The Leander City Council voted June 4 to split its two votes between Elexis Grimes and Carlos St. James, the two candidates running for an open District 2 seat on the Pedernales Electric Cooperative board of directors.

What residents should know: Voting for the PEC board began May 19 and will close at 5 p.m. June 12. Results will be released June 16. Leander is located in District 2, which also includes parts of Cedar Park and Liberty Hill.

PEC is offering voters the chance to win bill credits of $75, $100 and $400 through drawings, according to a May 19 news release. Residents in Districts 2 and 3—where board elections are being held—can vote online, at a PEC office or through a mail-in ballot.

Texas-focused restaurant Haywire will open a new location at the CedarView development in Cedar Park, according to Jami Sharp, head of public relations and communications at FB Society, which owns Haywire.

The timeline: Construction will begin in eight to nine months, with an anticipated opening in late 2027, Sharp said. The Cedar Park location will be the sixth Haywire in Texas and the second in the Austin area.

What’s on the menu: The menu at Haywire is inspired by the various flavors of Texas, including Tex-Mex, barbecue, Gulf seafood and more. Dishes range from mini elk tacos and Gulf Coast ceviche to venison chili and chicken-fried steak.

Renters in Austin will soon be guaranteed more information about the various costs associated with their leases under a new transparency policy prompted by officials' push against "junk fees."

The details: In a move billed as a piece of Austin's housing affordability strategy, City Council first called for full fee disclosures at the start of the leasing process in 2024. That mandate is now going into effect and will impact a large share of the local population as nearly 59% of Austin households are now renting.

While extra fees can be detailed on common leasing forms, landlords or property owners aren't obligated to provide that information—and may also not share it until prospective tenants have already paid to apply or signed a long-term lease. Starting later this year, all mandatory, optional and variable fees will have to be disclosed early in the leasing process.

Texas has no state-level rules about fee disclosures and legislation on the topic stalled last year, while federal rulemaking about "deceptive" rental practices remains in progress.

The University of Texas at Austin will be the south node of a national workforce development program to connect job seekers with educational opportunities and employers in the semiconductor industry. 

The university announced its selection to lead part of the national effort June 9.

What you need to know: UT's Texas Institute for Electronics will lead the south node of the National Network for Microelectronics Education, which is operated at the national level by the SEMI Foundation. The nonprofit supports workforce growth in the microelectronics industry, which includes semiconductors.

About the program: NNME South will bring together industry employers, K-12 and higher education partners to bridge the gap between available semiconductor industry jobs and the workforce by establishing new pipelines and programs. Not only will these target students, but also veterans and those looking to reskill for a career change. In the program's first year, it will focus on making pathways to careers in the industry more visible, aligning job training with industry needs, expanding training opportunities and connecting to diverse talent pools. 

A new apartment complex in Bee Cave, an EMS station in Bastrop and improvements to the Graham Middle School athletic field are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Twin Oaks Ridge ($29.5 million): Twin Oaks Ridge is a privately funded, $29.5 million mixed-use and leasing development spanning 175,000 square feet.

2. Leah Ave Industrial Building ($18.5 million): This project involves the construction of an 87,306 square-foot ground-up industrial building.

3. New EMS Station for Bastrop County ESD ($2.5 million): The project will consist of an approximately 6,000 square-foot single-story metal building consisting of apparatus bays, day room, kitchen, fitness room, living quarters, restrooms, and associated site amenities.

4. 24 Indoor ($2.3 million): This project is a 20,898 square-foot Interior renovation to create an indoor recreational facility geared towards children.

5. Grisham MS Athletic Field and Field House ($1.98 million): This project involves the conversion of an existing practice field to artificial turf.