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Whispers
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 by Elizabeth Pagano
County Judge Eckhardt staying put for now
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt confirmed Monday that, despite her official resignation, she will not be stepping down anytime soon. During a press call about the shelter-in-place order that will be officially announced today, Eckhardt said she could not have foreseen the events that have transpired since she stepped down March 10 to run for the Texas Senate. She explained that she had spoken with her presumptive replacement, former/current County Judge Sam Biscoe. “He very graciously said, I will hold off on swearing in so you can continue in as a holdover during this crisis,” said Eckhardt. More on this topic is expected at today’s meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court. As a result of the organizational reshuffling that has taken place in recent weeks to accommodate increasingly stringent regulations on public activity, Gov. Greg Abbott has postponed the special election for state Sen. Kirk Watson’s seat. The election is currently scheduled for July 14.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 by Tai Moses
HD 136 initiative provides emergency food aid
The offices of District 6 Council Member Jimmy Flannigan and Texas state Rep. John Bucy are partnering with Hill Country Community Ministries on an initiative to provide assistance to seniors over 60 and disabled people of any age in House District 136 “who are homebound or otherwise have urgent food access needs in light of the coronavirus pandemic.” The HD 136 Neighbor to Neighbor Seniors Food & Wellness Program is now seeking volunteers to help with outreach, food packaging or delivery, or to donate supplies. Find out more about volunteering here. Sign up for emergency food assistance here.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 by Jessi Devenyns
Travis County Commissioners Court will take place virtually
Even in the shadow of a shelter-in-place order and encouragement from municipal government to work from home, the Travis County Commissioners Court will still hold its session on March 24. As usual, the meeting will be aired on public access channel 17 but this week, all participants will be virtual with the exception of County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, who will preside over the meeting in the Commissioners Courtroom on Lavaca Street. The Texas Open Meetings Act requires the presiding officer of the governmental body to be physically present at a meeting held by videoconference call. There will also be a live online stream to access the meeting. Though the meeting will begin at 9 a.m., commissioners will not take general public comment. All public comments at the March 24 meeting must pertain to an item on the agenda, Travis County Public Information Officer Hector Nieto told the Austin Monitor. General citizen communication, he said, is an optional agenda item. Citizens who would like to sign up for an agenda item will need to do so by dialing in on the phone and waiting in the telephonic queue. To speak on an agenda item, individuals should call (866) 393-8749 and enter the following meeting ID: 149-100-895. “As we continue to adjust our daily lives for COVID-19, it is imperative we also adjust your local government,” said Nieto in a release. He told the Monitor, “We will continue to do it this way until further notice.”
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 by Jo Clifton
Some residential inspections to use live video
In response to dangers posed by COVID-19 to those participating in inspections, Development Services Director Denise Lucas temporarily suspended inspections of occupied residential properties last week. According to a memo from Lucas, the suspension allows her staff to evaluate how they can modify their services while observing social distancing. Beginning this week, Lucas wrote, “We will begin performing inspections of occupied residential facilities, together with our customers, using live video connections (such as FaceTime/Skype/Teams). We are hopeful that this option serves the needs of all our customers, given the prevalence of video-capable mobile devices.” Inspectors will reach out to affected customers to begin scheduling inspections if customers are willing to use remote options. The new regimen will apply primarily to equipment replacements, including heaters, HVAC units, interior remodeling and additions to residences. The change will not apply to unoccupied structures or commercial structures, she wrote. For the latest on DSD’s efforts to keep working during a time of crisis, check out the department website.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020 by Tai Moses
NHCD operations go remote
The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department joins other city departments this week in modifying its practices in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. NHCD staff will be now be working remotely at least until Monday, March 30. Despite the closure of its physical office, department business will proceed as usual. According to a city press release, “Clients are encouraged to continue to engage NHCD staff by phone or electronically; materials or documentation that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent via regular postal mail (Street Jones Building, 1000 East 11th Street), as staff are not in the office to receive documents in person.” Contact the department at (512) 974-3100 or email NHCD@austintexas.gov for more information.
