Travis County last week reopened a program with millions of dollars in funding to help people make their rent and mortgage payments. Initially the county said it could accept applications through September, but staff members now say they will likely close the program this month because they’ve received so many applications. County Commissioner Brigid Shea […]
Travis County Commissioners Court
The legislative body for Travis County. It includes representatives from the four Travis County Precincts, as well as the County Judge. The County Judge serves as the chair of the Court.
Posted inElections
Gómez wins tight race against Ledesma-Woody
Margaret Gómez, who has been the Travis County Precinct 4 commissioner for more than 27 years, was widely expected to win reelection by defeating opponent Susanna Ledesma-Woody in the Democratic primary on Tuesday. Ledesma-Woody and Gómez battled over this seat on the Travis County Commissioners Court in 2018. At that time, Gómez defeated Ledesma-Woody with […]
Posted inElections
Shea cruises to Precinct 2 win
Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea defended her eight-year commissionership last night, resoundingly winning the Precinct 2 primary – and de facto the entire election given the substantial Democratic majority in Travis County – by fending off progressive challenger Bob Libal. “I am honored to have the support of so many of the voters in Precinct […]
Posted inHousing
Austin, Travis County aim to add tens of thousands of new units to meet demand
As population and living demands explode in the greater Austin area, the Travis County Commissioners Court is grappling with the twin issues of affordable housing and housing needs. Seventy-thousand new units are needed in Austin and Travis County over the next five years to keep pace with population growth, the county projects, while the Commissioners […]
Posted inPublic Health
County, city agree to establish joint public health commission
On Tuesday, with staff’s recommendation, a solid majority of the Travis County Commissioners Court voted in favor of joining the city of Austin to create a joint public health commission. The motion comes as many in the community criticize the work of Central Health, which was created in 2004 by the voters of Travis County. […]
Posted inElections
Ledesma-Woody says she’s still in county commissioner race
Susanna Ledesma-Woody, who is running to unseat Margaret Gómez, the incumbent Travis County commissioner for Precinct 4, has erroneously filed a form indicating she does not intend to accept any future political contributions or make any expenditures. Ledesma-Woody told the Austin Monitor that the form was filed in error last week and would be corrected […]
Posted inRoads
Multiple street closures proposed to upgrade drainage infrastructure
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court presided over the public hearings about two proposed traffic restrictions – one five-day restriction on Priem Lane and monthlong restriction on Gregg Lane, both starting March 14. Both proposed closures relate to repairing road drainage infrastructure. The Priem Lane closure is necessary to finish the work of replacing […]
Posted inTravis County
New perk just dropped for all county employees: Paid family leave
The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday that marks the first steps toward bringing paid family leave to every county employee. While the policy won’t immediately go into effect, a subcommittee will return to the court in two months with recommendations for the policy; however, the language of the resolution essentially guarantees […]
Posted inPublic Health
Pharmaceutical opioid companies pay out – but will it be enough?
The Travis County Commissioners Court received a legal briefing Tuesday on County of Travis v. Purdue Pharma, a yearslong case brought by Travis County and a host of other plaintiffs against a number of manufacturers and distributors of pharmaceutical opioids, including Purdue Pharma. Last month, multiple defendants in the opioid litigation entered a number of […]
Posted inRoads
County endorses lower speed limits for two Lake Travis ISD schools
On Tuesday, Travis County hosted a public hearing on speed limit considerations for two schools in Lake Travis Independent School District. As it currently stands, neither Rough Hollow Elementary School nor Bee Cave Middle School has a “school zone,” and parents, teachers and community members have complained of dangerous conditions such as blind corners and […]
Posted inHousing
County invests in nonprofits and cash assistance to prevent evictions
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved a series of investment strategies to prevent evictions and smooth the potentially rocky transition away from the federally funded Emergency Rental Assistance program to other forms of rental assistance. “The key questions today, court members, are the strategy to provide eviction support … keeping in mind that […]
Posted inElections
County puts millions toward increasing wages for election workers
The Travis County Commissioners Court is investing big in election infrastructure, putting $1.3 million toward a voting system upgrade, including $700,000 to raise wages for all election workers in the county. “The agenda includes significant investments in our electoral system that are going to continue to make Travis County’s one of the safest, most fair […]