Eligible Eanes ISD staff will receive a one-time payment of $1,306.32 after the board of trustees voted 5-2 for the payment during its Sept. 22 board meeting. Trustees John Troy and Catherine Walker cast the dissenting votes.

Looking back: The board adopted the 2026-27 budget in June with an $80,000 budget surplus and postponed voting on the staff compensation plan until the sale of a piece of district owned land was finalized. The board again postponed voting on the plan in August.

The update: Out of four potential compensation options, trustees ultimately approved Option 2 with a one-time payment of $1,306.32, resulting in a projected fund balance of 24.1% in 2026-27.

Looking ahead: Superintendent Kirk Koennecke said the district will continue to advocate for more state support at the Texas Legislature, which will convene for its 90th session in January.

Austin Community College trustees unanimously approved a tax rate of $0.103643 per $100 of valuation, up from $0.1034 last year. Because property values fell, the average bill will drop about 2.2%, and the average homestead bill will drop about 1%. The owner of an average home will pay about $557, down from $562 last year.

The details: The new rate is below the college's no-new-revenue rate, meaning it will collect less from existing property. District officials said the slight rate increase is tied to debt on a $770 million bond voters approved in 2022. Property taxes fund about 67% of the college's $583 million budget.

What's next: Tax bills typically go out in the fall. They are due Feb. 1, 2027, because Jan. 31 falls on a Sunday.

To strengthen consumer protections, the Texas Department of Insurance is asking state lawmakers to consider adjusting when new home and auto insurance rates are implemented.

What's happening: Texas currently operates under a "file-and-use" system, allowing insurance companies to begin using new rates immediately after they are filed, regardless of whether the TDI has reviewed them.

In a Sept. 14 letter detailing actions the department is taking to address Texas' high home insurance costs, Insurance Commissioner Amanda Crawford suggested that the legislature look into "adding a delay between a rate filing and its use in the market." Under the current system, if the TDI finds an issue with a new insurance rate, there is "limited" redress for affected policyholders if that rate is already in effect.

The background: Crawford's letter comes after Gov. Greg Abbott directed the TDI to take affordability-focused actions in an Aug. 24 letter.

Texans paid the nation's fourth-highest home insurance premiums at the end of 2025, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

Austin Pets Alive! and PAWS Shelter of Central Texas announced a new partnership to launch the Hays County Pets Alive! initiative. The collaboration will expand animal services to save more pets in Hays County.

The overview: Hays County Pets Alive! was created after the boards of directors for both organizations met to discuss a potential partnership aimed at supporting PAWS and its efforts to provide Hays County with animal services.

The collaboration will provide essential animal services to the region, according to the release. Clinical service days at the PAWS Dripping Springs shelter will be increased.

Looking forward: PAWS will continue leading operations at the Dripping Springs shelter location. Both organizations are working to reopen the Kyle shelter location by the end of the year.

On July 17, PAWS announced its intention to wind down operations and close the Kyle shelter because the organization could not logistically and financially maintain it and the Dripping Springs shelter.