Celina ISD is set to have three new schools finish construction before the 2027-28 school year.

Some details: The set prices are for three new elementary schools—Elementary No. 6, Elementary No. 7 and Elementary No. 8. 

Construction on the new schools is expected to begin in early 2026.

A new fire station is being built to serve eastern Celina. Officials broke ground on Fire Station No. 4 during a ceremony Nov. 19.

The details: Crossland Construction is building the new fire station for about $11.4 million. The station will be about 15,725 square feet when completed on a 2-acre plot of land within the city’s emergency services campus.

The fire station is set to include:

• Three bays for fire trucks
• A training tower
• Individual dorms

Waymo is gearing up to roll out fully autonomous driving in Houston and Dallas.

The gist: The move comes as Waymo begins driverless operations in Miami, with launches planned in four additional cities—Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Orlando—over the next several weeks, according to a Nov. 18 news release.

Waymo leaders said expanding to new markets has become increasingly streamlined thanks to its “generalizable” Waymo Driver and a consistent operational playbook.

According to the company, the shift to fully autonomous driving—once viewed as a major technological leap—has become routine as its safety systems and deployment strategy mature.

Diving in deeper: The company reports its vehicles have already shown strong safety performance, with 11 times fewer serious-injury collisions compared with human drivers in its current operating areas.

This year, voters in communities across Texas were skeptical of local property tax hikes and supportive of larger tax breaks for homeowners and businesses, results from the Nov. 4 election show.

The overview: Voters in Community Impact’s coverage areas approved just over half of the local bond propositions and tax rate elections on the November ballot, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Statewide, 40% of tax rate elections and 45.9% of bond propositions passed, according to Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican and property tax policy writer.

Zooming in: Cities, counties, school districts and other local government entities use funding from tax hikes to build new schools and facilities; hire educators and first responders; and maintain local infrastructure. However, amid high inflation nationwide, more Texas residents are tightening their belts and asking local officials to do the same, fiscal policy experts told Community Impact.

Local governments whose tax hikes were shot down are now grappling with how to make cuts while maintaining essential services, Community Impact reporting shows.