At the end of a lengthy hearing Tuesday, Judge Eric Shepperd of Travis County Court at Law No. 2 told lawyers for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority and the technology company suing the agency he would be back with a decision as soon as possible on whether the toll road authority must repair drainage […]
Local Government
Posted inTravis County
County raises minimum wage for its workers to $20/hour
The Travis County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to raise the minimum wage for county employees by $5 per hour, in addition to approving multiple other types of pay increases for county workers. The current county minimum wage is $15 per hour and commissioners approved an increase to $20 per hour, or $41,600 per year, more […]
Posted inTravis County
Survey: Dependable water and access to food top of mind in Travis County
A record high number of respondents answered the 2022 Travis County community issues survey, according to a county public information officer. Just under 2,500 people responded to the survey, ranking their preferences on a wide range of important issues in the area from a list of over 20. The countywide survey asked residents to rank, […]
Posted inTravis County
Procedural change sparks disagreement at Commissioners Court
Travis County commissioners approved a revision last week to the Commissioners Court agenda setting procedure. Now, any agenda item that will have a budgetary impact must first go through the Planning and Budget Office for analysis before a vote. While commissioners Brigid Shea, Margaret Gómez and Jeffrey Travillion voted in favor of the resolution, County […]
Posted inCourts
Judge rejects voting rights suit against city
In a brief letter Tuesday, Travis County District Court Judge Lora Livingston ruled in favor of the city of Austin and against plaintiffs who argued they were being denied their right to vote as a result of redistricting. The plaintiffs argued that, when they were moved into another district that isn’t voting this year, they […]
Posted inCourts
Judge hears arguments on Council election lawsuit
After a hearing Thursday, Travis County District Judge Lora Livingston told attorneys for the city and for plaintiffs seeking to force the city to hold City Council elections in all districts this fall that she would make a decision on the case by early next week. Attorney Bill Aleshire is representing the plaintiffs. Assistant city […]
Posted inTravis County
County to add paid parental leave for employees, but will it be enough?
Tomorrow, the Travis County Commissioners Court will take action on a paid parental leave policy for all county workers, but with multiple policies still to choose from, the magnitude and impact of how they decide remains uncertain. While county staff will be presenting a menu of possibilities to the court, with varying lengths of benefit, […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County launched a program to provide lawyers at the county jail. It lasted nine days.
A pilot program to provide legal representation to people in custody at the Travis County Jail had to be put on hold after just nine days because of staffing shortages. The grant-funded program was part of a Texas A&M study to examine the benefit of providing legal counsel to people accused of crimes immediately after their arrest […]
Posted inCourts
City wins digital billboard battle at Supreme Court
On a vote of 6-3, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Thursday that the city of Austin’s regulations prohibiting digital billboards and other off-premises digital signs are content-neutral and therefore do not violate the First Amendment. Reagan National Advertising and Lamar Advertising Company sued the city in a Travis County District Court after attempting to get […]
Posted inCourts
Trial set for redistricting case that could upend city elections
Plaintiffs who say that they have been disenfranchised by the city’s redistricting process will be watching carefully on May 17, when the suit filed against Austin Mayor Steve Adler and his 10 City Council colleagues is set for trial. Also watching carefully will be prospective Council candidates in districts 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10, […]
Posted inTravis County
Introducing the Del Valle Resource Guide
As part of the Austin Monitor‘s ongoing mission to serve our community, we have helped create a new guide to the resources available for Del Valle residents. From setting up utilities to voting jurisdictions, we’re hoping the new guide makes figuring out who to contact (and when) a bit easier. We teamed up with Decibel at Austin […]
Posted inCourts
Lawyer argues staggered Council elections, new district maps deny thousands the right to vote
An Austin lawyer has sued City Council members over what he says is the denial of voting rights to tens of thousands of residents. Bill Aleshire filed the lawsuit in a Travis County district court Tuesday on behalf of a dozen Austin residents. He argues that nearly 24,000 people who were moved into new Council […]