Round Rock ISD administrators shared an update on financial planning for the upcoming budget year in May, highlighting a potential small surplus of a couple hundred thousand dollars. 

However, if trustees choose to implement a compensation plan that includes a pay raise for employees not included under last year's school funding bill, they may have to ask voters for a 5-cent increase to the district's tax rate. 

What you need to know: Chief Financial Officer Dennis Covington presented a budget projection for the 2026-27 financial year in a May 19 board meeting showing a planned $485.9 million in expenses against $486.2 million in revenue, resulting in a surplus of $291,000. 

What else? Alongside the budget update, Human Resources Chief Eddie Curran presented a compensation plan showing that the district cannot provide raises to teachers not included under House Bill 2 in the 2026-27 financial year without significant additional funds.

City Council is seeking a wide-ranging review of Austin's contracts and grants due to reported problems with oversight of that spending, which totals billions of dollars per year.

The details: A resolution from Mayor Kirk Watson passed May 21 calls for a comprehensive review of Austin's procurement and grant management with the aim of improving "oversight, transparency, accountability, consistency." The project could bring several changes to city procurement rules. Additionally, Watson proposed the creation of a public procurement dashboard to track how city contracts are performing.

A recent internal audit detailed issues with Austin's use of consultants, which now cost the city more than $100 million annually. With findings of lacking oversight and justification for those expenses, the May resolution asks to analyze the "use and purpose" of third-party consultants across all city departments.

Texas officials released a draft of their next state water plan in April, projecting that state and local governments will need to spend $174 billion in the next 50 years to prevent a water crisis.

The details: The three-member Texas Water Development Board voted April 16 to publish an initial draft of the 2027 State Water Plan, laying out what is needed to prepare for a future “drought of record,” when water demands are highest and supplies are lowest.

The $174 billion price tag is more than twice the cost projected in Texas’ 2022 state water plan, which was $80 billion.

The context: As Texas’ population continues to grow, water restrictions and shortages are becoming more common in areas throughout the state. At the same time, major companies are moving to Texas and communities are contemplating large data center projects, with some residents expressing concerns about high water use in the already drought-prone state.

The proposed plan includes 3,000 proposed water management projects and 6,700 strategies to increase Texas' water supplies through 2080.