On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved a burn ban, beginning Thursday, Jan. 20, at the behest of the fire marshal. The ban comes after a few fires broke out in Travis County over the weekend, and a 600-plus-acre wildfire (which officials say was started by a prescribed burn) continued to blaze in […]
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 inPublic Health
County holds virtual meet-and-greet for county executive candidates
Travis County is hosting a virtual meet-and-greet tomorrow from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to present the final three candidates for the new Health and Human Services county executive position. Juan Duarte is currently the executive director for the Office of Children and Youth in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; Lawrence Lyman works with county HHS as director of […]
Posted inCourts
Eckhardt cleared of judicial conduct sanction
Austin state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, a lifelong Democrat, has won her battle with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct. In December 2020, the commission issued an admonition against Eckhardt for comments she made as Travis County Judge in 2017 and 2019. At the time she made the remarks, she was the leader of the […]
Posted inHousing
County processes final rental assistance applications, but will need more money to prevent evictions
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court received news that only 443 applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program – a recently discontinued county program – have yet to be processed, a number significantly down from last week’s 995. The rest, according to county Health and Human Services, have already been paid. The new number, […]
Posted inPublic Health
County seeks to expand mental health care for those facing incarceration
Nearly 20 percent of inmates booked into Travis County jails in September 2021 needed mental health treatment, but a month after their incarceration, only a third of them were receiving the needed treatment. That was the conclusion reached by Dr. Steve Strakowski, associate vice president for regional mental health at Dell Medical School, who examined the planning […]
Posted inTravis County
As ERAP well dries, county turns to other sources to meet renters’ needs
Travis County Health and Human Services broke the bad news to commissioners Tuesday that the U.S. Treasury will not be granting the county’s request for an additional $7.8 million in Emergency Rental Assistance funds. This means hundreds of people counting on the money might not get it, at least not from the Treasury. “We have […]
Posted inRoads
Travis County commissioners tear into MoPac South toll lane project
A revived proposal to extend toll lanes on MoPac Expressway from Lady Bird Lake to Slaughter Lane is coming under fire from Travis County commissioners apprehensive about the project and how it’s being presented to the public. Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to submit their concerns in a letter ahead of a Friday night deadline for public comment. […]
Posted inAustin
Former Mayor Bruce Todd leaves a lasting legacy
Bruce Todd, who served his community as mayor of Austin as well as Travis County commissioner, died Christmas Day at the age of 72. He suffered from Lewy body dementia for several years before his death. Todd, who was Precinct 2 commissioner from 1987-1991 and mayor from 1991-1997, is remembered as a champion of the […]
Posted inTravis County
Brown: The stakes are high for the county judge
Unlike the city of Austin, Travis County doesn’t have a behind-the-scenes manager directing operations, overseeing staff and preparing budgets. But it does have Andy Brown, the county judge, head of the Commissioners Court and a former senior adviser to Beto O’Rourke during his 2018 campaign for U.S. Senate. Over the last year or so, Brown […]
Posted inTravis County
Ann Howard reflects on a turbulent first year in office
From the winter storm last February to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard has seen a lot this past year. The Austin Monitor sat down with Howard to reflect on 2021 and the highs and lows that came with it. “My first year here in office is this intense year of pandemic and […]
Posted inTravis County
Shea: A career spent combating the climate crisis
In the summer of 1988, Brigid Shea unfolded a copy of The New York Times and read a front-page story that changed the trajectory of her life, about a NASA scientist who had testified to Congress about the life-threatening consequences of releasing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The article helped fuel a three-decade career dedicated […]
Posted inTravis County
Gómez: Longest-serving commissioner finding new ways of doing business
With new members on the court this past year, Travis County Commissioner Margaret Gómez has been rethinking the court’s longtime processes. (Ann Howard, who represents Precinct 3, assumed office at the start of 2021, while County Judge Andy Brown assumed office in late 2020.) Gómez, who was elected in 1994 and is the longest-serving commissioner […]