Stories by Caleb Pritchard
County approves mass-gathering permit compromise
Travis County Commissioners on Tuesday approved controversial revisions to the mass-gathering permitting process following a nearly two-hour hearing that featured more than a dozen speakers from the community. However, the commissioner who offered the compromise that helped guide the changes…
Music & Entertainment • By Caleb Pritchard • Aug 12, 2015
Commissioners lower courts-complex price tag
Travis County voters will face a slightly smaller-than-expected bond proposition this November, thanks to last-minute trimming in the proposed Civil & Family Courts Complex budget. At the Commissioners Court’s regular voting session on Tuesday, county staff officially unveiled the new…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Aug 12, 2015
Travis County builds interest in courts complex development plan
The Travis County Commissioners Court has determined that a plan to let private developers build a second tower that would complement the proposed $291.6 Civil & Family Courts Complex is “extremely attractive.” According to the team steering the courts complex…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Aug 6, 2015
Lower tax rate, higher tax bill in Travis County's draft budget
Travis County’s property tax rate is expected to dip during the next budget cycle, but taxpayers shouldn’t necessarily expect lower bills. According to the preliminary budget for Fiscal Year 2016, the rate will drop by 6.62 percent. However, rising property…
Budget • By Caleb Pritchard • Aug 5, 2015
Travis County looking to collect millions in unpaid fines and fees
Travis County is missing out on more than $55 million thanks to outstanding fines and fees, but the Commissioners Court is working on ways to collect. At their regular voting session on Tuesday, the commissioners gave the green light to…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Aug 3, 2015
Democratic activists push for fifth candidate in sheriff's race
Several top local Democrats are seeking to fit one more candidate of their choice in the already crowded race for the party’s nomination for Travis County sheriff. A professional draft campaign is underway to build buzz for Constable Sally Hernandez’s…
Elections • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 29, 2015
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Sheriff candidates turn cold on ICE
A candidate for the Democratic nomination for Travis County sheriff publicly declared his opposition last night to a controversial partnership with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. John Sisson told a packed house at Polvos restaurant on South First…
Elections • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 28, 2015
County says state law trumps late-night concerts
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt is brushing off concerns that a plan to reform outdoor concert regulations in the county could potentially violate state law. The Travis County Commissioners Court is currently weighing a decision that would streamline the permitting…
Austin • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 23, 2015
Lawyers boost courthouse campaign
Members of Austin’s legal community have given a six-figure jolt to the campaign for a new civil and family courts complex. According to campaign finance documents filed last week, the political action committee coordinating the effort says it raised $134,439…
Local Government • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 21, 2015
County votes to extend Slaughter
A major arterial on the southeastern frontier of Austin will sprawl a little farther out thanks to the Travis County Commissioners Court. After an animated discussion on the role private developers should play in funding infrastructure that directly benefits them,…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 10, 2015
Commissioners weigh mass-gathering rules
Travis County Commissioners have once again delayed a decision on adding new restrictions for outdoor events, but not before more than a dozen speakers from the public weighed in on Tuesday. The commissioners appeared ready once more to take up…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 8, 2015
County hopes to offset proposed courthouse's cost
Efforts to offset a chunk of the cost of Travis County’s proposed $292 million Civil & Family Courts Complex could be worth nearly $80 million, according to county staff. Project manager Belinda Powell revealed her estimates to the Commissioners Court…
