A prominent local advocate for low taxes and fiscal responsibility has declared his opposition to Travis County’s proposed $292 million Civil and Family Courthouse bond. Retired accountant Bill Oakey announced Thursday that he has resigned from the Community Focus Committee, an advisory group tasked with helping the county and its consultant, URS Corporation, develop plans […]
Travis County
Posted inRoads, Transportation, Travis County
Travis Commissioners split over CAMPO 2040 Plan
Discontent over a landmark transportation plan drove Travis County Commissioners to draw distinct battle lines Tuesday between two competing visions. The hour-long discussion on the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s developing 2040 Regional Transportation Plan featured a rare crack in the court’s usual comity. In the end, the court voted 3-1-1 to ask CAMPO to […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County Commissioners 3.31
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. Items of interest include: 11. Consider and take appropriate action on: a. The resignation effective March 31, 2015, of the Acting […]
Posted inPublic Safety, Travis County
County postpones Correctional System master plan
Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt has temporarily halted preliminary steps toward a new County Correctional System master plan. At Tuesday’s Commissioners Court voting session, Eckhardt agreed to delay a vote on whether to proceed to the second part of a two-phase process after Commissioner Gerald Daugherty insisted on hearing from one critically important stakeholder: the […]
Posted inDevelopment, Travis County
Commissioners keep parking garage plans alive
Travis County Commissioners voted Tuesday to keep the three new levels of underground parking that had been designed to accompany the planned district attorney’s office in downtown Austin. The decision to approve the proposed $3.05 million garage beneath the future Ronnie Earle Building came just before lunch during Tuesday’s voting session. It was an epilogue of sorts to […]
Posted inHays County, Transit, Transportation, Travis County, Williamson County
CAMPO says buses should skip highway traffic
Most highway drivers resist the urge to cruise alongside a traffic jam on the route’s shoulder — it is illegal, not to mention rude. Some buses in Texas, however, may soon get a pass to jump the line. The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Transportation Policy Board narrowly recommended Monday that the Texas Legislature pass […]
Posted inLocal Government, Travis County, Uncategorized
Travis Commissioners settle DA building drama
Travis County Commissioners Court settled the final act Tuesday in a lengthy drama surrounding a proposed new district attorney’s office building. In a 3-2 vote, the commissioners gave the green light to a moderately revised version of the Ronnie Earle Office Building. Named after the longtime district attorney who served for more than three decades, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Hays County, Local Government, Resources, Travis County, Water
Aquifer board backs annexation of unregulated area
At its Thursday meeting, the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District board of directors voted unanimously to support proposed legislation that would expand the district’s territory and give the board authority over part of an unregulated area where water supply company Electro Purification has set up shop. Electro Purification acquired three contracts for water supply in […]
Posted inBudget, Travis County
Commissioners back new vehicle registration fee
The Travis County Commissioners Court has endorsed a proposal to raise vehicle registration fees to bolster funding for transportation projects. At their regular voting session Tuesday, the commissioners unanimously backed two bills at the Texas Legislature that would charge county car owners an extra $10 each year. The proposal would also let the commissioners ask […]
Posted inRoads, Transportation, Travis County
TravCo to study Hamilton Pool Road improvements
Travis County Commissioners took the first step Tuesday toward potentially adding big changes to a section of Hamilton Pool Road, despite some opposition from area residents. At the end of their regular voting session, commissioners unanimously agreed to award $530,000 to the engineering firm Binkley & Barfield Inc. to begin researching possible improvements to Hamilton […]
Posted inCourts, Travis County
Commissioners nearly boot plans for DA’s office
Travis County Commissioners came dangerously close Tuesday to scrapping plans to build a new office tower for the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. The clash between two county agencies over cost almost ended the project when Commissioner Gerald Daugherty seconded a motion by Commissioner Brigid Shea to pull the plug on the plan altogether. After […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County Commissioners, March 3.
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. Items of interest include: 12. Receive update from staff on predevelopment consulting services related to potential new development at North Campus. […]