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Community Advisory Committee

The City of Austin, Capital Metro and Austin Transit Partnership are creating an advisory committee to advise all 3 partners on topics related to equity and Project Connect, including efforts to curb displacement along the Project Connect system

The advisory committee will include 11 members:

  • 6 community members appointed by a nominating committee (see details below for how to apply); and,
  • 5 members appointed from within the following 5 existing advisory groups (1 member each):
    • City of Austin Urban Transportation Commission
    • City of Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities
    • City of Austin Community Development Commission
    • Capital Metro’s Customer Satisfaction Advisory Committee
    • Capital Metro’s Access Advisory Committee

How to Apply

Please note that the deadline for applications is March 5 at 11:59 p.m. For your convenience, you may access the application online in English or Spanish.

Apply here Aplicar aquí

If you prefer a paper version of this application, please call 512-389-7590 or email info@austintransitpartnership.org.

Who Should Apply

The Austin City Council and Capital Metro Board of Directors are interested in appointing a diverse community advisory committee. The primary requirement to be a member is an interest and experience that will assist the committee in developing recommendations on community engagement and equity matters, related to Project Connect.

The City Council and Capital Metro Board identified these demographic considerations for potential nominating committee members: women, families with small children, Black people, indigenous people, people of color, people from immigrant and/or undocumented populations, members of the LGBTQI community, students, and workers’ rights advocates, among others. A variety of interests and experience should also be considered, including community organizing, household affordability, environment and conservation, green planning and design, housing and transportation, urban planning and architecture, health and human services, accessibility, small, local and minority-owned business, mobility justice, and/or other relevant topics as they relate to transit.

Members of the committee must be an Austin resident or live in Capital Metro’s Service Area. Members cannot be an employee of the City, Capital Metro or the Austin Transit Partnership. They cannot have a contract for real property, goods or services with the City, Capital Metro or the Austin Transit Partnership, and they cannot be a person who is registered or required to register as a lobbyist under City Code.

How to Apply

People interested in serving on this committee can apply here or aplicar aquí from February 5 until March 5, 2021, at 11:59 p.m.

Once the application period has closed, the nominating committee will review applications and recommend 6 applicants to be members of the committee. The nominating committee may choose to interview candidates before selection. The City Council and Capital Metro Board then must both approve the 6 members.

Appointment Process and Timeline

**ALERT** There are ongoing opportunities for the community to participate in the design and implementation of Project Connect. Click here for more information.

  • Application Period – February 5 through March 5, 2021
  • Application Review (and interviews, if necessary) Once the application period has closed, the nominating committee will review applications and recommend six applicants to be members of the committee. The nominating committee may conduct interviews to further inform their recommendation; should interviews be necessary, they will occur in early March. The City Council and Capital Metro Board then must both approve the six members.
  • Appointing Recommended Members The City Council and Capital Metro Board must both approve the six members. The Nominating committee will make a recommendation to the full Board and Council by March 22. The Council will consider the appointments during their March 25 Council Meeting, and the Board will consider the appointments during their March 29 Board Meeting.
  • The first meeting of the Project Connect Advisory Committee is anticipated to occur in April 2021.

Frequently Asked Questions

The following are examples of the topics the committee may advise on:

  • What transit-supportive anti-displacement tools and strategies the city should deploy
  • Community involvement and communications during the Project Connect environmental process
  • Design features of the system, particularly those that are intended to serve people with disabilities or people who need to use the system in different ways (such as parents traveling with strollers)
  • Creation of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) related to equity

The Nominating Committee will consist of the Chairs, or a Committee Member designee of the Chair, of the City Council Housing and Planning Committee, City Council Mobility Committee, City Council Audit and Finance Committee, Capital Metro Finance, Audit and Administration Committee, and Capital Metro Operations, Planning and Safety Committee.

  • 6 community members appointed by a nominating committee (see details below for how to apply); and,
  • 5 members appointed from within the following 5 existing advisory groups (1 member each):
    • City of Austin Urban Transportation Commission
    • City of Austin Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities
    • City of Austin Community Development Commission
    • Capital Metro’s Customer Satisfaction Advisory Committee
    • Capital Metro’s Access Advisory Committee

Staff anticipates hosting a monthly meeting of the committee. Some meetings will be shorter (about an hour) and others longer (a few hours), depending on the topics on the agenda and the discussion among the committee. 

Each members’ term is 2 years. 

While not a required time commitment, staff is hopeful that members of the committee will also uplift the community understanding of Project Connect outside of formal committee meetings. This may mean sharing information with personal networks, attending community engagement meetings, etc. This is “extracurricular” and not a requirement to serve on the committee. 

The advisory committee is anticipated to meet monthly. Once the committee members are identified, staff will work with them to identify an appropriate meeting schedule.

The meeting location will be virtual during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Once in-person gatherings are safe, an in-person/physical location for future meetings will be identified.

Yes! The Project Connect program includes many projects over the course of a 13-year timeline. There will be plenty of opportunities for all members of the Austin community to participate.