The Lake Travis ISD board of trustees discussed the $152.7 million proposed general operating fund budget at a May 20 meeting.

The overview: The proposed budget is $1.8 million higher than the fiscal year 2025-26 budget. Additionally, the budget includes a $1.2 million deficit, a decrease from the current $4.5 million deficit. This difference can be partially attributed to a 2% increase in home values in the area. There was a slight decrease in instruction costs and instructional administration, as well as increases to school administration and transportation costs from last year’s budget.

In case you missed it: The district approved increased compensation for all staff at the meeting. 

“I’ll also add to that, appreciation to the board for considering a 1% increase,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Services Pam Sanchez said. “[It] does keep us competitive to our neighboring districts so that we can retain and recruit high-quality staff.”

Looking ahead: The district will hold a public hearing to discuss the proposed budget and tax rate June 17.

Austin Energy will add hundreds of megawatts of new power generation and storage capacity under contracts approved May 21, and pursue the more controversial implementation of natural gas "peaker" units intended to stabilize the local grid.

What's happening: After recently approving contracts for new solar installations and battery storage, City Council advanced hundreds of megawatts of new battery and wind power projects in May. One megawatt serves about 250 households, according to AE.

A plan to bring new peakers to the utility's system also advanced, which will add to the hundreds of megawatts now in place in East Austin. That proposal drew some scrutiny and opposition ahead of council's vote, with concerns raised about transparency around the project as well as climate and air quality impacts. Officials defended the process and potential project costs as the utility's best path forward in a competitive market.

A new Carvana, Austin Country Club renovations and a higher education center are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

Carvana ($65 million): Located off SH 130 in Manor, the business will offer automotive sales and services.

Austin Country Club ($38 million): This project involves construction at the country club, including a parking garage, a fitness building and a dining building. Renovations will also be made to an existing youth building.

Ayn Rand Center ($30 million): Located near the University of Texas at Austin, the center will consist of a library, exhibition spaces, offices and higher education classrooms.

One of the Kids Therapy Center ($10 million): The therapy center, which has locations in Cedar Park and South Austin, offers applied behavior analysis, speech, occupational therapy, swim therapy and more.

O'Reilly Auto Parts ($1.4 million): Construction on the automotive store in San Marcos is set to begin this fall.

For the first time in more than a decade, there is no incumbent in the Texas attorney general's race as Ken Paxton runs for the U.S. Senate. Voters across Texas made their picks for attorney general in the May 26 runoff election, with the winning candidate from each political party moving on to the November election.

The context: The Republican and Democratic attorney general races are among several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

The attorney general serves as Texas' top lawyer and law enforcement officer.

About the candidates: On the right, state Sen. Mayes Middleton of Galveston and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Austin are each seeking the Republican nomination for the seat.

On the left, state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Keep reading to see the results in the two attorney general races and find other runoff results at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

In the May 26 runoff election, Republican voters across Texas cast their votes in a contentious U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The context: The Republican race for U.S. Senate is one of several statewide contests that advanced to May runoffs after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primary election.

About the candidates: Cornyn, an incumbent senator with nearly 24 years in office, is seeking to hold his seat for another six years while being challenged by Paxton, the once-impeached state attorney general who was recently endorsed by President Donald Trump. Read each candidate's priorities in their own words here.  

The winning Republican candidate will face the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, state Rep. James Talarico of Austin, in November.
 
Keep reading to see the results in the Cornyn-Paxton race and find other runoff results at communityimpact.com/voter-guide.