The city of Austin is governed by an 11-member city council (10 council members elected by geographic district plus a mayor elected at large). Under the manager-council form of municipal governance, the council is accompanied by a paid city manager. Nonpartisan council and mayoral elections are held, with a runoff if there is no majority winner. The council composition was altered from six council members plus a mayor chosen at large to the present “10+1” district system after voters accepted a referendum on November 6, 2012. The first election under the new system was held in November 2014. Before 1987, the federal government had compelled San Antonio and Dallas to leave their at-large systems; however, in a 1984 case, the court found no evidence of a discriminatory tendency in Austin and upheld the city’s at-large system. Between 1973 and 1994, Austin voters rejected single-member districts in five elections.

Austin’s municipal hall was previously located at 128 West 8th Street. A new city hall building was planned by Antoine Predock and Cotera Kolar Negrete & Reed Architects to reflect what The Dallas Morning News described as a “crazy-quilt liveliness, that embraces everything from country music to environmental demonstrations and high-tech swagger.” Solar panels are installed in the garage of the new municipal hall, which was constructed using recyclable materials. The municipal hall, which is located at 301 West Second Street, first opened its doors in November 2004. On January 6, 2015, Steve Adler was sworn in as mayor.

The Austin Police Department is in charge of law enforcement in the city, with the exception of state government buildings, which are patrolled by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The University of Texas Police Department is based on campus.

The Austin Fire Department provides fire protection within the city boundaries, but the surrounding county is divided into twelve geographic divisions known as emergency services districts, each of which is served by a distinct regional fire department. Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services provides emergency medical services to the entire county.