Travis County taking applications for two CTRMA board seats

Travis County is issuing a call for applications for two of its seats on the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority Board of Directors. The terms of both David Armbrust and Charles Heimsath will expire on Feb. 1, 2018. Per the county’s rules on incumbency, Armbrust faced a mandatory open call. Heimsath went through that process last year and was thus eligible for direct reappointment through a vote by the Commissioners Court. However, in July, the Texas Ethics Commission fined Heimsath $300 for not properly reporting properties and businesses he owned. Though he didn’t mention that fine at the Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday, Commissioner Jeff Travillion moved to put Heimsath’s seat on the market along with Armbrust’s, an idea that was seconded by Commissioner Margaret Gómez. The motion passed on a 3-1 vote with Commissioner Gerald Daugherty voting against it and Commissioner Brigid Shea absent from the meeting. Both Heimsath and Armbrust are allowed to reapply for their seats and both have indicated their intent to do so. The deadline for applications for the powerful transportation body known primarily for building toll roads but also for occasionally studying gondolas is Jan. 5.

This whisper has been corrected: the deadline for applications is Jan. 5, not Jan. 25.