The Austin Arts Commission voted to sunset the Cultural Funding Programs working group and to establish a new working group to review and update the Arts Commission bylaws.

Chair Jenny Houston said the downtown commission report was not on the agenda but provided a brief update before commissioners moved business items. The commission approved a motion to sunset the cultural funding programs working group; commissioners asked that the group prepare a short final report documenting why it was created and what it accomplished.

Commissioners then moved to form a working group to update the Arts Commission bylaws to reflect current responsibilities and procedures. Commissioners who volunteered to serve on the bylaws working group include Commissioner Anderson, Commissioner Garza, Chair Jenny Houston and Commissioner Sharon Keyes; Commissioner Maldonado concurred with the membership. Commissioners discussed keeping the bylaws focused on how the commission advises council and not duplicating ACME’s program work.

Other administrative actions taken by the commission during the meeting included: moving two agenda items (10 and 11) earlier in the agenda to accommodate schedules; approving meeting minutes from the prior month (with Commissioner Anderson abstaining because she was not present at the prior meeting); and setting the 2026 Arts Commission meeting schedule with a change to the December 2025 meeting date (moved to Dec. 14).

Why it matters: Updating the bylaws clarifies how the commission does business, sets expectations about comment timelines and aligns commission practices with the city charter and current departmental arrangements.

What’s next: The bylaws working group will convene under Commissioner Anderson’s lead and report back with revision proposals for commission consideration.