Sections

About Us

 
Make a Donation
Local • Independent • Essential News
 

The Austin Monitor thanks its sponsors. Become one.

Travis County

As Covid-19 and climate crisis continue, Brigid Shea persists

A tumultuous 2020 brought oceans of hardships for many, and Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea said she still can’t quite believe everything that happened this year. “Covid-19 has been just surreal,” Shea said. “Are we really living through a global…

Gerald Daugherty looks back on years of service

After serving as a Travis County Commissioner for 14 years, Gerald Daugherty recently reflected on his final term as commissioner for Precinct 3. The pandemic gave rise to quite a few challenges during his final term, Daugherty said, but overcoming…

Travis County endorses new penalties for illegal massage parlors

The Travis County Commissioners Court has unanimously voted to adopt an ordinance authorizing injunctions and civil remedies against illicit massage parlors operating in the county. The proposed legislation targets the organizers, owners and operators of the illegal commercial operations, whereas…

Travis County jail looks toward a more sustainable future

The Travis County Correctional Complex intends to implement a number of sustainability initiatives to reduce waste, save money and shrink the facility’s net energy use to zero by 2040, according to a presentation to the Travis County Commissioners Court last Tuesday.…

Newly sworn in, Travis County Judge Andy Brown says he'll shift focus from jails to mental health

Andy Brown is now Travis County’s top official. Brown was sworn in at Tuesday’s meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court by interim County Judge Sam Biscoe, who served in the same capacity for over 15 years before retiring. He…

Commissioners take next step toward permanent telework

The Travis County Commissioners Court voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with a scope of services for a consultant to advise them on a plan to have 75 percent of eligible employees to do their jobs by teleworking on a…

Subscribe to our newsletter

School lands generate $3.4 million for county schools

For the first time since 2014, the Travis County Commissioners Court has voted to distribute revenues from its 18,820-acre property in Throckmorton County among 14 school districts across the county. Melissa Velasquez, executive assistant for Commissioner Brigid Shea, brought the…

County extends small cities relief deadline

Millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds may shortly be returned to the U.S. Treasury Department due to the failure of small cities in Travis County to provide documentation for the county’s $7.3 million small cities relief program. The Commissioners…

Travis County bush

Travis County reallocates CARES Act housing assistance funding to meet deadlines, talks Covid-19 plasma funding effort

The Travis County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to reallocate Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding in order to spend all of its funding before the Dec. 30 deadline. Travis County received $61,147,507.20 from the federal CARES Act.…

Travis County to create cohesive homelessness outreach plan

The Travis County Commissioners Court has created a new temporary project worker position tasked with developing a cohesive homeless outreach plan for the county, following a separate request by a county constable. In March, the Commissioners Court approved a census…

Travis County bush

Travis County launches new coronavirus relief grants for nonprofits

With $61.1 million to spend and the clock ticking ever closer to the expenditure deadline of Dec. 30 set by the federal government for coronavirus relief funds, the Travis County Commissioners Court authorized a new grant program called TCTX Serve…

Travis County bush

County works toward December deadline for CARES expenditures

In just over three months, Travis County will come up against its federally set deadline of Dec. 30 to spend the entirety of its $61.1 million in federal coronavirus relief dollars. As of Sept. 22, the county has spent only…

Back to Top