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TipSheet: Travis County, 10.22.19

Tuesday, October 22, 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.

7. Consider and take appropriate action regarding Pay for Success for permanent supportive housing. (This item may be taken into Executive Session under the Consultation with Attorney exception.) (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: Back in August we covered the county’s participation in Pay for Success, a program where private investors will pay for a program to provide housing and treatment services for a group of 250 chronically homeless people. The city and county will reimburse the investors based on the program’s performance. The commissioners voiced cautious optimism for the program in August; today they will discuss whether to move forward and sign contracts with the investors.

11. Receive comments related to placing restrictive covenants on the property of Palm School. (Commissioner Gómez)

Monitor’s Take: This is expected to be the big item of the day. The court will receive public comment on the proposed restrictive covenant the commissioners have approved putting on the Palm School property. While the commissioners voted unanimously in favor of placing restrictions on the county-owned property that will prevent any future owner of the parcel from demolishing the historic building, some community activists have been pushing for the entire property to remain publicly owned. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gerald Daugherty has raised concerns that the restrictions will prevent the county from making good money on the sale.

24. Consider and take appropriate action on: A. Live Oak Springs Preliminary Plan (32 total lots – 30 single-family lots and two open space/drainage lots, and public right-of-way on 51 acres – City of Austin ETJ) in Precinct Three B. Phasing agreement with Artek Investments, LLC (Commissioner Daugherty)

Monitor’s Take: As the Monitor reported earlier this month, a group of residents near a proposed 30-home development are worried this will just be the first stage of a much bigger project. They want rock-solid assurance that in the event the project grows, there will be a second vehicle access point and it will not be to their road.

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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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