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Travis County
Commissioners applaud county’s assistance to ‘those who need help’
On Tuesday, Health and Human Services staffers gave commissioners a report from the Family Support Services Division, the section of HHS that operates out of community centers and provides basic services for low-income families. According to Kirsten Siegfried, HHS division…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Oct 27, 2021
County staffers update commissioners on the jail plan resolution
Last Tuesday’s Commissioners Court session focused on the future of the women’s jail. The Planning and Budget Office reported on the June 15 resolution, which asked county staff for strategies to reduce the number of incarcerated women and enhance jail…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Oct 25, 2021
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…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Sep 24, 2021
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…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Sep 17, 2021
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…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Sep 15, 2021
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…
Travis County • By Nina Hernandez • Aug 31, 2021
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Commissioners extend deadline on adult correctional systems report
The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to grant a 45-day extension to a forthcoming report about the Travis County adult correctional system. The report is being prepared by a collaborative group including Justice Planning, Health and Human Services, and…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Aug 12, 2021
The 'elephant in the room': How will commissioners set their own pay?
At the June 29 meeting of the Commissioners Court, Todd Osburn, county compensation manager, presented elected officials’ salaries to commissioners. The item will be brought before the court again in late July, at which point commissioners will decide between three…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Jul 7, 2021
County presses pause on Palm School, pending community input
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court discussed what to do about the Palm School. On June 15, commissioners rejected the city’s 2020 offer to buy the Palm School building. The news disappointed many in the Latino community who had…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Jul 2, 2021
County deliberates joining city to end homelessness
On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court discussed the cardinal question of how to allocate a considerable amount of money coming to the county from the American Rescue Plan Act. Much of the discussion centered on homelessness, and whether the county would…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • Jun 30, 2021
Report depicts the state of poverty in Travis County
On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court fielded discussion from Health and Human Services on the state of poverty in Travis County. Rochelle Olivares, April Klein and Lawrence Lyman, the core informing team of the HHS Research and Planning Division, presented a…
Travis County • By Seth Smalley • May 13, 2021
Like Batman, county commissioners waive ethics for greater good
Last Tuesday, the Commissioners Court discussed the prospect of waiving a section of the county ethics policy for the purpose of granting Ascension Seton a contract for the right to aid Travis County in its vaccine distribution efforts. The county…
