Fort Worth City Council got an glimpse of the budget process for fiscal year 2026-27 during a work session May 5.

The overview: City staff previously informed council of a projected budget shortfall of $49.3 million due to lower revenue growth compared to expenses, said Christi Lemon, the assistant director of the Fort Worth Lab, the city’s budgeting department.

The context: According to previous reporting, the total expected revenue is $1.13 billion and the total expected expenses are $1.18 billion. The general fund target budget has grown by 4.74%, or roughly $52 million, since last year, according to a news release.

What's happening?: Chief Transformation Officer Christianne Simmons said the city has looked at what other cities have done in terms of a survey of citizens to gauge general sentiment about the priorities in terms of services and what ones are lower on the list that may have to be sacrificed.

Most years, Simmons said the city holds public engagement events in August and September before the budget is passed.

The Vine Co. opened its first location in Manny’s Barbershop in early May in the Keller-Fort Worth area.

The details: The coffee bar offers handcrafted coffee, matcha, refreshers, and energy drinks, according to the shop's Instagram page.

Manny Lopes, the owner of Manny’s Barbershop, said to Community Impact that he rents the coffee bar to a friend and beverages are available for purchase to anyone who wants a coffee, regardless if they are receiving a haircut.

• 5629 N. Tarrant Parkway, Fort Worth

The last Spirit Airlines flight landed at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on May 2.

The next day, the airline posted that it would cease operations.

According to a Texas Workforce Commission filing, more than 900 employees in Texas were laid off, including 444 at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The other layoffs happened at Houston’s George Bush International Airport. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act filing shows 119 pilots, 246 flight attendants and 79 additional employees were let go.

According to FlightRadar.com, the last flight went from Detroit Metro Airport to DFW Airport, landing at 12:09 a.m. on May 2.  

Quote of note: “Our heart goes out to the thousands of men and women who have had their careers impacted by this bankruptcy,” said Chris McLaughlin, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport CEO, during the DFW Airport Board meeting May 7.

Several businesses have filed construction permits around Dallas-Fort Worth. Check out five of the most expensive construction projects in the Metroplex.

Extra Space Storage renovation

A Frisco storage rental facility, Extra Space Storage, will create additional storage space and receive a vestibule and kiosk in the manager’s office, along with new furniture and lighting fixtures, according to documents filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

• Location: 8747 Stockard Drive, Frisco
• Estimated timeline: May 15-May 29
• Estimated cost: $13.1 million

• Location: 1011 Galatyn Parkway, Building D, Richardson
• Estimated timeline: May 15-Nov. 10
• Estimated cost: $9 million

Following pressure from summer camp operators, lawmakers and legislative leaders, Texas is suspending a requirement that all camps install “end-to-end” fiber-optic internet infrastructure before opening this summer.

The background: After catastrophic flooding in Central Texas killed more than 130 people—including 28 deaths at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp—last July, state lawmakers passed a pair of laws designed to strengthen safety and emergency preparedness requirements for all Texas summer camps. One provision of the laws requires that camps install two types of broadband internet, including a fiber-optic system.

Nineteen camp operators sued the state over the fiber-optic rule in April, citing million-dollar installation fees and limited access to fiber-optic services in rural parts of Texas.

What's happening: The Department of State Health Services, which licenses youth camps, said it reached an agreement with the camp operators May 7. Under the agreement, Texas camps that maintain “redundant” broadband internet services—such as cellular, microwave or satellite technology—will not have their license revoked or denied as long as they meet all other safety requirements.