During a July 30 meeting, the Kyle City Council voted to reevaluate an agreement with Hays County and the city of Buda to develop a regional animal shelter. The council previously voted to dedicate the planned development site, Kyle Vista Park, as exclusive parkland.

City staff presented the council with cost estimates for new project development plans, including maintaining the regional partnership and developing a shelter for the city’s use only, on Sept. 24.

The gist: The Kyle City Council is considering two alternative development possibilities for a city-run animal shelter, according to agenda documents, including:

• A regional shelter serving Kyle, Hays County and Buda at a site other than Kyle Vista Park

• A standalone shelter serving only Kyle at a site other than Kyle Vista Park

A regional shelter would be approximately 31,000 square feet and cost $21.7 million to construct. A Kyle standalone facility would be approximately 20,000 square feet and cost $8 million to construct, according to agenda documents.

Check out four recent road updates from the region.

Upcoming projects

Centerpoint Road Crossing Overpass

Project: Crews will build an overpass over the Union Pacific Railroad crossing on Centerpoint Road, eliminating conflicts between trains and roadway traffic.

Update: The project secured a $39.23 million federal grant award.

FM 2001 East Interim

Project: FM 2001, from Graef Road to southeast of SH 21, will be realigned and construction will include a single travel lane in both directions, a median, shoulders on both sides and turn lanes at intersections.

Update: The project received $12,814,451 in CAMPO funding.

FM 2001 Gap

Project: The project will eliminate a sharp curve at Windy Hill Road, improving safety and visibility.

Update: The project received $2,422,784 in CAMPO funding.

Old Black Colony Road renovation

Project: The reconstruction will include widening the two-lane road, adding sidewalks and improving roadway drainage from FM 1626 to Cole Springs Road.

Update: Surveyors have the first set of project boundaries; the property acquisition process is moving forward and potentially impacted residents have been contacted.

Additions to Leander High School, a new H-E-B in Buda and an apartment in Austin are among the five most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the metro this week.

1. Leander ISD high school modernization ($68 million): This project involves building additions and renovations at Leander High School.

2. H-E-B ($61.2 million): A new H-E-B grocery store is coming to Buda, with construction set to begin next spring.

3. The Ridge Apartments ($11.8 million): This project involves the construction of a four-story multifamily building

4. Residence Inn ($11 million): The hotel brand is coming to Hutto, with construction set to begin in December.

5. Texas State University pitching lab and batting cages ($4 million): This project includes an addition to the existing softball pitching facility and a new pre-engineered metal building to house baseball's pitching and hitting facility.

The Texas Education Agency is asking state lawmakers to spend $97.3 billion on K-12 education initiatives and staffing in the next two years, up from about $91 billion in the current state budget.

The details: During a Sept. 29 hearing on the agency's legislative appropriations request, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath noted that the TEA is "largely a pass-through vehicle to fund schools around the state of Texas." This means that while funding would be allocated to the agency under Article III of the state budget, the majority of that money would be sent to school districts, outside of funds used to pay TEA staff and cover operations for associated entities, such as the State Board of Education.

The TEA is asking for about $49.6 billion for fiscal year 2027-28 and $47.7 billion for fiscal year 2028-29, totaling $97.3 billion for the 2028-29 biennium. Morath said those amounts would "preserve 100% of all funding for public schools" through the Foundation School Program, which is the state's main funding source for K-12 schools, and other initiatives.