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One mayor. Six council members. 10 stories.

While the Austin City Council lacked for an overarching theme in 2012 � nothing like the months-long roil of or � it faced a decidedly full agenda.

But ironically, 2012 may be remembered more for the change it initiated to future councils that the actions of this one.  With the council until Jan. 17, 2013, KUT News is taking a look back at the year that was.  

1. Switch to Single-Member Districts

Austin has rarely, if ever, had such an important local election.

No, we’re not talking about , which re-elected all four incumbents (, and council members , and ). Instead, November’s charter election � which saw the passage of Prop 3 (the �10-1� proposal to elect ten city council members by individual geographic districts) � means fundamental change for Austin government.

A studied the issue the first half of the year, before a 10-1 scenario be put to voters for approval. A citizens group then collected enough signatures to put the measure up for a vote. And despite facing from (the �8-2-1� plan, which called for two at-large council seats), the measure won handily on .

Now the real work begins: The citizen group that propelled Prop 3 to victory has vowed to stay , and has already butted heads with the city over the timing of drawing the districts and getting federal approval. And Prop 3 to future elections: another proposition moves city elections from May to November, and extends council terms from three years to four.

Austin’s next council election, in 2014, will be radically different.

2. It’s the Affordability, Stupid

Speaking of elections: While Mayor Leffingwell won another term, he narrowly avoided a runoff against former council member . And the campaign message on both sides could be boiled down to one word: affordability.

But it was a tough year for affordability in Austin. a to raise electric rates for the first time in 18 years on affordability grounds. It then initiated and its own . in the city’s annual budget (despite Leffingwell’s launch of an unsuccessful, 11th-hour proposal for ). And many Austinites at this November’s defeat of , which would have allocated .

3. The Year of the Incentive

One argument affordability advocates made in 2012 was that Austin needed to rethink economic incentive agreements with large companies: . , and all went before the council seeking incentives of some sort this year. All were approved.

Running for reelection, Leffingwell defended the use of incentives as resulting in solely cash-positive agreements for the city. But found that the state’s not so lucky: in economic incentives, and statewide enterprise incentives usually include a buy-in from both the city and county: a position Austin has found itself in several times.

Momentum is building for tied to incentive agreements; AGÕæÈË°Ù¼ÒÀÖ County approved a wage floor for construction jobs; VISA voluntarily agreed to an hourly wage of $11 for its (admittedly smaller) construction project. The council is expected to take the issue up early in 2013.

4. Off the Rails

City plans to put urban rail to a vote â€� again â€� at the behest of Leffingwell (possibly due to horse trading over â€� a Central Health tax increase to build a medical school offering expanded community health care).  Still, the council found time to address plenty of other transportation issues ranging from wayfinding to “parkletâ€�-style street patios.

5. It’s In the Bag

The answer, my friend, was truly blowing in the wind: the council’s a passage of a ban on single-use plastic satchels like an H-E-B bagger went through bags. Council approved the measure, by March 2013, but some questioned whether .

6. Short-Term Fuses

No issue inflamed neighborhood politics more than regulations to short-term rentals, those spaces available for rent on sites like and . Rental opponents, emboldened by on the city’s part, urged the city to ban properties that exist solely to be rented out. But council , which capped the number of STRs by area, before going back a few months later.

7. Rainey Days

The identity crisis on Rainey Street played out in council chambers this year. Once a sleepy, residential neighborhood, now filled with trendy bars and restaurants, next to the was one Rainey development too far. Council and called for new suggestions � and plans to revisit the permissive zoning that created the entertainment district in the new year.

8. Pregnancy Center Revisions

In April of 2010, the council resolved that “pregnancy centers� � operations that provide counseling, but not medical resources, to pregnant women, in an attempt to discourage abortion � would be required to put up disclaimers describing what they do and do not do, and early this year, the council , but not the need for a disclaimer.

9. Taxis Still a Checkered Story

The council continually wrestled with issues surrounding taxis and for-hire transportation in 2012. They voted to , for inebriated passengers, and  But taxi drivers complained more permits meant more competition, which meant ; and council member Chris Riley voted against issuing new permits without instituting recommended improvements to cab service outlined .

10. Same Sex Support

In September, the council passed a resolution declaring . But while the resolution is largely symbolic, equality groups applauded the measure, saying �.�

It also attracted a lot of attention: KUT News� report on the resolution’s passage was the most viewed city council story of 2012.

And if that’s not enough, here’s some honorable mentions on the council beat, from KUT News:

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