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Travis County Bail Bond Board Meeting Minutes - January 7, 2026

Present:

  • Ms. Dolores Ortega-Carter, Chair (In Person)
  • Mr. Billy Engle, Vice Chair (In Person)
  • Mr. Benjamin Blackburn, 2nd Vice-Chair (In Person)
  • Ms. Deborah Mendez, County Clerk (In Person)
  • Mr. Chris Dietche, District Clerk’s Office (In Person)
  • Lt. Michael Everill, TCSO (In Person)
  • Ms. Amanda Green, County Clerk (Virtual)
  • Judge Ron Myerson, Municipal Court (Virtual)

Also Present:

  • Ms. Annalynn Cox, County Attorney’s Office (In Person)
  • Ms. Angelica McDowell, Bail Bond Board Secretary (In Person)
  • Mr. Eric Dobbs, County Attorney’s Office (Virtual)
  • Ms. Sara Casey, County Attorney’s Office (Virtual)
  • Ms. Ortega-Carter called the meeting to order.

A.   Consider minutes of the January 7, 2026, meeting and take appropriate action.

Mr. Blackburn moved, Mr. Engle seconded, and the Board voted to approve the December 3, 2025, minutes.

B.   Tabulate results from the December 18, 2025, election of the criminal defense attorney member of the Bail Bond Board and take appropriate action.

Ms. McDowell and Ms. Cox opened the sealed envelope and counted the votes. After the votes were tabulated, Ms. Cox announced that Mr. Blackburn had been elected as the criminal defense attorney representative with a vote of 34-0.

C.   Receive reports from subcommittee conducting site visits to bail bond licensees’ offices and take appropriate action.

Mr. Engle informed the Board that all thirteen bail bond licensees’ offices were in good standing. Mr. Engle recommended the Board consider amending the Checklist for Bail Bond Board Site Visits to include an “NA” column to avoid confusion in answering questions concerning collateral. After discussion, Mr. Engle informed the board that Ms. Cox had provided the TCSO bail bond scam posters to all licensees.

D.   Public Comment.

Mr. Blackburn moved, and Ms. Ortega-Carter seconded, and the Board voted to adjourn.

courthouse

Contact

Angelica McDowell,
Bail Bond Board Secretary

Phone: (512) 854-3372

Email

Street Address

Executive Office Building
411 W. 13th Street
6th Floor Room 601
Austin, TX 78701 (Map)

Mailing Address

Travis County Bail Bond Board
C/O Angelica McDowell at Pretrial Services
P.O. Box 1748
Austin, Texas 78767

Agenda Archive

Minutes Archive

2025 TAX RATE: TRAVIS COUNTY ADOPTED A TAX RATE THAT WILL RAISE MORE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS THAN LAST YEAR’S TAX RATE. THE TAX RATE WILL EFFECTIVELY BE RAISED BY 8.0 PERCENT AND WILL RAISE TAXES FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS ON A $100,000 HOME BY APPROXIMATELY $24.73.