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TipSheet: Travis County, 10.1.19

Tuesday, October 1, 2019 by Jack Craver

The Travis County Commissioners Court meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. To help our readers stay informed, each week we offer a selection of interesting items from the voting session agenda. The entire agenda is available at the Travis County website.

8. Receive update on community planning related to substance use disorders. (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: This is another step in the ongoing conversation about setting up a local behavioral health authority to treat substance abuse. Most likely there will be discussion of the “needs assessment” recently conducted by consulting firm Woollard Nichols & Associates on drug and alcohol abuse in the county.

9. Receive update from Workforce Solutions Capital Area on: A. Austin Metro Area Master Community Workforce Plan B. Relocation of the Workforce Solutions North Career Center (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: Last year, the court endorsed the master plan with the goal of moving 10,000 county residents out of poverty and into middle-skill jobs. Staff will hopefully present evidence that the Workforce Solutions program is achieving its goals. Given the fiscal pressure from state revenue caps, commissioners will want to see evidence that the dollars the county is investing are producing an impact.

10. Consider and take appropriate action regarding an appointment for a judicial vacancy in County Court at Law Number 4 of Travis County. (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: After the screening committee recommended just two finalists for the position – Dimple Malhotra and Chen Kercher – some commissioners said they wanted to consider more candidates. Staffers are now recommending the court interview an additional two candidates: Tanisa Jeffers and Dana Nelson-George. Jeffers practices family law and Nelson-George is an assistant district attorney in Bell County and former assistant district attorney in Travis County. The court will be asked to approve adding these two finalists. The interviews will be held later this month.

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Key Players & Topics In This Article

Travis County Commissioners Court: The legislative body for Travis County. It includes representatives from the four Travis County Precincts, as well as the County Judge. The County Judge serves as the chair of the Court.

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