Metis Capital LLC and the van Veggel Family Office announced in a news release Nov. 7 that it will open Austin Padel Center in North Austin's Sheldon Cove development next year.

The details: Padel is a racket-based sport that combines strategies from tennis and squash, per the news release. Representatives for the business said the 22,000-square-foot sports facility will feature:

• Six indoor and three outdoor climate-controlled padel courts
• A recovery lounge
• Locker rooms 
• A pro shop
• A sports bar 
• Private meeting rooms 

• 1205 Sheldon Cove, Bldg. 4, Ste. A-H, Austin

Austin officials unanimously approved a reduced $6.3 billion budget and tax rate for the city's fiscal year 2025-26, weeks after voters rejected a tax hike under Proposition Q and prompted the budget revision process.

The proposition's failure in the Nov. 4 election automatically dropped the city's tax rate from the level set under Proposition Q, removing more than $100 million from Austin's general fund. Taxes and other city fees will still rise for the typical homeowner, and are projected to increase further next year.

This fall's budget revisions largely centered around the nearly $1.5 billion general fund supporting public safety departments; public health; homelessness and housing programs; and parks, library, animal services, and arts and culture operations. Council members had advanced the overturned tax increase to support most of those areas given concerns about state and federal funding cuts, and to expand higher profile city services.

Council members' final amendments to the revised budget approved Nov. 20 also involved those topics, with a focus on supporting emergency medical services and some homelessness initiatives.

Here are the top Community Impact stories in the Austin area from Nov. 17-20.

1. Officials break ground on 60,000-square-foot entertainment complex in Georgetown

2. New Chipotle planned for Georgetown

3. J. Alexander’s to open first Cedar Park location next year

4. Texans again receiving full SNAP benefits, state health department says

5. Russo’s Italian Kitchen closes in Pflugerville months after reopening

6. Bastrop ranchers launch glamping stay with ATV tours, fishing and more

Austin Water is no longer pursuing an Aquifer Storage and Recovery project in Bastrop County.

The details: Although Austin City Council was scheduled to vote on a collaboration agreement with Bastrop County entities, which would have advanced the project to a field testing phase, Austin Water withdrew the item from the Nov. 20 Austin City Council agenda.

The decision was announced Nov. 19.

“While Austin put our best foot forward to achieve the collaboration and partnership that would be needed to complete testing and eventually build such a regional project, we didn’t reach the level of partnership that is needed,” Austin Water Director Shay Ralls Roalson said in a memorandum sent to Austin City Council.

Bastrop City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino noted the removal of the agenda item.

“The residents in Bastrop won,” she said in a Nov. 19 statement.