Last year, the Texas Legislature passed one of its most extreme anti-immigrant laws yet: Senate Bill 4, which gives law enforcement the ability to arrest and hold people suspected of having entered Texas illegally. As the law’s enforcement still hangs in the balance, pending Department of Justice and ACLU of Texas lawsuits, the city of […]
Lina Fisher
Posted inPublic Safety
County to fully staff lawyers at bail hearings beginning Oct. 1
Justice advocates have been calling for Travis County to instate Counsel at First Appearance (CAFA) – an integral part of the justice system that ensures everyone access to a lawyer at their initial bail hearing – for years. In the summer of 2022, the county implemented a pilot program that lasted only nine days because […]
Posted inPublic Health
Austin and Travis County’s first Food Plan nears its finish line
Texas has the second-highest rate of food insecurity in the country, and Austin’s numbers aren’t much better: 158,270 Travis County residents, or 16 percent, are food insecure. Not being able to pay for food is a symptom of larger failures of the social safety net – the Central Texas Food Bank reports that “two-thirds of […]
Posted inRoads
Vision Zero’s improvements to protected left turns cut traffic injuries and fatalities in half
In May, the city’s Transportation and Public Works Department and Vision Zero program announced that its Barton Springs Road safety pilot program – which reduced the road to one lane in each direction between Azie Morton Road and South Lamar Boulevard, added lanes at intersections and relocated bus stops to places with crossings – has […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County wrestles with equity in last phase of its hybrid work pilot
At its meeting Tuesday, Aug. 6, the Travis County Commissioners Court heard an update on one of its most successful initiatives of the last few years: the countywide teleworking policy. After the pandemic forced workers home, Travis County won a National Association of Counties award for its ambitious target of keeping 75 percent of its […]
Posted inBudget
Austin Energy makes a case against giving more to the city’s General Fund
During a budget work session on July 30, Austin Energy made a case for not transferring an extra $4 million to the city’s General Fund, which goes toward basic city services like parks, fire, police and EMS. The city’s ratepayer-owned utility is the largest of the city’s enterprise funds and currently transfers $115 million every […]
Posted inEnergy
Major gas bill hike to be contested by city this fall
You might have a much higher gas bill next year, pending an upcoming decision this fall by the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the state’s oil and gas industry. Texas Gas Service proposed a rate hike this year that could raise some Austin-area residents’ bills by up to $10 a month next year. It was […]
Posted inEnvironment
Regional EPA grant will go toward mitigating I-35 construction traffic and pollution
On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $47.9 million grant to a coalition of transportation organizations in the Austin region that could go toward mitigating the worst environmental effects of Interstate 35’s inevitable expansion. The city of Austin will lead implementation of this Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), as both I-35 and Project Connect’s […]
Posted inEnvironment
Balancing conflicting public interests, Watershed Protection aims to promote native aquatic vegetation
Austin’s reservoirs do a lot of double duty. They’re known both as top-tier recreation spots for Central Texans and our source of dwindling drinking water. Subject to invasive species, drought and big rainfall events that bring in pollutants, they’re still doing remarkably well, all things considered, a reservoir ecologist told the Environmental Commission on Wednesday. […]
Posted inHousing
Stressing community trust, county commissioners consider candidates for Housing Authority board
At its meeting July 16, the Travis County Commissioners Court considered six applicants to fill two vacancies on the board of the Housing Authority of Travis County (HATC). Commissioners will make a final decision this coming Tuesday. Candidates focused on the importance of transparency with the community, especially since HATC lost some trust during the […]
Posted inTransportation
Seat capacity is down at AUS, but new federal rule entitles travelers to refunds for canceled flights
During the Airport Advisory Commission meeting July 10, Deputy Chief of Air Service Jamy Kazanoff updated commissioners on a slight drop in seat capacity for August – so maybe start booking those late summer vacations now. Plus, when a new federal rule goes into effect in October, travelers will be entitled to full refunds for […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Justice advocates rebuke county plan for $300 million juvenile jail expansion
At its June 27 meeting, the Travis County Commissioners Court considered spending $250 million to $300 million to expand the county’s juvenile detention complex in South Austin. A united front of more than 50 justice advocates voiced unanimous opposition to the plan, saying that the expansion would represent a doubling down on carceral tactics rather […]