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. 1. Receive comments regarding the petition to create Emergency Services District No. 15 and related issues. (Judge Eckhardt) 6. Consider and […]
Travis County
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Immigrant Affairs commissioners debate legality of Travis County policy
Disagreement broke out at the Feb. 13 meeting of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs as to whether Travis County or the city of Austin would face criminal or civil prosecution for violating federal immigration law as inferred by President Donald Trump’s Jan. 25 executive order, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.” […]
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County kicks off damage control after Abbott yanks funding
The Travis County Commissioners Court has given county programs whose funding was recently axed by Gov. Greg Abbott a new lease on life, albeit a temporary one. On Tuesday, the court voted to keep all nine programs running through May 15 at an estimated cost of $100,000 per month. “We don’t go looking for programs […]
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Travis County explores ways to overcome funding cuts
Travis County raised nearly $90,000 as of Monday afternoon through an online initiative set up after Gov. Greg Abbott cut $1.5 million in grant funding over Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s new immigration policy. State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) launched the fundraising site Friday in partnership with the Austin Community Foundation. “It was really quite spontaneous, and […]
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Advocates, lawyers and immigrants respond to ‘sanctuary city’ threats
In response to promises from state and federal governments to knock out so-called “sanctuary cities” Wednesday, roughly 30 people crowded atop a rickety podium to announce their support of Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s immigration policy. At the local headquarters of the Workers Defense Project, they held signs reading, “We are here to stay” and […]
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Eckhardt weighs in on sheriff’s new ICE policy
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has issued a blistering response to Gov. Greg Abbott’s threat to turn off the state funding spigot for Travis County programs over Sheriff Sally Hernandez’s decision to stop cooperating with federal immigration officials at the county jail. On Friday, Hernandez announced that her office will no longer honor most requests […]
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New sheriff defiantly reverses course on ICE cooperation
Travis County’s brand new Sheriff Sally Hernandez has thrown down the gauntlet at the feet of President Donald Trump. Late Friday afternoon, Hernandez officially announced, effective Feb. 1, the end of her office’s cooperation with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities when it comes to detaining suspected undocumented immigrants. “This office will not increase our […]
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Gómez brings seniority, optimism into 2017
Affordability, public safety, annexation and the Trump administration are at the top of Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gómez’s mind as she starts the second half of her latest term in office. Gómez is the longest-serving member of the Commissioners Court, having represented southeast Travis County’s Precinct 4 since 1995. In that time, Gómez has seen […]
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Daugherty, policy-obsessed viral sensation, starts fourth term with broad agenda
In October, Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty shot to international viral fame thanks to a campaign ad that sold him as an unmitigated policy geek. And based on his outlook for 2017, that was no act. In an interview with the Austin Monitor, Daugherty weighed in on everything from transportation, the tax rate, his solution […]
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Commissioner Brigid Shea: Preparing for the worst in 2017
Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea will spend her 2017 much as she spent her previous two years in office: ensuring that the county and its residents are ready for the threats posed by climate change. “I’ve worked on climate-related issues for 28 years now and I realized that the county is a unique unit of […]
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Travillion ready to hit the ground running
As newly minted Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion moves into his office at 700 Lavaca Street, the Precinct 1 representative is unpacking an ambitious agenda for 2017. “There will be a lot of measuring,” Travillion told the Austin Monitor in an interview on Wednesday inside the office he had just inherited from former Commissioner Ron […]
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Eckhardt charts steady course for 2017
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt says her administration is moving full speed ahead into the new year. In an interview with the Austin Monitor, Eckhardt said 2017 will be a year of continued progress on long-standing issues, and embracing a new colleague on the Travis County Commissioners Court. Looking back on 2016, the first female […]