Monday, March 23, 2020 by Jo Clifton
Abbott postpones runoffs to July 14
On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott postponed Democratic and Republican primary runoff elections from May 26 to July 14 in response to the emergency created by the COVID-19 outbreak. His decision followed the filing of a lawsuit by the Texas Democratic Party seeking to force the governor to allow all voters to participate in voting by mailing in their ballots. Under Texas law under normal conditions, only people over 65 and those with disabilities are allowed to cast their votes by mail. Republican runoffs include the race between Jennifer Fleck and Justin Berry, who are seeking their party’s nomination to run against House District 47 State Rep. Vikki Goodwin, a Democrat. On the Democratic side, local races of interest include the contest between Travis County District Attorney Margaret Moore and her challenger, José Garza, and the race between Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza and Assistant County Attorney Laurie Eiserloh to become Travis County Attorney. Statewide, Democrats will choose between MJ Hager and Royce West to take on Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
Monday, March 23, 2020 by Tai Moses
Answer ADRN’s ‘coronavirus challenge’
Got any extra hand sanitizer? How about that tub of antibacterial soap that’s been sitting on the shelf? Austin Disaster Relief Network has issued a “coronavirus challenge” in an effort to get some desperately needed medical supplies into the right hands. Please consider donating “your extra supplies of personal protection goods to the medical and emergency community, to give back to them in their time of need.” Drop off your extra supplies at the back dock of ADRN Headquarters/HOPE Family Thrift Store now through Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ADRN is looking for the following items:
- Hand sanitizer (of all sizes)
- Antibacterial Soap
- N95 masks
- Surgical masks
- Industrial masks (N-95 or Dust)
- Disinfectant wipes
- Latex-free gloves
- Eye protection goggles/glasses (NEW)
- Face shields (NEW)
- Protective gowns (water resistant)
- Disposable food-grade gloves
- Thermometers (NEW only), old style or new style, especially non-contact version
Monday, March 23, 2020 by Tai Moses
Small businesses may apply for federal disaster loans
Veronica Briseño, director of the city’s Economic Development Department, announced in a news conference Saturday that small businesses, nonprofits, homeowners and renters in Austin and Travis County suffering financial losses from the COVID-19 pandemic may now apply for Disaster Assistance Loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Small businesses and private nonprofits are eligible for loans of up to $2 million to pay “fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact.” City Manager Spencer Cronk said in a news release that city staff “worked closely with county and state administrators, as well as our elected officials, to secure this resource for our community. We are excited that local small businesses and nonprofits have another source of relief from the economic impacts of this pandemic, and we are continuing to evaluate other sources of support to respond to the needs of our local businesses and their employees.” City Council is also considering an additional emergency program providing loans of up $35,000 in “gap financing” for businesses in the city waiting for their SBA loans. “We recognize that our small businesses are hurting at this time and we realize that’s there’s more solutions that need to come,” Briseño said. Find applications and information about SBA eligibility requirements at disasterloan.sba.gov.
Monday, March 23, 2020 by Tai Moses
First city/county COVID-19 testing site opens
On Saturday, the city and county opened their first COVID-19 testing site, one of 11 such sites, thanks to a public-private partnership between Austin Public Health and St. David’s, Ascension Seton, UT Health Austin (Dell Medical School) and Baylor Scott & White. According to a report on KUT.org, “The city says there is a big gap between the number of tests available and the number of people seeking a test, so sites will prioritize individuals who are sent by referral and have an appointment. Priority will be given to individuals with specific symptoms and risk factors such as travel, close contact with confirmed cases, or underlying health conditions.” KXAN reported that 50 tests were conducted the first day at the site, whose location has not been disclosed in order to protect the privacy of patients.
Monday, March 23, 2020 by Tai Moses
Casar releases bilingual resource guide
Council Member Greg Casar and his staff have compiled a comprehensive, coronavirus-related resource guide for the public that includes information and resources about health care, social distancing guidelines, emergency orders, testing, food banks and groceries, housing, utilities, employment and much more. Casar’s office will be updating the document regularly to keep it as accurate, so it should be considered a living document. Read the resource guide in English here, and in Spanish here.
Friday, March 20, 2020 by Elizabeth Pagano
Moody Foundation pledges $1M to local COVID-19 efforts
The Moody Foundation announced Thursday it has made an initial $1 million commitment to Austin-area relief efforts. According to a press release from the foundation, those funds will go to AGE of Central Texas; Catholic Charities: Angels of Hope; Central Texas Food Bank; El Buen Samaritano; Foundation Communities; Hope Food Pantry Austin; LifeWorks Street Outreach; Meals on Wheels Central Texas; Mobile Loaves & Fishes; SAFE Alliance; Salvation Army Shelter; Sunrise Community Church; and Trinity Center. “We knew we had to do whatever we could to help our local community get back on its feet,” said trustee Elizabeth Moody. “We’re hoping this gift will provide a helping hand for our friends during this difficult time.”
Friday, March 20, 2020 by Elizabeth Pagano
Austin Transportation to facilitate food pickups
In an effort to improve safe access to curbside pickup, the city’s Transportation Department is installing temporary pickup zones for restaurants that have made the now-required shift away from dine-in service to take-out and delivery. A press release from the city explains, “Austin Transportation has begun converting some paid on-street parking spaces near restaurants into free temporary loading zones to make room for more people to pick up food while practicing appropriate social distancing to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.” At the moment, the city has concentrated its efforts on areas with high concentrations of restaurants that lack loading space. As of Thursday there were about 50 loading zones on the interactive map created by the city. In person, zones are marked with blue and white signs that read “Food Pick-Up Priority.” Restaurants can request a pickup zone by filling out an online contact form at SmartMobilityATX.com.