Bastrop City Council on Sept. 8 unanimously approved the first reading of the fiscal year 2026-27 budget and a no-new-revenue property tax rate of $0.5118 per $100 valuation.

The details: City Manager Sylvia Carrillo-Trevino presented the budget proposal with $74.57 million in revenue and $69.58 million in expenses across city funds.

It included a balanced $19.73 million General Fund and a 2.5% employee cost-of-living raise.

The bottom line: As previously reported, although the proposed no-new-revenue tax rate is $0.0078 higher, or about 1.55%, than the current rate of $0.5040, Carrillo-Trevino said the owner of a median-valued home would pay $35.86 less in city property taxes because the median taxable value declined.

Notable quote: “I really want to stress to the residents how fiscally restrained this council is,” Carrillo-Trevino said. "There was 8 cents essentially available on the table that could have been taken by a simple vote at this council without going to the voters and [they] chose not to do that."

What’s next: A second and final reading is set for Sept. 22; the fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Coffee enthusiasts can find locally owned spots across Bastrop, Dale, Elgin and Smithville, offering everything from cozy cafes to quick stops.

The lineup: The guide mixes dedicated shops, coffee trucks and other businesses where coffee is a menu highlight.

Stay in the know: Use Community Impact's interactive map to build your own coffee crawl around Bastrop County.

Southwest Airlines will open a lounge at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, set to welcome guests in late 2027.

A closer look: The airline also announced on Sept. 2 its first-ever lounges will be built at:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

• Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

• Nashville International Airport

The lounges, including at Austin, are already under construction, according to a Southwest Airlines news release. The company also plans to build seven more lounges at different airports but did not specify where in the release.

Diving in deeper: ABIA is currently undergoing an expansion to accommodate passenger growth.

In July, airport officials announced that June 2026 was the airport's busiest month ever for passenger traffic, servicing 2,102,853 departing and arriving passengers. Southwest Airlines saw the most passenger traffic that month, with 916,510 passengers served, up 10.9% year over year, according to previous Community Impact reporting.