Leander ISD could see a multimillion dollar bond on the ballot in November. Citizens' Facility Advisory Committee steering committee co-Chairs Rachel Lilla and Clint Pruett presented the bond project recommendations during the July 30 board meeting. 

Some context: According to Lilla, the majority of projects span facilities, safety and security, student programs and support, and energy efficiency and conservation. The recommendations are based off two options: a four-year cycle, which "casts a wider net," and a three-year cycle, which would reduce the scope and overall cost of the bond.

Breaking it down: The three-year cycle bond recommendation list would cost $591.23 million, and the four-year cycle would cost $708.5 million. 

Next steps: The board will have final bond and voter-approval tax rate election discussions at its next meeting Aug. 6, and must call for an election by Aug. 17 in order to place the bond package or VATRE on the November ballot.

The intersection of East New Hope Drive and Mayfield Ranch Boulevard could become a four-way stop, pending final action from local officials.

Why now? As the northwestern portion of the city grows, the intersection’s observed traffic volume is approaching the threshold for an all-way stop, Assistant Transportation Director Brian Kuhn said in a July 21 packet briefing.

If approved, stop signs would be added to the east- and westbound East New Hope Drive lanes. The intersection currently operates as a two-way stop for north- and southbound traffic on Mayfield Ranch Boulevard.

What’s next? City Council approved the first reading of the ordinance July 23 and will take another vote to finalize the measure in the future.

Austin will pay more than $5 million for a multiyear independent audit of all city departments, advancing the recurring citywide assessment program created by City Council this year.

The details: The ongoing audit review will cover Austin's government, the programs and services it supports and its third-party contracting. It'll include comparisons to peer cities, regular public reporting, and recommendations for improvements to city officials and department leaders. The new efficiency audit will likely take several years, and repeat into the future.

While citywide assessments are now established in Austin's code, a local political group is campaigning for a similar but separate auditing requirement. Save Austin Now successfully added its "Independent Affordability and Efficiency Initiative" measure to the November ballot as an amendment to the city charter, which can only be changed in an election. Its version of a citywide audit has several differences from the council-approved version moving forward.

Check out the latest transportation projects across the Austin metro. 

Upcoming projects

I-35 at Inner Loop Interchange

Project: The project includes the design and construction of improvements to the interchange between SE Inner Loop and I-35 in Georgetown.

Update: All work for the project has been put on hold pending TxDOT advancing the design of I-35.

• Timeline: TBD

• Cost: TBD

• Funding source: Williamson County 2023 road bond

Ongoing projects

Oak Hill Parkway

Project: The Texas Department of Transportation is currently reconstructing Hwy. 290 in Oak Hill, transforming the existing four-lane, undivided roadway to a six-lane divided highway with new frontage roads and 14 miles of shared-use paths.

Update: As of July, drivers can now travel on newly opened mainlanes, frontage roads and ramps. Drivers can expect ongoing painting, landscaping, asphalt paving, striping and shared-use path improvements to cause lane closures.

• Timeline: 2022-26 (total project)

• Cost: $677 million allocated for the entire project

• Funding source: TxDOT

Texas is halting the approval of new data center projects until state regulators can audit all data centers seeking to connect to the power grid, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Aug. 3.

The overview: The governor directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to conduct “a comprehensive verification and audit” of all data center applicants “before any additional data centers are approved to move forward.” 

Data center regulation has emerged as a bipartisan issue in recent months, and the move comes amid both growing public criticism of Texas’ booming data center industry and recent political pressure for Abbott to respond.

Zooming in: Abbott asked the PUC and ERCOT to collect information about the tax exemptions each data center is collecting; details about each project's anticipated water and electricity usage; and how data center developers will work to limit noise, light pollution and other impacts on local communities.

Officials did not say how long the pause would last or when the audits would begin.