Stories by Michelle Jimenez
Council OKs $90 million bond election for boardwalk, mobility projects
The City Council on Thursday called for a $90 million November bond referendum that would pay for an eastward extension of the Lady Bird Lake boardwalk, along with a list of other mobility projects. City officials have made it…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Aug 6, 2010
County to hire lawyer for constable in civil rights lawsuit
Travis County Commissioners have lined up an attorney for Precinct 1 Deputy Constable Richard Furs, defendant in a civil suit filed last month alleging excessive use of force on a woman of Mexican descent. The suit refers to the…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Aug 5, 2010
County Commissioners want to monitor mining sites
Travis County officials on Tuesday said studying two new mining sites before activity begins would allow them to establish a baseline of information that could prove valuable if follow-up monitoring shows the operation has harmed the area’s resources. “If…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Aug 4, 2010
Travis County commissioners to consider parking program
Travis County commissioners are scheduled today to consider launching a pilot program that, ultimately, could reduce the number of employees who wait years, some as many as seven, for a designated parking space. Currently, 650 of the county’s approximately…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Aug 3, 2010
County to consider developing plan to reclaim mining properties
Despite an outcry from concerned community members, the Travis County Commissioners Court in late January reluctantly granted Texas Industries, Inc., a permit to mine sand and gravel on 1,200 acres in eastern Travis County, saying it had no grounds to…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Aug 3, 2010
City manager presents Council balanced 2011 budget
City Manager Marc Ott and his staff managed to wipe out, within the past few months, an anticipated double-digit deficit in the 2011 budget — and to do so without pushing the upper limits of the property tax rate. …
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Jul 29, 2010
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Sheriff, others may take issue with planned Travis County 2011 budget
In the face of plans by Travis County Commissioners to hold the line on new spending in the 2011 budget, Sheriff Greg Hamilton says his department has voluntarily made requested spending cuts for the past two years, but suggests that…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Jul 28, 2010
Ott: Weiss to lead Austin Energy, be highest-paid city employee
It’s official: Larry Weis will become Austin Energy’s next leader and the city’s highest-paid employee. City Manager Marc Ott announced at a news conference Thursday that he has appointed Weis, general manager of the Turlock Irrigation District in Central…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Jul 23, 2010
Central Health ready to issue bonds for North Austin health center
Central Health, formerly known as the Travis County Healthcare District, is on track to issue $18 million in bonds this fall to build a new health center in North Central Austin. Planning for the center began in 2008. Officials…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Jul 23, 2010
As Ott prepares to name new GM, Austin Energy works to balance budget
As City Manager Marc Ott prepares to name his choice for general manager of Austin Energy — Larry Weis, general manager of the Turlock (CA) Irrigation District — the utility’s current staff is scrambling to make up for a projected…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Jul 22, 2010
County to tap reserve fund to pay for court-appointed attorneys
The county program that provides legal representation to defendants is short on cash and will receive $600,000 from a reserve fund to help get it through the fiscal year. Travis County Commissioners approved the transfer on Tuesday to pay…
Uncategorized • By Michelle Jimenez • Jul 16, 2010
Aquifer district may dip into reserves to make budget for coming year
Kirk Holland, general manager of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Water Conservation District, gave the board of directors a balanced preliminary budget last week. The problem? Holland had to look to reserve funds, to the tune of $208,000, to get…
