As impossible as it sounds, surf’s up in Central Texas. On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court and the owners of NLand Surf Park formally struck a bargain to allow the massive wave pool east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to open this Friday. “Austin is now one of the world’s best surfing destinations and will […]
Travis County
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Central Health critic stirs more trouble
One of the activists who led the charge against Central Health during the recent tussle involving budget transparency has come out swinging against a proposed deal between Travis County and the hospital district. Attorney Fred Lewis called Central Health’s offer to provide the Travis County Commissioners Court with an audit of its $35 million financial […]
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Amid transparency anxieties, Travis County approves Central Health’s budget
After nearly four hours of start-and-stop discussion on Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court gave its blessing to Central Health’s proposed tax rate and budget for Fiscal Year 2016-2017. The 4-0-1 vote capped off one of the longest discussions before the court in recent memory and also allayed any concerns that the court would reject […]
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Health district enters the real estate game
Central Health is now shopping for suitors to help continue the transformation of downtown Austin’s eastern edge. The health care district on Thursday released a request for qualifications to the development community making official the search for a partner in the redevelopment of the Central Health Brackenridge Campus between Interstate-35 and Waterloo Park. Central Health […]
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Central Health presents its budget, faces criticism over transparency
The Travis County Commissioners Court heard details about Central Health’s proposed budget for 2017 on Tuesday during a lengthy hearing that also featured organized criticism of the county hospital district’s approach to transparency. The court learned that the district is proposing a slightly lower tax rate – at 11.05 cents per $100 of property valuation […]
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Travis County considers next year’s budget
Travis County is ever closer to a $1 billion budget. Last Thursday, the Commissioners Court learned during its annual budget work session that staff is preparing a $976.3 million forecast for Fiscal Year 2016-17. That’s a $25 million increase over what the county had budgeted for FY 2015-16. For the third year in a row, […]
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County orders election for new emergency services district
The Travis County Commissioners Court has called for an election this November that could create a new emergency services district in the county’s rural Northwestern corner. The proposed Emergency Services District No. 7 would largely share the same boundaries as ESD No. 1 and give a boost to the area’s medical response capabilities. ESD No. […]
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Austin Monitor Radio: Travis County Courthouse redux?
Austin Monitor reporter Caleb Pritchard sits down with Julia Spann, chair of the community advisory committee for the Civil and Family Court Complex, and Belinda Powell, the county’s strategic resource planning manager, to talk about the continuing Travis County Courthouse saga. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/278227593″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
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Commissioners Court refines PID procedures
The Travis County Commissioners Court has made some notable procedural adjustments in the face of controversy over the public improvement district (aka PID) policy it passed earlier this year. On Tuesday, the court took several votes to tweak the procedures by which it will approach future PIDs. The actions came two weeks after City Council […]
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Courthouse committee seeks Commissioners Court’s guidance
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said on Tuesday that the current gold standard of potential sites for a new civil courthouse is another county-owned property in downtown Austin. “I do understand that, at least in the tier one analysis, it’s actually this building and the associated garage that rank highest,” Eckhardt said, referring to the […]
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Commissioners Court sides with defense attorneys in courthouse screening case
The Travis County Commissioners Court has come to the aid of defense attorneys in their battle to ward off tighter security measures at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center. On Tuesday, the court voted to ask the Travis County Sheriff’s Office to reconsider changes in procedure that would force the attorneys to endure metal detector screenings […]
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County clerk bristles at sweeping departmental survey
The Travis County Commissioners Court voted on Tuesday to officially receive a massive third-party study of county departments, delivering in the process what County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir called “a slap in the face.” DeBeauvoir’s office obtained a copy of the draft report last month. Chief Deputy Clerk Ronald Morgan sent an email to County Judge […]