Newsletter Signup
The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.
Most Popular Stories
- New federal cash paves way for East Austin’s ‘wishbone’ bridge over Lady Bird Lake
- Austin’s airport is getting a new concourse and 20 more gates but not until the 2030s
- Judge rules city can’t use taxpayer money for South Central TIRZ
- Save Our Springs Alliance sues City Council over Open Meetings Act
- Democrats vs. Republicans: First election coming for Travis Central Appraisal District board
-
Discover News By District
Funds could be running out for public defender office
Thursday, February 28, 2019 by Ryan Thornton
Time is running out for the Indigent Legal Services work group to obtain a Texas Indigent Defense Commission grant this year. In order to take full advantage of the available funding to be used for a public defender office, the group would need to submit its letter of intent to apply for the grant by March 11. To be considered, however, the letter needs signatures of Travis County criminal court judges and the approval of the Commissioners Court. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the judges will be willing to sign the letter at this point, unless the ILS group can create a compelling outline of how it will use the funds. The group has been working steadily to develop its plan since late December but has not had time to spell out the details yet. County Judge Sarah Eckhardt told the court last week that it should be possible to move forward even if the county did not receive the grant money this year, but the consequences of that situation were unclear. Roger Jefferies of Justice Planning clarified Tuesday that the result could mean less money available for the project. Unless the county submits an application this year, Jefferies said TIDC has indicated some of that money will probably go toward formula grants to be distributed across the state. Eckhardt said the county is “tap dancing as fast as we can” trying to develop the letter of intent to get the approval of all necessary parties. The ILS group needs to get the signatures before the court’s March 5 voting session for final approval.
Join Your Friends and Neighbors
We're a nonprofit news organization, and we put our service to you above all else. That will never change. But public-service journalism requires community support from readers like you. Will you join your friends and neighbors to support our work and mission?