national economic modeling corroborates these local risks and opportunities: Anthropic’s Economics team, in a scenario framework reviewed by leading labor economists, models a 2030 U.S. economy in which workers displaced from AI-exposed knowledge occupations must navigate transitions into occupations such as electricians and nurses that remain largely insulated from automation WHEREAS, this …
