Mayor Steve Adler passed out “Team Austin” hard hats and reflective vests Tuesday to kick off the City Council’s first CodeNext discussion, making a symbolic plea for unity as the council takes up the city’s most divisive issue.

Then the council spent the morning talking about how to talk about the first comprehensive redo of city zoning and building rules in more than three decades. Members urged each other to use polite body language as they parsed a list of overall objectives, leading Council Member Delia Garza to leave the dais in frustration and not return after an executive session over lunch.

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