West Lake Hills moves to new city hall, discusses building use policies
West Lake Hills City Council held its first meeting in the city’s new municipal complex Aug. 27, in which officials discussed opening the building for future public use.
The background: The new municipal complex is located across from Eanes Elementary School on about three acres of land at 4010 Bee Caves Road, and houses the city’s municipal court, administration and council, and police department.
Part of the city’s 2021 bond project, the complex was approved by voters under Proposition A, which provided $13.2 million in funding. An additional $9.5 million was later authorized by City Council for land acquisition and cost escalations.
What they’re saying: During the meeting, city officials discussed potential public uses for the new city hall building, floating the idea that residents of West Lake Hills and city groups, such as civic clubs or book clubs, could host meetings or events in the building.
What else? A ribbon-cutting celebration will take place at the complex Sept. 9.
A new office chair and desktop workspace provider has plans to open in Lakeway.
The details: Owned locally by Brian Vest and Eric Johnson, Office Relief in the Cherry Peak Office Park will provide office furniture, such as chairs, sit-stand workstations and desktop accessories to businesses and individuals.
“Our focus is getting the computer user more comfortable and productive at their workstation,” Vest said in an email.
Travis County directs $34M in taxpayer funds for affordable child care
Less than a year after voters approved a countywide tax rate increase to expand affordable child care, Travis County officials have launched the first wave of investments under the Creating Access for Resilient Families, or CARES, initiative. Commissioners approved a $24 million contract with Workforce Solutions Capital Area, which will use existing programs to provide care for 1,000 children ages 0-3, and three interlocal agreements totaling $9.7 million with Austin ISD, Del Valle ISD and Manor ISD to expand pre-K and after-school programs.
The details: Austin ISD will extend Apple Blossom Centers’ half-day and after-school programs to 306 children; Del Valle ISD will serve 200 pre-K4 students; and Manor ISD will provide care for 1,593 children.
The initiatives are part of a broader plan to create nearly 9,800 child care opportunities countywide, including expanded nontraditional-hour programs and increased subsidy slots. County officials said more contracts are in the works, with an additional 1,700 slots expected in the coming months.
Inaugural State of Healthcare Workforce Forum highlights local concerns around shortage, talent pools
Higher education costs, a booming population and aging workforce are all challenges identified by health care executives at the state and local level in a first-time health care forum held at Austin PBS in August.
The setup: Hosted by Workforce Solutions Capital Area, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area and the Central Texas Healthcare Partnership, with support from the St. David's Foundation, the State of Healthcare Workforce Forum brought experts from the state and regional level to discuss challenges impacting the health care industry and its workforce Aug. 26.
Amid Democratic criticism, Texas lawmakers vote to overhaul STAAR and launch new tests in 2027
Both chambers of the Texas Legislature have voted to overhaul the state’s standardized testing system, putting public school students one step closer to taking new exams in the 2027-28 school year.
The details: House Bill 8 would eliminate the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness and replace it with three shorter tests, which students would take at the beginning, middle and end of each school year.
Bill author Rep. Brad Buckley, R-Salado, said HB 8 would “reduce test anxiety, provide teachers with immediate feedback and create a pathway for trust in our system again." The majority of House Democrats and a few Republicans disagreed, arguing Aug. 26 that the bill would increase the amount of time students spend on exams and essentially create “another STAAR test” developed by the Texas Education Agency.
Next steps: After state senators passed HB 8 with a 21-7 vote Aug. 27, the bill returned to the House for consideration of a Senate amendment. If House lawmakers sign off on the changes, HB 8 will be sent to the governor.
Gov. Abbott signs new congressional map; Texas Democrats vow to fight in court
Gov. Greg Abbott signed Texas’ new congressional map into law Aug. 29, declaring in a video posted to social media that “Texas is now more red in the United States Congress.”
The details: Under Texas’ current congressional boundaries, Republicans hold 25 of Texas’ 38 congressional seats. State lawmakers have said the new map will help them gain up to five more during the 2026 midterm elections.
Texas Democrats have called the mid-decade redistricting effort unconstitutional and "racially discriminatory," while Republicans asserted that the map "complies with the law" and was designed to help more Republicans get elected to the U.S. House.
Next steps: Texas’ new congressional map is set to take effect in early December, although it will be discussed in court two months earlier. After state senators approved the map Aug. 23, the League of United Latin American Citizens and a group of Texas residents filed a lawsuit asking that the map be found unconstitutional.
A panel of three federal judges will hear arguments in the case Oct. 1-10 in El Paso.
