AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s comments about the city of Austin during a Monday night speech in Belton are raising some eyebrows, namely of Mayor Steve Adler.

“I got to tell you, it’s great getting out of the People’s Republic of Austin,” the governor said during his time at the Bell County Republican Dinner’s podium. “As you’re driving, you guys know this, as you leave Austin and start heading up North you start feeling different and once you cross the Travis County line, it starts smelling different and you know what that fragrance is? Freedom. It’s the smell of freedom that does not exist in Austin, Texas.”

Abbott went on to say that the latest legislative session, and the laws that came from it, overrode the liberal agenda in Austin.

“I think it’s unfortunate when that happens,” Mayor Adler said of the governor’s comments. “The city’s doing great things. We’re making great contributions to the state. There are a lot of things here that are working really well.”

• Austin Mayor Steve Adler’s response to man’s ‘sexist’ comments goes viral

Abbott continued to say that Austin is “California-izing” the Lone Star state, citing high prices of housing.

“There is some things we can learn from California,” Adler responded. “The home prices in San Francisco are over a million dollars. And we can learn from that and need to learn from that so we don’t become that city.”

“We’re setting our own rules and standards,” Adler said in defense of Austin.

On Tuesday, Governor Abbott called lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session scheduled to begin July 18.The mayor’s full response to the governor can be found in the above video.