Cedar Park City Council members voted to establish a Bond Advisory Task Force to identify projects for inclusion in a potential 2027 bond program at the Aug. 13 City Council meeting.

The big picture: The formation of the task force is a step toward calling a bond election. City leaders have expressed interest in issuing bonds in order to pay for major capital projects. In order to do that, the city needs approval from the voters.

The bond advisory task force will work with city staff to determine the amount of the potential bonds and what projects they would fund, and then present a recommended bond program to City Council. City Council members will then vote to call a bond election, giving voters the opportunity to decide whether to approve the bond program.

What’s next: Community members who would like to be considered for appointment to the task force are asked to submit an application to the city secretary by Aug. 21. All appointees are required to live within the city limits.

Round Rock ISD will set its tax rate for the 2026-27 financial year and call a tax rate election to fund staff raises during its Aug. 13 meeting.

The election, which will be held in November, will also include three school board seat races.

In a nutshell: The proposed rate of $0.9848 per $100 valuation comprises a $0.7654 maintenance and operations rate, and a $0.1830 debt service rate.

The M&O rate funds the district’s general fund and supports day-to-day operations, while the debt service rate pays down district debt, such as bond payments.

What residents need to know: The proposed rate assumes the successful passage of a voter-approval tax rate election, which would allow the district to raise the tax rate $0.06 above its current rate. Under this, residents with a home with a taxable value of $500,000 would pay $4,742 in district taxes.

What’s next?: The board will meet Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m. for a public hearing on the tax rate. That will be followed by a called meeting at 6 p.m. 

Check out some of the most-read stories about the Austin area from Aug. 10-13. 

1. Franklin Barbecue to temporarily close in East Austin

2. Cedar Park officials approve $5.6M for transportation, community projects

3. New running shoe store to open in San Marcos outlets

4. Claw machine arcade coming soon to New Braunfels

5. Discount Tire opens second location in Georgetown

6. H-E-B plans store upgrades in Pflugerville

From 2020-25, more than 45,000 wildfires burned over 2.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are looking into ways to better prevent wildfires from happening and prepare communities to respond when fires do start.

The background: In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 34, which required the Texas A&M Forest Service to create a statewide database of firefighting equipment; established a council to improve emergency communications between local, state and federal agencies; and increased funding to help rural volunteer fire departments purchase equipment from $30 million to $40 million.

Quote of note: Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Midland Republican who authored the law, said more work needs to be done to increase wildfire preparedness across the state.

"As we move forward, our focus should be on a more proactive approach that prioritizes prevention and mitigation alongside response preparedness," Sparks said during an Aug. 11 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.
 

The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved adding the first phase of the UT Dell Medical Center to UT’s capital improvement program at an Aug. 12 meeting.

The CIP is the university’s approved list of major capital projects. Adding the project to the CIP allows the project to move forward with early design and development preparation work.

The background: The UT Dell Medical Center will be a 27-acre medical complex planned to be equipped with a hospital tower, outpatient facilities, an emergency department and 300-500 patient beds for specialized care, according to documents from the UT Board of Regents.

The details: Phase I of the project is expected to cost up to $1 billion and will be funded from the university’s revenue financing system bonds.

What they're saying: “Today is a very big day,” UT Austin President James Davis said. “[The medical complex] will establish the clinical foundation for a new academic health enterprise. It will advance research, education, health professionals and serve patients and serve Texas for generations to come.”