About the Author
Mark Richardson is a multimedia journalist, editor and writer who has worked in digital, print and broadcast media for three decades. He is a nationally recognized editor and reporter who has covered government, politics and the environment. A journalism graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, he was recently awarded a Foundation for Investigative Journalism grant and has three Associated Press Managing Editors awards for excellence in reporting.
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Discover News By District
Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 11-25
Monday, November 24, 2014 by Mark Richardson
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website.
Items of interest for Commissioners Court include:
4. APPROVE MODIFICATION NO. 12 TO CONTRACT NO. 4400000375, (HTE CONTRACT NO. IL070171RE), AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY INTEGRAL CARE, FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
Monitor’s take: This is a $1.4 million contract extension with Austin/Travis County Integral Care to provide assessment, planning, and evaluation functions relative to mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse services. The modification finalizes an item for the current budget that was not ready for approval in September when Commissioners adopted the FY 2015 budget.
19. CONSIDER AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION ON HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT’S REQUEST TO ADOPT REVISED METHODOLOGY FOR CONDUCTING LAW ENFORCEMENT MARKET STUDIES.
Monitor’s take: Per the instructions of the Commissioners Court, county Human Resources seeks to undertake a market study comparing salaries and job descriptions of employees classified as peace officers to compare Travis County’s pay scale to other, similar entities. Commissioners requested this be done earlier in the budget cycle than HR has done in previous years. HR will perform the study in house at no cost other than normal staff time. Previous coverage is here.
21. RECEIVE AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION ON PROPOSED DEBT MODEL.
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Monitor’s take: Normally a routine item, this projection of future debt obligations for Travis County is modeled based on the addition of the preliminary costs of proposed facilities, including the Ronald Earle Building, the new Medical Examiner Facility, and the Civil and Family Court House project. It will likely show the impact these project will have on the county’s future revenue needs. The Debt Model will be updated in early 2015 as budgets for these projects firm up.
28. CONSIDER AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION REGARDING TRAVIS COUNTY APPOINTMENTS TO THE CENTRAL HEALTH BOARD OF MANAGERS.
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Monitor’s take: Applications were due Friday. Commissioners will likely name a subcommittee to review the applications and bring a list of finalists back to the Court on Dec. 9. Interviews are scheduled for Dec. 11 and Commissioners are scheduled to make a final decision by Dec. 16.
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