Hutto City Hall now includes a space dedicated to veterans in need of guidance or support through the Texas Veterans Commission.

The gist: Services available include assistance with disability compensation and pension claims, as well as referrals and support for Veterans Affairs health care services. Appointments are required and can be booked online here, or by calling 1(800) 252-8387.

• 500 W. Live Oak St., Hutto

Williamson County commissioners will grant $250,000 to the Hutto Education Foundation to provide college scholarships to Hutto ISD students through its endowment.

Commissioners approved the transfer of the money from its landfill fund at a Dec. 16 meeting.

Explained: The HEF endowment is a long-term funding source for student scholarships, including two-year, four-year and trade school programs.

With the additional grant from Williamson County, HEF Director Claudia Cardwell said the organization plans to:

• Distribute $50,000 to graduates and returning recipients
• Add the Rykker Bradley Memorial Scholarship
• Establish the Commissioner Ron Morrison Memorial Scholarship
• Establish the Williamson County Commissioners Court Investing in Tomorrow Scholarship

The Austin-area's Pflugerville ISD Chief of Staff Brandy Baker will join the Cy-Fair ISD administration in January, officials announced in a Dec. 16 news release.

Read all about it: Baker replaces CFISD Chief of Staff Teresa Hull, who is retiring from the district effective Dec. 31. Hull joined CFISD in 1993 and was promoted to chief of staff in 2011, per the district’s website. 

Baker was promoted to PfISD’s chief of staff in 2022 and worked with CFISD Superintendent Doug Killian when he served as superintendent of the Austin-area school district. 

More details: Before her appointment as chief of staff in 2022, Baker served as PfISD’s chief academic and innovation officer for four years, where she oversaw academic systems and district instructional programing, according to the news release.

Quote of note: "What drew me to Cy-Fair is how clearly the district places students at the center of its work and focuses on learning that prepares them for what comes next," Baker said in a statement. 

Unlock MLS market research advisor Vaike O’Grady shared an end-of-year update on the Austin-Round Rock- Metropolitan Statistical Area's housing market, including where the MSA is seeing employment growth and projected housing trends. 

Major takeaways: According to Unlock MLS' year-to-date data on single-family homes:

• Homes spent 73 days on the market on average, nine days longer than 2024 YTD
• Total sales were down 5% from 2024 with 26,455 homes sold
• Median sale prices were down 1% from 2024 at $438,532

• Between 30,000-32,000 closed sales
• Between 10,000-12,000 active listings
• Upward of 5 months of inventory 
• Median sales prices of $410,000-$425,000