Good Morning, Pflugerville & Hutto!

Top Story
Pflugerville City Council sets tax rate for proposed FY 2026-27 budget

Pflugerville homeowners could see their city property tax bills fall slightly under the proposed fiscal year 2026-27 budget, even as the city set its maximum tax rate at the highest rate it can without voter approval.

The tax rate will support a $495.3 million budget, which will fund utility capital projects; general capital projects, such as transportation, facilities and parks; and projects such as the Monarch recreation center.

The action taken: City Council approved setting the maximum property tax rate at $0.5436 per $100 of taxable assessed value. Council can not adopt any amount over this rate.

The proposed tax rate is up from last year's rate of $0.5350 per $100 valuation.

Diving in deeper: Because the average taxable homestead value fell from $378,234 to $362,231, a resident’s annual estimated city tax bill is expected to decline from about $2,024 to about $1,969, a nearly $55 decrease.

Still, the budget will raise $385,664 more in revenue from property taxes compared to last year's budget, according to city documents.

 
Latest Education News
GALLERY: See first day of school photos from Hutto ISD and Pflugerville ISD

The first day of school for Hutto and Pflugerville ISDs was Aug. 12. See photos from the first day at elementary schools in these districts. 

 
In Your Area
H-E-B plans store upgrades in Pflugerville

H-E-B plans to upgrade a Pflugerville grocery store as part of its Fresh Initiative, which will renovate stores across Central Texas, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The details: The upgrades to the location on Pflugerville Parkway will cost approximately $635,000 and will begin on Nov. 30, according to the filing. Construction is expected to wrap up on Dec. 21.

The Fresh Initiative focuses on interior store remodels to expand hot-food stations, grab-and-go prepared foods, and the Meal Simple line.

  • 2641 E. Pflugerville Parkway, Pflugerville

 

Your Weekend To-Do List

Check out these weekend events across the metro area.

Ice Age Night

Vintage Market Days

Aug. 14, 6:30-8 p.m.
Austin

Aug. 14-15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Round Rock

More info

More info

 

Austin Steam Train Wild West Rider

Woodsminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Aug. 15, 9 a.m.
Cedar Park

Aug. 15, 7 p.m.
Austin

More info

More info

 
To submit your own event, click here.

CI Texas
Texas senators consider how to better prepare communities for wildfires

From 2020-25, more than 45,000 wildfires burned over 2.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are looking into ways to better prevent wildfires from happening and prepare communities to respond when fires do start.

The background: In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 34, which required the Texas A&M Forest Service to create a statewide database of firefighting equipment; established a council to improve emergency communications between local, state and federal agencies; and increased funding to help rural volunteer fire departments purchase equipment from $30 million to $40 million.

Quote of note: Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Midland Republican who authored the law, said more work needs to be done to increase wildfire preparedness across the state.

"As we move forward, our focus should be on a more proactive approach that prioritizes prevention and mitigation alongside response preparedness," Sparks said during an Aug. 11 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.
 

 

Your local team

Claire Shoop
Editor

Amy Leonard Bryant
General Manager

Email [email protected] for story ideas, tips or questions.