Plano City Council approved its FY 2026-27 budget and an unchanged tax rate at a meeting Sept. 14.

In a nutshell: The city of Plano’s approved general fund budget of $435.52 million is about a 2.2% increase from its latest estimate of expenses from the previous fiscal year, per previous reporting.

This year's approved tax rate is the same as the 2025-26 fiscal year rate, per previous reporting, at $0.4376 per $100 valuation.

The background: Plano City Council maintained the same tax rate every year from 2022 until last year, per previous reporting, because of legislative uncertainties that would impact the city's ability to increase revenue in the future.

A new all-you-can-eat restaurant is opening its second location in Plano.

The gist: Feast Buffet will offer a wide variety of stations with foods like sushi and sashimi, frog legs, crawfish, lo mein noodles, wonton soup, menudo, tacos, beef brisket, mac and cheese, a salad bar and a live hibachi grill where guests can see their food cooked fresh to order on a Mongolian-style grill.

Cottonbelt Trail is passing another step in its construction and Texas Health Allen Hospital is replacing equipment for its nuclear medicine facility. Check out some of the latest construction filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

1. Fit-out for Terminal C renovations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

The Dallas Fort Worth airport’s Terminal C will receive interior fitout renovations for baggage claim, a security check point, concessions white boxes, offices, restroom, break rooms, back-of-house renovations, ready rooms and gate hold lounges per a TDLR filing. The renovations are part of a larger project estimated to be finished in 2030, per previous reporting.

• Location: 2040 North International Parkway, DFW Airport

• Estimated timeline: March 1, 2027-2030

• Estimated cost: $100 million

2. Cottonbelt Trail construction in Plano

3.16 miles of a hike-and-bike trail are planned from north of the President George Bush Turnpike to Shiloh Road, per a TDLR filing. The trail is part of a larger project to connect Plano to downtown Fort Worth, per previous reporting. Construction for a portion of the trail to connect Addison to Plano started in spring 2025.

• Location: DART Silverline Rail

• Estimated timeline: May 1, 2025-April 28, 2027

• Estimated cost: $18.4 million

Three candidates are running to lead the Texas General Land Office in the Nov. 3 election.

The overview: Democrat Benjamin Flores and Libertarian Neill Snider are challenging Republican incumbent Dawn Buckingham for the seat.

Buckingham ran uncontested in the March Republican primary, Community Impact reported, while Flores won the Democratic primary. Snider was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

The context: The state land commissioner manages 13 million acres of state lands, with duties such as allocating disaster recovery funds, leasing state lands to generate revenue for the Texas Permanent School Fund, preserving state landmarks such as The Alamo and overseeing several veterans programs.

Looking ahead: Early voting runs from Oct. 19-30 in the midterm election, and Election Day is Nov. 3.