Pflugerville City Council gave preliminary approval to a proposed membership pricing structure for The Monarch, the city’s new recreation center, with a goal of making the facility financially self-sustaining.

The specifics: During the meeting Nov. 10, council discussed the following proposed monthly membership fees for The Monarch:

• Family: $93 per month

• Adults: $67 per month

• Seniors age 62 and older, youth age 17 and under and military members: $40 per month

The current pricing structure does not differentiate between Pflugerville residents and nonresidents.

Diving in deeper: The proposed pricing is based on a 100% cost recovery model, according to the presentation. Council set a goal for The Monarch’s operations and maintenance to be self-sustaining within five years. 

Dates to know: The Monarch's soft opening is scheduled for Jan. 19 and the grand opening is set for Feb. 12. 

The current recreation center will close Jan. 10.

A Discount Tire location is slated for Hutto, according to a project filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The gist: Construction on the 7,320-square-foot building will begin in February and has a projected completion date of Aug. 27, according to the filing.

Discount Tire is a retail shop for vehicle wheels and tires, and provides additional services like tire rotations and air checks.

The business has existing locations in Pflugerville and Round Rock. 

• 2850 Innovation Blvd., Hutto

Travis County will spend up to $67.8 million on three new STAR Flight helicopters, about $7.8 million more than the county had planned.

Commissioners voted unanimously Nov. 10 to approve a contract with Bell Textron for three Bell 412EPX helicopters, with the option of a fourth. The first is due by the end of 2027.

Why it matters: STAR Flight provides air ambulance service, search and rescue, and aerial firefighting. Its current fleet has two helicopters available only about 75% of the time, and the program uses its third helicopter for parts because replacements take so long to arrive, STAR Flight officials said.

The cost: The county will pay from its reserves for now and repay itself with debt it plans to issue in spring 2027. The total does not include money from selling the current fleet.

Texas' first female lieutenant governor, Austin state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, held her first news conference since the election on Nov. 10 in Austin.

What happened: Goodwin, a Democrat, also announced her political transition team, which is led by lobbyist Angela Hale and outgoing state Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie.

The team, which includes four former state senators—two Democrats and two Republicans—will help prepare Goodwin to take over as lieutenant governor in January and work with state senators.

"My focus right now is sitting down with each senator, many of whom I worked with while in the House, to talk about their individual priorities and how we can work together so they can represent their districts," Goodwin told reporters Nov. 10.

More context: Goodwin will preside over the Republican-majority Texas Senate. How much power she will have over the chamber is largely up to senators, who will approve new Senate rules when the legislature convenes Jan. 12.