Beginning Oct. 1, the city of San Marcos will expand its emergency services for residents beyond those provided by the San Marcos police and fire departments. A new city emergency medical service, or EMS, will be available to community members.

What happened: The creation of a San Marcos EMS department comes after regional changes in emergency service delivery across Hays County, including local jurisdictions’ moves toward independent service structures, according to a city news release.

The city has received emergency services from San Marcos-Hays County EMS since 1983, according to the release.

The city recruited Jill Rosales, current San Marcos-Hays County EMS CEO, to serve as the San Marcos EMS chief. She will lead operations and department hiring decisions.

The city’s draft budget for the new EMS department is approximately $9 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year, said Russell Wilde, city of San Marcos public safety communications specialist. 

The new department will implement a phased hiring process, prioritizing current San Marcos Hays County EMS personnel.

Turner’s Crossing South, a new 131-acre residential community in Buda located near I-35 and SH 45, has begun construction on Phase 1, which is expected to deliver 53 homes. Once completed, the neighborhood is anticipated to have a total of 715 homes.

The details: The development will include modern single-family home designs and access to community amenities. With the start of the first phase of construction, sales are underway, starting in the $330,000s, and two model homes are available to tour, according to a news release.

A closer look: Homebuilder Tri Pointe is constructing two collections. The Park Collection features homes built on a 50-foot lot, with floor plans ranging from 2,200 to 3,000 square feet. The Terrace Collection homes are built on 40-foot lots ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet.

The Lower Colorado River Authority is set to invest billions in infrastructure across its service area to address the needs of Central Texas' growing population. 

What you need to know: The authority announced its investment and business plan for fiscal year 2026-27 on May 21. The plan projects water demand will grow "significantly" through 2031, alongside electrical demand. 

The details: Plans show power, water and broadband infrastructure development account for $1.8 billion for just FY 2026-27. The funds will come from the authority's revenues and debt, with no state appropriations included, a news release states.

A Sprouts Farmers Market, East 51st Street improvements and a new museum building are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Deposition Technology ($27 million): This project at the semiconductor support and manufacturing company consists of a cleanroom expansion and renovation.

2. East 51st Street ($17 million): This project involves the revitalization of East 51st Street from I-35 to Berkman Drive.

3. Sprouts Farmers Market ($4.8 Million): A new location for the grocery store is coming to Hutto.

4. UT Dinosaur Trackways ($4.2 million): The building is a 2,100-square-foot single-story museum, which aims to conserve and house some of Texas’ most renowned fossilized footprints made 113 million years ago by a sauropod and a theropod near Glen Rose.

5. Texas State University: Student Success Commons at the Albert B. Alkek Library ($3.5 million): This project involves the interior renovation of approximately 38,000 square feet of the sixth floor of Alkek Library to add staff offices and study spaces.

Texas was home to eight of the nation’s fastest-growth municipalities in 2025 as people continue moving to smaller cities in the state’s large metropolitan areas, new U.S. Census Bureau data shows.

The details: Celina, located about an hour north of Dallas, grew faster than any other U.S. city in 2025, according to the census data released May 14. The city grew by 24.6% between July 2024 and July 2025, and 64,427 people called Celina home as of July 1.

Fulshear, a 64,630-person city west of Houston, saw the second-fastest growth in the nation last year, at 21%.

What's happening: Helen You, interim director of the Texas Demographic Center, said the trend of people moving to smaller cities in major metros “is not unique to Texas."

The suburban boom comes amid a slowdown in overall population growth, according to previous Community Impact reporting. While Texas gained more new residents last year than any other U.S. state, growth slowed significantly amid a nationwide reduction in immigration from other countries.