The Frisco City Council approved its $330.5 million budget and property tax rate for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

What you need to know: Frisco’s approved budget has a general fund of $319.1 million, an increase of approximately $13.5 million or 4.3% from last year’s general fund. City documents show the budget calls for funding 31 new full-time positions and $150.7 million for police and fire services.

By keeping the property tax rate flat, Frisco has now marked nine years without a tax rate increase. A city presentation said the average taxable home value in Frisco is now $608,520, resulting in an average monthly tax bill increase of $8.

Gem Studio is coming to Frisco’s Stonebriar Centre

What to know: Gem Studio is a hands-on, community-driven jewelry-making business where guests design and handcraft custom gemstone and silver pieces including charms and permanent jewelry.

The business is set to open this fall, according to Gem Studio's website.

The University of North Texas will open a new college focused on artificial intelligence thanks to a $20 million donation from Anuradha and Vikas Sinha, two university alumni.

The details: The college will be named the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics and will serve as an academic and research hub for artificial intelligence, according to a UNT news release.

Some of the areas of study include AI, cybersecurity, data science, health informatics and information science and learning technologies, the release states. The $20 million will go toward college leadership, student scholarships, endowed professorships, entrepreneurship, advanced research and emerging technologies.

The backstory: The Sinhas immigrated to the United States from India and both earned graduate degrees from Florida Atlantic University before Vikas graduated with his Ph.D. from UNT in 2023.

Looking ahead: UNT plans to celebrate the naming of the college at an event later this year.

Two candidates are running for the Collin County judge position this November.

Early voting for the Nov. 3 election runs from Oct. 19-30.

The details: Incumbent Republican Chris Hill will face Democratic challenger John R. Buster Brown in the race for Collin County judge this November. Read Q&As with each candidate.

Texas does not have a single system to connect first responders in emergencies, meaning local and state agencies often operate on a network of radio systems that are not always compatible with one another.

The big picture: State leaders said there are more than 50 different radio systems used by first responder agencies across Texas.

"We have situations where counties and cities are on separate ones, and they never know it until they have to [communicate with] each other," state Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, said during a Sept. 14 legislative hearing.

Looking ahead: King has vowed to pass a bill to integrate first responder communications under a statewide system during the 2027 legislative session, with some emergency management experts calling interagency communications "the No. 1 issue" in the aftermath of disasters.

"[This] is not simply a communication issue—it's a responder safety issue and an operational effectiveness issue," said Kyle Mills, head of planning and preparedness for the Texas A&M Forest Service.