County commissioners have taken their biggest step yet towards getting families tangible access to child care following a voter-approved tax increase to fund sweeping investment in that sector last November. Of the $75 million approved last year, the county has awarded $21 million in two contracts with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to provide direct scholarships […]
Local Government
Posted inCourts
U.S. Justice Department launches investigation into city of Austin employment practices
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the city of Austin to see if it engaged in discriminatory employment practices based on race, sex, color and national origin. Discrimination based on these characteristics is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced the investigation […]
Posted inCourts
Former candidate sues City Council over tax election ballot language
A former 2024 candidate for Austin mayor has filed suit against City Council over the November ballot language proposed to increase the city’s property tax rate. Last week, Council approved a $6.3 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts on October 1. That budget includes a tax rate five cents higher than the […]
Posted inTravis County
Nearly 200 homes in Travis County were damaged by July flooding
Nearly 200 homes in the Big Sandy Creek neighborhood in northwestern Travis County were damaged by flooding on July 5, according to a report released Monday by county officials. Of the homes affected, 71 were mobile homes and 127 were single-family houses. Travis County is offering short term housing, temporary property tax relief and waiving […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Legislature watchers report to Council
Austin’s Intergovernmental Relations Officer Carrie Rogers briefed Council Tuesday and expressed optimism about what might happen in the current special session of the Texas Legislature, which started on Monday. She told Council it was very important to their success as a team to reach out to a bill’s author “to let them know what our […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County Establishes Flood Relief Fund, Volunteer Center
The tragic flooding on July 4 weekend in Central Texas has made the gutting of FEMA look even worse than it already did, throwing into high relief the unfortunate necessity of municipalities stepping up to plug the gaps in the wake of disaster. On July 15, Travis County established a new short-term relief fund and […]
Posted inCourts
Judge upholds Austin vote on plan to redevelop old Statesman site
A judge has ruled against an environmental group that sued the city of Austin, alleging elected officials violated state law with their vote allowing redevelopment along the shores of Lady Bird Lake. Travis County judge Jan Soifer did not include a reason for her ruling. Save Our Springs Alliance had argued that, by not adequately advertising the scope of […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
This session saw legislative wins for child care providers and working parents
Each new Texas legislative session may introduce a new set of battles, but there are always some wins that keep us showing up to fight at the capitol every three years. This year, employers and working families alike saw the legislature make child care access easier in a state where around 95,000 people are on […]
Posted inCourts
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 greatest threats we’ve seen to Barton Springs, Barton Creek, and the Edwards Aquifer in recent […]
Posted inTravis County
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 lawsuit to urge the county to rectify its failure to offer CAFA to indigent constituents, […]
Posted inAustin
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 best equipped to address local needs. The overwhelming rebuke from members of the state Legislature […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
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. – won’t be among them. The Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program, also known as Summer […]