Liberty Hill ISD employees can expect to receive more pay beginning in February.

What happened: At a Nov. 17 meeting, the LHISD board of trustees approved a 1% pay raise for all staff members as well as retention stipends ranging from $500-$1,500. The additional compensation increases come after voters narrowly approved a $0.07 increase to the district’s tax rate in a Nov. 4 election.

The big picture: In the November election, 52.18% of voters cast their ballots in favor of Proposition A to adopt a higher tax rate of $1.2389 per $100 valuation. The new tax rate is expected to generate $10.7 million in additional revenue for the district, $2.2 million of which will go toward further pay raises to recruit and retain teachers and staff.

Teachers and staff members will receive a 1% raise at midpoint alongside stipends based on years of experience as follows:

• $500 for less than one years of service
• $1,000 for one to five years of service
• $1,500 for more than five years of service

Liberty Hill continues to grow as new businesses open or prepare to open in the area. Here are a few of the latest updates for businesses in Liberty Hill. 

Now open
Anytime Fitness
The gym has squat racks, dumbbells, treadmills, rowing machines and more. The fitness center's memberships offer 24/7 gym access to a network of over 5,500 gyms around the world, as well as personalized coaching and free access to Apple Fitness+.

• Opened Nov. 4
• 2029 Kauffman Loop, Ste. 410, Georgetown

• Opened Sept. 13
• 101 Jonathan Drive, Ste. 5, Liberty Hill

Thanksgiving week is expected to be one of the busiest U.S. travel periods in history, according to projections from AAA. A record 5.8 million Texans are projected to travel at least 50 miles from home Nov. 25-Dec. 1.

Zooming in: About 5.3 million Texans are expected to drive to their Thanksgiving destinations, according to a Nov. 17 news release, while about 328,000 people will fly and 140,000 will use other forms of transportation.

The impact: Texans should give themselves extra time to reach their destinations during Thanksgiving week, with the most congestion expected Nov. 25-26. Traffic is also expected to be heavy as Texans return home Nov. 30, according to INRIX, a transportation data company.

Minimal traffic is expected on Thanksgiving Day.

More details: Texas drivers will pay about the same for gas as they did last Thanksgiving, according to AAA Texas. One gallon of regular unleaded gas cost about $2.65 in Texas as of Nov. 13, down from $2.69 last year.