DTX-RIC: Impact 10/8/2025

Council began the process of refining the $200 bond referendum that Richardson voters would see on their May 2026 ballot during its Oct. 6 work session.

What you need to know: Specific projects and proposition sizes were not yet discussed on Oct. 6, but City Manager Don Magner gave council an overview of potential proposition breakdowns as well as an overview of the city’s past bond programs.

Council discussed potential priorities, including a continuing focus on infrastructure.

“The most important thing to me is to continue building our infrastructure,” council member Curtis Dorian said. “It's something you don't see, so it's not instant gratification, but it's super important for the growth of our city.”

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas at Richardson will reopen its facilities with renovations to support increased capacity on Nov. 4, according to Director of Marketing and Communications Anitra Hunt.

The Club will now be able to serve 200 children and teens at a time, with plans to hire additional staff to meet a ratio of one staff member per 21 kids.

What's new: According to Hope Beitchman, a representative for the organization, the expanded Club will include new features and tools beyond its renovated spaces, including technology aimed to provide skill-building opportunities, a "calming room" to support mental health and redesigned areas with new furniture.

Odyssey, a New York-based tech company, has been selected to manage Texas’ $1 billion education savings account program, the state comptroller’s office announced Oct. 6.

The overview: Odyssey will work with the comptroller to launch the program, deemed “Texas Education Freedom Accounts,” ahead of the 2026-27 school year. Families can begin applying for the program early next year, and those accepted will receive thousands of dollars in state funds to send their children to private school or homeschool them.

Zooming in: Odyssey will develop and manage an online platform to administer Texas’ education savings account program. State law also tasks the company with:

• Collecting applications and determining which families are accepted to the program
• Approving vendors for education-related materials and services, such as textbooks, transportation and tutoring
• Reviewing inquiries and complaints about the program
• Advertising the program and communicating with interested families 

Interested in learning more about local higher education institutions? Check out updates and information about 13 universities and colleges in North Texas.

1. Collin College: Beginning in the fall 2025 semester, Collin College students gained access to online education from schools across the state through a partnership with the Texas Statewide Course Sharing Exchange Program. The program allows students to sign up for online courses from schools statewide while also enrolled in Collin College courses, with the goal to increase availability of courses while also supporting students completing their education, a college news release states.

• College type: two-year, four-year
• Campuses in Frisco, McKinney, Plano, Wylie and more

• College type: four-year
• 2800 S. University Drive, Fort Worth