On Oct. 5, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved changes to the bylaws of the Strategic Housing Finance Corporation. The amendments came in the wake of a massive blunder at the Rosemont apartment complex in South Austin – which is managed by the SHFC – where scores of tenants were given eviction notices and forced […]
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 inPlanning
Updated: Vocal Thomas Springs residents oppose expanding street
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, local community members expressed their outrage over the Thomas Springs Road development –specifically, the plan to significantly widen the road for the stated purpose of making room for bike lanes. The majority of local commenters, quoting everything from Thomas Paine to the neighborhood association to justify […]
Posted inTravis County
County back on track for emergency rental assistance disbursal
Last week, Travis County staff distributed a little over $509,000 in Emergency Rental Assistance Program money to qualifying families and individuals in need, according to County Executive Sherri Fleming. This brings the total amount of federal money allocated by the county to up 47.6 percent of its target, though as Fleming notes, $2.8 million in […]
Posted inRoads
TxDOT brings contentious interstate expansion plan to county
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court heard from Texas Department of Transportation engineer Tucker Ferguson, who discussed progress on the state transportation department’s plan to add two managed HOV lanes in each direction on Interstate 35 through downtown Austin. While TxDOT generally contends the expansion is necessary to address Austin’s rising traffic levels and […]
Posted inTravis County
Three-quarters of county employees to work from home for good
The Travis County Commissioners Court is moving ahead with an unprecedented initiative to dramatically increase the number of county teleworkers, with the lofty goal of having 75 percent of county employees permanently working from home. In June, the county hired Deloitte Consulting to help smooth the process. Travis County Human Resources Director Shannon Weidauer delivered […]
Posted inTravis County
County pledges more than $100 million to eradicate homelessness in three years
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court committed $110 million in federal funding toward housing the homeless. The money, sourced from a $247 million chunk of the American Rescue Plan Act funds designated for county assistance, will likely be administered via dozens of nonprofits, including Mobile Loaves and Fishes, Caritas of Austin, Integral Care, LifeWorks […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Commissioners approve state-mandated changes to leave policy
Three bills were signed into law during the past legislative session that will change or add to existing leave policies for county employees. House Bill 1589 provides seven days of paid leave for public officers and employees engaged in certain types of military service; House Bill 2073 provides quarantine leave for firefighters, peace officers, detention officers […]
Posted inHousing
County may donate rental assistance funds to city for speedier distribution
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Travis County Commissioners Court continued to brainstorm ways to spend 65 percent of a federal rental assistance allocation before a U.S. Treasury deadline at the end of September threatens to rescind unused funds. If the 65 percent threshold is not met, all of the remaining unallocated Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Discussion continues on RFID tracking systems in county jails
During Tuesday’s meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, commissioners deliberated on a potential $4.3 million investment in a radio-frequency identification wristband tracking system for the county jails. While County Judge Andy Brown raised questions about whether the hefty price tag was market-rate, other commissioners asserted a vote of approval would simply free up money, giving […]
Posted inTravis County
Why Travis County is struggling to spend its federal rental assistance dollars
As we spoke by phone this week, Rakhi Agrawal glanced down at the stack of papers on her desk. “My eviction notice – it’s right here on my desk,” she said. It’s been a long journey for Agrawal, who moved to Austin to work in nonprofit development, to arrive at this eviction notice. At the […]
Posted inPublic Health
New perks just dropped for county workers who get vaccinated
The Travis County Commissioners Court passed an initiative Tuesday offering incentives to county employees who get their Covid-19 shots. The enticement takes the shape of two days of paid personal leave to all employees who can show their double-signed vaccination cards. The program will begin Sept. 1 and last for two years. Travis County Human Resources […]
Posted inHousing
As federal rental assistance deadline looms, county must use it or lose it
The Travis County Commissioners Court is scrambling to spend Emergency Rental Assistance Program money before a federal Treasury deadline threatens to reclaim the funds. According to Treasury policy, municipalities must return rental assistance money to the federal government if 65 percent of the funding is not allocated by the end of September. Lawrence Lyman brought […]