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Local Government

SOS suing state agency over failure to provide information on MoPac expansion

The Save our Springs Alliance has filed suit against the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority because of the agency’s failure to release information about the proposed 8-mile expansion of MoPac Expressway South. SOS says that expansion is “one of the…

Courts • By Jo Clifton • Apr 3, 2025

New public defenders get pay bump but county struggles to retain experienced attorneys

At the beginning of the year, Travis County finally began offering a guaranteed lawyer to individuals who are arrested and can’t afford legal representation – a constitutional right known as counsel at first appearance, or CAFA. It took an ACLU…

Travis County • By Lina Fisher • Mar 31, 2025

Council members celebrate unanimous defeat of bill that proposed putting Austin under state control

Austin City Council members celebrated the resounding defeat of House Bill 274 on Wednesday, a bill that would have created the “District of Austin” as the state’s official seat of government. “Our message is loud and clear: local leaders are…

Austin • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Mar 28, 2025

Texas won’t offer a program to help feed kids over the summer. Advocates push for change next year.

About three dozen states plan to participate in a federal program that helps families pay for groceries over the summer. For the second year in a row, Texas – which has the second-highest rate of food insecurity in the U.S.…

Texas State Legislature • By Becky Fogel, KUT • Mar 12, 2025

Save Austin Now to get rehearing on enforcement of Prop B

Save Austin Now, the group that pushed for and won an election to make the city enforce a ban on camping among homeless residents, has won a victory at the 3rd Court of Appeals. Save Austin Now filed suit in…

Courts • By Jo Clifton • Feb 4, 2025

Lost Creek neighborhood sues city over tax efforts

The Lost Creek Neighborhood Association and two property owners in the area that disannexed from the city of Austin last September have sued the city after residents discovered that the city is still expecting them to pay property taxes. According…

Courts • By Jo Clifton • Jan 8, 2025

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Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea urges local climate resilience initiatives to combat coming federal turn

Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea has been a mainstay of the Austin environmental movement for decades. Though she’s seen many gains in that area since her political career began, the relentless changing climate of our region has kept up the…

Travis County • By Lina Fisher • Jan 7, 2025

In 2025, Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard eyes building more supportive housing and strengthening climate resilience

Coming from her background in affordable housing at the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard has always prioritized the same throughout her tenure at the county. 2024 saw two big wins on that front, she says: “There’s…

Travis County • By Lina Fisher • Jan 7, 2025

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Commissioner Travillion finds integration of public services as key to success

In 2024, Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion approached his work with a clear conviction: The challenges facing East Austinites are deeply interconnected. To truly serve his constituents, he recognized that solving these issues required a multidimensional approach – what he…

Travis County • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Jan 7, 2025

Travis County Judge Andy Brown pledges continued focus on health care, passenger rail in 2025

For the past two years, Travis County Judge Andy Brown has told the Austin Monitor he wants to double down on overdose prevention, mental health care and passenger rail. Looking ahead to 2025, those priorities have not changed – but…

Travis County • By Lina Fisher • Jan 6, 2025

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues nonprofit that serves homeless in South Austin

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued an Austin nonprofit that serves people experiencing homelessness. The lawsuit accuses Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center of fostering drug use, violence and other activities that endanger nearby residents. Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center has operated out of Sunrise Community…

Courts • By Olivia Aldridge, KUT • Nov 27, 2024

Travis County voters supported a tax rate increase to expand access to affordable child care. What happens now?

Last week, approximately 60 percent of Travis County voters approved Proposition A – a property tax increase that will expand access to affordable child care and after-school/summer programs for lower-income families. The tax increase ($0.025 per $100 valuation for a…

Bonds & Propositions • By Mina Shekarchi • Nov 15, 2024

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