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TipSheet: Travis County, 12.12.17

Tuesday, December 12, 2017 by Caleb Pritchard

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.

14. Consider and take appropriate action on an internal Transportation & Natural Resources property damage claim at Richard Moya Park. (Commissioner Gómez)

Monitor’s Take: Hurricane Harvey brought some stiff winds and driving rain to Austin but otherwise spared us the devastation it visited upon communities closer to the coast. However, it did manage to bloody our local lip a little by knocking down a large canopy covering a playground at the county’s Richard Moya Park. The total cost of rebuilding it is $60,445, but the county’s insurance plan features a hot $50,000 deductible.

17. Consider and take appropriate action on AG Construction Management’s Notice of Appeals to Liquidated Damages and Delay Claims Notice for the HMS Courthouse 4th Floor Holding Cells Job Order Project under Contract No. 4400002021. (Commissioner Travillion)

Monitor’s Take: Looks like the county and its contractor have come upon a small misunderstanding over a project to build new holding cells at the Jurassic-era Heman Marion Sweatt Courthouse. The retrofit has already cost nearly $100,000, which sort of demonstrates what a hassle it is to keep relying on a civil courthouse built for a community one-tenth the size of ours.

26. Consider and take appropriate action on an appointment for the Travis County Healthcare District (DBA Central Health) Board of Managers, including: a. Approve interview questions for candidates b. Conduct interviews with candidates c. Discuss and take appropriate action on an appointment (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: Longtime Central Health Board Member Clarke Heidrick is stepping down soon and the Commissioners Court is set to name his replacement. The five candidates up for consideration are Rebecca Lightsey, Shannon Jones, Anthony Haley, Darline Turner and Mario Lewis. In this day and age of outspoken skepticism about Central Health’s general integrity, expect close scrutiny about any potential conflicts of interest.

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Key Players & Topics In This Article

Travis County Central Health: Health organization that provides care and improves service for uninsured individuals in Travis County.

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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