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Travis County

In a complicated budget year, county commissioners hear advice on employee pay

On Feb. 27, the Travis County Commissioners Court convened for a marathon nine-hour voting session. The agenda was packed with diverse motions, but dollars loomed especially large on the docket. Shortly before hearing the Travis County Planning and Budget Office’s…

Travis County celebrates shift to telework

The Travis County Commissioners Court last week received a briefing on a new “Telework Dashboard,” a web tool that reports on the impacts of the county’s ambitious push to build a 75 percent remote workforce. The test drive quickly became…

County Judge Brown to focus on diversion center, passenger rail in 2024

In January, Travis County Judge Andy Brown told the Austin Monitor that he intended to double down on overdose prevention efforts and the county’s work to build a mental health diversion center to help more people in crisis avoid jail…

Travillion finds connecting resources helps solve complex issues

When Travis County Precinct 1 Commissioner Jeff Travillion looks at the county’s accomplishments in the year past, he sees lessons learned in the pandemic – and in his childhood – put into practice. “It was really no one thing. We…

Experience, communication help Margaret Gómez tackle difficult issues 

With more time logged in office than the other commissioners on the court, Travis County Precinct 4 Commissioner Margaret Gómez is able to bring a long-term perspective to county government. Gómez took office in 1995, making her the longest-tenured commissioner…

Howard proudly ruffling feathers her third year in office

For Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard, this year was all about employing the institutional knowledge she gained over her first two years in office. “You know, I found the bathrooms and the light switches, and I’m sort of recognizing the…

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Shea continues search for creative solutions to climate crisis

As an environmentalist, Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea spends a lot of time thinking about worst-case scenarios. Still, the commissioner’s approach to leadership is far from doom and gloom. In fact, as the climate crisis worsens across the globe, Shea…

Renewed cooperation eliminates backlog of sexual assault evidence kits

After years of discord, the team created to improve Travis County’s response to sexual assault is back to collaborating, team members told the Commissioners Court Tuesday, and a backlog of untested evidence kits has been processed. Spurred by state law…

Travis County bush

Program supporting underutilized businesses shows progress

Travis County’s Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) program made remarkable progress in the last few years despite a few setbacks and political challenges, county officials say.   The annual report for the program, which promotes equal procurement opportunities for minority- and women-owned…

County emphasizes winter safety awareness

As Travis County officials detailed plans and preparations for the next big winter storm, some said that the public might not be taking the threat seriously enough.  On Tuesday, leaders from the Office of Emergency Management, Transportation and Natural Resources,…

Total eclipse could bring massive crowds in 2024

Parts of Travis County could double or even triple in population in April 2024 as visitors come here to see the total eclipse of the sun, county officials said Tuesday. Travis County sits on the eastern edge of the 115-mile-wide…

Travis County bush

At the county, mentoring and advocacy service comes back to life

After a rocky start, two local nonprofits reunited this year to create a program that supports Black and Latina girls. Nonprofit groups Measure and Hearts2Heal first met with the Travis County Commissioners Court in July 2021. They proposed using American…

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