At Thursday’s work session, the Travis County Commissioners Court fielded discussion about the benefits of, and recent updates to, several jail diversion programs underway in Travis County. Such programs included pretrial and pre-charge diversion programs, as well as a DWI diversion program. Roughly 500 people have been accepted to the programs so far, according to […]
Local Government
Posted inCourts
Council opts to pursue settlements in police brutality suits, puts limit on legal spending
City Council has chosen to pursue settlements in two lawsuits stemming from protests last summer outside the Austin Police Department headquarters. Council last week unanimously approved two resolutions to cap legal spending on the cases brought by Justin Howell and Anthony Evans, who were injured due to police action in two separate incidents that occurred […]
Posted inTravis County
County irons out details in disaster preparedness plan
The Commissioners Court convened for a work session Thursday to hear a presentation on county preparations for disasters, particularly those in the vein of last February’s Winter Storm Uri. The briefing was a response to a resolution commissioners approved on Nov. 16, directing county executives to flesh out the details of a disaster relief plan. […]
Posted inTravis County
County looks to expand its HUB program
Over the past four years, Stephen Blake, a partner at North Park Consulting, has served as a Travis County contractor, helping county agencies to function more efficiently. His work with the county began through the Travis County Historically Underutilized Business, or HUB, program. As the co-owner of a certified women- and African-American-owned business, a particular […]
Posted inTravis County
Employees at Integral Care, Travis County’s mental health agency, want to unionize
Employees at Integral Care, the nonprofit that manages mental health care across the Austin area, intend to unionize. A group of more than 20 employees gathered at Integral Care’s South Austin headquarters Monday morning, dropping off a letter to the nonprofit’s CEO, David Evans, informing him of their intent. Employees say unionization would help address […]
Posted inTravis County
County to temporarily halt applications for rental assistance, pending Treasury response
There was no shortage of confusing acronyms and numbers being batted around during Tuesday’s discussion of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Option One, Option Two, ERAP 3, ERAP 2, the aggregate of ERAP 1 and ERAP 2. “Can we refer to it as Option Two instead of Option B?” someone asked. Here’s the gist: There […]
Posted inTravis County
What would remote work mean for Travis County?
In September, Travis County announced its goal to transition 75 percent of its employees to work from home permanently, tasking Deloitte Consulting to smooth the process. On Nov. 18, commissioners convened a special session to examine the findings of Deloitte’s 14-week study on remote work in the county. The presentation included case studies of other governments […]
Posted inWilliamson County
Taylor chosen as home for new Samsung chip facility
A site in Taylor has been chosen for Samsung’s new $17 billion chip-making factory. “The implications of this facility extend far beyond the boundaries of Texas. It’s going to impact the entire world,” Gov. Greg Abbott said at a press conference Tuesday announcing the deal. Abbott said this is the largest foreign direct investment in […]
Posted inTravis County
County updated on historically underutilized business program
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court fielded discussion and informational updates in regard to the Historically Underutilized Businesses program performance in 2021. The project is aimed specifically at making the process of government contracting and procurement with local businesses more equitable. According to Texas Health and Human Services, the program is “committed to ensuring […]
Posted inLand Development Code
An appeals court will hear arguments over Austin’s land code rewrite. Here’s what the case is about.
I can understand if your eyes glaze over at the mention of a “land code rewrite.” But whether you asked for it or not (and likely you didn’t), if you live in Austin, a case being heard this week in a Houston appeals court affects you. On Wednesday, the city of Austin is scheduled to […]
Posted inCourts
Old City Hall could host new downtown court
As Deputy Chief Financial Officer Kimberly Olivares explained during Tuesday’s City Council work session, city staffers are recommending relocating the Downtown Austin Community Court to the Municipal Building at 124 W. Eighth St. She explained that staff had considered 22 different sites in the Central Austin area before deciding that the old City Hall is […]
Posted inTravis County
County acts to prepare for next big storm
The question of disaster relief preparedness was central at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court session. With the memory of Winter Storm Uri still fresh in people’s minds, the county is putting together a contingency plan. “The goal here is to get some real sort of concrete things that we can do quickly,” County Judge Andy Brown said, […]