TipSheet: Travis County, 10.30.18

Travis County Commissioners Court will meet Tuesday at 9 a.m. for their weekly voting session. In the interests of time and space we have listed a handful of items from the agenda below. The full agenda can be found on the Travis County website.

1. Approve proclamation designating November 1, 2018, as “Adoption Day” in Travis County. (Commissioner Gómez)

Monitor’s Take: Travis County, where 289 children currently await permanent families, will take part in a national effort to raise awareness about the importance of adoption.

6. Consider and take appropriate action on the following grant programs, applications, contracts & related special budgets, and permissions to continue: a. New application to the Department of the Interior (National Parks Service) for the Travis County Parks Historical Resource Survey grant in the Travis County Historical Commission b. New contract with the Central Texas Food Bank for a Partner Agency Capacity Building Grant in the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) c. Annual contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) for the Parenting in Recovery Family Drug Treatment Court (PIR/FDTC) program in HHS d. Contract amendment with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for the 2018 Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) in HHS (Commissioner Gómez)

Monitor’s Take: The Commissioners Court will be approving several grant applications Tuesday morning. The latter two exist already and the second involves only the purchase of a cooler for food storage. The first, however, is a new application for the study of land owned by Travis County. The county has steadily acquired land for itself in order to obtain full rights to study it for historical and cultural purposes, which is not possible on privately owned land. With the Commissioners Court’s approval, the Travis County Historical Commission will now be requesting a Department of the Interior grant of $25,000 in order to obtain the funds to conduct these studies. If funding is granted, the county will be required to match it with $25,000 from the Allocated Reserve. The research will inform decisions of conservation and preservation and serve to educate the public on the history of Travis County. It may also promote tourism in the area, providing an economic benefit as well.

7. Consider and take appropriate action on the Civil & Family Courts Facilities Project. (This item may be taken into Executive Session under the Consultation with Attorney and Real Property exceptions.) (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: Despite community interest in the new downtown Travis County facility, many of the discussions are taking place in executive session, as this one probably will.

15. Consider and take appropriate action on the reappointment of Commissioner Jeff Travillion to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board for a term to run January 1, 2019 – December 31, 2020. (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: Per the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) Joint Powers Agreement, three of the 20 voting board members are to be serving members of the Travis County Commissioners Court. Commissioner Jeff Travillion has been a voting member of the CAMPO Transportation Policy Board since January 2017 and has expressed his desire to continue in that role. Travillion has also served on the Capital Metro Board of Directors since October 2017, following the resignation of the board’s Vice Chair Beverly Silas.

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