Fireworks are prohibited in much of Williamson County, including inside each city’s city limits, in county parks and near schools, according to a county news release.

Residents can safely use fireworks in unincorporated areas of the county.

What you need to know: Before using fireworks, a county map shows the firework-free areas throughout Williamson County. There is also a 5,000-foot buffer zone surrounding each area where fireworks are banned.

Those using fireworks should be mindful of safety precautions, as misusing fireworks can cause serious injuries, the release states.

Best practices include:

• Buying from reputable sources
• Reading labels and warnings
• Storing and disposing of fireworks properly
• Using fireworks a safe distance from homes, buildings and combustible materials
• Ensuring adult supervision
• Protecting pets, animals and wildlife

Georgetown City Council gave initial approval to rezone city-owned property adjacent to the Pecan Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant on June 23, setting into motion planned wastewater system improvements.

What it means: The city is constructing a 1-million-gallon-per-day wastewater package plant intended to help manage peak wastewater flows and improve treated effluent quality at the Pecan Branch Wastewater Treatment Plant, Communications Manager Keith Hutchinson said.

Learn more:  Georgetown will need to expand its water supply by 2030 to support the growing population and increase its drought resilience. These projects help increase and diversify the city’s water supply, according to city documents.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas operates the state power grid, overseeing the flow of electricity to over 27 million customers. Yet ERCOT does not directly participate in Texas’ electric market or own any of the facilities that deliver power across the state.

The big picture: Power generation plants, transmission facilities and distribution lines are owned by outside companies, meaning that local power outages are typically isolated and handled by individual companies, rather than ERCOT.

How it works: In 1999, Texas legislators passed a law deregulating the state’s retail electric market. The law was designed to “introduce competition in Texas’ electric market by allowing consumers to choose their retail electric provider,” according to ERCOT.

Previously, most Texas utility companies owned all aspects of the electric supply chain, including generation, transmission and the delivery of power to customers.

Today, approximately 85% of electric customers in Texas can choose their retail electric provider, including those across the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth regions. Customers in Austin and San Antonio get their electricity from municipally owned utilities.

Former state Sen. Don Huffines was appointed as the Texas comptroller of public accounts, Gov. Greg Abbott announced July 2.

Huffines, a Dallas-area native with a bachelor's degree in business administration in finance from The University of Texas at Austin, will take over as the state's finance and budgeting officer from acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock. Huffines will officially begin his service Aug. 1.

Huffines defeated Hancock, who became acting comptroller one year ago, in the March Republican primary. He'll now face former state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt in the November general election for a four-year term.