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Travis County
County indigent defense grant still on the table
Austin is currently the largest city in the country with no traditional public defender office. Travis County wants to change that, but efforts so far have been unraveled by personal and political disagreements within the Indigent Legal Services work group,…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 6, 2019
County says affordable housing should be priority in Del Valle PID
Public improvement districts are becoming more prevalent in eastern Travis County, but commissioners are worried that not enough is being done to ensure that lower-income residents will benefit from the opportunities PIDs bring to their communities. Before voting next week…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Feb 6, 2019
No opposition to county food inspection frequencies update
In the absence of County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, the Travis County Commissioners Court talked food Tuesday morning. Following the city’s implementation of a risk-based food inspection system last November, Austin Public Health is now asking Travis County to do the…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 24, 2019
County to issue non-voter approved debt for courthouse
The Travis County Commissioners Court approved the use of Certificates of Obligation to fund its new civil and family courthouse Tuesday morning. “This is not something that we just want,” said Commissioner Jeff Travillion. “This is a statutory responsibility that…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 18, 2019
Gómez acknowledges challenges ahead, says county is equipped to handle them
Looking back on 2018 and at the year ahead, Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gómez says she is feeling pretty good. The past year brought some frustrations for the commissioner with the time-consuming necessity of briefing new county employees and residents…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 14, 2019
Commissioners Court annual retreat expands to include community expertise
On a to-be-determined Friday in February or March, the Travis County Commissioners Court will convene to consider its vision and purpose on a larger scale than is appropriate during its weekly Tuesday morning voting sessions. Near the beginning of each…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 10, 2019
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Court makes move toward public defender’s office
No final decision has been made on the creation of a Travis County public defender’s office, but the Commissioners Court demonstrated firm support for the idea in Tuesday morning’s voting session. Gathering momentum after a rocky start, the court finalized…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 9, 2019
Eckhardt welcomes wave of political momentum in Travis County
For years, when County Judge Sarah Eckhardt would try to talk to the community about the justice system, someone would quickly change the subject to transportation or other unrelated issues. Although it accounts for 50 percent of the overall county…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 4, 2019
Travillion pushes for streamlined processes, services for the underserved
When Commissioner Jeff Travillion joined the Travis County Commissioners Court in 2017, he brought with him a rigorous attention to governmental process. “When I came here I said, ‘I don’t want to know that it runs; pull the hood up…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 3, 2019
Shea stays busy accepting what can’t be changed, fighting for what can
On June 24, 1988, this sentence appeared on the front page of The New York Times: “Higher temperatures can now be attributed to a long-expected global warming trend linked to pollution, a space agency scientist reported today.” The scientist was…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 3, 2019
Commissioner Daugherty still working to pave the road ahead
Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty is not in the business of telling Travis County residents what they should want or need. Instead, both on the dais and in conversation, the Precinct 3 commissioner, businessman and longtime Austin resident resists the…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Jan 3, 2019
County delays decision on criminal district attorney’s office
The Travis County Commissioners Court is considering a merger of the County and District Attorney’s offices into a criminal district attorney office that may considerably lower the number of jail bookings for misdemeanor offenses. County Attorney David Escamilla and District…
