ATX-LTW: Impact 10/24/2025

A new cellular tower has been approved in a 4-3 vote by Lakeway City Council, and will be constructed on Highlands Boulevard, near the Mount Lakeway trailhead.

The overview: On Oct. 20, Lakeway City Council approved a special use permit to allow for the operation of a cellular tower at 251 Highlands Blvd. for a period of 40 years.

The tower was proposed by Vincent Huebinger of Vincent Gerard Associates and will reach a height of 175 feet, with a total elevation of 880 feet, according to city documents. 

Some context: The cell tower was originally put forward in September 2024. At that time, it was proposed to be constructed on a city-owned plot of land at 3303 Serene Hills Drive, just south of Serene Hills Elementary School. Ultimately, the September 2024 proposal was withdrawn. The new site, which was brought back one year later, is located 0.3 miles northwest of that plot of land.

Leander ISD officials announced Oct. 22 that Place 6 trustee Francesca Romans is resigning from her position on the board. 

Per the announcement, the board will formally accept Romans' resignation at a special-called meeting Oct. 28. 

The gist: Romans was first elected to the board in 2022, and throughout her tenure, represented the board with the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation, Districtwide Educational Improvement Council and as an Educational Access Ambassador.  Romans said in the announcement that she is having to step away from the role due to health reasons, but said she will continue her involvement in LISD as a parent and advocate.

What to expect: Per district officials, the board will either appoint a member to serve out the remainder of Romans' term through November 2026 or call a special election. The board will consider its options and take action at a future meeting in accordance with district policy. 

Travis County officials approved a $124,953 feasibility study Oct. 21 to explore a potential commuter rail line between Austin and San Antonio.

The big picture: Championed by Travis County Judge Andy Brown, the study will examine passenger rail options along state-managed land near highways, potentially connecting the Amtrak station in San Antonio to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Brown said the goal is to use existing corridors like SH 130 and I-10 to avoid major land acquisition and speed up development.

Why it matters: Brown said a rail line could remove up to 25% of I-35 traffic between the two cities as the corridor’s population—projected to reach 8 million by 2050—continues to grow. The study will run 175 days and include engineering, ridership and cost analyses.

Zooming out: The project complements a separate TxDOT study reviewing 11 alternatives along I-35, including commuter rail and multimodal lanes. Rail ranked as the top community preference in 2024 public feedback sessions.

Two constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot would impact the operation and oversight of Texas’ judicial system if approved by voters.

The details: State Proposition 3 seeks to require judges to deny bail for certain felony offenses, keeping more defendants in jail as they await trial. Proponents of the measure, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support, said in June that it would improve public safety by keeping violent offenders behind bars.

Proposition 12 would rework the 13-member State Commission on Judicial Conduct, allowing the governor to appoint a majority of the commissioners and requiring most sanctions for judges accused of misconduct to be issued publicly. The bipartisan proposition faced pushback from some House Democrats who expressed concerns that allowing the governor to appoint a majority of commissioners would politicize the nonpartisan judicial conduct commission and give Abbott more power to remove from office judges whom he does not agree with.

Zooming out: The measures are among 17 state propositions being considered by Texas voters in the Nov. 4 election.