Austin ISD is projecting a larger budget shortfall for this fiscal year after the sale of a former school property has been delayed.

The district is looking to further cut costs next fiscal year by staffing campuses to more closely reflect enrollment, which has continued to decline each school year. 

What's happening: AISD is aiming to reduce a projected $137.41 million budget shortfall to $63.26 million in FY 2025-26 through $26.41 million in cost-saving strategies, including a $16.9 million property sale.

In late January, the AISD board of trustees approved selling the former Brooke Elementary campus to Trammell Crow Corporation and High Street. The development is slated to serve as a multifamily apartment complex with market-rate and affordable units above ground-floor retail, an AISD spokesperson said.

In case you missed it: AISD's planned cost savings have been cut by $26 million due to the sale of a district property being delayed, Montgomery said. Community pushback and pending litigation has slowed a proposal to develop the former Rosedale School in a six-story apartment complex.

North Austin’s mental and reproductive care services are expanding with Estela Mental Health and Reproductive Psychiatry’s upcoming opening.

The details: The practice is physician-led and founded by Mara Sigalos-Rivera. Patients can find a range of services including psychiatric evaluations and medication management for adults with anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, bipolar disorder or other mental health conditions.

The clinic’s team has special expertise in reproductive and hormonal mental health, as stated in an email exchange with Community Impact. The center is able to help patients during pregnancy, postpartum, fertility journeys and perimenopause.

• 9390 Research Blvd., Ste. 2-200, Austin

Austin is readying for the arrival of teledriving vehicles, or cars remotely controlled by humans, that'd join several autonomous vehicle operations as emerging mobility technologies that have become commonplace on city roadways.

The details: The city is currently in negotiations with a company seeking to bring its teleoperations to Austin in the coming months. The cars would be controlled via the cellular network and could face local oversight, unlike AVs.

City staff are actively working to establish basic operating standards for the new vehicles once they arrive. Due to competitive issues and proprietary information, the company now under consideration can't be revealed as of mid-February.

Teledriving could officially launch in town this spring or summer once an initial civic agreement with the business is finalized, likely with a smaller fleet in a small footprint like downtown. Staff are also planning to develop a new city ordinance for City Council consideration covering basic rules and guidelines for the technology.

Check out six upcoming, ongoing or completed transportation projects across the Austin metro.

Ongoing projects
Bell District to 183A Toll shared-use path
Project: Construction is underway on a shared-use path that will connect 183A Toll to Bell Park in Cedar Park. It will be a 10-foot-wide concrete path following along Brushy Creek Road.
Update: According to city officials, crews have begun building the path itself, as well as working on utility relocations and drainage infrastructure.

• Timeline: expected completion fall 2026
• Cost: $3.3 million
• Funding source: 2022 transportation bond

• Timeline: 2026-27
• Cost: $23 million
• Funding source: Type B sales tax revenue

Early in-person voting in Texas’ primary elections begins Feb. 17 and lasts until Feb. 27.

How it works: Texas has an open primary system, where voters decide at the polling place whether to cast ballots in the Democratic or Republican primary. Voters may not participate in both primaries.

What to expect: Voters will be given a ballot with a slate of statewide seats and other races determined by the voting precinct they live in. During early voting, registered voters can visit any polling location in their county.

Candidates who win their primaries will advance to the Nov. 3 midterm election.

Why it matters: Early voting gives registered voters the opportunity to cast their ballots before primary election day March 3.

Voter advocacy groups and experts told Community Impact that a vote in the March primaries is “the most impactful vote” Texans can cast, due to consistently low voter turnout and competition in certain races. Over 18 million Texans are registered to vote, although about one-fifth of registered voters participated in recent primary elections.