Christmas came early for Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt when, on Dec. 11, no one from either of the two major parties stepped up to challenge her for her seat. That means Eckhardt will skate to a second term without the distractions of fighting to retain the Democratic nomination in March and fending off a […]
Travis County
Posted inTravis County
Daugherty, the odd man out, finds ways to make it work (mostly)
Commissioner Gerald Daugherty is the only Republican on the Travis County Commissioners Court, but as long as that body maintains its track record of financial prudence, he’s okay with that. In 2017, the court lowered the county’s property tax rate, the fourth year in a row of reductions even as other jurisdictions have raised their […]
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Rare drama for persistent optimist Gómez
Commissioner Margaret Gómez, generally the most unassuming member of the Travis County Commissioners Court, will start off 2018 with an unusual amount of attention on her and her alone. The Precinct 4 commissioner is the only one among her colleagues to face competition in the March primary elections, drawing as her challenger Del Valle Independent […]
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Travillion’s first year set a brisk pace for continued advocacy
Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion hit the ground running in his first year as the representative of Precinct 1, a role that he sees as an opportunity to reverse decades of repressed opportunity east of Interstate 35. “Every day that I am working, I am able to help solve problems that we have been working […]
Posted inTravis County
Criminal justice, conservation and CAMPO keep Shea engaged
2017 was the year that Gov. Greg Abbott, in particular, opened fire on Travis County, hacking state grants for key criminal justice programs after Sheriff Sally Hernandez softened her office’s policy on dealing with federal immigration enforcers. For Commissioner Brigid Shea, the governor’s “tantrum” presented a challenge that the Commissioners Court took head-on. “We looked […]
Posted inTravis County
County officials launch inmate tablet pilot
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office will launch a pilot program in 2018 that will put tablet computers in the hands of inmates at the county correctional complex in Del Valle. On Tuesday, deputies briefed the Commissioners Court on the progress of the development of the program, which they believe will make the jail safer without […]
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Travis County braces for new annexation law
The state’s new law that will make municipal annexations more difficult will also bring new complications for Travis County, the Commissioners Court learned on Tuesday. Scheleen Walker, long-range planning manager at the Transportation and Natural Resources Department, told the court to expect a mixed bag that could mean potentially more county parks, along with higher […]
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STAR-Vote collapses
Lack of interest from the private sector has sunk Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir’s plans for a proprietary new voting system. On Tuesday, DeBeauvoir told the Travis County Commissioners Court that STAR-Vote is all but dead. The news marked a major disruption in a process that began in 2009 with a study group convened by […]
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Prostitution court falling short of county expectations
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt on Tuesday revealed that a justice program aimed at helping residents charged with prostitution is falling short of expectations. “Relying on the criminal and civil justice system to boot-strap these individuals who are in such serious need is simply not enough,” Eckhardt said during a Commissioners Court discussion of two […]
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Central Health concerns continue to stymie Commissioners Court
On Tuesday the Travis County Commissioners Court once again failed to reach a compromise that could satisfy all parties involved in the seemingly interminable controversy over transparency at Central Health. Before the court was a review of the new financial policies it imposed on the health care district to guide its operations in the current […]
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Court settles May-November dilemma on bond election
After a short week of suspense, it turns out that Travis County voters will get to decide on a $185 million bond package sooner rather than later. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court voted 4-0, with Commissioner Gerald Daugherty absent, to send the referendum to the Nov. 7 ballot. The court had approved the project list […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Crucial uncertainty remains after Commissioners Court chooses bond projects
After a morning and afternoon marked by high pique and dudgeon, the Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday approved a $280 million slate of transportation, parks and drainage projects to be funded by taxpayer-backed bonds. The list is split between projects of high urgency and those that can afford to wait for voter approval. The […]