Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Mayor Kirk Watson held a joint news conference Monday to announce that each had signed disaster declarations related to wildfire risk. “On Friday I signed a disaster declaration,” Brown said. “It will allow Travis County to proactively access resources, streamline emergency coordination (and) reinforce wildfire prevention efforts.” According to […]
Travis County Judge Andy Brown
Posted inFire
City and county officials kick off Wildfire Awareness Month
As Austin/Travis County heads into another scorching hot wildfire season, city and county leaders are sharing updates on community-wide preparedness efforts and emphasizing how individual Austinites can do their part. Local officials held a press conference on Tuesday to kick off Wildfire Awareness Month. Austin currently ranks fifth on a list of major U.S. cities […]
Posted inTravis County
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 significant gains have been made in those areas. After a yearslong ideation process, the county’s […]
Posted inAustin
This fall might’ve been Austin’s warmest. The city says it’s ready now for record cold.
Austin and Travis County leaders said they are prepared for potentially record winter weather despite the warm fall. At a news conference Wednesday, Mayor Kirk Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown said the city and county have several mechanisms in place to ensure residents have power and water, and that the roads are safe. […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Travis County voters supported a tax rate increase to expand access to affordable child care. What happens now?
Last week, approximately 60 percent of Travis County voters approved Proposition A – a property tax increase that will expand access to affordable child care and after-school/summer programs for lower-income families. The tax increase ($0.025 per $100 valuation for a total ad valorem tax rate of 0.34 percent) will also support the development of child […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Travis County passes plan to invest in affordable child care
By the time early votes rolled in on election night, Travis County’s sweeping investment in child care services had already garnered 60 percent of the vote, holding on to that margin through the night. Proposition A will generate $75 million in its first year, to go toward making child care affordable in the most expensive […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Ballot measure asks taxpayers to help fund access to affordable child care
In May of this year, Travis County committed to a broad investment in child care with the Creating Access for Resilient Families, or CARES initiative. To fund that care sustainably, the county will ask voters on Nov. 5 to approve a 2.5-cent property tax increase, which would generate an estimated $75.8 million and raise the […]
Posted inCourts
Travis County sues Paxton over voter registration efforts
Travis County is fighting back. That’s the message that County Judge Andy Brown, County Attorney Delia Garza, County Tax Assessor-Collector and Voter Registrar Bruce Elfant and County Commissioner Jeff Travillion delivered at a press conference on Tuesday. They denounced Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for attempting to prevent Travis County from hiring a firm to […]
Posted inElections
Paxton sues Travis County over voter registration attempt
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Friday in an attempt to prevent Travis County from hiring an outside firm to find people eligible to vote who are not registered. The Travis County Commissioners Court voted unanimously last month to hire Civic Government Solutions to provide the names and addresses of eligible resident […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County declares local disaster ahead of April 8 total solar eclipse
Lee esta historia en español Travis County declared a local disaster on Friday ahead of the April 8 total solar eclipse. The eclipse is expected to bring an influx of people to the area, putting a major strain on roads, emergency services and other needs. The declaration allows Travis County Judge Andy Brown to control and […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Watson, Brown declare local state of emergency over wildfire threat
Mayor Kirk Watson and Travis County Judge Andy Brown on Tuesday declared a local state of emergency in response to the threat of wildfires. Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott said that wildfires in 191 Texas counties “pose an imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss of life or property,” thus leading to […]
Posted inTravis County
In wake of ice storm, county adds debris drop-off sites
The recent ice storm caused over $29 million in damages, felling trees, snapping power lines and sparking a declaration of disaster from county officials. On Tuesday, the county announced another debris drop-off point at Mansfield Dam, in addition to the site at Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant. The new drop-off site is open daily from […]