West Lake Hills could have a nearly $73,000 surplus in the general fund for the fiscal year 2026-27 budget, yet increases to police and public works funding could eliminate this surplus.

The overview: The city’s general fund revenues are expected to be at $10.48 million for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Expenses for the city are expected to be at $10.4 million, with the largest general fund expenses in police and public works.

The details: The tax rate for fiscal year 2026-27 is expected to be $0.174 per $100 of assessed valuation, West Lake Hills Finance Director Vonda Ragsdale said.

Zooming in: Police expenses are expected to cost $3.46 million for fiscal year 2026-27.

The police department has also requested funding for additional items that are not yet included in the FY 2026-27 budget, according to city documents.

With two added patrol vehicles, these additional requests plus the already budgeted items would amount to $295,512, according to city documents.

Construction on a new 254-acre mixed use development called "The Highlands" near Marble Falls is expected to begin in September after securing a $28.2 million construction grant, according to a news release from Rockspring, a Texas-based real estate firm spearheading the development.

The overview: The 254-acre project along Manzano Mile at FM 1431 is planned to have 467 single-family homes in addition to apartments, townhomes, estate lots and commercial pads.

The location puts the development five minutes from downtown Marble Falls and directly across from Colt Elementary and Marble Falls High School. 

The details: Rockspring has closed a $28.2 million construction loan in addition to a Public Infrastructure Development Bond that is being finalized with the city of Marble Falls.

The project is expected to cost over $70 million, according to the news release.

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro. 

Upcoming projects

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. Officials with the Austin Transit Partnership advanced a $39 million contract with Stadler to design the fully electric vehicles July 15.

Ongoing projects

North-south route coming to Round Rock’s west side: Residents on Round Rock’s west side will soon have a true alternative to I-35 once the city and county complete the full extension of Wyoming Springs Drive, officials said in June. Ongoing and future road projects are set to help drivers and pedestrians reach their destinations faster and with less traffic.

Completed projects

New bridge over Onion Creek opens in Buda, increasing city access: The bridge will provide community members and first responders a faster route to travel in the city, connecting Cole Springs Road with FM 2770.

Texas’ power grid operator and regulator have laid out their plans to regulate data centers that connect to the state grid and ensure data center companies, not residents, pay for the industry’s growth.

What's happening: To shield Texans from the negative impacts of data center growth, the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas are:

• Prohibiting data centers from taking existing power resources off the grid
• Launching a new process to evaluate large projects looking to connect to the grid
• Creating standards that large consumers must meet before joining the grid
• Developing incentives for large consumers to reduce their energy use ahead of a grid emergency
• Requiring large companies to pay for the grid infrastructure needed to serve them
• Improving ERCOT’s process for projecting future demand