Leander property owners are expected to see the city maintain its current property tax rate for the upcoming fiscal year, despite the City Council approving a higher rate ceiling. City officials said the proposed tax rate for fiscal year 2026-27 will remain at $0.417282 per $100 of property valuation. 

While the City Council approved a maximum tax rate of $0.467986 per $100 valuation Aug. 20, city leaders said the budget is being built around the current rate. A public hearing on the proposed tax rate and budget is scheduled for Sept. 17.

By the numbers: By maintaining the previous year’s property tax rate, a Leander resident would pay around $1,760 in property taxes to the city, using the 2025 appraised value for the median home in Williamson County of $422,218.

Since property values have increased, city officials are looking to maintain the current combined property tax rate. Of the $4.9 million of additional property tax revenue this rate will bring, about $2.4 million comes from new properties added to the tax roll.

The new Target in Liberty Hill will open Oct. 11, company spokesperson Enoma Owens said.

A closer look: The 148,000-square-foot store will feature a Starbucks, CVS Pharmacy and integrated Apple section, Owens said. It will also offer different ways to shop, including drive-up, order pickup and same-day delivery through the Target Circle 360 membership program.
The store is expected to create more than 200 jobs, Owens said.

Several transportation projects across the Austin metro are moving forward, with new construction, funding and schedule updates.

The details: Hays County secured more than $39 million in federal funding for a planned $49 million Centerpoint Road overpass over the Union Pacific Railroad crossing. The project is in the right-of-way acquisition and final design stages.

In Pflugerville, construction on Parkway Drive is expected to begin in mid-September following City Council’s approval of a $3.1 million construction contract. Work is scheduled through July 2027.

The MoPac South expansion in Austin is now estimated to cost $1.3 billion, an increase of more than $400 million. The project would add express lanes and shared-use paths between Cesar Chavez Street and Slaughter Lane.

Meanwhile, Round Rock’s Red Bud Lane North widening remains on schedule despite weather delays. Construction also continues on Cedar Park’s Toro Grande Boulevard improvements. In Buda, final asphalt paving has begun on Middle Creek Drive following substantial completion in August.

On Sept. 1, the State Board of Education moved forward with an overhaul of what Texas high schoolers will learn in four social studies courses: U.S. History, U.S. Government, World History and World Geography.

What's happening: Roughly 100 Texans testified about the high school curriculum rewrite at an Aug. 31 meeting, with the debate revolving around how students would learn about the two largest world religions, Christianity and Islam.

Dozens of Muslim Texans asked that students learn about the religion’s core principles and how Muslims have contributed to advancements in math, science and medicine throughout history.

Some testifiers said the social studies curriculum should highlight the role of Christianity in the founding of Texas and the U.S., praising the board for prioritizing “American exceptionalism” and topics that they said would teach students to love the country.

The context: The discussion comes as the Republican-led board nears the finish line on its new K-12 social studies curriculum standards.

If approved, the new requirements will be rolled out to public school classrooms in the 2030-31 school year.