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Travis County
Courts to explain more trials, fewer inmates
The Travis County Commissioners Court approved requests for two budget transfers from the allocated reserve to the civil and criminal court systems Tuesday morning. The criminal courts and civil courts are to receive $1,580,000 and $332,223, respectively. The decision passed…
Travis County • By Ryan Thornton • Sep 13, 2018
Travis County approves new voting system
The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a new electronic voting system for Travis County Tuesday morning. The $8.2 million contract with Election Systems and Software’s (ES&S) ExpressVote system was recommended by Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir after 15 years…
Travis County • By Alyx Wilson • Aug 8, 2018
Travis County reveals proposed location for new courthouse
Travis County is negotiating with a private development group to build a brand-new civil courthouse at West 17th and Guadalupe streets. The location was revealed after County Judge Sarah Eckhardt announced at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting that she had signed…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Jul 10, 2018
Elfant updates Commissioners Court on Tax Office troubles following arrests
The Travis County Tax Office says that the first of four satellite offices that closed down after a fraud investigation netted seven arrests last month won’t reopen until late July at the earliest. Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant delivered that news…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Jun 27, 2018
Report shows good, bad and ugly of Travis County economy
People in Travis County are enjoying the fruits of a strong national and regional economy. A new analysis shows that rates of poverty, crime and educational outcomes are moving in the right direction. Between 2012 and 2016, crime dropped by…
Travis County • By Jack Craver • Jun 8, 2018
Commissioners Court tackles Tax Office troubles as disturbing audit is released
Travis County will have to face “some honest and possibly difficult conversations” during the upcoming budget process if it wants to avoid a repeat of the alleged crimes that have rocked the Tax Office, according to Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant.…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • May 23, 2018
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Elfant to address Tax Office fraud investigation
Travis County Tax Assessor-Collector Bruce Elfant will brief the Commissioners Court on Tuesday morning about the fraud investigation that landed seven people in jail on Friday, four of them Tax Office employees. “There I will be able to provide details…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • May 22, 2018
Contractor apologizes for racist remark at county meeting
The contractor who used a racial slur against Latino immigrants during a Travis County-sponsored meeting last week is apologizing. Aaron Cabaza, president of Aaron Concrete, sent an email to county staff on Tuesday afternoon expressing regret for his remarks at…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • May 16, 2018
Contractor drops racial slur at county meeting, participants say
A Travis County-led stakeholder discussion between construction contractors and labor interests reached a boiling point last week when one of the participants used a racial slur, according to people at the meeting. Multiple sources confirmed to the Austin Monitor on…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • May 15, 2018
Lingering senior staff vacancy vexes Commissioners Court
Not only can Travis County not find someone to fill its open county executive of operations management position, it can’t even find a recruiting firm to help with the search. That was how Tracey Calloway, director of the county’s Human…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Apr 25, 2018
Commissioners Court delays action on worker safety recommendations
The Travis County Commissioners Court will put off for several weeks a decision on a package of proposals aimed at strengthening protections for construction workers on county projects. Last Tuesday, the court discussed 10 recommendations set forth by Purchasing Office…
Travis County • By Caleb Pritchard • Apr 23, 2018
Office development on unincorporated land draws neighborhood opposition
Anxieties over traffic, safety, environmental degradation and more pushed the Travis County Commissioners Court last week to postpone action on an item that would clear the way for the construction of two new office buildings on a rural but rapidly…
