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 […]
Austin City Council Health and Human Services Committee
An Austin City Council committee charged with looking at such issues as income disparity, the regional SNAP program, and healthcare.
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: This week’s Council committees
As part of our ongoing effort to keep readers up to date with all that is going on at City Hall, we present our tipsheet for Austin City Council committees. As usual, we will be offering highlights of meetings, with links to entire agendas. Economic Opportunity Committee Monday, Sept. 14, 2:00 p.m. 4. Briefing from […]
Posted inAustin
Two groups disclaim anti-fluoride email
David Foster, state director of the environmental nonprofit group Clean Water Action, was surprised and somewhat concerned Tuesday when he received two emails from friends asking whether his organization was suddenly opposed to fluoridated drinking water. The Public Utilities Committee of the Austin City Council will be considering a resolution at this afternoon’s meeting that […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: This week’s Council Committees
City Council’s July break is officially over. And, as part of our ongoing attempt to keep readers up to date with all that is going on at City Hall, we will now return to our tip sheets for City Council committees. As usual, we will be offering highlights of meetings, with links to entire agendas. […]
Posted inAustin
Barbecue smoke debate takes new shape
While it did not take action on a set of proposed barbecue smoke regulations Monday, the City Council Health and Human Services Committee made it clear that it hopes to find a way to help residents impacted by smoke without setting broad requirements for barbecue establishments. Committee members also said, however, that the city should […]
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 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 […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Council to finally get controversial coyote plan
A new coyote management policy will be brought to the Austin City Council in November, following a nine-month-long and somewhat controversial process. The policy was most recently before City Council’s Public Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday. In 2013, some Austin residents who were worried about coyote sightings in the Blunn Creek watershed complained […]
Posted inResources
Panel narrows social services funding to 4 options
The difficult decisions continued Monday for the Council Public Health and Human Services Committee, which is in the process of dividing a very limited amount of money among numerous social service agencies seeking funding from the city for FY 2016. The committee, including Council Members Mike Martinez, Chris Riley and Laura Morrison, has been working […]
Posted inResources
HHS panel wants more information from agencies
Members of the Council Health and Human Services committee heard from more than a dozen representatives of social service agencies Monday during a called meeting that was a continuation of the panel’s regular meeting last week. A number of social service agencies, many who have been receiving funding from the city for years, say Austin’s […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Social service contract process causes ruckus
Once again, the awarding of social service contracts by the city is shaping up to be a contentious issue. Though the scoring of contracts has been modified, the changes have not kept some big names from being left out. “We realize that there are serious issues that we are going to have to sort through […]