The Travis County Commissioners Court may consider changes to the county’s affordable housing program to encourage apartment developers to provide more meaningful rent reductions in exchange for property tax abatements. Commissioner Brigid Shea suggested future changes as commissioners deliberated two public-private housing partnerships at their June 29 meeting. Both proposals were postponed to Tuesday’s meeting. […]
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 inEnvironment
County plans to lower emissions to comply with Clean Air Act
At the June 29 meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, commissioners discussed strategies to reduce particulate matter emissions with Jon White, director of Natural Resources and Environmental Quality, and Adele Noel, the environmental project manager for air quality. “We’re here to address particulate matter pollution, and some specific actions that are being taken by […]
Posted inTravis County
The ‘elephant in the room’: How will commissioners set their own pay?
At the June 29 meeting of the Commissioners Court, Todd Osburn, county compensation manager, presented elected officials’ salaries to commissioners. The item will be brought before the court again in late July, at which point commissioners will decide between three options: either match elected officials’ pay raise percentages to those of classified employees; match elected […]
Posted inBudget
County increases homestead exemptions for 65 and up
On June 29, the Travis County Commissioners Court discussed and passed a proposal to increase homestead exemptions for qualifying homes. The item was a follow-up to the previous week’s discussion in which the Planning and Budget Office had recommended to increase homestead exemptions from $85,000 to $100,000 for the 65-and-up age group, as well as […]
Posted inTravis County
County presses pause on Palm School, pending community input
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court discussed what to do about the Palm School. On June 15, commissioners rejected the city’s 2020 offer to buy the Palm School building. The news disappointed many in the Latino community who had hoped a transfer of ownership would take place so that the building would remain a […]
Posted inTravis County
County deliberates joining city to end homelessness
On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court discussed the cardinal question of how to allocate a considerable amount of money coming to the county from the American Rescue Plan Act. Much of the discussion centered on homelessness, and whether the county would join the city in its commitment to dedicate a meaningful portion of its ARPA funding […]
Posted inPlanning
County rebuffs city’s offer to buy Palm School, leaving its future uncertain
In a vote few people were aware of until last week, the Travis County Commissioners Court rejected the city of Austin’s offer to purchase the historic Swante Palm School building on the eastern edge of downtown. Community activists, who for years have advocated preserving the school to honor its Mexican American history, were not aware […]
Posted inBudget
Commissioners Court fields next year’s budget plan
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court fielded a budget process explanation for the 2022 fiscal year from Travis Gatlin and Jessica Rio with the Planning and Budget Office. While the first revenue estimates from the adopted budget sat at about $945 million, Gatlin stated that the county will be crossing the billion-dollar threshold for […]
Posted inElections
Gómez, Woody prepare for rematch at ballot box
Margaret Gómez, who has served as Travis County Commissioner for Precinct 4 since 1995 and who was the first Mexican American woman in a county commissioner position, declared Monday that she is not done yet. Susanna Woody announced last week that she would be running for the job also. The two will face each other, […]
Posted inTransportation
Travis and Bexar counties proceed with plans to electrify vehicle fleets
Travis and Bexar counties are making moves to electrify their vehicle fleets as part of a partnership with the South Central Texas Electric Transportation Compact. In hopes of serving as a model for other counties in the region, the two counties passed separate resolutions on the issue in their respective Commissioners Courts on June 15. […]
Posted inPublic Safety
After public condemnation, county to rework correctional master plan
A highly anticipated Travis County Commissioners Court meeting Tuesday was more contentious than usual and lasted later into the evening to accommodate hours of public comments criticizing a plan to allocate $80 million to fund a new women’s jail. Though the item in question specifically referred to the $4.3 million design contract for the Travis […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Reformer ponders challenging Shea
Bob Libal, a consultant for criminal justice and immigration reform organizations, announced Monday that he is “considering a run” against Travis County Precinct 2 Commissioner Brigid Shea in next spring’s Democratic primary. The major issue for Libal is Shea’s support for a $4.2 million design contract to build a new women’s jail facility. Last week, […]