Plano residents could see higher natural gas bills
Plano City Council approved a pair of items that may impact resident’s natural gas bills during its Aug. 25 meeting.
What happened: Council unanimously supported suspending a request by CoServ Gas to increase natural gas rates until Sept. 17, which could result in an 18.5% increase for residential customers per monthly bill.
Council members also approved a negotiated settlement that will increase natural gas rates for customers with Atmos Energy, lowering the rate increase revenue from $245.2 million to $205.6 million.
CoServ applied for a rate adjustment in July, following Atmos’ filing in April.
Quote of note: According to a news release from CoServ, the rate increase is necessary due to “inflationary pressure on costs related to the investment in capital infrastructure, including materials and labor costs” from 2023.
Collin County commissioners have adopted an annual budget for the next fiscal year including more than $341 million in general fund expenditures. The county leaders also opted to maintain the county’s existing tax rate.
Commissioners at an Aug. 25 meeting adopted a $598.7 million budget for fiscal year 2025-26, with County Judge Chris Hill and Commissioner Cheryl Williams voting against adopting the total tax rate as well as maintenance and operations portion of the tax rate, and Hill also voting against adopting the interest and sinking portion of the tax rate.
The gist: County commissioners voted to maintain the FY 2024-25 property tax rate of $0.149343 per $100 valuation. Adoption of the new rate marks the 33rd year without a tax rate increase in Collin County, according to a presentation at the meeting.
Diving in deeper: Part of the budget includes position changes in the sheriff’s office and jail, county officials said at the meeting. The jail will see 60 positions added, while 20 others were removed from the sheriff's administration staff.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Dallas - Fort Worth area.
Musume is open in Frisco’s The Star District, a company representative said. Other Musume locations are open in Dallas and Fort Worth.
Musume at The Star’s menu includes sushi and sashimi made with fresh fish flown in daily from Japan as well as authentic Asian cuisine offered in both small and large plates, vegetarian and vegan dishes, salads, tempura and ramen. It also features a six-or-eight course Omakase curated daily by chef Yuzo Toyama, a company news release states.
Amid Democratic criticism, Texas lawmakers vote to overhaul STAAR and launch new tests in 2027
Both chambers of the Texas Legislature have voted to overhaul the state’s standardized testing system, putting public school students one step closer to taking new exams in the 2027-28 school year.
The details: House Bill 8 would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness and replace it with three shorter tests, which students would take at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.
Bill author Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said HB 8 would “reduce test anxiety, provide teachers with immediate feedback and create a pathway for trust in our system again." The majority of House Democrats and a few Republicans disagreed, arguing Aug. 26 that the bill would increase the amount of time students spend on exams and essentially create “another STAAR test” developed by the Texas Education Agency.
Next steps: After state senators passed HB 8 with a 21-7 vote Aug. 27, the bill returned to the House for consideration of a Senate amendment. If House lawmakers sign off on the changes, HB 8 will be sent to the governor.
