City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee is asking City Manager Marc Ott to consider an annual increase of at least 3 percent for the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department’s budget. The move comes after Council increased the department’s fiscal year 2015-2016 budget by more than $6.5 million in September. At the Jan. […]
Public Health
Posted inPublic Health
Health committee discusses new spending plans
Before adopting the city’s proposed budget in September, City Council added more than $6.5 million in spending for health, human services, social services and quality of life programs. With the new fiscal year in full swing, Shannon Jones, director of the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, explained Monday how those funds will be […]
Posted inAustin, Public Health, Travis County
Court looks to limit rise in TravCo health care costs
With annual cost overruns projected to be more than $7 million this fiscal year, Travis County Commissioners are looking at ways to curb the skyrocketing cost of providing health care for employees and retirees. According to figures prepared by county staff, health care expenses for the first three months of FY2015 put Travis County on a projected […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Politics, Public Health
Council backs new social service contract metric
Austin City Council members Thursday approved a resolution from Council members Mike Martinez, Laura Morrison and Chris Riley that instructs City Manager Marc Ott to tie the city’s social service contract spending to the Consumer Price Index. The action, approved by a 5-2 vote, also calls on Ott to increase the budget of Austin’s Health […]
Posted inAustin, Local Government, Public Health, Resources
HHS panel studies how HB2 affects Austinites
Last week, the Council Public Health and Human Services Committee took a closer look at the local impacts of Texas House Bill 2. After local outcry and international attention last year, the bill passed during a special session of the 83rd Legislature and changed the way Texas regulates abortion procedures, providers and facilities. In September […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Government, Public Health
Central Health board reappointment stirs passions
The reappointment of Katrina Daniel to the Central Health board of managers turned unexpectedly heated at last week’s Council Public Health and Human Services Committee meeting. Ultimately, committee members unanimously recommended Daniel’s reappointment. The full City Council will consider the nomination at its Dec. 11 meeting. “I believe that experience matters,” said Council Member Mike […]
Posted inLocal Government, Local Politics, Public Health
Commissioners delay Central Health appointments
Travis County Commissioners, after finding out there were almost 40 applicants to choose among, decided Tuesday to bring the two new members of the court into the process to help fill two vacancies on the Central Health board of managers. Based on the initial schedule proposed by staff, the current commissioners would only have about two […]
Posted inCity Council, Local Politics, Public Health
Council approves 2016 social services contracts
The Austin City Council approved the next round of the city’s social services contracts Thursday, apportioning far less money than most agencies said they needed to serve their clients. For Fiscal Year 2016, the city received requests for more than $30 million but was only able to fund about $16 million. The process for determining […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Public Health
Committee mulls medical center skybridge proposal
A proposed medical center skybridge continued to provoke discussion Monday, when the City Council’s Comprehensive Planning and Transportation Committee took its turn questioning the need for a pedestrian walkway. The pedestrian bridge, to be located at 15th and Red River streets, has attracted a lot of discussion and attention at City Hall and Central Health. Austin’s […]
Posted inAustin, Local Politics, Public Health
Groups call city social service contracts inadequate
Organizations that provide crucial community needs will walk away from Austin’s newly altered competitive process for assigning next year’s social services contracts without the funding they want, members of the City Council Public Health and Human Services Committee said Friday. Members Laura Morrison, Mike Martinez and Chris Riley unanimously approved the final draft of contracts […]