During Tuesday’s work session, City Council had numerous questions about a plan to establish a city marshal office as a division of the Austin Municipal Court and seemed ready to postpone taking action on the item on today’s agenda. The mayor and several Council members seemed surprised to learn that they had authorized creation of […]
Austin Municipal Court
This city department is the judicial branch of the City of Austin. The courts adjudicate Class C misdemeanor cases and has four divisions: Judicary, Court Operations, Support Services, and the Downtown Austin Community Court.
Posted inPublic Safety
Council postpones decision on City Marshal Office
Last Thursday, City Council considered the creation of a new municipal court division that would replace its use of sworn Austin Police Department officers. The ordinance would create a City Marshal Office, an agency separate from the Austin Police Department, whose members would handle enforcement of Class C misdemeanor cases. City marshals would carry out […]
Posted inCity Hall
City identifies Downtown Community Court east side location
After considering the available options, the city is ready to make the first move to relocate the Downtown Austin Community Court across Interstate 35 into a planned three-story building at 1719 E. Second St. The city intends to bring a 10-year lease agreement for City Council’s consideration on Nov. 12. The Downtown Community Court is […]
Posted inCity Hall
City finds fault with potential Downtown Community Court locations, sticks with east side alternative
In the continued search for a new home for the Downtown Austin Community Court, the Office of Real Estate Services has encountered serious constraints against moving the court into the first floor of the John H. Faulk Library or the Austin Municipal Building. Without another alternative for a downtown site, the office now plans to […]
Posted inBudget
Public Safety budget discussion wrestles with demands to defund APD
Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo gave the Public Safety Committee a public safety budget overview at its meeting on Monday. Much of the discussion centered around the Austin Police Department budget. Community members and some City Council members have demanded that a portion of the budget be reallocated to other city departments. “We have […]
Posted inCourts
City declares broad equity goals for pretrial services
In the middle of a pandemic that has led to a sharp decrease in the Travis County Jail population, Austin City Council plans to leverage its influence to keep the jail population low by reserving use of pretrial detention for cases where it is necessary to ensure public safety. The city has a limited role […]
Posted inCourts
Municipal court cases linger longer these days
Four years ago, the Austin Municipal Court generally took under 190 days to close cases. The number of days has since gone up to roughly 215 days, due to Senate Bill 1913 passed by the Texas Legislature in 2017, said Mary Jane Grubb, Austin Municipal Court clerk, at the Feb. 10 City Council Judicial Committee […]
Posted inCity Council
Council tells staff: Get municipal court move done
So far, the process of reviewing plans and preparing for relocation of the Austin Municipal Court has been “very, very extensive,” according to Municipal Court Clerk Mary Jane Grubb. Impatient with the lagging timeline, City Council is pressing staffers to wrap up the move as soon as possible. In preparing to move the court from […]
Posted inCity Hall
South station closure marks start of municipal court facilities shuffle
A significant shuffling of operations is in store for Austin Municipal Court in the coming months, thanks in large part to Friday’s permanent closure of the court’s south substation on Manchaca Road. The closure will leave South Austin residents with two locations – the main Municipal Court building on East Seventh Street and the north […]
Posted inCity Hall
City still looking for Municipal Court building funds
Last week, during discussion of whether City Council should approve a 10-year lease for Austin’s Municipal Court at the Met Center in Southeast Austin, Council Member Ora Houston opposed the $31 million contract with Zydeco Development. Her reasoning was partially based on a map on the company’s website that was insulting to Latinos, but also […]
Posted inCity Council
Municipal Court move to Met Center OK’d
Although Council Member Ora Houston made numerous arguments against a 120-month lease for Austin’s Municipal Court at the Met Center in Southeast Austin, only Council Member Pio Renteria joined her during Thursday’s Council meeting in voting against authorizing city staff to negotiate and execute a $31 million contract with Zydeco Development. Council Member Leslie Pool […]
Posted inCourts
Met Center apology insufficient for Houston
Council Member Ora Houston raised objections during Tuesday’s work session to an item on Thursday’s Council agenda authorizing staff to enter into a 120-month lease agreement for 96,000 square feet of office space at the Met Center on Montopolis Drive in Southeast Austin. The building is intended to house courthouse employees from the downtown location […]