Austin Monitor

Hays County Commissioners are moving forward with extensive repairs and renovations to the county jail in an effort to pass muster with the State Commission on Jail Standards. Hays County Judge Liz Sumter will appear before the state commission on Thursday in an effort to show that the county is in compliance with state standards. […]

Although Travis County Commissioners did not take any formal action on Tuesday, it appears the county will be moving forward on its own comprehensive plan.   Joe Gieselman, the county’s director of transportation and natural resources, brought a preliminary outline of the plan before the court, and Judge Sam Biscoe and most of the court […]

City Manager Marc Ott is taking steps to ensure that the domestic partners of city employees will receive COBRA-like benefits, such as health insurance, in the event of death or termination of their partner.   COBRA is the federal legislation requiring employers to extend health care insurance to employees and their qualified dependants. However, COBRA […]

Mayor Lee Leffingwell said Thursday that he and members of city staff would meet with staff of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) next week to express the city’s opposition to allowing any additional wastewater to be discharged into Lake Travis.   “Austin will officially join LCRA and Travis County in objecting to release […]

At the CAMPO nominations committee meeting this morning, Frank Fernandez and John Langmore were the top vote getters out of four finalists who applied to serve in two newly created positions on the Capital Metro board. One position is intended to go to someone with 10 years in finance, the other to someone with 10 […]

The City of Austin’s decision not to participate in the expansion of the South Texas Project nuclear plant is looking better and better. On Tuesday, San Antonio’s mayor and City Council were in the unenviable position of telling the public that the price on two planned nuclear reactors had ballooned by as much as $4 […]

Pct. 4 Commissioner Margaret Gomez was the sole dissenting vote on Tuesday when the Travis County Commissioners Court approved a motion to appoint a citizen, rather than one of its own, to be the county’s representative on the reconstituted Capital Metro board of directors.   The court has until December 31 to make its appointment. […]

A continuing campaign by opponents of Water Treatment Plant 4 failed to sway City Council Member Randi Shade, who says she will vote on Thursday to support the controversial plant. Plant opponents are disappointed but say they will continue to fight.  Shade’s support is expected to provide the fourth – and majority – vote needed for […]

Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an agreement last week between the county and the 14 Emergency Service Districts, which operate inside of it. Once it is finalized by the districts, the agreement will enable more efficient cooperation between the districts and the county and ultimately should provide increased levels of service to county citizens, […]

Mayor Lee Leffingwell is proposing a new program to help homeowners finance solar installations and eliminate the problem of over-subscription to Austin Energy’s popular solar rebate program. On Monday he said he was particularly pleased to have the support of both the Sierra Club and the Austin Chamber of Commerce for the proposal.   The […]

A continuing campaign by opponents of Water Treatment Plant 4 failed to sway City Council Member Randi Shade, who says she will vote on Thursday to support the controversial plant.  Shade’s support is expected to provide the fourth – and majority – vote needed for the City Council to move forward with initial plant construction. […]

It’s been a busy few weeks for Capital Metro.   First came President/CEO Fred Gilliam’s Sept. 30 announcement that he would be retiring on Oct. 16, followed two weeks later by the appointment of the agency’s Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer Doug Allen to the position of interim President/CEO.   Then came the […]