New Braunfels City Council approved a $1.3 million expenditure for right of way, or ROW, and easements associated with the city’s Common Street Widening Project during a regular meeting April 13.

Explained: To accomplish the project, the city must acquire ROW, drainage easements, utility easements and temporary construction easements from 62 parcels of land. San Marcos-based Cobb, Fendley & Associates Inc. is the engineer providing ROW acquisition services. Initial offers have been sent to property owners and appraisals have been obtained, according to agenda documents.

About the project: The $24.78 million project—from Loop 337 to FM 306—is part of the city’s voter-approved 2023 bond, Proposition A. The project consists of drainage infrastructure improvements and making the roadway four lanes, according to agenda documents.

Construction for the Common Street Widening Project is anticipated to begin in 2028 and be completed in 2030, according to previous reporting by Community Impact. 

New Braunfels ISD trustees are investing another $1.55 million to purchase 10 school buses from Longhorn Bus Sales before potential price increases.

The district is anticipating seeing an increase of $22,000-$25,000 in bus pricing to take effect in January 2027, which is why the administration is expediting the order, according to board documents from a regular meeting April 13.

Zooming in: Within that purchase, seven 77-passenger buses will be used for general routes. Two 54-passenger buses and one 14-passenger bus will be used on routes for students with disabilities, according to board documents. The purchase is being funded by the district’s 2024 bond.

Zooming out: Senate Bill 546, which was passed by the Texas Senate during the 2025 legislative session, requires public school-operated buses to be equipped with three-point seatbelts for each passenger and bus driver. The district’s purchase brings the number of buses that do not meet SB 546 requirements down from 30 to 15.

From an airport expansion in Austin to a med spa renovation in New Braunfels and more, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Austin Bergstrom-International Airport ($60 million): Following the closure of the airport's south terminal, construction will start this summer on a six-gate southern terminal called Concourse M.

2. Texas Realtors ($2 million): A full remodel of the existing 23,847-square-foot building’s second floor will begin in late spring, along with the addition of a second-floor terrace.

3. Georgetown Logistics Park ($8.6 million): Construction is underway on a 39,200-square-foot facility.

4. Adoration Med Spa ($704,000): A former residence is being converted into a med spa. Renovations include removing the back deck, replacing windows and updating doors.

5. Kung Fu Tea–Bastrop: The specialty tea shop will fill a 1,500-square-foot space in the Burleson Crossing East shopping center.

The State Board of Education gave preliminary approval April 10 to roughly 200 literary works that all Texas public school students would be required to read beginning in 2030.

What happened: The SBOE trimmed about 100 titles from a list proposed by the Texas Education Agency, which board members and educators criticized as too long to be taught. The Republican-led board signed off on a revised list in a 9-5 party-line vote April 10.

The details: The draft list ranges from nursery rhymes and short stories in early grades to classical and 20th-century literature in high school. The list also includes about a dozen excerpts from the Bible. While students learn about world religions today, Texans testified that if the reading list is approved, it would be the first time in recent history that state leaders mandate religious readings in the classroom.  

Next steps: Board members are scheduled to take a final vote on the reading list in June. If approved, the list will be used in classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.