Residents will likely see a higher city of Round Rock tax rate as additional fire department staff and new facilities come online in fiscal year 2026-27, city staff said.

The details: Round Rock City Council set the city’s maximum property tax rate for the fiscal year that starts in October at $0.423 per $100 of valuation.

This rate is $0.038 higher than the no-new-revenue rate, which would raise the same amount of tax revenue as the previous year, Chief Financial Officer Kevin Klosterboer said.

Those additional funds would help pay for bond debt, maintenance and operations and bond projects.

The impact: The proposed rate is $0.051 higher than the FY 2025-26 rate of $0.372 per $100 of valuation.

Klosterboer said a homeowner with a median taxable value of $370,288 could pay $1,566 in annual city taxes.

A new business offering swimming lessons to adults and children as young as 6 months old is set to begin construction near the border of Georgetown and Round Rock later this year.

Latest update: A project filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shows construction for the finish out of the space will begin in September and last through February 2028.

Learn more: Swim Studio offers weekly 30 minute lessons as well as 10-day bootcamps for ages 2 and up. The program will teach swimmers the four main swimming strokes, proper technique, and safety in and around water.

• 2960 FM 1460, Ste. 102, Georgetown

Williamson County commissioners voted 3-2 to utilize $2 million in American Rescue Plan Act interest funds for the Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter expansion at an Aug. 11 meeting.

What happened: Director of Animal Services Misty Valenta presented the proposal to commissioners at the meeting, saying that the additional $2 million will allow:

• Upgrading kennel materials to extend their lifespan and reduce maintenance costs
• Adding 12 additional dog kennels for population needs
• Prioritizing construction for animal housing
• Constructing a tower element required by the Georgetown Unified Development Code

Check out some of the most-read stories about the Austin area from Aug. 10-13. 

1. Franklin Barbecue to temporarily close in East Austin

2. Cedar Park officials approve $5.6M for transportation, community projects

3. New running shoe store to open in San Marcos outlets

4. Claw machine arcade coming soon to New Braunfels

5. Discount Tire opens second location in Georgetown

6. H-E-B plans store upgrades in Pflugerville

The Texas Education Agency released public school accountability ratings for the 2025-26 school year on Aug. 14.

"We use [A-F ratings] as a way to evaluate our own performance as adults, and then build action plans so that the way that we run our schools next year can be even better than last year," Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during an Aug. 14 news conference.

The overview: Across the state, 85% of campuses received a C rating or higher, which is considered “acceptable" academic performance.

Schools are rated based on three criteria: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps.

Zooming in: At least one district, Austin ISD, is at risk of being taken over by the TEA after two of its middle school campuses received their fifth consecutive failing grades this year. State law requires the agency to shutter those campuses or take control of the district.

Any potential state-mandated closures or takeovers will not happen immediately, as districts with concerns about their ratings have through Sept. 11 to appeal scores to the TEA.