The Environmental Commission fielded discussion on May 5 regarding redevelopment plans for the Brackenridge Hospital site, a 14-acre area located at 601 E. 15th St. Since the hospital historically treated indigent people in the Austin area, City Council decided that money made from the area’s redevelopment should go to health care for the indigent. “They […]
Seth Smalley
Posted inEnvironment
Environmental commissioners review emissions reduction plan
The Environmental Commission fielded discussion Tuesday on the Austin Emissions Reduction Plan. Phoebe Romero, the environmental program coordinator with the Office of Sustainability, presented alongside Christiane Alepuz, the services program coordinator with the Capital Area Council of Governments Regional Planning and Services Division. The emissions plan, which was passed toward the end of 2018, details […]
Posted inHousing
As housing prices soar, corporations exploit legal paths to challenge appraisals
The Travis County Commissioners Court fielded a discussion Tuesday from the Travis Central Appraisal District that touched on a number of issues, from legislative outlook related to property appraisal reform to Austin’s meteoric growth and its effects on the state of the Austin housing market. Chief appraiser Marya Crigler presented TCAD’s findings to commissioners, starting with a […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro considers in-house police force
Last year, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Randy Clarke asked the American Public Transportation Association to convene a peer review of Capital Metro’s public safety program, one of a variety of services provided by APTA. The methodology of the review included interviews with board members, committee members, committee chairs, union members, and an acting chief […]
Posted inPlanning
In Earth Day win, Environmental Commission sides with salamanders over developer
At its April 21 meeting, the Environmental Commission fielded discussion over a wastewater service extension request (SER) from a prospective developer of a property located at FM 620 and Anderson Mill Road. Kaela Champlin, an environmental program coordinator with the Watershed Protection Department, presented the case to commissioners, ultimately recommending the commission nix the request […]
Posted inLocal Government
Joint council mulls ‘once in a generation’ ARPA funding for region
The Commissioners Court joined City Council Tuesday to discuss the allocation of federal funding granted by the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. Ralph Garboushian, a career municipal consultant, described the level of local funding from ARPA as “once in a generation.” While $424 billion of the $1.9 trillion total was directly distributed to individuals in […]
Posted inResources
Travis County Commissioners field 2020 sustainability report
Tom Gleason, sustainability project manager with Transportation and Natural Resources, presented the 2020 annual sustainability report to the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday. While the report has historically focused on solid waste and TNR’s diversion efforts, it has expanded within the last couple of years to cover more comprehensive sustainability efforts. Such efforts include […]
Posted inResources
County launches Civilian Climate Corps to create green jobs
The Commissioners Court approved a resolution Tuesday to create the Travis County Civilian Climate Corps, sharing the goals of a city initiative created last May, the Austin Civilian Conservation Corps, to create green jobs and redress pandemic-era unemployment. Commissioners Anne Howard and Brigid Shea led discussion on the project. “This is a resolution for us, […]
Posted inTravis County
Like Batman, county commissioners waive ethics for greater good
Last Tuesday, the Commissioners Court discussed the prospect of waiving a section of the county ethics policy for the purpose of granting Ascension Seton a contract for the right to aid Travis County in its vaccine distribution efforts. The county code in question, Chapter 33, Section 19, involves discretionary contracts – and specifically denies the […]
Posted inTransit
Capital Metro shifts from ‘surviving to thriving’ in 2021
At the April 14 meeting of Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors, members reviewed operations performance statistics over the last year, covering topics ranging from total ridership to vehicle collision rates to promptness of Capital Metro vehicles. (Performance metrics are also accessible via a public dashboard found on the Capital Metro website.) Dottie Watkins, […]
Posted inHousing
County prepares to launch emergency rental assistance program
County Executive Sherri Fleming spoke to the Commissioners Court on Tuesday to provide an update on the county’s emergency rental assistance program. She said Health and Human Services intends to begin outreach for the program on April 15. “We have several outreach materials which will be usable via social media,” Fleming said, describing a flyer […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 4.13.21
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. To help our readers stay informed, each week we offer a selection of interesting items from the voting session agenda. The entire agenda is available at the Travis County website. The meeting will be streamed live on the Travis County website. Special joint session Covid updates County Health Authority […]