West Lake Hills City Council moved forward with funding nine AI traffic signals to be located along the Bee Cave Road corridor on April 22.

The background: While the traffic signals along the corridor are the responsibility of the Texas Department of Transportation's Austin District, West Lake Hills’ 2025 strategic plan included an initiative to engage in joint ventures on mobility and infrastructure projects. 

The city and TxDOT have been working together to improve traffic efficiency along the corridor.

The details: The NoTraffic Intersection Vehicle Detection and Sensing System along with the NoTraffic Mobility OS software will be furnished by Texas Highway Products. The software will provide access to vehicle and bicycle detection, real-time video streams, traffic counts, turning movements and other data analytics.

Another vendor other than NoTraffic may be used, but the price and services remain the same, City Administrator Trey Fletcher said.

“We are still moving forward,” Fletcher said.

The nine detection systems and software will cost $360,000 and will largely be funded by $300,000 of tax revenue proceeds, Fletcher said.

The Lake Travis ISD board of trustees authorized the superintendent to execute a letter of intent for the sale of a 17-acre parcel of land behind Lakeway Elementary on April 15.

The background: In November, the board declared the property to be surplus and no longer necessary for district operations after the strategic resources committee identified the plot of land as a potential financial resource for the district. The district then listed the property for sale and solicited bids from potential buyers.

Three bids were received, the highest from HSD Lohmans Partners at $5.3 million.

The details: The letter of intent is necessary to allow the purchaser to pursue entitlements and approvals from the city and other entities. It also will ensure that government agencies know the district is committed to selling the property, district officials said.

Selling the property is expected to make a “big difference” in the district’s budget, board President Lauren White said.

What’s next: The closing date of the sale is scheduled for August 15.

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Texas residents are increasingly facing damaging storms that drive up home insurance rates and other housing costs. Ahead of the state's 2027 legislative session, consumer advocates and insurance industry representatives are urging lawmakers to consider affordability solutions.

What's happening: The average Texas home insurance premium—the amount paid to an insurance company—was $3,291 in 2024, according to the latest Texas Department of Insurance data. In total, premiums rose about 50% between 2022-24.

Texas’ high propensity for natural disasters has been “the No. 1 driver” behind recent rate increases, said Rich Johnson, a spokesperson for the Insurance Council of Texas.

Stay tuned: While Texas can't legislate itself out of weather risks, lawmakers have considered some policy changes to increase disaster resiliency and boost regulatory oversight of the insurance industry. Proposals range from creating grants to help residents weather-proof their homes to placing limits on future rate hikes.