The Travis County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday on a plan that could expand the Gardner-Betts Juvenile Justice Center at an estimated initial cost of $73.3 million. The court unanimously approved the Juvenile Probation Master Plan, a lengthy document that maps out the future of the county’s so-called South Campus near South Congress Avenue and West […]
Travis County
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Travis County DA announces not all police shootings will go before grand jury
The Travis County District Attorney’s Office will no longer bring all police shooting cases before a grand jury. Flanked by representatives of the local NAACP, police union and the Austin Police Department, District Attorney Margaret Moore announced the changes – effective immediately. “We, the DA’s office, the Civil Rights Division, will make a determination whether […]
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Travis County leaders hope to spread social service dollars across region
As rising housing prices force low-income people to flee the urban core in search of cheaper living, Travis County leaders worry about the county’s ability to provide services to the area’s neediest residents in an era of steep federal and state budget cuts. While a report presented to the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday noted […]
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County commissioners unhappy with vacation policy proposal
The Travis County Commissioners Court isn’t making nearly the progress it hoped on reforming vacation policy for county employees. Currently, county law enforcement personnel are allowed to accrue unlimited vacation, while civilian employees are allowed to accrue only up to 240 hours. Both types of employees, however, can only cash out a maximum of 160 […]
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Travis County: No place for bondsmen
It’s much better to be arrested in Travis County than most other places in Texas. Nearly 70 percent of defendants in the Travis County criminal justice system are released on “personal recognizance bonds,” meaning they don’t have to come up with any money, either by digging into their own pocket or getting a loan from […]
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Travis County backs lawsuit over Trump sanctuary city order
Travis County has joined nearly three dozen other cities and counties across the country, including the city of Austin, in the legal battle against President Donald Trump’s crackdown on sanctuary cities. After a brief discussion of the lawsuit during a private executive session, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted 4-1 for the county to be […]
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Compensatory contract for retired employee finds little purchase with Eckhardt
The Travis County Commissioners Court found itself deeply divided on Tuesday over a proposal to award the county’s recently retired purchasing agent with $30,000 she hasn’t earned. On Feb. 28, Cyd Grimes quietly stepped down from the post she had held since 1993. She had originally planned to retire later this year. According to County […]
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Dukes dunks county’s North Campus plans
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes’ surprise support for a competing project hobbled Travis County’s quest for tax credits for an innovative mixed-use development on Airport Boulevard. “We’re not thrilled,” Economic & Strategic Planning Director Mark Gilbert told the Austin Monitor on Friday. Gilbert explained that Dukes wrote a letter endorsing a Foundation Communities affordable housing project […]
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TipSheet: Travis County, 3.07.2017
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 hosts a copy at its website. 8. Receive Racial Profiling Report for Calendar Year 2016 from the Travis County Sheriff’s Office. (Judge Eckhardt) Monitor’s Take: Per state […]
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State of the County speech features state drama, innovative bonding and a surprise setback
In the early months of her third year in office, County Judge Sarah Eckhardt is still bullish on the state of Travis County. On Wednesday evening, she told a large crowd gathered inside the Commissioners Court chambers that the county is “strong” and added, “There are many reasons to be optimistic about our future.” Eckhardt’s […]
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County’s North Campus plans to squeeze out Tax Office workers
Travis County is moving forward with plans to raise a multistory mixed-use project in North Central Austin. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court unanimously endorsed a staff recommendation to cap at three stories the planned office component that would be added to the county’s North Campus property on Airport Boulevard. The vote also determined which county […]
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Immigration discussion stokes heat at Commissioners Court
The issue of immigration enforcement caused sparks to fly at Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday, a rare moment of tension on a dais largely distinguished for its pragmatic cooperation on mundane issues of county administration. The weekly voting session got off to a hot start when the court took up a briefing by Intergovernmental […]