TipSheet: Travis County, 4.6.21
Tuesday, April 6, 2021 by Seth Smalley
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 here. The meeting will be streamed live on the Travis County website.
Special Joint Session Covid Updates
County Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott and Austin Public Health Director Stephanie Hayden-Howard will join the Commissioners Court for a special joint session with City Council. Expect the Covid brief to occupy a significant portion of the morning time, beginning at 9 a.m. So far, Covid case numbers have been declining for over a month straight as vaccination infrastructure in the county is ramping up. While vaccine eligibility in Texas has been extended to all Texans, Austin Public Health is still only offering appointments for 1A, 1B and 1C risk groups. On April 1, APH tweeted that there were 4,000 appointments available with no one in the waiting room. However, last night as of 8 p.m., 3,300 appointments were available while approximately 6,780 people were in the website waiting room. Expect multiple questions for Hayden-Howard and Escott on this subject.
Voting Session Items: 1 & 7
Item 1: County Judge Andy Brown will oversee a resolution to recognize the work of pretrial services staff during Winter Storm Uri.
Item 7: There will be an update on CARES Act funding allocations from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, in addition to funding updates on the American Rescue Plan Act.
Item 19: For the 2021 fiscal year, there will be a discussion outlining the Road and Bridge Work Plan, underscoring goals for road improvement projects and related structural and labor needs.
Editor’s Note: Andy Brown is on the board of the Capital of Texas Media Foundation, the parent nonprofit of the Austin Monitor.
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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.
