In 2024, Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion approached his work with a clear conviction: The challenges facing East Austinites are deeply interconnected. To truly serve his constituents, he recognized that solving these issues required a multidimensional approach – what he calls the integration of public services – rather than tackling them one by one. “If […]
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.
Posted inTravis County
Travis County Judge Andy Brown pledges continued focus on health care, passenger rail in 2025
For the past two years, Travis County Judge Andy Brown has told the Austin Monitor he wants to double down on overdose prevention, mental health care and passenger rail. Looking ahead to 2025, those priorities have not changed – but significant gains have been made in those areas. After a yearslong ideation process, the county’s […]
Posted inPublic Health
Travis County awarded $1.6 million federal grant to combat overdose crisis
On Monday, Travis County Judge Andy Brown announced a new resource for combating the opioid overdose crisis in the county – and reported new numbers that suggest current public health strategies are working. The county was awarded a $1.6 million federal grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance through the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance […]
Posted inPublic Health
County renews opioid overdose crisis declaration, funds more harm reduction
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to extend its opioid overdose crisis declaration to October 2026 and to authorize $100,000 worth of naloxone, a lifesaving overdose reversal drug, as well as $100,000 – and possibly another $300,000 soon – toward new harm reduction services. However, they also learned that the opioid settlement […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Travis County passes plan to invest in affordable child care
By the time early votes rolled in on election night, Travis County’s sweeping investment in child care services had already garnered 60 percent of the vote, holding on to that margin through the night. Proposition A will generate $75 million in its first year, to go toward making child care affordable in the most expensive […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Austin and Travis County fund diversion program for indigent youth facing low-level DWIs
Travis County continued its commitment to diverting people charged with low-level offenses from the criminal justice system at its meeting Tuesday, extending its DWI court diversion programs to September 2025. Those programs, which include treatment and pre-trial diversion for minor DWI cases, are largely funded through an interlocal agreement with Austin Public Health that started […]
Posted inPublic Health
With backing from a Parkland survivor, Travis County begins hospital-based gun violence prevention program
Back in 2022, the Travis County Commissioners Court passed the Safer Travis County resolution, aimed at reducing gun violence, at the time – and still – the leading cause of non-accidental death in the county. The resolution included two pilot programs, each costing $500,000 and funded by Local Fiscal Recovery Plan dollars through the American […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Ballot measure asks taxpayers to help fund access to affordable child care
In May of this year, Travis County committed to a broad investment in child care with the Creating Access for Resilient Families, or CARES initiative. To fund that care sustainably, the county will ask voters on Nov. 5 to approve a 2.5-cent property tax increase, which would generate an estimated $75.8 million and raise the […]
Posted inPublic Health
Residential substance abuse treatment program for women to open next fall
At its Tuesday meeting, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved a $469,559 contract for a residential substance use treatment program for women, using the state’s opioid abatement funds. The contract is the first time an inpatient residential resource has been available in Austin for low-income adults struggling with addiction since Austin Recovery shuttered in August […]
Posted inCourts
Ken Paxton sues Travis County for approving security funds for DA José Garza behind closed doors
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed another lawsuit against the Travis County Commissioners Court on Monday – this time over a $115,000 payment the court made to District Attorney José Garza’s office behind closed doors. The payment was approved during a closed session in March to provide home security to Garza after his address was posted […]
Posted inBudget
Travis County passes budget with a focus on justice reform
Last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court passed the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, totaling almost $2 billion – investments in the county’s mental health care services and legal defense apparatus mean the average homeowner will see an increase of about $162 in their property taxes, and could see more if a ballot measure increasing the […]
Posted inBudget
Travis County approves 6.5% tax rate increase for Central Health budget amid financial controversy
Travis County commissioners unanimously approved a 6.5 percent tax rate increase and a $888 million Fiscal Year 2025 budget for the county’s health care district, Central Health, on Tuesday – amid uncertainty about a potential conflict between Central Health’s mission and exactly how the district spends its tax dollars. Last week, the Commissioners Court postponed […]