In an effort to increase voter turnout for municipal elections, the San Antonio City Council voted to move city elections from May to November of odd-numbered years Dec. 18.

The overview: Prior to the vote, city elections have been held in May of odd-numbered years, but due to a change to the Texas Election Code during the 89th legislative session, cities are able to change their election date to November of odd-numbered years through an ordinance passed no later than Dec. 31, 2025. The ordinance supersedes the city charter provision that requires a different general election date.

Moving the election date from May to November will extend the current City Council’s terms by six months. Additionally, proponents of moving the election to November also highlighted the roughly $800,000-$1 million in savings to the San Antonio taxpayers the changed date would net.

Looking ahead: The Department of Communications & Engagement team will prepare a public awareness plan to implement ahead of the 2029 election.  

During its Dec. 8 meeting, the North East ISD Board of Trustees voted unanimously to implement a 175-day school year for the 2026-27 school year.

What you need to know: Presented by Esmeralda Munoz, executive director of learning support, the reduction of the school year to 175 days is due to a change in state law, where districts are still required to meet the 75,600 instructional minutes, but not required to maintain a 180-day school year.

Additionally, the updated school year will also allow the district greater flexibility when using Additional Days School Year, or ADSY, funding for summer school. 

Munoz said that prior to bringing the proposed calendar to the board, district staff created two 175-day calendars and two 180-day calendars and gathered feedback from both the community and staff members. Staff then held votes to narrow down which calendar to present to the board.

Northside ISD's changes to school lunch periods have been trending for two weeks, alongside business and restaurant updates. Check out five trending stories from Community Impact's coverage of the San Antonio Metro.

Shaping Schertz: New retail hub adding national favorites along I-35: In October, Panera Bread opened as the first tenant at Schertz Station, a 257,000-square-foot retail and dining hub that will feature a bevy of national chain restaurants and other shopping opportunities.

Locally owned Dos Gatos Kolache Bakery debuts in New Braunfels: Wanting to spread Czech cuisine with Texas flair in Central Texas, Dos Gatos Kolache Bakery Co-Owner Chase Katz said he had been eyeing expansion for the past couple of years.

What else? Northside ISD plans to close high school lunch periods as part of new safety measures in the 2026-27 school year.

Whataburger and Texas Roadhouse celebrated the grand opening of new locations in the San Antonio area.   

Community Impact compiled important holiday travel-related information, including what to know about traffic and airport activity, gas price data, and driver safety tips ahead of the year-end travel season, which runs Dec. 20-Jan. 1.

The overview: Texans should give themselves extra time to reach their destinations the weekend before Christmas, with many travelers expected to hit the road Dec. 21-22. Congestion is also expected as some Texans return home Dec. 26, according to INRIX, a transportation data company.

Minimal traffic is expected Dec. 24-25 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1, although AAA warned in a Dec. 10 news release that unexpected delays could arise from severe weather or crashes.

For the first time, more than 8 million people nationwide are expected to take domestic flights during the year-end holidays.

More information: Texas drivers will likely pay less for gas this holiday season than in recent years, AAA fuel data shows. On average, one gallon of unleaded gas costs about $2.51 in Texas as of Dec. 18, down from $2.65 one year prior.