Pflugerville City Council gave preliminary approval of a lease with West Pecan Coffee + Beer for a cafe in the new City Hall building during its Sept. 8 meeting.

The details: West Pecan’s second location would be in a public-facing space in the upcoming facility, which will be located at 605 E. Main St.

According to city documents, the lease begins on Nov. 2 and ends on Jan. 1, 2030.

Deputy City Manager Emily Barron said the cafe will provide job opportunities and a high-quality dining option for residents and visitors. She said part of the reason the city chose West Pecan was because of its dedication to creating third spaces for residents, or social environments a part from home and work.

The new City Hall is nearly complete, and city staff are hoping to move into the new facility in December.

The discussion: Some council members and residents—including De Juana "De J." Lozada, who is running for City Council in November—expressed concerns with the lack of a formal bidding process for the cafe space.

The first reading of the motion passed 5-2, with council members David Rogers and Melody Ryan voting no.

Guzman Automotive will open a location in Hutto.

The details: The automotive repair shop currently has a location in Taylor, and will hold a grand opening for its Hutto location in mid-September.

The business is family owned, and offers a comprehensive range of vehicle repair and maintenance services, including oil changes, fluid exchange and maintenance, brake inspection and repairs, air conditioning and heating services, transmission services, engine repairs, and more.

• 629 W. Front St., Stes. 100-200, Hutto

Three candidates are running to lead the Texas Department of Agriculture in the Nov. 3 election.

The details: Libertarian Austin R. Kelly, Republican Nate Sheets and Democrat Clayton Tucker are vying to become Texas' next commissioner of agriculture. The commissioner's duties include regulating agriculture, administering nutrition programs and providing rural economic development assistance.

How we got here: There is no incumbent in this race after Sheets beat sitting Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in the March Republican primary. Tucker ran uncontested in the March Democratic primary, while Kelly was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

The winner of the November midterm will be sworn in to succeed Miller in January.

Looking ahead: Early voting runs from Oct. 19-30 in the midterm election, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Across Texas, the taxes that homeowners pay to their local school districts went down by about 13.6% in 2025, one state senator found.

The overview: Across the board, many Texas counties mailed out reduced property tax bills for the 2025 tax year, Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, reported. During a Sept. 1 hearing of the Senate Local Government Committee, he said the average homeowner's property tax bill went down by about $140 last year, falling from $1,037 per year in 2024 to $896 per year in 2025.

Texas' 2026-27 budget includes $51 billion in property tax relief, previous Community Impact reporting shows. Unless the legislature rolls back existing tax exemptions, the state will be required to spend that much or more on tax relief in future bienniums.

How it works: The state does not charge property taxes, meaning homeowners are taxed by local entities such as school districts, cities, counties and municipal utility districts. The Texas Legislature, however, can place limits on how much local governments raise taxes annually and require tax exemptions for certain groups.