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Travis County
County to acquaint itself with puzzling Pretrial Services
Despite its ongoing effort to keep Travis County defendants connected to their communities and out of jail whenever possible, the county Pretrial Services Department has not always been included in the county’s many recent discussions about reducing jail population and…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Apr 4, 2019
Travis County already has a public defender's office – for juveniles
Amid the contentious public debate over the creation of a public defender’s office in Travis County is an oft-neglected fact: Travis County already has a public defender’s office. It just doesn’t serve adults. The Travis County Juvenile Public Defender, founded…
Travis County • By Jack Craver • Mar 28, 2019
Indigent defense work group gets new chance to find common ground
Yielding to the expertise of Amanda Woog, chair of Travis County’s indigent legal services work group, the Commissioners Court swiftly appointed two private defense attorneys to the group during its voting session Tuesday afternoon. Local attorneys Paul Quinzi and Michael…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 14, 2019
Eckhardt delivers State of the County address
Like the Wonder Woman mug of tea sitting on the podium before her, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt says Travis County is filled to the brim. With an unprecedented number of infrastructure projects in line for construction, a contentious array of…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Mar 7, 2019
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
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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
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…
