Both Travis County and the city of Austin have ratified an agreement that will form the basis of a new venture aimed at both battling substance abuse and unclogging the county’s central booking facility. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court voted 3-0-1 to approve the interlocal agreement with the city to create and fund a new […]
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Posted inTravis County
Sobriety center advances, but location still up in the air
Everything is falling into place for an innovative facility designed to battle addiction and substance abuse, except for one key detail: where to put it. The Travis County Commissioners Court on Tuesday heard from members of the working group tasked with ironing out a plan to create the so-called sobriety center, a project backed by […]
Posted inTravis County
County ponders partnership with city on one-stop justice shop
With a pair of aging courthouses between them, Travis County and the city of Austin could find a solution to their problems through mutual cooperation. That idea was part of the focus of a Thursday afternoon work session at Travis County Commissioners Court during which county staff discussed the notion of freeing up land in […]
Posted inCourts
Both sides satisfied as campaign finance trial ends
Federal Judge Lee Yeakel gave no indication of how he might rule at the end of the trial on Tuesday. But he told the lawyers involved in City Council Member Don Zimmerman’s lawsuit against the city of Austin over its campaign finance laws that, regardless of his ruling, it was unlikely to be the last […]
Posted inCourts
Judge pondering appraisal district suit
After a three-hour hearing Wednesday, Travis County District Judge Tim Sulak told approximately a dozen lawyers involved in the lawsuit between the city of Austin and the Travis Central Appraisal District, “I’m nowhere close to making a decision on the merits” of the case. The city, represented by Assistant City Attorneys Andralee Lloyd and Michael […]
Posted inCourts
City, Junk Yard Dogs to fight in court today
Although the city of Austin has sued the Travis Central Appraisal District over its valuations of commercial and vacant properties, the first test of the lawsuit’s merit will come in court today not from TCAD, but from the commercial property owner Junk Yard Dogs LP. The lawyers for Junk Yard Dogs, picked perhaps for their […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Monitor News & Media, Radio
Austin Monitor Radio: The 84th Lege and local municipalities
TravCo IGR honcho Deece Eckstein joins Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to talk about the local municipal impact of laws passed (and not) by the just-ended 84th Texas Legislature. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/209381212″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inTravis County
Travis Commissioners ponder drunk-tank proposal
The Travis County Commissioners Court took another tentative step toward establishing a sobriety center in partnership with the City of Austin at its regular voting session. Perhaps better known colloquially as a drunk tank, the proposed sobriety center would serve as an alternative to Travis County Jail or local emergency rooms as destinations for people detained […]
Posted inAustin, Courts, Texas State Legislature
Why your speeding ticket doesn’t pay for what you think it does
Travis County and the City of Austin take part in a regular fiscal dance with the State of Texas over who pays the costs of government. Over the next three days, KUT News and the Austin Monitor will look at key examples of that interaction in our series, “The Buck Starts Here.” Today, we take […]
Posted inAustin, Texas State Legislature
Local witnesses urge legislators to reject TNC bill
The House Transportation Committee heard numerous witnesses Thursday both supporting and opposing HB 2440, which would designate the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles as the state agency charged with issuing permits and overseeing rules for transportation networking companies such as Uber and Lyft. The proposal would also eliminate city regulations for such companies. For that […]
Posted inAustin, Texas State Legislature
Council discusses legislation that targets Austin
With the Texas Legislature’s March 13 filing deadline behind them, city staff are busy tracking the 6,400 or so bills that state legislators have filed this session. They joined City Council at a work session Tuesday for an update on the bills making their way through the 84th Legislature that could directly affect Austin. Karen […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Public Safety, Texas State Legislature
GOP wants to restore Secure Communities program
A recent agreement between the City of Austin and Travis County over booking services at the county jail could be in jeopardy if congressional Republicans succeed in reversing President Obama’s executive orders on immigration policy. House Republicans voted out a bill Wednesday to fund the Homeland Security department that would defund the president’s immigration program. […]