The Hays County Commissioners Court was scheduled to meet on Monday, Aug. 17, to discuss county healthcare and the possibility of adding a November ballot item allowing residents to vote on establishing a health district.

The discussion and consideration could not take place as three members of the court were not in attendance. Without a quorum for the meeting, the topic could not be evaluated.

The overview: Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra called the special commissioners court meeting. His proposed health district, if added to the ballot and approved by voters, would have provided a “minimum basic level healthcare” for all county residents, according to a social media post.

According to another social media post made by Becerra, establishing a health district in Hays County would strengthen healthcare in the community in a multitude of ways.

What happened: On Aug. 17, Becerra and Precinct 3 Commissioner Morgan Hammer were the only two in attendance at the special meeting. The court must have at least three commissioners in attendance to establish a quorum.

Austin ISD is working to certify 464 teachers currently assigned to core classrooms who don't hold a state teaching certification, according to district documents. Statewide, 12% of teachers were uncertified in the 2024-25 school year, up from 3.8% in 2019-20, according to Texas Education Agency data.

Diving in deeper: Like nearly all Texas districts, AISD operates under a District of Innovation plan, a designation that lets districts opt out of certain state rules.

One exemption lets AISD hire uncertified teachers in math, science, English language arts and social studies for grades 7-12, and early childhood through grade 6.

The latest update: House Bill 2 is phasing out that exemption on a set schedule, and AISD has been approved to delay full compliance until 2029-30.

Under its own delay application, the district has set a target of certifying an average of 85 to 90 core-subject teachers per year, and plans to shrink the share of uncertified new hires from 16% this year to zero by 2029-30.

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro.

Austin Transit Partnership office search continues as officials press for lower costs, risks: The Austin Transit Partnership continues to pursue new offices for its growing workforce as its development of Austin Light Rail ramps up. A decision on the transit planning organization's next home could come in September, months after officials declined to approve a $32 million luxury office lease downtown following opposition from Mayor Kirk Watson.

Road work projects around CedarView development to be completed before Scheels opening: Two roadwork projects around the CedarView development in north Cedar Park— at the intersection of New Hope Drive and Enchanted Rock Drive, and New Hope Drive and Main Street-Block House Drive—will be completed by late August by the time Scheels opens Aug. 29.

WilCo commissioners support TxDOT I-35 expansion project: Williamson County commissioners voted Aug. 18 to formally support the expansion of I-35 through the county, a project led by the Texas Department of Transportation and sent the department a list of requests.

A Travis County-funded feasibility study has found no engineering dealbreakers for a 125 mph passenger rail line connecting Austin and San Antonio, Travis County Judge Andy Brown announced Aug. 20.

The roughly $13.5 billion project would run largely on public right-of-way along SH 130 and I-10, cutting travel time between the two cities to 55-65 minutes, according to county documents.

"Central Texas has studied passenger rail before, and we cannot wait another 30 years to study it again," Brown said in the release.

What you need to know: The line would connect Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to a terminus near downtown San Antonio's Alamodome, with connectivity to the existing San Antonio Amtrak Station, and run independently of freight trains, per the study.

How we got here: Commissioners voted unanimously in October 2025 to hire HNTB for about $125,000 to study SH 130 and I-10 as an alternative to the congested I-35 corridor.

This is a feasibility analysis only, not a funding commitment. Environmental, ridership and financial studies are still needed.

Texas’ audit of hundreds of proposed data centers will likely wrap up by the end of the year, grid officials said Aug. 20.

The overview: Up to 300 proposals will be audited to ensure they meet certain criteria before the data centers can begin connecting to the state electric grid. If all the plans are approved, these facilities alone could use about 200 gigawatts of electricity—more than twice Texas’ 91-gigawatt peak demand record, which was set on July 22.

How we got here: On Aug. 3, Gov. Greg Abbott directed ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas to audit proposed data centers regarding their water and electricity use; tax exemptions; impacts on residents; and facility ownership.

More details: Only large loads, or facilities that are expected to use at least 75 megawatts of electricity, will be fully audited. However, ERCOT will also survey proposed data centers that would use 25 megawatts of electricity or more.

ERCOT plans to release reports detailing the results of the audit and surveys on Dec. 10, officials said.