Stories by Jack Craver

County leaders champion no-cash bail

Amidst an aggressive push from activists to reduce arrests and incarceration, Travis County leaders highlighted two important initiatives Tuesday as evidence that the county is a leader in progressive criminal justice policy. First, the Travis County Commissioners Court quickly approved…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Feb 12, 2020

Babies, immigrants fueling Travis County growth

Contrary to public perception, Travis County’s population would be booming even without newcomers from California. That was one of the main takeaways from a presentation to the Travis County Commissioners Court on the most recent population data from the American…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Feb 7, 2020

New nonprofit seeks to boost census participation

With six weeks until the 2020 census kicks off, the local effort to boost participation hopes to raise additional money for outreach efforts. Census Program Manager John Lawler, who is overseeing the Austin/Travis County Complete Count Committee, which both the…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jan 23, 2020

Travis County confronts tricky process in reforming pay for law enforcement

Travis County leaders are determined to reform the pay scale for the county’s 1,450 public safety employees, but they’re not quite sure how to do it. The county has long had separate pay scales for civilian employees and law enforcement…

Budget • By Jack Craver • Jan 17, 2020

County puts more money into Manor ride-hailing program

In response to higher-than-expected ridership, Travis County is putting more money into a six-month-old ride-hailing program in Manor. The Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to authorize up to $25,000 to help purchase a third bus for the Manor Pickup service, which…

Transit • By Jack Craver • Jan 15, 2020

Travis County takes action to eliminate 'water colonias'

While it’s accurately referred to as an urban county, roughly half of Travis County does not fall within the limits of any municipality. The population in these rural, unincorporated areas is growing rapidly, driven in part by a lack of…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jan 13, 2020

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County sets up new committee to put pressure on city leaders over Expo Center

Travis County leaders want to put pressure on the city of Austin to help them rebuild the aging exposition center. On Tuesday the Commissioners Court voted unanimously to set up a nine-member committee tasked with “engaging and educating Travis County…

Austin • By Jack Craver • Jan 8, 2020

County Judge Sarah Eckhardt sees a future of tough decisions and tax referendums for Travis County

Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has plenty of good news to report as she looks back on 2019. Her greatest achievement is the county’s new public defender’s office, for which she was the lead champion on the Commissioners Court. While…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jan 3, 2020

After quarter-century on court, Gómez sees pros and cons in change

Margaret Gómez has served on the Travis County Commissioners Court for 24 years, representing a precinct whose boundaries roughly correspond with the southeastern quadrant of the county, including nearly all of South Austin east of South Lamar Boulevard. Her career…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jan 2, 2020

Gerald Daugherty, Travis County's last Republican, fears for county's fiscal future

Gerald Daugherty has long said that this would probably be his last term in office. However, for a couple of days at the beginning of December, there were whispers that the Commissioners Court’s lone Republican might try for another four-year…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jan 2, 2020

Jeff Travillion says it's time to pay attention to eastern Travis County

Jeff Travillion believes it’s time for the east side to get some love from local leaders. While private dollars are transforming the look and feel of much of East Austin and making it increasingly hard for many longtime residents to…

Travis County • By Jack Craver • Dec 27, 2019

As the planet warms, Brigid Shea is planning Travis County's response

Commissioner Brigid Shea may have been elected to handle issues at the county level, but her focus is global. “My major focus in running for reelection, I believe very strongly as community leaders that we have to do more to…

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