It was a tight match all night long, but in the end, Travis County’s $287 million Civil & Family Courts Complex bond fell with a stiff punch in the gut. After several tense hours that at one extended point saw support for the bond proposal holding a tenuous but growing lead, the final, unofficial count […]
Caleb Pritchard
Posted inLocal Politics
Confederate flag controversy rains on Veterans Day Parade
At Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, a controversy over the Confederate flag led to high drama replete with stirring statements and ultimately one official’s public resignation from an independent committee. County Veterans Services Officer Olie Pope told the commissioners that he would step down from his volunteer role as chair of the Travis County […]
Posted inElections
Travis County committed to downtown courthouse
The downtown block at the center of Travis County’s proposed Civil & Family Courts Complex proposal won’t necessarily be freed up for private development if voters reject the $287 million bond today. Opposition to the proposal has sprouted from downtown advocates, including the Real Estate Council of Austin, which argues that dedicating a large portion […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 11.2.15
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. 2. Consider and take appropriate action on an order concerning outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of Travis County. (Judge Eckhardt) […]
Posted inTransit, Transportation
Project Connect lives
Several months after a catastrophic hack forced Capital Metro officials to yank it offline, Project Connect’s website is back in action. It’s not clear exactly when officials turned ProjectConnect.com back on. A check as recently as Oct. 7 by a member of the Austin Monitor team yielded an error message. However, the site is undeniably […]
Posted inCourts
County responds to music festival’s lawsuit
Travis County has fired off its first volley in its legal fight against an electronic music and camping festival. County Attorney David Escamilla put his imprimatur on a motion filed Wednesday in the 98th District Court asking the judge to throw out the lawsuit brought by the organizers of the Euphoria Music & Camping Festival. […]
Posted inWhispers
Lehmberg warns of oncoming legal drama, budget impacts
Travis County commissioners were warned on Tuesday to expect imminent legal drama thanks to revelations that a state crime lab was using outdated DNA testing protocols. District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg showed up at the commissioners’ regular meeting to discuss the anticipated fallout that could involve the review of thousands of cases dating back to 1999. […]
Posted inDevelopment, Travis County
Commissioners get tangled up on Master Plan policy
A key component of Travis County’s Master Plan – a massive realignment of workers, buildings and valuable real estate holdings – remains grounded after staff signaled on Tuesday that it wasn’t quite ready for takeoff. Before the County Commissioners Court during its weekly voting session was a proposed policy framework to help guide the county […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 10.27.15
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. 6. Consider and take appropriate action on an order concerning outdoor burning in the unincorporated areas of Travis County. (Judge Eckhardt) […]
Posted inWhispers
Commissioners approve sobriety center recommendations
Travis County Commissioners Court approved on Tuesday what County Judge Sarah Eckhardt described as an “agreement to work towards an agreement” with the city of Austin to establish a sobriety center that would take pressure off Travis County’s jail system. At their weekly voting session, the commissioners voted 4-0 to endorse a collection of recommendations […]
Posted inPreservation
Preservation idea complicates Palm School plans
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt’s plan to sell off a valuable piece of downtown property appeared to have hit a snag at Commissioners Court on Tuesday. Members of Austin’s Mexican-American community showed up to urge the commissioners to preserve the Palm School building at the corner of East Cesar Chavez Street and I-35. Gilberto Rivera […]
Posted inWhispers
Eckhardt touts her first budget
Several weeks after passing her first budget as Travis County judge, Sarah Eckhardt held a press conference on Monday to tout the benefits taxpayers are getting out of their investment. She explained that the core services of county government are parks and conservation, roads, courts, public safety and emergency services, and “a social safety net that […]