With six weeks until the 2020 census kicks off, the local effort to boost participation hopes to raise additional money for outreach efforts. Census Program Manager John Lawler, who is overseeing the Austin/Travis County Complete Count Committee, which both the city and county chipped in $200,000 to fund, told the Travis County Commissioners Court on […]
Local Government
Posted inWater
Travis County takes action to eliminate ‘water colonias’
While it’s accurately referred to as an urban county, roughly half of Travis County does not fall within the limits of any municipality. The population in these rural, unincorporated areas is growing rapidly, driven in part by a lack of affordable housing in urban areas, particularly within the city of Austin. In some cases, groups […]
Posted inCourts
Taxpayers sue over lack of appraisal hearings
One hundred and thirty-eight Travis County property owners have sued the Travis Appraisal Review Board and the Travis Central Appraisal District for failing to provide timely hearings on the property owners’ protests of their 2019 appraisals. The two agencies are responsible for deciding the value of Travis County properties and taxpayers’ arguments about those appraisals. […]
Posted inTravis County
County Judge Sarah Eckhardt sees a future of tough decisions and tax referendums for Travis County
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has plenty of good news to report as she looks back on 2019. Her greatest achievement is the county’s new public defender’s office, for which she was the lead champion on the Commissioners Court. While her background in criminal law was as a prosecutor, Eckhardt was a passionate voice for […]
Posted inTravis County
After quarter-century on court, Gómez sees pros and cons in change
Margaret Gómez has served on the Travis County Commissioners Court for 24 years, representing a precinct whose boundaries roughly correspond with the southeastern quadrant of the county, including nearly all of South Austin east of South Lamar Boulevard. Her career in county government began two decades before her election to the court in 1994. In […]
Posted inTravis County
Gerald Daugherty, Travis County’s last Republican, fears for county’s fiscal future
Gerald Daugherty has long said that this would probably be his last term in office. However, for a couple of days at the beginning of December, there were whispers that the Commissioners Court’s lone Republican might try for another four-year stint in November 2020. Daugherty, who has served on the court since 2002 – except […]
Posted inTravis County
Jeff Travillion says it’s time to pay attention to eastern Travis County
Jeff Travillion believes it’s time for the east side to get some love from local leaders. While private dollars are transforming the look and feel of much of East Austin and making it increasingly hard for many longtime residents to afford housing, public investment remains woefully insufficient, says Travillion, who just finished his third year […]
Posted inTravis County
As the planet warms, Brigid Shea is planning Travis County’s response
Commissioner Brigid Shea may have been elected to handle issues at the county level, but her focus is global. “My major focus in running for reelection, I believe very strongly as community leaders that we have to do more to prepare people for climate change,” she says. She’s appalled by the state and federal governments’ […]
Posted inCourts
Community court touts data showing sharp drop in recidivism among clients
The city’s Downtown Community Court on East Sixth Street has released data showing a drastic reduction in recidivism among its clients, thanks to the social services and case management the court offers. The analysis of data from the 2018 fiscal year showed that the court’s 59 clients had accrued more than 1,500 offenses of all […]
Posted inCourts
Supreme Court passes on Boise camping ban case, opening up Austin’s rules to lawsuits
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a ruling that found a ban against camping in public in Boise, Idaho, is unconstitutional. The case against Boise’s ban on camping inspired, in part, the city of Austin’s decision to scale back its bans on camping and resting in public earlier this year. The […]
Posted inCourts
Activists sue city over zoning code rewrite
Nineteen local property owners filed suit against the city of Austin Thursday, alleging that the city has deprived them of their right to protest under state law as the city adopts changes to zoning classifications throughout the city. City Council voted 7-4 Wednesday to adopt the new code on the first of three readings. The […]
Posted inCourts
Council looks at legal options after appeals court throws out housing voucher challenge
Members of City Council have criticized a recent decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to throw out the city’s lawsuit against state Attorney General Ken Paxton over a state law passed in 2015 that prevents cities from requiring landlords to accept federal housing vouchers. The law was passed in response to a […]