Austin City Council Will meet May 5 and 19 at 10 a.m. and May 3 and 17 at 9:30 a.m. 301 W. Second St., Austin www.austintexas.gov/austin-city- council Travis County Commissioners Court Will meet April 26 and 28, May 3, 10, 12 and 17 at 9 a.m. 700 Lavaca St., Austin www.traviscountytx.gov/ commissionerscourt Dripping Springs City Council Will meet April 26, May 3 and 10 at 5 p.m. and May 17 at 6 p.m. 511 Mercer St., Dripping Springs www.cityofdrippingsprings.com MEETINGSWE COVER CITY HIGHLIGHTS AUSTIN City Council members voted March 24 to fund a group of diverse chambers of commerce as part of a strategy to promote the regional minority and LGBTQ business scene. Four local chambers, collectively part of the Diversity and Ethic Chamber Alliance, will receive $2.52 million in the coming years. AUSTIN On March 24, City Council approved a resolution supporting the creation of a trauma recovery center that could cost up to $500,000 over the next two years. The resolution asks sta to bring the issue back before council within the next two months. Trauma recovery centers provide free health services and support to victims and those a ected by community violence. Several similar centers are open nationwide, but Austin’s would be the rst in Texas. TRAVIS COUNTY Of the 58 projects funded through the 2017 road and parks bond, 70% are expected to be completed or under construction by the end of 2022. However, 19 might not be completed by 2022 deadline due to supply chain issues and in ation, according to an April 12 Commissioners Court presentation.
DrippingSpringshostsvirtual openhouseon future roadway
LIGHTS OFF
2022 TRAVIS COUNTY UTILITY DISCONNECTS
347
339.24%
Travis County has seen an increase in the number of residents who have had their utilities shut o due to nonpayment.
BY GLORIE MARTINEZ
on the study and seek community feedback on the proposed route. The study aims to antic- ipate transportation needs for future growth in Hays County. With a 267% popula- tion increase expected by 2045, tra c congestion is expected to worsen, per the county. The new roadway will increase road capacity south and west of Dripping Springs. The virtual open house can be accessed at www.improve150.com through April 29.
SOURCE: TRAVIS COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER JAN. 79 FEB. 124
DRIPPING SPRINGS Hays County is conduct- ing the Dripping Springs Southwest Connection Study to plan an extension of the RM 150 Corridor, a two-lane arterial that runs east to west through the county. The new road will be a four-lane divided roadway extending from the inter- section of RM 12 and RM 150 and connecting to Hwy. 290 west of Dripping Springs. The county is hosting a virtual open house to share background information
MARCH
Travis County sees uptick in utility assistance requests
BY DARCY SPRAGUE
TRAVIS COUNTY Kirsten Siegfried, director of Travis County’s Health and Human Services, said she has seen a 339.24% increase in applicants for utility assistance since the start of the year. Siegfried said most of the disconnects are from Austin Energy, which serves the largest customer base. While Siegfried said Austin Energy often allows customers to keep their electricity on for months despite nonpayment, she said there has been a recent spike in disconnections. Community Impact Newspaper reached out to Austin Energy for comment but did not receive a response. While the county recently had to close its rental assistance program due to insu cient funds to meet the need, Siegfried said the department has signi - cant funds to assist with utilities. Residents can nd more information at www.traviscountytx.gov.
INCREASED CAPACITY
Hays County is seeking input to expand RM 150 because of the growing population.
267% Expected population % increase for Hays County by 2045
4
2
Current number of road lanes on RM 150
Planned number of road lanes on RM 150
SOURCE: HAYS COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Austin weighs conflicting laws around THC policy for first responders
BY BEN THOMPSON
conditions including can- cer, epilepsy and post-trau- matic stress disorder. Police, re and EMS employees can be tested for substances, including THC—the psychoactive compound in marijuana— either randomly or if there
is cause to believe that an employee is working under the in uence. Marijuana remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance that is illegal to use under federal law. During a March 28 brie ng at City Council’s
Public Safety Committee meeting, city sta told o cials that con icting state and federal rules, and ongoing negotiations with rst responder labor groups, mean current drug testing policies will stay in place for now.
AUSTIN Random drug testing and potential discipline of public safety sta for THC will continue despite a Texas law passed
ons list? Do you want to: EAR IS HERE. last year, which permits doctors to prescribe low levels of the substance for
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