A proposal to modify the Austin Fire Department’s leadership hierarchy has encountered headwinds at City Hall. City Council Member Don Zimmerman moved Thursday to prevent a vote on the resolution that proposes tweaking the department’s classification system, including removing several lower-level positions and adding two new division chiefs to Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr’s executive team. […]
Caleb Pritchard
Posted inRoads, Transportation, Travis County
Travis Commissioners split over CAMPO 2040 Plan
Discontent over a landmark transportation plan drove Travis County Commissioners to draw distinct battle lines Tuesday between two competing visions. The hour-long discussion on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s developing 2040 Regional Transportation Plan featured a rare crack in the court’s usual comity. In the end, the court voted 3-1-1 to ask CAMPO to […]
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TipSheet: Travis County Commissioners 3.31
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. Items of interest include: 11. Consider and take appropriate action on: a. The resignation effective March 31, 2015, of the Acting […]
Posted inWhispers
County Commissioners taking applications
The Travis County Commissioners Court is now taking applications from qualified candidates looking to represent the county on the City of Austin Commission on Immigrant Affairs. The commission advises City Council on issues that affect local immigrants and their families, including health and education. The commissioners are looking for candidates who have connections to immigrant […]
Posted inPublic Safety, Travis County
County postpones Correctional System master plan
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has temporarily halted preliminary steps toward a new County Correctional System master plan. At Tuesday’s Commissioners Court voting session, Eckhardt agreed to delay a vote on whether to proceed to the second part of a two-phase process after Commissioner Gerald Daugherty insisted on hearing from one critically important stakeholder: the […]
Posted inDevelopment, Travis County
Commissioners keep parking garage plans alive
Travis County Commissioners voted Tuesday to keep the three new levels of underground parking that had been designed to accompany the planned district attorney’s office in downtown Austin. The decision to approve the proposed $3.05 million garage beneath the future Ronnie Earle Building came just before lunch during Tuesday’s voting session. It was an epilogue of sorts to […]
Posted inWhispers
Shea, Gómez picked for Affordability Committee
Two Travis County Commissioners will sit on a special committee created by Austin’s City Council to examine issues regarding affordability in Central Texas. During Tuesday’s Commissioners Court voting session, Brigid Shea and Margaret Gómez were unanimously selected by their colleagues to represent the county on the Regional Affordability Committee. The new 10-1 Council voted during […]
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TipSheet: Travis County Commissioners, 3.24
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. Items of interest include: 14. Consider and take appropriate action on parking at the Ronnie Earle Office Building. (Judge Eckhardt) Monitor’s […]
Posted inLocal Government, Travis County, Uncategorized
Travis Commissioners settle DA building drama
Travis County Commissioners Court settled the final act Tuesday in a lengthy drama surrounding a proposed new district attorney’s office building. In a 3-2 vote, the commissioners gave the green light to a moderately revised version of the Ronnie Earle Office Building. Named after the longtime district attorney who served for more than three decades, […]
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TipSheet: Travis County Commissioners, March 10
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. Items of interest include: 14. Consider and take appropriate action on fiscal year 2016 budget issues, including the Fiscal Year 2016 […]
Posted inBudget, Travis County
Commissioners back new vehicle registration fee
The Travis County Commissioners Court has endorsed a proposal to raise vehicle registration fees to bolster funding for transportation projects. At their regular voting session Tuesday, the commissioners unanimously backed two bills at the Texas Legislature that would charge county car owners an extra $10 each year. The proposal would also let the commissioners ask […]
Posted inRoads, Transportation, Travis County
TravCo to study Hamilton Pool Road improvements
Travis County Commissioners took the first step Tuesday toward potentially adding big changes to a section of Hamilton Pool Road, despite some opposition from area residents. At the end of their regular voting session, commissioners unanimously agreed to award $530,000 to the engineering firm Binkley & Barfield Inc. to begin researching possible improvements to Hamilton […]