Tag Archives: Travis County Commissioners Court
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
Lingering senior staff vacancy vexes Commissioners Court
Not only can Travis County not find someone to fill its open county executive of operations management position, it can’t even find a recruiting firm to help with the search.That was how Tracey Calloway, director of the county’s Human Resources…
Monday, April 23, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
Commissioners Court delays action on worker safety recommendations
The Travis County Commissioners Court will put off for several weeks a decision on a package of proposals aimed at strengthening protections for construction workers on county projects.Last Tuesday, the court discussed 10 recommendations set forth by Purchasing Office staff…
Friday, April 13, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Preservation
Palm School survey offers ground rules for redevelopment
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Thursday received a long-awaited report on the historic bona fides of the county-owned Palm School building during a briefing that offered potential redevelopment scenarios of the 19th-century downtown Austin structure.All of those scenarios would…
Monday, April 9, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
Office development on unincorporated land draws neighborhood opposition
Anxieties over traffic, safety, environmental degradation and more pushed the Travis County Commissioners Court last week to postpone action on an item that would clear the way for the construction of two new office buildings on a rural but rapidly…
Wednesday, April 4, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Transit
Green Line creeps forward at Commissioners Court
The Travis County Commissioners Court voted in a split decision on Tuesday to initiate a study of potential financing options for the proposed commuter rail line between Austin and Manor known as the Green Line.The move marks a small victory…
Monday, April 2, 2018 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Let’s talk talk
Talking to themselves… Do the members of the Commissioners Court and their staff need to take some time to discuss how they discuss things? Well, last Tuesday, the court discussed that very question! Concerning an upcoming retreat, Commissioner Brigid Shea…
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Public Safety
Commissioners Court hits pause on new women’s unit at county jail
The Travis County Commissioners Court has shelved for a full year what was supposed to be the first installment of a $97 million plan to build a new housing unit for female inmates at the county’s jail complex in Del…
Monday, March 5, 2018 by Austin Monitor
Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: Margaret Gómez
This week, Precinct 4 Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gómez sits down with Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard and editor Elizabeth Pagano in a special live broadcast to talk about why she is seeking a seventh (!) term on the Commissioners…
Thursday, March 1, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Roads
Travis County looks to tap CTRMA to fast-track bond projects
Travis County and the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority have both signed on to negotiations that could leverage the CTRMA’s prodigious road-building capabilities to boost priority safety improvements in the southeastern quadrant of the county.On Wednesday, the CTRMA board of…
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Budget
Split Commissioners Court endorses higher exemption for some homeowners
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday took a preliminary step toward enlarging the property tax exemption for homeowning residents over the age of 65 or living with a disability.The court voted 3-2 to direct Planning and Budget Office staff…
Monday, February 26, 2018 by Austin Monitor
Elections
Austin Monitor Radio: Pct. 4 challenger Susanna Woody
This week, Travis County Commissioners Court challenger Susanna Woody joins Austin Monitor freelance reporter Caleb Pritchard and Monitor editor Elizabeth Pagano to talk about why she is vying for the Precinct 4 seat. Listen to the whole interview with the…
Wednesday, February 21, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
Travis County takes brand-new tack in courthouse search
Travis County’s search for a new site on which to build a new civil courthouse has taken an unprecedented turn after the Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to solicit proposals from potential private partners interested in both putting up land…
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Public Safety
Airbus’ protest at Commissioners Court crashes and burns
The Travis County Commissioners Court shot down a protest leveled by aircraft manufacturer Airbus over the county’s selection process for a new fleet of STAR Flight helicopters.A team of officials from the company’s helicopter division showed up to the court’s…
Wednesday, January 31, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
In picking a new CTRMA rep, Travis County goes with a familiar face
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday chose an old hand to be its newest representative on the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority’s board of directors.In a unanimous vote, the court awarded the seat to attorney John Langmore, a former…
Monday, January 29, 2018 by Austin Monitor
Reporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: What blind spots?
Colossus of roads… “There’s no question that I am probably the largest road proponent in the Milky Way.” Thus Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty began a stemwinder about his transportation prescription for Central Texas at a luncheon hosted by the…
Wednesday, January 24, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
Sobering Center one step closer
The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a contract on Tuesday awarding Tegrity Contractors the right to construct the Austin Sobering Center. Austin/Travis County Sobriety Center will remain the name of the local government corporation that operates the facility.The contract worth…
Friday, January 5, 2018 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
Eckhardt’s watchword for 2018: Teamwork
Christmas came early for Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt when, on Dec. 11, no one from either of the two major parties stepped up to challenge her for her seat.That means Eckhardt will skate to a second term without the…
Wednesday, December 27, 2017 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
Daugherty, the odd man out, finds ways to make it work (mostly)
Commissioner Gerald Daugherty is the only Republican on the Travis County Commissioners Court, but as long as that body maintains its track record of financial prudence, he’s okay with that.In 2017, the court lowered the county’s property tax rate, the…
Wednesday, December 27, 2017 by Caleb Pritchard
Travis County
Rare drama for persistent optimist Gómez
Commissioner Margaret Gómez, generally the most unassuming member of the Travis County Commissioners Court, will start off 2018 with an unusual amount of attention on her and her alone.The Precinct 4 commissioner is the only one among her colleagues to…
