City Council is set to adopt Austin's fiscal year 2026-27 budget and property tax rate as soon as Aug. 12. The decision will cap off weeks of review that largely centered on the anticipated loss of social services funding, and various strategies to fill those gaps.

The details: Much of the public focus on the FY 2026-27 budget has been on the anticipated loss of millions of dollars for services from housing to public health. Some residents have also spoken out against a tax rate increase and other rising city costs, and many have asked to specifically hold Austin Police funding flat.

Most city departments will likely see budget increases to address annual cost drivers like employee raises and rising expenses due to broader economic trends. Council members also floated several budget amendments, and will have to decide which to include in their final spending plan and how they'll be funded. Those changes cover added resident services, new city equipment, and a plan to separate 911 call-taking from the police department.

Five-year-old Avry Jo Schapansky rang the bell at Dell Children's Blood and Cancer Center on Aug. 7, celebrating the end of her cancer treatment and marking her as the first patient in Central Texas to complete a stem cell transplant through the hospital's new program.

Why it matters: Before Dell Children's launched the program in August 2025, families needing this level of care had to travel outside Central Texas, often for a month or longer, to hospitals in Houston, Dallas or San Antonio.
Schapansky, diagnosed with high-risk Stage 4 neuroblastoma, underwent a roughly year-and-a-half treatment plan that included chemotherapy, surgery, tandem stem cell transplants and radiation.

Dr. Shannon Cohn, her pediatric oncologist, said the family's decision to stay reflected trust in a brand-new transplant team.

The program was made possible in part through a gift from the Shivers Cancer Foundation, which helped recruit Dr. Amir Mian to lead it, along with a partnership with nonprofit blood center We Are Blood. Dell Children's is now working toward offering CAR T-cell therapy and gene therapy in 2026.

Dallas-native bagel shop, Shug’s Bagels, is prepping for its grand opening in north Austin after quietly soft opening in early August. 

Learn more: Shug’s Bagels announced that it soft opened for the second time on Aug. 9 at 8 a.m., serving a limited menu of egg sandwiches, bagels and cream cheese, deli sandwiches and limited beverages. The Sunday soft opening was in-store only, the brand announced on Instagram. 

Shug’s Bagels will be closed Aug. 10-11 for final repairs, with plans to fully reopen on Aug. 12 or 13, according to the Instagram post. 

The backstory: Shug’s, known for its stacked breakfast and lunch sandwiches, initially launched in Dallas in 2018. Led by owner and founder Justin Shugrue, the spot soon expanded to include additional locations in Dallas and New Orleans. 

On the menu: Shug’s sells customizable bagels, breakfast and lunch classics and bagels by the bag. Customers can choose from plain, everything, french toast, blueberry and jalapeño cheddar bagels. 

• 1206 Parkway, Austin

The interior renovation of IBC Bank in Austin, a Walmart renovation in Round Rock and a new 7 Brew in Leander are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. IBC Bank Plaza interior renovations ($6 million): This project involves the partial interior finish-out of four levels in the building, including renovations of shared core spaces, elevator lobbies and common corridors on floors 6-13.

2. Pease Community Campus Phase 1 ($2.1 million): Pease Elementary School in downtown Austin is being transformed into the Pease Community Campus.

3. Walmart renovation ($1.3 million): This project includes an interior and exterior remodel of an existing Walmart in Round Rock.

4. Tim Hortons ($750,000): This project involves the renovation of an existing 3,107 square foot space to a Tim Hortons.

5. 7 Brew ($400,000): A new 7 Brew location is coming to Leander. The drive-thru coffee shop will be 510 square feet, with construction set to wrap up this fall.