Dripping Springs ISD homeowners may see a slight increase in tax bills despite the district adopting a lower tax rate due to increased home values in the area.

The big picture: The board of trustees adopted an ad valorem tax rate of $1.0985 per $100 of valuation at a Sept. 28 meeting. The total rate includes a maintenance and operations rate of $0.7485 per $100 of valuation and an interest and sinking rate of $0.35.

The adopted rate is $0.0067 lower than the previous fiscal year and about $0.0044 higher than the no-new-revenue tax rate, which would raise the same amount in property tax revenue as the previous year.

The local impact: The average taxable value of a residence in Dripping Springs ISD increased from $557,223 in FY 2025-26 to $562,547 in FY 2026-27. This equates to an estimated $21 increase in tax bills for the average owner.

Air-conditioning upgrades funded by Austin ISD's $2.44 billion 2022 bond did not start as scheduled this year at four schools, district officials said. Three of them have reported problems with those systems as temperatures topped 100 degrees.

Officials blamed the delays on long equipment delivery times, design requirements and coordination with other campus construction.

What's happening: Bond HVAC work did not start as scheduled at Kealing Middle School, Kiker and Baranoff elementary schools, and the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, or LASA, Executive Director of Facilities David Simon and Executive Director of Construction Management Michael Mann told Community Impact. Kealing, Baranoff and LASA are among 11 AISD campuses that have reported HVAC problems this school year, the officials said.

What's next: The district's September 2025 and January 2026 bond schedules show more than a dozen bond-funded HVAC projects pushed back, 10 of them by a year or more. The officials did not say which campuses' issues remain unresolved, and the district did not respond by press time on whether a revised targeted schedule exists.

A data center in Hutto, additions to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter and a Dick’s Sporting Goods in Bastrop are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Skybox Hutto 4 ($550 million): This project involves site improvements and construction of a new core and shell building with a future use as a data center.

2. Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter addition ($14 million): New additions are coming to the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter, including first floor kennels second floor office space.

3. Menchaca Apartments ($13 million): This project involves the construction of a clubhouse for apartments in Austin.

4. Dick's Sporting Goods ($11 million): A 55,000-square-foot store is coming to Bastrop.

5. Gringo's Tex-Mex ($5 million): The Tex-Mex franchise is coming to Kyle.

After COTALAND officials debuted more than 30 rides and attractions for people of all ages during events Sept. 26-27, officials are looking ahead to a planned water park and on-site resort as part of Circuit of the Americas' push to grow its year-round offerings.

Zooming in: To fund the next phase, COTA officials entered into a partnership with investment firm Carlyle, according to an Aug. 24 announcement.

The financing amount was not disclosed; however, officials noted in the release that the partnership will not change COTA’s ownership structure and the venue will remain locally owned and operated.

The background: The idea for a water park has been floated before, with COTA Chairman Bobby Epstein telling Community Impact in 2025 that the project could follow COTALAND if demand supported further expansion.

The Carlyle agreement now brings financial backing to that plan.