While some Texas Tribune Festival panels focus on individual politicians, others hone in on issues relevant to Texans and Texas politics with leaders from around the state and country. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most relevant moments.
Mayor Watson talks city budget, Prop Q
By Joseph Sweeney
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson touched on shortfalls made by the City of Austin during a panel Friday at the 2025 Texas Tribune Festival.
This comes after 63% of Austin voters moved against the property tax hike Proposition Q in the Nov. 4 election. Had it passed, the average homeowner would have paid an extra $300 per year to fund city parks, public safety and efforts in fighting homelessness.
Watson said Proposition Q’s defeat signals to him that Austinites are prioritizing affordability. Moving forward, he said he wants to more effectively use the city budget, which began the 2026 fiscal year with a $33 million deficit.
“When I ran (for mayor), I ran on an agenda of affordability,” he said, adding that voters “felt like the city was getting in the way of that with this proposal.”
Watson said the city’s current course of action is ensuring more transparency with how the city manages its tax dollars and restoring Austin residents’ confidence in City Hall.
Moving forward, Watson said the city will put more energy toward coordinating with other local jurisdictions like Travis County and the County Hospital District to make the city more affordable and ensure money is better managed.
But a key challenge to this, he said, is that the state does not give cities like Austin the tools they need to financially succeed, making moves like Proposition Q a necessary evil to fund the city’s libraries, parks and other services.
Under the currently proposed budget, city divisions like emergency medical services, public parks and social services will receive cuts to make up for the current deficit.
“We won’t be managing success in a very short period of time. We’ll be looking at how we manage decay,” Watson said. “Give us the ability and then let the local control work and let the people at the local level make those decisions.”
Former TX House Speaker Dade Phelan
By Aneesh Tiwari
Member of the Texas House and Former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan spoke about his decision to step away from politics and his view on the direction of the Republican party at the 2025 Texas Tribune Fest Thursday.
Phelan announced in August that he would not seek reelection to the Texas Legislature.
When asked what went into the decision by Editor-In-Chief of the Texas Tribune Matthew Wilkins, Phelan said he was against President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“I’m not a MAGA Republican — I never have been a MAGA Republican,” he said. “I’m not a Donald Trump guy, and again, it’s the reason I decided not to be speaker again. I could not carry his agenda through the Texas House.”
In last year’s election, Phelan beat out independent candidate David Covey in a close race for a House seat. Trump endorsed Covey in the race.
When Phelan announced his decision to not run again, Trump commented saying he was glad Phelan was stepping away.
“Fortunately for the Great State of Texas, their Former Speaker, who is no longer Speaker, Dade Phelan, is quitting Politics.” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Nov. 11.
Phelan took to X to respond, where he wrote, “New phone. Who dis?”
While Phelan didn’t rule out a return to Texas politics, he said the current political environment would need to change before he would consider it.
“Things (have) got to calm down,” he said. “Everybody running for office should have to take a self-awareness test. If they can’t pass it, they can’t run for office.”
“Making College Work” explores the affordability and necessity of college
By Shreya Vaidhyanathan
Higher education professionals discussed the cost and path from college to employment at the 2025 Texas Tribune Festival.
The “Making College Work” panel featured Allan Golston, president of the United States program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and former Brown University president and current distinguished presidential fellow at Rice University Ruth Simmons, among others.
When asked how higher education speaks to the public, Simmons said colleges and universities currently use “arcane” language that excludes a vast majority of the public. She also explained recent, disappointing leadership in higher education.
She said she urges professionals in the field to speak plainly to be inclusive.
“That’s a form of disrespect so patently clear, right? … I’m begging people in the higher education area to speak in plain language that people can understand,” Simmons said.
Affordability is the fundamental, consistent issue that excludes most Americans from higher education, said Lumina Foundation President Jamie Merisotis. He said that affordability is a long term issue for Americans and can be linked to declining confidence in higher education.
“I want to see a return on the investment that I’m making… I want value in the credentials that I’m going to get from these institutions,” Merisotis said. “To me, that issue of affordability is really what’s behind those numbers.”
Simmons said she has long advocated for lessening the cost of education by removing fancy dorms and reducing university president’s salaries.
“I don’t see it getting any better at all in terms of affordability, unless we tackle (what) we’re doing on our campuses to drive costs,” Simmons said.
