Check out these four recent local government stories impacting residents in the Cedar Park area.

1. Cedar Park OKs next Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority fiscal year budget: Cedar Park City Council voted July 23 to approve the Brushy Creek Regional Utility Authority’s, or BCRUA’s, fiscal year 2026-27 budget, which outlines the utility’s planned spending for the coming year and includes a $7.2 million contribution from Cedar Park.

2. Chlorine rinse underway in Cedar Park, neighboring cities: The chlorine-like smell or taste that Cedar Park residents might notice in their tap water will continue through early September.

3. Austin Light Rail vehicle design to advance under $39M contract with Stadler: Switzerland-based Stadler has been selected to deliver the train cars for Austin Light Rail, the third and final major vendor brought on for the project's first stages this year.

4. WilCo commissioners consider pausing justice center project to listen to resident concerns
Williamson County commissioners are considering slowing down the justice center complex project to prioritize community engagement.

A new fried chicken joint will be serving the Cedar Park area soon.

The details: The spicy fried chicken restaurant opened a new location in Cedar Park, serving fried chicken tenders and sandwiches, French fries, fried mozzarella, and milkshakes. The restaurant is the chain’s second in the Austin metro and one of hundreds around the world.

• Opening Aug. 7

• 1500 E. Whitestone Blvd., Ste. 100

Several amendments to Austin's charter are set to be placed on the November ballot, capping off a process that was first launched by city leaders more than three years ago. Voters will also decide on a separate charter requirement, a citywide audit measure conceived by the political action committee Save Austin Now.

The details: The charter, which serves as the city's legal rulebook for government structure, can only be revised in an election. Charter amendment elections can't be held sooner than two years after the most recent changes were approved by voters.

City Council started a charter review process in 2023, eventually resulting in more than a dozen propositions voters were meant to consider in 2024. However, a district court judge found city officials likely violated state open meetings law when calling that election, and the propositions were put on hold. Council members voted to place seven of those items on this November's ballot, along with the Save Austin Now audit requirement.

A housing development in Pflugerville, an apartment complex in Austin and pool expansions at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Cedar Park are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Carmel East Phase 4 ($529.9 million): Carmel East Phase 4 is part of the final 954-homesite expansion of the Carmel Master-planned community in Pflugerville, Texas.

2. Aluna ($75 million): This project involves the construction of 7,305 square feet of leasing office and clubhouse space for a 372-unit apartment community.

3. Veterans Memorial Pool Expansion ($10.5 million): This project includes a proposed 8,000 square-foot wave pool building, a 1,250 square-foot event building and a 3,000 square-foot splash area at Veterans Memorial Park.

4. AA AUS Lounge ($10 million): This project includes interior renovation of the American Airlines lounge in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

5. Westlake Dermatology ($5 million): This project involves the construction of a 4,262-square-foot building that will be the site of a new Westlake Dermatology location.

At least 85,000 students will use Texas' new education savings accounts during the 2026-27 school year, an Aug. 3 report shows. Enrollment may grow as the school year kicks off and more families opt in to the program.

The overview: The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program gives families state funds to send their children to private schools or homeschool them, with priority going to students with disabilities and children from low-income households.

About 24% of students participating in the TEFA program have a disability, according to state data, and 80% of participants are from low-income families.

Zooming in: The largest numbers of students participating in the program live in Texas’ largest school districts, data shows. The report lists that 3,327 participants live in Houston ISD’s boundaries, followed by 2,645 participants from Dallas ISD, 2,271 participants from Northside ISD and 2,024 participants from Fort Bend ISD.

Previous state data showed that about 43% of students selected for the program had previously attended a Texas public school, although the Aug. 3 report did not include that information.