On Feb. 27, the Travis County Commissioners Court convened for a marathon nine-hour voting session. The agenda was packed with diverse motions, but dollars loomed especially large on the docket. Shortly before hearing the Travis County Planning and Budget Office’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget recommendations, the court heard a presentation from the Travis County Compensation […]
Nick Erichson
Posted inBudget
County commissioners prepare for a complicated budget season
Each year, the Travis County Planning and Budget Office presents its budget guidelines for the upcoming fiscal year to the Travis County Commissioners Court, furnishing the court with important data and forecasts while launching talks about further planning efforts. On Tuesday, Jessica Rio, Planning and Budget Office county executive, predicted an encouraging economic outlook for […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County celebrates shift to telework
The Travis County Commissioners Court last week received a briefing on a new “Telework Dashboard,” a web tool that reports on the impacts of the county’s ambitious push to build a 75 percent remote workforce. The test drive quickly became a victory lap as commissioners celebrated their sweeping labor gambit’s notable benefits to the environment, […]
Posted inHousing
Travis County embraces proposed Burleson Studios project
On the heels of a difficult vote on an increasingly controversial initiative for a survey on homelessness, housing once again topped the agenda at the Travis County Commissioners Court on Feb. 6. The court considered two motions on Burleson Studios, a transitional housing initiative that’s a collaborative effort between Foundation Communities and the Texas State Affordable Housing […]
Posted inPublic Health
Partners unite in fight against opioid epidemic
On Thursday, the city of Austin, Central Health and community partners delivered presentations to the Travis County Commissioners Court addressing ongoing opioid crisis abatement measures in the greater Austin area. At present, major interventions include the distribution of naloxone (a lifesaving drug that can reverse opioid overdoses), overdose education, harm reduction services, pharmacological treatment and […]
Posted inAustin
Travis County turns down partnership with Austin to address homelessness
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court rejected a proposal to form an interlocal agreement with the city of Austin. The agreement would have put $400,000 toward a $2 million strategic analysis of local efforts to address homelessness. Commissioners chiefly objected to the city’s employment of consulting powerhouse McKinsey & Company as the project’s third-party […]