Court covets Council transparency tool

There appears to be a little City-envy at Travis County Commissioners Court. During a Tuesday briefing from County Attorney David Escamilla on the requirements of the Texas Open Meetings and Public Information acts, talk surfaced of adopting a public message board similar to the one embraced by Austin’s new 10-1 City Council members. Judge Sarah Eckhardt asked Escamilla about the new system her staff is working on to build Commissioners Court agendas with her colleagues. It works similarly to the Council board but isn’t available to the public. Escamilla was explaining to commissioners the potential legal landmines involved with that system when Commissioner Brigid Shea brought up Austin’s alternative. “I’m a big advocate of it,” Escamilla said while extolling its legal benefits. “I’m interested in utilizing it,” Shea concluded.