Tuesday could be a bumpy ride for Reimers-Peacock Road. The long-planned connector between Hamilton Pool Road and State Highway 71 is set to play a featured role in the Travis County Commissioners Court’s expected final discussion of project recommendations for a November bond vote. The staff-endorsed list of recommendations – which includes roadway, bicycle, sidewalk, […]
Travis County
Posted inTravis County
DNA lab concerns test Travillion’s patience
Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion put his passion on display Tuesday when he stormed off the dais during a discussion of the Austin Police Department’s shuttered DNA lab. Travillion had attempted to ask a question early on in the briefing but County Judge Sarah Eckhardt shut him down, citing the length of the presentation ahead […]
Posted inTravis County
Commissioners Court closes in on bond proposition
Travis County voters could weigh in on a pair of bond propositions worth a combined $144 million this November. The Citizens Bond Advisory Committee formally floated that recommendation to the Commissioners Court on Tuesday after months spent trimming down a billion-dollar list of potential bond-funded projects. The CBAC’s two recommended propositions would be divided between […]
Posted inTravis County
County’s clean air programs in question after Abbott’s vetoes
A pair of Gov. Greg Abbott’s line-item vetoes has Travis County once again scrambling to clean up the aftermath, this time involving two air quality programs. On June 23 12, Abbott blasted out of the state budget bill all future appropriations for the Low Income Vehicle Repair Assistance, Retrofit, and Accelerated Vehicle Retirement Program, also […]
Posted inTravis County
Eckhardt sends Adler a HOT letter
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has put Mayor Steve Adler and Interim City Manager Elaine Hart on notice that the county is still keeping alive its interest in levying a tax on tourists. In a letter sent to both city officials on Friday, Eckhardt recounted the Commissioners Court’s recent vote to study the impacts of […]
Posted inDevelopment
Commissioners Court considers controversial variance request
A platoon of concerned residents showed up to Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday to try to put the brakes on a proposed development near their homes. Live Oak Springs would deliver 85 new homes near FM 1826 and Zyle Road southwest of Austin. However, the developer is seeking two variances that would allow him […]
Posted inTravis County
Commissioners Court looking for a bond bundle that is just right
Travis County is taking the Goldilocks approach to planning a potential bond package to put before voters this November. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court voted unanimously to instruct the Citizens Bond Advisory Committee to cobble together three separate bonding scenarios: small, medium and large. The move comes amid heightened anxiety that a concurrent Austin Independent School […]
Posted inTravis County
HOT talk at Commissioners Court
The proposal to expand the Austin Convention Center could not only gobble up several downtown blocks, it could also swallow whole an untapped revenue stream worth millions of dollars each year for Travis County. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court took action to open up talks with City Council aimed at finding a mutually beneficial solution. […]
Posted inTravis County
TravCo bond talk takes explosive turn
Travis County is quietly but quickly approaching a major deadline in its runup to a potential 2017 bond referendum and if Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting was any indication, members of both the court and a citizens advisory council are deeply divided on the list of potential projects. Staff members along with three members of the […]
Posted inTravis County
Key justice programs survive fight between county, governor
Crucial county programs that lost funding over a row with Gov. Greg Abbott will be able to stay online through at least October thanks to some deep budgetary scouring. On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved a proposed package of streamlining measures that will keep the lights on at 12 key specialty courts, juvenile […]
Posted inTravis County
County undaunted in North Campus planning
True to the word of staff and elected officials, Travis County is moving ahead with plans for a mixed-use development that unexpectedly came up short in a competition for state funding. Last Tuesday, April 18, Economic & Strategic Planning Director Mark Gilbert reported to the Commissioners Court that design and permitting plans are on schedule […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County, 4.25.2017
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office posts a copy at its website. 7. Consider and take appropriate action on request from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office regarding proposed increases in towing fees. (Commissioner […]