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TipSheet: Travis County, 4.26.16

Tuesday, April 26, 2016 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.

6. Consider and take appropriate action regarding the issuance of a Mass Gathering Permit for Levitation to be held April 29 – May 2, 2016, at 9507 Sherman Road, Austin, Texas 78742. (Judge Eckhardt & Commissioner Gomez)

Monitor’s Take: Take note of this item. Drink in its dry, procedural language. Grasp, grope, and fiddle with with its terse, ominous promise of potential action. Dear reader, this is the last time you will see this item, a recurring feature of so many recent TipSheets — our rock, if we may be so openly sentimental. Barring any wild and unexpected curveballs, Judge Sarah Eckhardt will likely not take action on this item, and the damn concert will happen next weekend.

7. Approve setting a public hearing on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, to receive comments regarding the issuance of a Mass Gathering Permit for Untapped Festival to be held on May 14, 2016, at 9507 Sherman Road, Austin, Texas 78742. (Commissioner Gómez)

Monitor’s Take: Oh no.

8. Consider and take appropriate action on appointments to the Boards of the Strategic Housing Finance Corporation and the Housing Authority of Travis County. (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: This one is the latest in the ongoing rehab of these two affordable housing agencies. Two weeks ago, the Court asked for the resignations of all board members at HATC and SHFC in order to reorganize both boards. That formality didn’t mean the Court was cleaning house though. After resigning, those board members were allowed to reapply for the newly reorganized boards which will have five identical members. According to the backup material, four of the board members have sent in their resumes.

27. Receive briefing from County Attorney and give direction whether or not to file suit challenging the Attorney General letter ruling dated April 8, 2016 (OR2016–07935). (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: You know the old saying: Once you start suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over public information disputes, you can’t stop. Last week, the county launched a lawsuit against Paxton in order to protect the identities of businesses that participate in an employment program for ex-offenders. This time, it seems, the Attorney General’s Office has denied the county’s request to deny someone else’s request for records from Travis County Emergency Medical Services “pertaining to a specified accident.” The discussion on this closed-door executive session item will be privy only to the members of the Court and their attorneys, but a decision could come at the end of Tuesday’s meeting.

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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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