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Legislation addresses fire safety at kennels

A Williamson County lawmaker has filed a bill that would require all Texas kennel operators to have a fire-safety system in place to prevent another tragedy like the one that occurred last month at a Georgetown pet boarding facility. Seventy-five…

Governor's order in August took millions from local public service projects

In August, following a meeting between the Capital Area Council of Governments and the governor’s office, 15 projects and nonprofits, including the SAFE Alliance and Asian Family Support Services of Austin, lost funding they were offered in April. Because of…

Suit over land use rules set for argument at Court of Appeals

More than a year and a half after Travis County District Judge Jan Soifer ruled in favor of neighborhood plaintiffs and overturned Austin’s efforts to enact a new Land Development Code, the case will be heard by the 14th Court…

County back on track for emergency rental assistance disbursal

Last week, Travis County staff distributed a little over $509,000 in Emergency Rental Assistance Program money to qualifying families and individuals in need, according to County Executive Sherri Fleming. This brings the total amount of federal money allocated by the…

County judges criticize Abbott, state

Over the past 18 months, county judges – especially the chief executives of Texas’ largest counties – have faced an array of unprecedented challenges. Joshua Fechter, urban affairs reporter for The Texas Tribune, had a virtual sit-down with five of…

Three-quarters of county employees to work from home for good

The Travis County Commissioners Court is moving ahead with an unprecedented initiative to dramatically increase the number of county teleworkers, with the lofty goal of having 75 percent of county employees permanently working from home. In June, the county hired…

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County pledges more than $100 million to eradicate homelessness in three years

On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court committed $110 million in federal funding toward housing the homeless. The money, sourced from a $247 million chunk of the American Rescue Plan Act funds designated for county assistance, will likely be administered…

Here's what's in Texas Republicans' new voting law

Editor’s Note: Senate Bill 1, Texas’ restrictive new voting bill, was the law of the Lone Star State for barely an hour when civil rights groups launched a slew of lawsuits aimed at striking down the law. A federal lawsuit…

Commissioners approve state-mandated changes to leave policy

Three bills were signed into law during the past legislative session that will change or add to existing leave policies for county employees. House Bill 1589 provides seven days of paid leave for public officers and employees engaged in certain types…

Both sides claim victory in Prop A ballot language ruling

Save Austin Now, the political action committee behind Proposition A, which would require the city of Austin to hire two police officers for every 1,000 Austin residents, claimed victory Wednesday when the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the city must…

Democrats sue Texas in attempt to get federal courts to redraw legislative districts before 2022

Texas Democrats say the state’s legislative districts can’t be redrawn in 2021 and they’re asking a federal court to redraw them before the 2022 election. The state has already begun work on redrawing its maps, but a federal lawsuit filed…

Travis County bush

Why Travis County is struggling to spend its federal rental assistance dollars

As we spoke by phone this week, Rakhi Agrawal glanced down at the stack of papers on her desk. “My eviction notice – it’s right here on my desk,” she said. It’s been a long journey for Agrawal, who moved…

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