On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court committed $110 million in federal funding toward housing the homeless. The money, sourced from a $247 million chunk of the American Rescue Plan Act funds designated for county assistance, will likely be administered via dozens of nonprofits, including Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Caritas of Austin, Integral Care, LifeWorks […]
Local Government
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Here’s what’s in Texas Republicans’ new voting law
Editor’s Note: Senate Bill 1, Texas’ restrictive new voting bill, was the law of the Lone Star State for barely an hour when civil rights groups launched a slew of lawsuits aimed at striking down the law. A federal lawsuit filed by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund says the law “intentionally targets and burdens methods […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Commissioners approve state-mandated changes to leave policy
Three bills were signed into law during the past legislative session that will change or add to existing leave policies for county employees. House Bill 1589 provides seven days of paid leave for public officers and employees engaged in certain types of military service; House Bill 2073 provides quarantine leave for firefighters, peace officers, detention officers […]
Posted inCourts
Both sides claim victory in Prop A ballot language ruling
Save Austin Now, the political action committee behind Proposition A, which would require the city of Austin to hire two police officers for every 1,000 Austin residents, claimed victory Wednesday when the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the city must change its ballot language. But the city may have won the most important element of […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Democrats sue Texas in attempt to get federal courts to redraw legislative districts before 2022
Texas Democrats say the state’s legislative districts can’t be redrawn in 2021 and they’re asking a federal court to redraw them before the 2022 election. The state has already begun work on redrawing its maps, but a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday argues the state can’t legally do so until after the 2022 election. The suit […]
Posted inTravis County
Why Travis County is struggling to spend its federal rental assistance dollars
As we spoke by phone this week, Rakhi Agrawal glanced down at the stack of papers on her desk. “My eviction notice – it’s right here on my desk,” she said. It’s been a long journey for Agrawal, who moved to Austin to work in nonprofit development, to arrive at this eviction notice. At the […]
Posted inCourts
Save Austin Now sues city, saying it isn’t fully enforcing ban on camping in public
The political action committee Save Austin Now and four business owners have filed a lawsuit against the city of Austin alleging it hasn’t been fully enforcing the ban on camping in public. Voters passed Proposition B in May. The petition-led initiative, organized by Save Austin Now, reinstated old rules surrounding homelessness, including a ban on camping in […]
Posted inCourts
Williamson County to sue Austin over hotel for people transitioning out of homelessness
The Williamson County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to request a lawsuit be filed against the city of Austin for purchasing a Candlewood Suites hotel to house people transitioning out of homelessness. Austin’s plans for the Candlewood Suites, which is located on Pecan Park Boulevard in Williamson County, have been the target of county commissioners and […]
Posted inTravis County
Commissioners extend deadline on adult correctional systems report
The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to grant a 45-day extension to a forthcoming report about the Travis County adult correctional system. The report is being prepared by a collaborative group including Justice Planning, Health and Human Services, and the Sheriff’s Office. Commissioners passed a resolution on June 15 directing the report, in response […]
Posted inLocal Government
Defining Del Valle
When you look at a map, it’s pretty easy to distinguish man-made boundaries from the rivers and oceans that have been codified into borders. The edges of Austin have both kinds of boundary lines. Some lines on the map flow like the water they trace, while in other places, like the lower right corner of […]
Posted inTravis County
The ‘elephant in the room’: How will commissioners set their own pay?
At the June 29 meeting of the Commissioners Court, Todd Osburn, county compensation manager, presented elected officials’ salaries to commissioners. The item will be brought before the court again in late July, at which point commissioners will decide between three options: either match elected officials’ pay raise percentages to those of classified employees; match elected […]
Posted inTravis County
County presses pause on Palm School, pending community input
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court discussed what to do about the Palm School. On June 15, commissioners rejected the city’s 2020 offer to buy the Palm School building. The news disappointed many in the Latino community who had hoped a transfer of ownership would take place so that the building would remain a […]