City of Austin Relaunches Warrant Amnesty Program

Feb 07, 2023 03:20 pm

The Austin Municipal Court and Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) have relaunched the Warrant Amnesty program, helping those with unpaid citations and/or outstanding warrants. The program launched February 6 and will run through March 3.

Individuals who resolve active warrants will have warrant fees waived; however, they must contact the court to take advantage of this program. No officers will be sent out to take defendants into custody during this time frame, and those who come to any Austin Municipal Court or Community Court location voluntarily will not be arrested. Options are available for those who are not able to pay immediately, including payment plans, community service, or hardship waivers for those who qualify. This program applies only to active cases in front of the Austin Municipal Court or Downtown Austin Community Court.  

This is the first year since COVID that the courts are offering the Warrant Amnesty program. In the three previous years of the program, more than 37,500 outstanding warrants and delinquent citations were cleared. The direct assistance offered by this program provides meaningful opportunities for court staff to help Austinites, as well as improve trust, transparency, and perception of the court and criminal justice system. The judges and court staff view this program as invaluable both to their commitment to providing excellent customer service and their efforts to build partnerships throughout the community.  

“This program lends itself to meaningful interactions with individuals removing barriers, increasing compliance, and ultimately improving public safety for our community,” said Clerk of the Court, Mary Jane Grubb. 

There are multiple walk-in dockets scheduled Mondays through Fridays during the amnesty period.?Judges and prosecutors will be available to review cases, discuss options, and issue appropriate orders. No appointments are needed during these walk-in dockets. Warrant Amnesty applies only to active cases and all services are provided free of charge. Spanish interpreters will be available. 
 
Schedule:  
Municipal Court cases 
Main location, 6800 Burleson Road, Building 310, Suite 175, located in the Bergstrom Technology Center complex. 
Monday: 8:30 to 11 a.m. & 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. 
Tuesday: 8:30 to 11 a.m. & 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. 
Wednesday: 8:30 to 11 a.m. & 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. 
Thursday:?8:30 to 11 a.m.,?1:30 to 3:30 p.m. & 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. 
Friday:?8:30 to 11 a.m. & 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.  

If an individual does not need to speak to a judge, they can visit a substation during operating hours: 
North Center, 12425 Lamplight Village (south of Parmer Lane) 
Monday - Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

Downtown Austin Community Court cases  
Community Court, 505 Barton Springs Road.  
Monday - Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

For more information, call (512) 974-4800 or visit www.austintexas.gov/court. 

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City Manager Apologizes for Shortcomings in Ice Storm Response

Feb 07, 2023 12:31 pm

Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk made the following remarks at Council Work Session on Tuesday morning:

The impact of this event has been profound, and I understand that many have suffered as a result. As a father with two children of my own, I have no doubt that there are many other parents who struggled caring for their families in these unfair and unbearable circumstances.
 
Now, I feel like we’ve become a little desensitized to the word “unprecedented” over the past few years, but this storm truly was historic in so many ways. As the chairman of the state’s Public Utility Commission described it, an ice hurricane swept through our community with a brutal and unyielding force. The storm caused widespread power outages and have left many of you without heat and electricity. I acknowledge, share, and feel your frustration and anger. 
 
Every storm is different and presents its own unique challenges. For this disaster, we have already learned many lessons and we will do better. I am certain of it. We are still in the midst of recovery, but we will analyze every step of this event and implement changes that will make us better prepared for the next natural disaster and ensure we can protect, inform and assist our residents. Moving forward, we are committed to improving our response and supporting you in the face of these challenges. We will be working closely with meteorologists and other experts to better understand the factors that contributed to this weather event, and to develop more effective strategies for responding to similar incidents in the future. We will also be reviewing our budget and resources to determine what improvements we can make in order to better serve our community in the face of these types of emergencies.  
 
As a community and as a wider society, we are only just beginning to understand the destructive impact that these extreme weather events will have on our lives in the years to come. No amount of preparation or planning can entirely shield us from the destructive side of nature, and it is important to be transparent about our limitations and to work together to find solutions. 
 
As we are still in the middle of responding to this emergency and with more weather on the way, my focus continues to be on supporting the recovery efforts. Austin Energy has coordinated the largest collaborative effort in the city’s history, with utilities from as far away as Louisiana and Alabama arriving to help restore power to customers. We have more than 1,000 crew members working on the remaining power outages.
 
Once again, I offer my heartfelt apologies for any shortcomings in our response. I want you to know that I am committed to doing everything in my power to support our community. As we weather this storm and those to come, we will be stronger together.

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