Travis County has seen an astonishing rise in the number of inmates dealing with mental health issues in the past decade. That message was the thrust of a lengthy briefing delivered to the Commissioners Court on Tuesday by a broad coalition of county officials and community stakeholders, including Austin Travis County Integral Care and the […]
Caleb Pritchard
Posted inWhispers
Several leagues of their own
Travis County Commissioners Court heard an uplifting report about nearly 19,000 acres of land in rural North Texas that the county has owned since before statehood. In 1839, the Republic of Texas granted Travis County three leagues of land in Throckmorton County. Later, Travis added another league to the spread, bringing the total to 18,820 […]
Posted inLocal Government, Travis County, Uncategorized
One year in, Eckhardt looks forward to new challenges
As 2015 came to a close, the first woman elected to wield the gavel at Travis County Commissioners Court surveyed her historic first year on the job with confident satisfaction. “It was really good, I think. I think we achieved a lot of our objectives,” County Judge Sarah Eckhardt told the Austin Monitor during a […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 1.05.16
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. 6. Receive update from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office on jail diversion efforts for offenders with mental health issues and community-based […]
Posted inCity Council
Renteria sizes up new Council’s first year
The inaugural year of Austin’s brand-new single-member district City Council is getting high marks from at least one man on the inside. “I would give it an A-minus,” Council Member Pio Renteria, who represents District 3, told the Austin Monitor recently at his office in City Hall. Looking back on 2015, Renteria dished on the […]
Posted inTravis County
Commissioners Court holds fire on gun policy update
Travis County Commissioners Court will get off to a quick start in 2016. On Tuesday, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt reset until Jan. 12 an item that contained a controversial revision to the county’s firearms policy. The proposal would bring the county code up to date with a recent change in state law that expands the […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 12.22.15
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. 1. Receive comments regarding the issuance of a Major Event Permit for Luck Banquet to be held on March 17–19, 2016, […]
Posted inAustin
Development controversy looms at Palm School
Travis County Commissioners Court is setting the stage in downtown Austin for another high-profile thumb-wrestling match between the pro-development community and historical preservationists. As part of the emerging public discussion over the county’s ownership of the Palm School site at East Cesar Chavez Street and I-35, the court at its regular weekly meeting on Tuesday […]
Posted inWhispers
County to begin shopping for partner in mixed-use development project
One week after a dramatic delay, the Travis County Commissioners Court agreed unanimously to direct staff to start searching for private partners in an ambitious mixed-use development project in north central Austin. Last week, with Commissioner Brigid Shea absent from the meeting, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt postponed the decision, saying she wanted the full court […]
Posted inWhispers
Eckhardt warns of potentially impending case of Euphoria
A district judge’s recent decision to throw out a lawsuit against Travis County over its mass-gathering permitting guidelines might not be the final vindication the Commissioners Court was hoping for. That’s according to County Judge Sarah Eckhardt herself, who brought the suit up for brief discussion at the court’s regular meeting on Tuesday. The item […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County lends support to Planned Parenthood
A vote on an item that has little effect on Travis County policy managed to pack in several elements of high drama at Commissioners Court on Tuesday. County Judge Sarah Eckhardt and Commissioner Brigid Shea co-sponsored a resolution proclaiming the county’s support for Planned Parenthood, the embattled health care provider facing a funding standoff with […]
Posted inWhispers
County amends incentives deal with Charles Schwab
Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday amended an incentives package with investment giant Charles Schwab, accounting for a delay in the firm’s construction of a new regional headquarters in Austin. Katie Gipson, a strategic planning analyst with the Planning and Budget Office, told the Court that the firm met with permitting troubles with the city […]