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Tag Archives: Travis County Commissioners Court
Austin’s redemption arc: The embarrassing recent failures and hard-fought reforms in our city’s response to sexual assault
April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. The city of Austin has garnered national attention for its prior failures to investigate cases and support survivors in their healing and, more recently, for its survivor-led reforms. The Austin Monitor took…
Public Safety • By Mina Shekarchi • Apr 7, 2025
New public defenders get pay bump but county struggles to retain experienced attorneys
At the beginning of the year, Travis County finally began offering a guaranteed lawyer to individuals who are arrested and can’t afford legal representation – a constitutional right known as counsel at first appearance, or CAFA. It took an ACLU…
Travis County • By Lina Fisher • Mar 31, 2025
Central Health opens long-awaited Del Valle Health Center
Last week, Central Health announced at a Travis County Commissioners Court meeting that it has finally opened its Del Valle Health Center, the long-awaited collaboration with CommUnityCare that will expand access to health care for low-income Eastern Travis County residents.…
Public Health • By Lina Fisher • Mar 20, 2025
Travis County sets aggressive goal to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2050
One of the policy areas that the county has most influence over is roadway safety. Past city limits, the Travis County Commissioners Court is responsible – along with the Texas Department of Transportation, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and…
Roads • By Lina Fisher • Mar 18, 2025
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Travis County outlines the next year of opioid overdose prevention strategy
Even as the Trump administration attempts to gut every kind of federal grant bolstering local services, from transportation to public health and beyond, Travis County is still managing to continue its long-term investments in opioid recovery services and harm reduction.…
Public Health • By Lina Fisher • Mar 3, 2025
City and county to invest in historically underserved Northeast Austin area
At its Tuesday meeting, the Travis County Commissioners Court heard an update on what Commissioner Jeff Travillion called a “Marshall Plan” for the rapidly developing Northeast Austin area, referring to the 1948 plan for the U.S. to help in Western…
Planning • By Lina Fisher • Jan 9, 2025
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Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea urges local climate resilience initiatives to combat coming federal turn
Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea has been a mainstay of the Austin environmental movement for decades. Though she’s seen many gains in that area since her political career began, the relentless changing climate of our region has kept up the…
Travis County • By Lina Fisher • Jan 7, 2025
In 2025, Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard eyes building more supportive housing and strengthening climate resilience
Coming from her background in affordable housing at the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard has always prioritized the same throughout her tenure at the county. 2024 saw two big wins on that front, she says: “There’s…
Travis County • By Lina Fisher • Jan 7, 2025
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Commissioner Travillion finds integration of public services as key to success
In 2024, Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion approached his work with a clear conviction: The challenges facing East Austinites are deeply interconnected. To truly serve his constituents, he recognized that solving these issues required a multidimensional approach – what he…
Travis County • By Madeline de Figueiredo • Jan 7, 2025
Travis County Judge Andy Brown pledges continued focus on health care, passenger rail in 2025
For the past two years, Travis County Judge Andy Brown has told the Austin Monitor he wants to double down on overdose prevention, mental health care and passenger rail. Looking ahead to 2025, those priorities have not changed – but…
Travis County • By Lina Fisher • Jan 6, 2025
Travis County awarded $1.6 million federal grant to combat overdose crisis
On Monday, Travis County Judge Andy Brown announced a new resource for combating the opioid overdose crisis in the county – and reported new numbers that suggest current public health strategies are working. The county was awarded a $1.6 million…
Public Health • By Lina Fisher • Dec 4, 2024
County renews opioid overdose crisis declaration, funds more harm reduction
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to extend its opioid overdose crisis declaration to October 2026 and to authorize $100,000 worth of naloxone, a lifesaving overdose reversal drug, as well as $100,000 – and possibly another $300,000…
Public Health • By Lina Fisher • Nov 15, 2024
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