DTX-PLS: Impact 10/21/2025

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Plano City Council members have denied a proposed $834 million rate increase from Oncor Electric, joining other Texas cities in opposing the utility’s request to raise rates.

What happened: At their Oct. 13 meeting, council members adopted a resolution formally denying Oncor’s requested rate increase, giving the company 30 days to appeal the decision to the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Andrew Fortune, director of policy and government relations, said Oncor’s request was an “extraordinary increase.”

How we got here: Oncor filed an application with the commission in June to raise system-wide electricity transmission and distribution rates by about 13% above current revenues, according to city documents.

What it means: The proposed rate increase would result in a 12.3% increase in residential rates and a 51% increase in street lighting rates, according to city documents. If approved, the change would result in an increase of $7.90 on an average monthly bill for Plano residents.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation issued an emergency order closing Wellness Education Center, a massage academy, in Plano, according to a TDLR news release dated Oct. 16, 2025.

The details: “During the investigation, TDLR found that one of the visitors to the school is an individual who has been subject to multiple TDLR emergency license suspension orders for suspected human trafficking in establishments in Garland and Fort Worth,” the release states.

New flights and destinations from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport started in early October from EVA Air and Frontier Airlines. In addition, construction projects that are part of DFW Forward continue. Check out this list of four updates from the airport.

1. EVA Air holds a ceremony for inaugural flight: EVA Air held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 3 with dignitaries from the airline, the airport and the city of Fort Worth for a new flight between Dallas and Taiwan.

2. Roadwork continues at DFW Airport: Crews from Mario Sinacola & Sons Excavating Inc. have started to pave portions of the East West Connector project. The 1.65-mile roadway will extend Rental Car Drive from International Parkway to SH 360.

As water restrictions and shortages become more common in Texas communities, state lawmakers are asking voters to approve $20 billion to fund new water supply projects and improve existing systems over the next 20 years.

The overview: If voters approve State Proposition 4, which is on the November ballot, the state will create a dedicated funding stream to help local utilities access more water and upgrade their infrastructure. Without the new funding, Texas’ water crisis could deepen, experts say.

“We’ve got 1,500+ people moving to Texas every day, and not one of them is bringing a single drop of water with them,” Dean Sharp, who leads the management division of the Texas American Water Works Association, said Oct. 16.

Key takeaway: Despite the $1 billion annual price tag, Proposition 4 would not create any new state taxes or increase costs for Texans, lawmakers and experts said. Beginning in 2027, the money would come from existing sales tax revenue and be deposited in the Texas Water Fund, a state account that voters approved in 2023.