The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday helped the Salvation Army of Austin take a giant leap toward its goal of opening a new shelter for homeless women and children in far East Austin. The commissioners unanimously approved the sale of 7.5 acres of county-owned land at 4523 Tannehill Lane to Dick Rathgeber, the chair […]
Caleb Pritchard
Posted inPublic Safety, Travis County
Questions pile up as Travis County tackles flood relief
Travis County has more questions than answers more than two weeks after heavy floods caused widespread damage in Central Texas. At its regular Tuesday voting session, the Commissioners Court charged staff with investigating several issues raised by affected residents who attended the meeting. “We are very simple people,” William Torres, a resident of Thoroughbred Farms […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 11.17.15
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. 7. Consider and take appropriate action regarding County response to weather events in Travis and surrounding counties, including discussion of owner-occupied […]
Posted inTravis County
County moves forward with jail redevelopment plan
In the wake of voters’ recent rejection of a large bond issue to build a new civil courthouse, Travis County is pressing onward with other plans to update its aging infrastructure. During a special work session last Thursday, planners unveiled to the Commissioners Court their recommendations for how to redevelop the County Correctional Complex in […]
Posted inAustin
Zimmerman, Troxclair resurrect failed proposal for civil courthouse
Two Austin City Council members are renewing an effort to persuade Travis County to build a new civil courthouse in the so-called “Eastern Crescent.” The day after voters narrowly rejected the county’s $287 million bond to build the facility in downtown Austin, Council Member Don Zimmerman posted to the City Council Message Board a modified version of […]
Posted inTravis County
Daugherty seeks reelection
Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty has announced that he will seek a fourth term in office. Breaking weeks of suspense, the only Republican on the Commissioners Court revealed his plans in an email blast sent out just after midnight on Wednesday morning. The email quotes him as saying, “When it comes to traffic and other […]
Posted inWhispers
Eckhardt pulls back from courthouse project nuclear option
Travis County is weighing its options after last week’s narrow electoral defeat of the proposed $287 million Civil & Family Courts Complex bond. County Judge Sarah Eckhardt told reporters last week that she is willing to take drastic, career-ending action to replace the aging, overcrowded Heman Marion Sweatt Courthouse. The Austin Monitor has learned that the […]
Posted inAustin
County shoots down Austin’s no-kill request
Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday rejected a request from the city of Austin’s Animal Advisory Commission to enter into a partnership that would develop a no-kill management strategy for wild animals, including coyotes. David Lundstedt and Craig Nazor of the Animal Advisory Commission showed up to the court’s weekly meeting to petition the commissioners […]
Posted inCourts
County’s mass-gathering rules now in judge’s hands
Travis County and an outdoor music festival had their day in court on Monday, and now the future of controversial revisions in the mass-gathering permitting process rests in a district judge’s hands. The organizers of the Euphoria Music & Camping Festival sued the county in September seeking an injunction against the month-old permitting guidelines, which […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 11.10.15
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. 5. Consider and take appropriate action regarding County response to weather events in Travis and surrounding counties. (Judge Eckhardt) Monitor’s Take: […]
Posted inElections
Still on fence, Daugherty draws primary challenger anyway
The number of declared candidates in the hunt for a Travis County Commissioner Precinct 3 chair doubled this week from one to two, but there’s still one important name absent from the field: incumbent Commissioner Gerald Daugherty. Daugherty, the lone Republican on the Commissioners Court, told the Austin Monitor on Thursday afternoon that he would […]
Posted inWhispers
County commissioners stay busy on Election Day
Despite an abbreviated agenda aimed at allowing county staff to attend to flood recovery and an election, Tuesday’s Travis County Commissioners Court did not lack in drama or big decisions. In addition to an extended row involving the Confederate flag, the commissioners also approved two high-profile items worth noting. On a 3-0 vote, with Commissioner […]