Tag Archives: Travis County Commissioners Court
Friday, July 30, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Housing
South Austin tenants aren’t getting evicted but still want answers
Tenants of the Rosemont at Oak Valley apartment complex, who had previously been given abrupt (though now rescinded) notices of their imminent evictions, still have unanswered questions for the Housing Authority of Travis County. Though the Housing Authority has since…
Wednesday, July 28, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Health & Human Services
County looks to expand jail-diversion programs
The Travis County Commissioners Court discussed the prospect Tuesday of expanding the scope of the Austin-Travis County Sobering Center to include aid (in the form of jail diversion) to those experiencing homelessness and mental health issues. Currently, the Sobering Center…
Thursday, July 22, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Housing
County to provide short-term lodging and repairs for Rosemont residents
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court revisited the situation at the Rosemont apartment complex in South Austin, where over 80 families we had been given abrupt notice they would have to leave their homes by the end of the…
Thursday, July 15, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Health & Human Services
Delta variant may be to blame for rise in hospital admissions
On Tuesday, Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes and Austin Public Health interim Director Adrienne Stirrup updated the Travis County Commissioners Court on Covid-19 and vaccination efforts in the county. “So far, we have not received a confirmed case…
Wednesday, July 14, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Housing
Housing Authority withdraws removal notice for Oak Valley residents
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court heard from some of the 85 families who were abruptly given notice last week that they would have to leave their homes at the Rosemont at Oak Valley apartment complex by the end of the…
Monday, July 12, 2021 by Amy Smith
Development
Tax break proposal prompts call for changes to county’s public-private partnerships
The Travis County Commissioners Court may consider changes to the county’s affordable housing program to encourage apartment developers to provide more meaningful rent reductions in exchange for property tax abatements. Commissioner Brigid Shea suggested future changes as commissioners deliberated two…
Friday, July 9, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Environment
County plans to lower emissions to comply with Clean Air Act
At the June 29 meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, commissioners discussed strategies to reduce particulate matter emissions with Jon White, director of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality, and Adele Noel, the environmental project manager for air quality. “We’re…
Wednesday, July 7, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Travis County
The ‘elephant in the room’: How will commissioners set their own pay?
At the June 29 meeting of the Commissioners Court, Todd Osburn, county compensation manager, presented elected officials’ salaries to commissioners. The item will be brought before the court again in late July, at which point commissioners will decide between three…
Tuesday, July 6, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Budget
County increases homestead exemptions for 65 and up
On June 29, the Travis County Commissioners Court discussed and passed a proposal to increase homestead exemptions for qualifying homes. The item was a follow-up to the previous week’s discussion in which the Planning and Budget Office had recommended to…
Friday, July 2, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Travis County
County presses pause on Palm School, pending community input
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court discussed what to do about the Palm School. On June 15, commissioners rejected the city’s 2020 offer to buy the Palm School building. The news disappointed many in the Latino community who had…
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Travis County
County deliberates joining city to end homelessness
On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court discussed the cardinal question of how to allocate a considerable amount of money coming to the county from the American Rescue Plan Act. Much of the discussion centered on homelessness, and whether the county would…
Monday, June 28, 2021 by Amy Smith
Planning
County rebuffs city’s offer to buy Palm School, leaving its future uncertain
In a vote few people were aware of until last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court rejected the city of Austin’s offer to purchase the historic Swante Palm School building on the eastern edge of downtown. Community activists, who for…
Wednesday, June 23, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Budget
Commissioners Court fields next year’s budget plan
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court fielded a budget process explanation for the 2022 fiscal year from Travis Gatlin and Jessica Rio with the Planning and Budget Office. While the first revenue estimates from the adopted budget sat at…
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 by Jo Clifton
Elections
Gómez, Woody prepare for rematch at ballot box
Margaret Gómez, who has served as Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 4 since 1995 and who was the first Mexican American woman in a county commissioner position, declared Monday that she is not done yet. Susanna Woody announced last week…
Friday, June 18, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Transportation
Travis and Bexar counties proceed with plans to electrify vehicle fleets
Travis and Bexar counties are making moves to electrify their vehicle fleets as part of a partnership with the South Central Texas Electric Transportation Compact. In hopes of serving as a model for other counties in the region, the two…
Wednesday, June 16, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Public Safety
After public condemnation, county to rework correctional master plan
A highly anticipated Travis County Commissioners Court meeting Tuesday was more contentious than usual and lasted later into the evening to accommodate hours of public comments criticizing a plan to allocate $80 million to fund a new women’s jail. Though…
Tuesday, June 15, 2021 by Jo Clifton
Politics
Reformer ponders challenging Shea
Bob Libal, a consultant for criminal justice and immigration reform organizations, announced Monday that he is “considering a run” against Travis County Precinct 2 Commissioner Brigid Shea in next spring’s Democratic primary. The major issue for Libal is Shea’s support…
Thursday, June 10, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Public Safety
Commissioners clap back at justice advocates protesting county jail plan
The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday responded to pushback from criminal justice reform advocates upset at the county’s plan to approve a $4.2 million design contract for a new women’s jail. While commissioners ultimately decided to delay the motion…
Tuesday, June 8, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Public Safety
Criminal justice reformers push back on county jail renovations
Just outside the Travis County Commissioners Court at 700 Lavaca St. yesterday, a number of criminal justice reform groups held a press conference to protest Travis County’s plan to spend $600 million on construction and renovation of new jail facilities…
Thursday, June 3, 2021 by Seth Smalley
Public Safety
County budget office weighs up new correctional complex
At their May 27 work session, Travis County commissioners fielded a presentation on the 20-year road map for the Travis County Correctional Complex. Representatives from the Planning and Budget Office, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Justice Planning Department…
