TipSheet: Travis County, 6.27.17

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.

1. Approve proclamation recognizing the month of July 2017 as “Watch Your Car Month” in Travis County. (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: If ever there was a month to watch your car, July is it. We also endorse watching the road, if you could, please.

7. Consider and take appropriate action on next steps regarding Venue Tax program. (Commissioner Travillion)

Monitor’s Take: This is an update to a story we first reported in May about the county’s desire to not have the city of Austin gobble up the remaining legally allowable Hotel Occupancy Tax capacity as it marches towards an expansion of the Austin Convention Center. According to the backup, some meetings have been held, but no commitments have been made. So far as we can tell, the wheels are turning on this one, but it’s still a ways off from any definitive action.

24. Consider and take appropriate action on Report on Key Legislative Issues from the Intergovernmental Relations Office. (Commissioners Shea & Daugherty)

Monitor’s Take: A month after the 85th Texas Legislature called sine die on its regular session, the Commissioners Court will get a fine-toothed retrospective from intergovernmental relations director and general bon vivant Deece Eckstein. If his recent chat with the Austin Monitor on our KOOP show left you unfulfilled, this briefing should hopefully scratch your weirdly wonky itch.

25. Consider and take appropriate action on implementation of recommendations of the Ethics Policy Workgroup. (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: That which separates man from animals could soon be codified as adopted Travis County policy. The court commissioned the Ethics Policy Workgroup to put together a proposed ethics policy way back in January 2016. The group presented its recommendations last October and now, so many months later, the court appears ready to vote on them.

26. Consider and take appropriate action on a proposal to host the National Association of Counties annual conference in Austin/Travis County in 2021. (Judge Eckhardt)

Monitor’s Take: It’s not quite the Olympics, but maybe it’s close enough? This resolution is merely a statement of the court’s support to bring the National Association of Counties’ annual conference to town in 2021 and will presumably be approved on consent. That is, unless luring the big confab requires the construction of billions of dollars’ worth of stadiums and delegate housing and, we dunno, civil courthouses or something. In that case, the commissioners might discuss it a little further.

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