ATX-GEO: Impact 10/31/2025

The Texas Municipal League and its partner organization, the TML Intergovernmental Risk Pool, which provides insurance and risk management services to Texas cities, will relocate their headquarters to downtown Georgetown.

What's happening: The organizations will move from North Austin to 205 E. University Ave., Georgetown—the former Wesleyan building. TML Risk Pool plans to renovate the site into the Texas Municipal Center, with flexible office space and technology upgrades, according to a city news release.

The building’s renovation has cleared an initial review by the city’s Historic and Architectural Review Committee, with zoning updates and construction anticipated to follow. Completion of the Texas Municipal Center is planned for 2029.

Something to note: Georgetown Mayor Josh Schroeder said in the release that the city and TML Risk Pool are also discussing a partnership to build a second downtown parking garage and meeting space at the city-owned parking lot near the corner of East Ninth and South Main streets.

Crisp & Chew, a cookie pickup and delivery service in Georgetown, will now be able to have a neighborhood commercial space, following Georgetown City Council approval Oct. 28.

What happened: The local business requested a rezoning from office to neighborhood commercial to accommodate a small-scale food production kitchen and some retail use, allowing on-site baking, packaging and customer pickup at 1612 Williams Drive. 

The long-term vision for this location is to eventually have outdoor seating in the backyard in an expansion of its services, according to city documents. 

About the company: Sarah Davis owns Crisp & Chew, which launched last year. The home bakery focuses on oatmeal cookies, with offerings ranging from the classic recipe to flavors like strawberry Pop-Tart and lemon raspberry.

Crisp & Chew works with local entities like Sugar Mommy's Bakery and Wolf Ranch Farmer's Market for customer pickups.

Labatt Food Services, a U.S. food service distributor, will build a new warehouse and facilities in Jarrell, near I-35 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.

Williamson County commissioners approved a tax abatement agreement at an Oct. 21 meeting for the development in return for its $42 million investment in the county.

Diving in deeper: Labatt Food Services plans to build a 150,000-square-foot warehouse and ancillary facilities on a 48-acre tract in Jarrell, according to county documents. The estimated cost of the project, including the buildings, property improvements, machinery and other equipment, amounts to $42 million.

The specific terms of the tax abatement agreement with Labatt Food Services include a 30% property tax reduction for 10 years, contingent on the company hiring 150 permanent employees.

The Texas Department of Transportation will begin one of Austin’s largest underground construction projects in 2026—boring 6.5 miles of 22-foot-wide tunnels beneath I-35 to reduce flooding along the corridor.

Explained: As part of the I-35 Central project, the tunnels—large enough to fit a CapMetro bus—will stretch from 45th Street to Cesar Chavez Street before turning east toward U.S. 183 near Lady Bird Lake. Work will begin with excavation of nine drop shafts up to 200 feet deep, with the first tunnel boring machine starting near Airport Boulevard in 2026.

The $748 million project, led by contractor Sak & Shea, also includes a new pump station capable of treating 130,000 gallons of stormwater per minute. TxDOT says the system will improve water quality, lower the floodplain by roughly 350 acres and ease pressure on the Waller Creek tunnel.

Looking ahead: Construction will run around the clock through 2029. Nearby residents can expect some vibration and dust, though TxDOT plans to monitor and mitigate both throughout the project.

Approximately 460,000 Texans have Alzheimer's disease, a progressive brain disorder that affects memory, thinking and behavior. Advocates are encouraging Texas voters to approve State Proposition 14, a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the state to spend $3 billion to launch the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

The overview: Proposition 14 would allocate $3 billion in state dollars to fund the institute for the next 10 years. The institute would work with researchers and doctors to study the prevention and treatment of various neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.

All funding for the institute would come from existing state revenue, donations and potential federal grants, meaning no new state taxes or fees would be created.

What they're saying: "If Proposition 14 passes, it really will establish Texas as an incredible leader in our country," neurological researcher Joshua Shulman said. 

At the polls: Early voting runs through Oct. 31, and Election Day is Nov. 4. For more information about the propositions and candidates on your local ballot, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

The overview: As Community Impact enters its third decade, it’s returning to its roots of growth and deeper reader connections. The “Patron” program, which began in 2020 by reader demand, has relaunched as the InCIder.

“This relaunch represents our renewed commitment to readers who support our local news,” CEO John Garrett said. “Beyond funding great journalism, we also want to reward our InCIders and build deeper connections with them, creating a true sense of community around the work we do.”

Event details: As part of the relaunch, Community Impact will host its first-ever InCIder Hour, a new event aimed at celebrating and engaging the company’s supporters.

The event, open to InCIders only, will take place Nov. 12 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Community Impact Headquarters, 16225 Impact Way, Pflugerville.

Guests will have the opportunity to network with fellow InCIders, meet Community Impact staff and attend a featured conversation with legislative reporter Hannah Norton, moderated by Garrett.

“Our first event needed to start where all the hard work is put together,” Garrett said. “People are blown away when they see our operation. To be able to sit and chat with the best legislative reporter in Texas, Hannah Norton, makes it an event our InCIder friends deserve and hopefully will enjoy.”