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TipSheet: Travis County, 12.4.18
Tuesday, December 4, 2018 by Ryan Thornton
To help our readers stay informed, each week we offer a selection of interesting items from the Travis County Commissioners Court voting session agenda. The full list of items can be accessed at Travis County’s website.
1. Receive comments regarding the Program Year 2017 Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (Commissioners Shea & Gómez)
Monitor’s Take: The public comment draft of the report was added to consent without discussion in last Tuesday’s voting session, so hopefully we’ll hear from the community as well as from commissioners during the public hearing Tuesday morning. The issue at hand is a routine analysis of how Travis County spent $1,606,425.85 of federal CDBG funds in Program Year 2017. The report is available to download at Travis County’s website as well as a summary in English and Spanish. Anyone is welcome to send comments on the report until Dec. 12 to CDBG Program, Travis County HHS, P.O. Box 1748, Austin, TX 78767, or by email at cdbg@traviscountytx.gov.
6. Consider and take appropriate action on the creation of the Indigent Legal Services (ILS) work group. (Commissioners Travillion & Shea)
Monitor’s Take: The Commissioners Court finalized the list of individuals to make up the ILS work group last week and it appears they will be officially creating the group Tuesday morning if no additional adjustments are desired. The group will be serving in various capacities during the process of creating and advising a Travis County public defender office.
19. Consider and take appropriate action regarding an update on the status of the 2017-2022 Bond Program in Travis County. (Commissioners Travillion & Shea)
Monitor’s Take: Updates include $22 million for infrastructure improvements as a result of the Atlas 14 rainfall total study, along with the additions of a general engineering consultant and a program manager consultant to help Travis County complete the 60 individual projects before the Dec. 31, 2022, program deadline. The program budget is $279.9 million, not including Atlas 14 adjustments.
20. Consider and take appropriate action on Travis County’s representatives to the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) Technical Advisory Committee. (Commissioners Travillion & Shea)
Monitor’s Take: CAMPO’s TAC modified its bylaws in 2016 to require two additional representatives: one to represent Travis County and one representing “small cities” (not Austin or Pflugerville) within the county. Transportation and Natural Resources staff recommends reappointing TNR Planning Program Manager Charlie Watts for a third year as county representative and Amy Patillo for a third year as the “small cities” representative. TAC advises the CAMPO Policy Board on technical matters related to regional transportation.
36. Receive update from the Intergovernmental Relations Office on preparations for the 86th Texas Legislature, Regular Session. (Commissioners Shea & Daugherty)
Monitor’s Take: The 86th Texas legislative session begins Jan. 8, 2019. The Texas Legislature meets at the Capitol every two years for a 140-day regular session. Here’s a preview of what the county will have its eye on this time around.
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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.