Statement by Mayor Adler on HQ2

“Austin is a magical city with some wonderful opportunities and serious challenges that all fast-growing communities face. My hope and belief is that Amazon would partner with Austin to create a new paradigm of collaboration that focuses on how we can together address our city’s most serious challenges by bringing benefits to our community we would not otherwise get or get as quickly because of Amazon’s scale.

“I haven’t had any conversation about any specific incentives for Amazon, and no city incentive could be approved without Council action.  The Council has recently passed a resolution asking staff to look at changing how we do incentives in Austin to more closely align with driving the community benefits that we all want and I would expect that resolution and the associated community work to direct any future deliberation.

“I did want to be open and honest with Amazon with what I’ve been saying and written above, so when the Chamber asked me to contribute a letter to Amazon I wrote them a letter a week ago, and it is attached.”

Click here to read the letter Mayor Adler submitted for the HQ2 bid.