CITY & COUNTY County pauses legal program over sta ng issues News from Austin & Travis & Williamson counties
QUOTE OF NOTE “WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE WILL BE NO ANSWER TO THIS; THERE WILL BE NO DISAPPEARING OF ENCAMPMENTS.” AUSTIN MAYOR STEVE ADLER, FINDING HOME STAKEHOLDER
BY DARCY SPRAGUE
have studied the e ects of providing arrested individ- uals with public defenders prior to magistration, in which a hearing is held. Less than two weeks after kicking o the program, Sheri Sally Her- nandez said the program would not be possible at the planned pace due to shortages within her department. Other participating departments also
expressed the need for more resources. Prior to the program, after an individual was arrested they would be brought to the county’s central booking facility. Then a hearing would be held, known as magistra- tion, when charges would be read and bond would be set. Hernandez said the program requires extra sta from her o ce. This
strain on resources was jeop- ardizing the
TRAVIS COUNTY On April 26, the county paused a program due to sta ng shortages that provides some defendants with legal representation shortly after arrest. The program was funded through an agree- ment with the Texas A&M Public Policy Research Institute in partnership with Arnold Ventures. The program would
safety of everyone involved in the hearing and could threaten the county jail’s state rating if she did not have the sta to continue operation as normal, she said. Sally Hernandez
HIGHLIGHTS WILLIAMSON COUNTY Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of participating in a pilot program with Flock Group Inc. to install 25 rear license plate- reading cameras in an e ort to reduce crime throughout the county. The contract with Flock was approved 4-0; County Judge Bill Gravell was not in attendance at the Commissioners Court’s May 3 meeting. Sheri Mike Gleason said the yearlong pilot program is free for any jurisdiction to participate in. Each camera costs $2,500 and has a $250 installation fee. AUSTIN The 2021 Austin City Limits Music Festival contributed $369.16 million to Austin’s economy last year, according to a new report from the economic analysis rm AngelouEconomics. During a May 10 press conference covering the ndings of the analysis, city o cials commended the festival both for its economic e ects and for the portion of festival-related dollars that support Austin parks. NUMBER TO KNOW up monthly by the Austin Resource Recovery, Austin Public Works and the city’s Watershed Protection department on a monthly basis from homeless encampments. 140 tons Austin City Council meets June 9 and 16 at 10 a.m. at Austin City Hall, 301 W. Second St., Austin. 512-974-2250. www.austintexas.gov/department/ city-council Travis County Commissioners Court meets May 24, 26, June 7, 9, 14, 21 at 9 a.m. at the Travis County Administration Building, 700 Lavaca St., Austin. 512-854-4722. www.traviscountytx.gov Williamson County Commissioners Court meets May 24, 31, June 7, 14 and 21 at 9:30 a.m. at the Williamson County Courthouse, 710 Main St., Georgetown. 512-943-1100. www.wilco.org MEETINGS WE COVER Amount of trash picked
Austin reports on e orts to address homelessness
Williamson County to add to Justice Center
HEALING HOMELESSNESS
The city of Austin hopes to use American Rescue Plan Act funds for homelessness programs for housing stabilization, crisis response and support services.
BY CLAIRE SHOOP
WILLIAMSON COUNTY Judge Bill Gravell said the district court will be moving into the almost completed courtroom on the rst oor of the Justice Center, at 405 Martin Luther King Jr. St., Georgetown. The court- room is expected to be ready Oct. 1, and Gravell said Gov. Greg Abbott will appoint a judge prior to that date. County commissioners approved a contract in October 2020 for $2.8 million with HCS Inc. for n- ish-out work of the new courtroom and other remodeling throughout the Justice Center.
BY GLORIE MARTINEZ
$53 million for housing stabilization $10 million for crisis response $11 million for support services
AUSTIN The Austin Homeless Strategy Division provided updates on the city’s e orts to tackle home- lessness at a May 3 meeting, about one year after Austin voters elected to reinstate a public camping ban. The division held two virtual meetings led by Austin Homeless Strategy O cer Dianna Grey on May 2 and 3. Topics included camping ordinance enforcement and the Housing-Focused Encamp- ment Assistance Link initiative to move Austinites experiencing homelessness from camps into temporary housing. The HEAL initiative, approved by Austin City Council members last February, directly addresses homeless encampments. HEAL aims to identify
SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
encampments that pose health and safety risks, o er residents access to bridge shelters and connect them to longer-term housing. The city approved investing over $100 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds into homelessness programs in June 2021. While Austin provides some direct service programs, the majority of the city’s spending on social services happens through nonpro t and community partners, Grey said.
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Travis County o cials look at causes of ballooning jail population
BY DARCY SPRAGUE
jumped from a pandemic low of roughly 1,400 in May 2021 to 2,095 as of early May this year, according to Valerie Hollier, a planning project manager with the county’s justice and public safety division. At a May 3 presentation
to commissioners Court, Hollier cited higher numbers of arrests for rst- and sec- ond-degree felonies; longer average stays; an increased focus on arresting individu- als with aggravated assault warrants; changes to state bond law; longer wait times
to move individuals to state hospitals; and pandemic-re- lated slowdowns in courts. According to a Travis County report tilted “Who is in Jail and Why,” 46% more individuals were in jail between May 13, 2021 and April 21, 2022.
TRAVIS COUNTY The jail population at the Travis County Correctional Complex has increased signi cantly since the start of 2022, according to county o cials. The jail population has
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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • MAY 2022
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