Firefly Aerospace opened a new facility for spacecraft production this month, significantly expanding its ability to produce moon landers and orbital vehicles. Local and state government officials, as well as representatives from NASA and the Texas Space Commission, joined the company Sept. 22 to celebrate the opening of its new cleanroom at its Cedar Park headquarters.

The impact: The new cleanroom is four times the size of Firefly’s existing cleanroom, a company representative said. Using both cleanrooms, Firefly will be able to produce up to 12 lunar landers and orbital vehicles simultaneously, Vice President of Spacecraft Ray Allensworth said.

The Texas Space Commission and the city of Cedar Park funded the new cleanroom in part through an $8.2 million grant and a $1 million grant, respectively. Texas Space Commission Executive Director Norm Garza said Firefly’s project was one of the first to receive funding from the state commission and be completed.

Quote of note: “It's really meaningful to have this level of support from the city and from the state. I think it really shows how invested they are and how they really see the value of companies like Firefly growing in Central Texas. I think it's really important to not just add companies like Firefly in Central Texas, but keep growing them and build a foundation,” Allensworth said.

Williamson County officials plan to reorganize several departments within county facilities to alleviate overcrowding, County Manager Rebecca Clemons said at a Sept. 22 Commissioners Court meeting.

What's happening: Clemons proposed relocating the majority of the Information Technology Department into the former Williamson County Georgetown Tax Office in order to repurpose existing space for the Elections and Adult Probation departments.

The IT Department is currently housed in the Inner Loop Annex.

Additionally, the plan includes reorganizing the Sheriff's Office to create space for a future Medical Examiner's Office.

The backstory: Several county departments moved into the new Administration Building in July, freeing up some space in other county facilities.

What's next: Facilities staff will make minor modifications to begin the moves immediately. Once the spaces are fully vacated, staff will review with department heads and present finalized plans to the court, Clemons said.

Austin Community College trustees unanimously approved a tax rate of $0.103643 per $100 of valuation, up from $0.1034 last year. Because property values fell, the average bill will drop about 2.2%, and the average homestead bill will drop about 1%. The owner of an average home will pay about $557, down from $562 last year.

The details: The new rate is below the college's no-new-revenue rate, meaning it will collect less from existing property. District officials said the slight rate increase is tied to debt on a $770 million bond voters approved in 2022. Property taxes fund about 67% of the college's $583 million budget.

What's next: Tax bills typically go out in the fall. They are due Feb. 1, 2027, because Jan. 31 falls on a Sunday.