Council Member Mike Siegel, District 7

08/25/2026

When Austinites say they want to ban data centers, we know what they mean.

Austin residents, us included, are concerned about the larger facilities that we are reading about cropping up across Texas. The ones that create noise, light and air pollution. The ones that put an unfair strain on our natural resources, creating scarcity and driving up costs for consumers. The ones more often than not, are built in already economically disadvantaged communities.

These are what we call “Hyperscale Data Centers.” And that is exactly what we plan to ban here in the City of Austin.

As a City, we can’t ban what we can’t define; and so the process starts with City Code defining what constitutes a “data center” and how the City will differentiate between the smaller data centers that have long served banks, hospitals, and educational institutions like the University of Texas, and the “hyperscale” data centers used for AI capabilities nobody asked for.

08/24/2026

🎮 After years slow-walking recognition of unionization efforts with workers across the country, XBOX announced that they would be eliminating thousands of jobs — 1,600 employees have already been impacted.

It takes a lot of guts to take on a multi-billion dollar company like Microsoft. I’m proud to stand with CWA XBOX Workers and fellow gamers to say — stop the Unfair Labor Practices and unilateral layoffs, and negotiate with the workers who create the quality gaming experiences we’ve all grown to love.

08/23/2026

District 7 is lucky to have the largest section of this beautiful Shoal Creek Bike Trail that connects us from North Austin to Lady Bird Lake.

At an early Saturday ribbon cutting to celebrate recent improvements, we saw several cyclist already making use of the new section of the Trail! Once it cools down a little bit (or a lot 🥵) I encourage you to do the same!🚴🏼

08/19/2026

Happy Back to School to Austin ISD! Lamar Middle School students and teachers escorted Commissioner Shea, AISD Trustee Katheryn Whitely Chu, Superintendent Matias Segura, and myself on an incredible tour of their classrooms and programs, featuring the talents of the Lamar Scotties cheer squad, drum line, archery and dance teams!

And a special thank you to my son for letting me embarrass him (just a little!) by posing for a photo with me between his classes.

08/14/2026

08/14/2026

Important documents; food; medication; family mementos.

These are some of the things our unhoused neighbors have to carry with them or risk losing in a sweep. The Violet KeepSafe Storage program mitigates the harm f the sweep by offering a place to store these essential items. Thank you to VOCAL-TX for their advocacy on this important budget amendment.

08/13/2026

😻🧵 These are a Few of our Favorite Things
(Inside the FY 26-27 Budget)

08/13/2026

Today we’re funding a new, independent Joint Emergency Community Office that will improve our 911 response system.

This will involve enhancements including:
📞 modernized technology
📞 reducing duplicate call transfers and triage questions
📞 improving coordination between 911 and 311
📞 ensuring that the head of 911 is somebody who is an expert in emergency communications

This is part of an ongoing effort to ensure that we are using alternatives to police response and diverting mental health and non-violent calls towards the appropriate resource instead of defaulting to police.

08/04/2026

🏞️ Coming to your November ballot — a Parks Bond! With them help of constituents and task force members, Council has created a package to fund new park amenities and improvements for your consideration this November.

07/29/2026

What has your D7 City Council Member been up to?
📰📫 Find out in the District 7 News Service — coming soon to your mailbox