Government
BY HALEY MCLEOD & BEN THOMPSON
Austin, Travis County leaders back pretrial legal support A program providing legal representation fol- lowing arrest in Travis County is poised to expand. The big picture Local leaders and advocates aim to offer counsel at first appearance, or CAFA, post-arrest, regard- less of ability to pay for a lawyer. Travis County commissioners are considering a fiscal year 2024-25 budget that could reserve millions of dollars for expanded CAFA services. At City Hall, council approved a FY 2024-25 spending plan with money reserved for an ongoing county partnership. While CAFA has yet to be fully implemented, the lack of full-time legal services led one arrestee to sue the county this spring over its “two-tiered” magistration system that he, and others, have said
Austin charter election called off
CAFA ramps up* Local officials hope to expand CAFA services. After trial runs, daily shifts will begin in October followed by full implementation next year. 30 magistration shifts with CAFA completed so far 14 county judge shifts 16 city magistrate shifts 834 people magistrated; prosecution declined charges in 6% of cases
Thirteen proposed amendments to Aus- tin’s city charter were put on hold following
a legal challenge. What happened
District Court Judge Maya Guerra Gamble issued a temporary injunction against Aus- tin’s charter amendment election Aug. 29. Gamble sided with plaintiffs who claimed City Council didn’t give proper public notice and violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when calling the proposition election during their August budget adoption. The 13 items’ removal from the November election was confirmed just ahead of local deadlines to finalize ballots. A city spokes- person said staff took responsibility for the meeting posting process that prompted the lawsuit.
SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT *AS OF AUG. 27
results in disparate legal outcomes for those who can and can’t afford a lawyer. What’s next Local CAFA offerings remained in a trial state as of this summer. New funding could support dozens of staff positions and more CAFA shifts. Travis County Budget Director Travis Gatlin called the current proposal “the single biggest and fastest undertaking” on the issue in more than two decades.
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