In May of this year, Travis County committed to a broad investment in child care with the Creating Access for Resilient Families, or CARES initiative. To fund that care sustainably, the county will ask voters on Nov. 5 to approve a 2.5-cent property tax increase, which would generate an estimated $75.8 million and raise the […]
Lina Fisher
Posted inTransit
Project Connect trial to resume after Paxton appeal rejected
Editor’s note: The original version of this story contained an error conflating two of AG Ken Paxton’s opinions. The story has now been corrected. A little over a year ago, a group of prominent Austin citizens filed suit against the Austin Transit Partnership over Project Connect, the 2020 transit expansion that was originally designed to […]
Posted inWater
Austin is way ahead of the curve on federal effort to replace lead pipes
On the same day the Biden administration set a 10-year deadline for U.S. cities to remove all lead pipes, Austin announced that the city is officially 100 percent free of lead contamination in its public water system. “I am proud of the City of Austin for being a leader in effectively banning lead in our public […]
Posted inPublic Health
Residential substance abuse treatment program for women to open next fall
At its Tuesday meeting, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved a $469,559 contract for a residential substance use treatment program for women, using the state’s opioid abatement funds. The contract is the first time an inpatient residential resource has been available in Austin for low-income adults struggling with addiction since Austin Recovery shuttered in August […]
Posted inBudget
Travis County passes budget with a focus on justice reform
Last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court passed the Fiscal Year 2025 budget, totaling almost $2 billion – investments in the county’s mental health care services and legal defense apparatus mean the average homeowner will see an increase of about $162 in their property taxes, and could see more if a ballot measure increasing the […]
Posted inBudget
Travis County approves 6.5% tax rate increase for Central Health budget amid financial controversy
Travis County commissioners unanimously approved a 6.5 percent tax rate increase and a $888 million Fiscal Year 2025 budget for the county’s health care district, Central Health, on Tuesday – amid uncertainty about a potential conflict between Central Health’s mission and exactly how the district spends its tax dollars. Last week, the Commissioners Court postponed […]
Posted inTransit
San Antonio, Travis County and Mexico officials urge Legislature to fund passenger rail next session
Monday morning saw a bevy of local – and international – officials come together on one issue that unites all who must traverse Texas: its nightmarish traffic. Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and San Antonio City Council Member Melissa Cabello Havrda rode an Amtrak train to Austin along with Emmanuel Loo, deputy secretary of economic […]
Posted inBudget
Travis County commissioners postpone tax rate increase for Central Health amid financial transparency concerns
After last week’s confusing and concerning audit report on Travis County’s health care district Central Health, the Commissioners Court this week put off voting on the district’s budget and a 6.5 percent tax rate increase for Fiscal Year 2025 amid more concerns from the community – including from Central Health’s own board of managers and […]
Posted inParks
After leak repairs, Barton Springs reopens weeks earlier than expected
In a piece of good news – especially as recent sweltering temperatures have confirmed that summer doesn’t end till late September – Barton Springs is set to reopen today, on a Thursday, no less. During weekly pool maintenance Aug. 29, Parks and Recreation Department staff discovered leaks – caused by a hole that had grown […]
Posted inPublic Health
Central Health audit raises more questions than answers
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the Travis County Commissioners Court received a troubling and confusing report on an audit it authorized in 2022 of the county’s health care district, Central Health. Audit consultant Mazars found that Central Health has committed no legal wrongdoing and has improved transparency – though there are areas in which it could […]
Posted inEMS
EMS station renovations improve conditions for an industry with a high attrition rate
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services has been seeing staffing shortages since the pandemic, due to a combination of low pay, difficult working conditions and recruitment from other health care sectors. The vacancy rate has been improving – in July 2022 it was around 25 percent, and in 2023 it dropped to 17 percent. Still, at […]
Posted inParks
Barton Springs closed for weeks due to major leaks
Austinites looking forward to an end-of-summer celebratory Barton Springs dip this Labor Day weekend were disappointed, thanks to a safety hazard caused by two major leaks that has led to a weekslong indefinite closure of the pool. The pool has been out of commission since Aug. 29, when the city’s Parks and Recreation Department announced […]