Multiple candidates across Austin's five City Council races failed to meet deadlines for filing required financial disclosures this year.

The details: Candidates seeking office in the November 2026 contests were required to submit financial statements by late August and early September. Missed filings are violations of local and state ethics rules that can be punishable as misdemeanor offenses.

What happened: After being contacted about missed filings, several candidates said they'd be submitting their forms or already had.

What else: Separately, the Ethics Review Commission voted unanimously to begin sending reminders to all City Council candidates about campaign deadlines to help increase future compliance.

Austin officials are continuing to evaluate the city's social services spending through a reset process that could lead to broad changes by fiscal year 2027-28.

The details: Facing projected budgeting shortfalls, city leaders and finance staff previously anticipated cutting nearly $17 million of social services funding, but the upcoming fiscal year 2026-27 budget was eventually modified to avoid some of the deeper proposed reductions.

An ongoing review of Austin's annual social services spending is underway, driven by considerations like funding constraints and a desire for more oversight. The evaluation has so far involved:

• An assessment of more than 130 grants and contracts.

• A recommendation to modify several agreements.

• The identification of more than two dozen contracts with compliance or performance issues.

What's next: No immediate cuts are being rolled out, but the city anticipates restructuring some spending and re-soliciting most social services contracts in 2027.

El Grandpa Mexican BBQ will be closing its Georgetown location in September, according to an Instagram post by the taco spot. The business will be moving to Clara’s Day Dive in South Austin on Oct. 3.

El Grandpa cooks barbacoa in the style of the Mexican state of Hidalgo, according to its website. The Instagram post announcing the closure also states “don’t worry Georgetown we will be back!”

• Closing Sept. 27

• 150 Haverland Drive, Georgetown

In March, H-E-B, the city of Buda and multiple Hays County entities announced a partnership to transform a former landfill site into the location of a brand new supermarket.

A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing revealed details about the store's cost and development timeline.

What happened: H-E-B will develop the former landfill site that has been vacant for decades on the southbound access road of I-35, north of Main Street, into a new grocery store. The location is expected to create at least 50 full-time jobs in its first year, according to previous Community Impact reporting.

The business's TDLR filing, registered on Sept. 22, puts the total construction cost at $61,249,595.

Crews are expected to begin building the 132,563-square-foot supermarket on May 1, 2027, and complete construction on June 12, 2028, according to the filing.

Looking back: H-E-B will complete a traffic impact analysis to determine any necessary roadway improvements and repurpose at least 60% of the existing Buda store for new retail and sales tax-generating businesses.