Travis County Commissioners, after finding out there were almost 40 applicants to choose among, decided Tuesday to bring the two new members of the court into the process to help fill two vacancies on the Central Health board of managers. Based on the initial schedule proposed by staff, the current commissioners would only have about two […]
Local Politics
Posted inCity Council, Local Politics, Public Health
Council approves 2016 social services contracts
The Austin City Council approved the next round of the city’s social services contracts Thursday, apportioning far less money than most agencies said they needed to serve their clients. For Fiscal Year 2016, the city received requests for more than $30 million but was only able to fund about $16 million. The process for determining […]
Posted inPremium Types
Tip Sheet: Travis County Commissioners 11-25
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 4. APPROVE MODIFICATION NO. 12 TO CONTRACT NO. 4400000375, (HTE CONTRACT NO. IL070171RE), AUSTIN […]
Posted inCity Hall, Local Politics, Texas State Legislature, Travis County
Austin, Travis get ready for 84th Texas Legislature
With the specter of dealing with a Texas Legislature that has become even more conservative — if that is possible — with the Nov. 4 election, the City of Austin and Travis County reviewed and approved their respective legislative agendas last week. The primary objectives for both the city and the county for the upcoming […]
Posted inElections, Environment, Local Politics
Reporter’s Notebook: Rules are rules
A no-endorsement endorsement, and other missives from the campaign trail . . . Austinites for Equity, a political action committee for the local AFSCME organization, has supported numerous progressive and Democratic candidates. So observers were surprised when they noticed a filing on the City Clerk’s website indicating that the group had spent money apparently in […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Public Safety, Texas State Legislature, Travis County
Obama immigration plan may end city-county tiff
It may have taken an executive order, but President Barack Obama seems to have headed off a dispute between the City of Austin and Travis County. The long-standing controversy involving Sheriff Greg Hamilton’s participation in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Secure Communities program may soon be over. Under Secure Communities, Travis County Jail officials cooperated […]
Posted inCity Hall, Development, Local Politics, Planning
Real estate reform comes from Bull Creek process
City Council members Thursday quietly passed a resolution that instructs Austin City Manager Marc Ott to “forward to Council any written communication received by the City Manager from the State of Texas, or any agency of the State of Texas, regarding offers or options to sell the City real property within two business days of […]
Posted inCity Council, Local Politics, Parks, Public Safety
Council split on new deal for Austin Pets Alive!
City Council members Tuesday continued to debate a potential extension of a contract for Austin Pets Alive! to operate a facility at the Town Lake Animal Shelter. The extension would also include additional leeway for the organization to make needed repairs to the facility. The discussion touched on what Council Member Laura Morrison suggested was […]
Posted inCity Council, City Hall, Local Politics
Austin Council meetings run far later than peers’
A report from Office of the City Auditor staff appears to corroborate what many Austin City Council observers have long lived: that the city’s Council meetings are much lengthier than those of their peers. The data, presented by Assistant City Auditor Patrick Johnson and Deputy City Auditor Corrie Stokes, suggests that the average length of […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions, Courts, Development, Local Politics, Travis County
Commissioners get $294 million courthouse budget
Travis County Commissioners heard a report Tuesday that the budget to construct the proposed new Civil and Family Courthouse comes in at $294 million. After asking their consultants some pointed questions about how they arrived at that amount, they passed the whole thing along to the new Commissioners Court, which will take office in January. […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Music & Entertainment, Public Safety
Ott: Staff readying large-event recommendations
As part of next year’s budget process, city staff will bring forward a set of recommendations that could change the way the city deals with fees and permits for Austin’s many special events. In what could mark something of a policy shift, City Manager Marc Ott said in a memo that “one of the key […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions, Development, Local Politics, Travis County
Commissioners to hear budget for new courthouse
Travis County Commissioners are set to hear a report today on the planned Civil and Family Courthouse project, but there have been protests about the project’s proposed $294 million budget even though the report has yet to be made public. Commissioners approved the space allocations for the building about a month ago, and today will […]