Stories by Beth Cortez-Neavel
District 10's Gallo to focus on transparency in 2015
District 10 City Council Member Sheri Gallo was sworn in Tuesday evening, along with the rest of Austin’s new 10-1 Council. Gallo, a longtime resident of the area, boasts a 35-year background in residential real estate and a legacy of…
Austin • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Jan 8, 2015
Council approves 2016 social services contracts
The Austin City Council approved the next round of the city’s social services contracts Thursday, apportioning far less money than most agencies said they needed to serve their clients. For Fiscal Year 2016, the city received requests for more than…
City Council • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Nov 25, 2014
Coyote management plan passes despite concerns
The Austin City Council approved the contentious city coyote management plan Thursday evening, to a loud round of applause and a few woofs of approval from community members sitting in the audience. “This may not be the last word on…
City Council • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Nov 21, 2014
Groups call city social service contracts inadequate
Organizations that provide crucial community needs will walk away from Austin’s newly altered competitive process for assigning next year’s social services contracts without the funding they want, members of the City Council Public Health and Human Services Committee said Friday.…
Austin • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Nov 3, 2014
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Council to finally get controversial coyote plan
A new coyote management policy will be brought to the Austin City Council in November, following a nine-month-long and somewhat controversial process. The policy was most recently before City Council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday. In 2013,…
Public Safety • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Oct 22, 2014
Central Health OKs teaching hospital agreements
Despite public requests to postpone the vote, Central Health’s Board of Managers approved two crucial lease agreements for the new teaching hospital Wednesday night. Under the agreements, Seton Family Healthcare will pay $877,621 a year to the University of Texas for…
Local Government • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Oct 20, 2014
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Travis County battles shortage of foster homes
There is a severe lack of homes for children and youth in Travis County’s foster care system, according to the judges and officials who administer the system. They say the situation has become critical, to the point that children are…
Public Safety • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Oct 9, 2014
Search our advisory boards appointee database
The City of Austin has a plethora of advisory groups that each inform some aspect of how city government operates and regulates the services it provides for the community. There are more than 60 advisory boards, committees and commissions, including…
Local Politics • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Sep 15, 2014
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Central Health's 2015 budget up 8.8 percent
If you think your health care bill is big and confusing, check out the one at Central Health. The Travis County’s health care district brought its Fiscal Year 2015 budget to the Commissioner’s Court Tuesday with an 8.8 percent increase…
Resources • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Aug 27, 2014
Increasing child abuse/neglect cases strain courts
Representatives of Travis County children and parents involved in legal abuse and neglect cases have only 10-minute judicial hearings to present evidence of their safety and living situations, according to county civil court judges. County attorneys for indigent children and parents…
Public Safety • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Aug 25, 2014
County postpones parking decision again
Travis County Commissioners once again postponed a decision on the new county employee parking plan, to the chagrin of the employee parking committee Tuesday. In March, commissioners approved the expansion of free zoned county employee parking in all county-approved parking facilities…
Transportation • By Beth Cortez-Neavel • Aug 22, 2014
Health Services tells county it needs more staff
The Travis County’s Health and Human Services Department asked for an additional $313,000 for six full-time employees to its Fiscal Year 2015 budget Friday, the last day of budget hearings. Travis County Commissioners spent last week discussing requests for additional…
