Hutto ISD property owners will likely see a lower tax bill from the school district for the coming year.

What you need to know: Residents will pay about $240 less in district property taxes year over year on a home with the median taxable value in the area. 

Trustees ratified a tax rate of $1.1874 per $100 of valuation for the 2026-27 financial year on Aug. 27.

The overall rate is made up of a $0.7374 maintenance and operations rate, which funds the district’s operations, and a $0.45 debt service rate to pay the district’s debts.

What’s next? The board also approved setting the maximum tax rate for the East Williamson County Higher Education Center at $0.045865 per $100 of valuation. A vote to finalize this tax rate will be held in September.

A West Pecan Coffee + Beer location could be coming to Pflugerville’s new city hall.

The details: West Pecan is being considered for the public-facing cafe space in the upcoming city hall facility, which will be located at 605 E. Main St. This would be West Pecan’s second location.

Pflugerville City Council will consider an ordinance at its Sept. 8 meeting to authorize a lease with Two Brews LLC, the business behind West Pecan, according to a city Facebook post.

The background: Pflugerville’s new city hall is part of Phase 1 of the Downtown East project. The four-story city hall will cost roughly $86 million.

City staff said they are hoping to move into the new facility in December, and hold the first City Council meeting there in early 2027.

Additions and renovations to Deerpark Middle School in Round Rock ISD, a refresh of the Yeti headquarters building and a new donut shop in Austin are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the metro this week.

1. Aalo Advanced Manufacturing ($25 million): This project involves the renovation of an existing 204,350 square-foot one-story warehouse building to provide lab, machine shop and production floor space for Aalo Atomics Advanced Manufacturing.

2. Deerpark Middle School additions and renovations ($20 million): Renovations will be taking place at Deerpark Middle School, including a fine arts and classroom addition at the main building.

3. Yeti HQ refresh ($2.1 million): The Yeti headquarters building in Austin will undergo a renovation. 

4. UT Austin President's Office renovation ($1 million): This project involves the renovation of the main suite to serve as the temporary President’s Office during the main building restoration.

5. Smiling Donuts ($120,000): A new Smiling Donuts location is coming to Austin.

Travis County is putting more money and more seats behind afterschool care this fall.

By the numbers: Only 23% of the county's priority-population students have access to a seat, and just 17% can get into a program running all five days, according to a new landscape analysis from the Andy Roddick Foundation. 

Transportation is families' top barrier, and 72% of sites close by 6 p.m., a mismatch for parents working later shifts. Most programs are built for younger kids, so only 14-15% of seats serve middle and high schoolers, and 1 in 4 sites could close due to funding, space or school closures.

Learn more: Raising Travis County has put $51.7 million into child care and afterschool to date, and Judge Andy Brown says that total has since climbed to $52 million. 

Families earning up to 85% of the state median income may qualify for child care scholarships, with a different threshold for afterschool and summer programs. Providers include the Greater Austin YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs and Foundation Communities.

Texas voters will choose from Republican Bo French, Libertarian Arthur DiBianca and Democrat Jon Rosenthal in this November's Texas Railroad Commission race.

The details: The winner of the race will be sworn in to replace incumbent Commissioner Jim Wright in January.

French beat Wright in a May Republican primary runoff, advancing to the general election. Rosenthal ran uncontested in the March Democratic primary, while DiBianca was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

Did you know? The three-member railroad commission does not have any jurisdiction over the state's railroads—that authority was transferred to the Texas Department of Transportation and the federal government by 2005, according to the commission's website. Instead, the agency regulates Texas' oil and gas industries.

Looking ahead: Early voting in dozens of local and state races runs from Oct. 19-30, and Election Day is Nov. 3.