As budget season begins, Plano officials are considering the city’s long-term financial health in their assessment of possible property tax rate increases.

The context: On top of expected inflation, new expenses related to staffing and operating a number of facilities being built in the next five years will require increased spending from the city’s general fund, Director of Budget and Research KarenDirector of Budget and Research Karen Rhodes-Whitley said.

What you need to know: Council can raise property taxes by as much as 3.5% without calling an election, a ceiling known as the voter-approval rate. Council could also choose to maintain a flat property tax rate, called the no-new-revenue rate.

Looking ahead: Over the summer, council will discuss the proposed budget and hear community input before adopting the budget for the next fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.

Catherine Daniels opened a CDdesigns Florist storefront in Plano in 2019 after a decade working at a florist and years building from her garage to a studio within a wedding planning business.

She said one of her favorite things about owning this business is being able to say yes to any outlandish idea customers request.

Quote of note: “There would be ranunculus, larkspurs, roses and tulips,” Daniels said. “It is kind of combining it into an explosion of nature. Explosions of nature—those are my favorite types [of arrangements].”

• 4101 E. Park Blvd., Ste. 145, Plano

A north Fort Worth data center and multifamily development in Frisco are two of many new projects filed recently with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Here are five of the most expensive permits filed with TDLR in the past week.

1. Grupo ACS Fort Worth campus data center
A Spanish infrastructure company is constructing a two-story data center in north Fort Worth, according to a TDLR filing. The center will be located on a 77-acre site near Hicks Field Road, according to city documents, and is estimated to be a $2.1 billion investment. Construction for the facility is estimated to take nearly two years.

• Location: Hicks Field Road, Fort Worth
• Estimated timeline: Aug. 6, 2026-May 17, 2028
• Estimated cost: $100 million

Learn about the three candidates running for Frisco ISD board of trustees Place 5.

Looking ahead: Election day is Saturday, May 2, with early voting starting April 20 and running through April 28. The last day to register to vote is April 2.

In the nine months until Texas’ 90th legislative session begins in January, state lawmakers are expected to hold information-gathering hearings on hundreds of topics that will lay the groundwork for next year’s policymaking.

During a March 27 legislative summit in New Braunfels, four longtime lawmakers shared some of their top priorities for next year.

What they're saying: The legislators said they were focused on furthering some projects from previous legislative cycles, including water preservation initiatives and a new education savings account program.

More details: They said they also intend to study data center operations and how the large facilities impact local water supplies, noting that the legislature will work with local officials to determine how much data center regulation should happen locally and when the state should step in. 

“Does the state need to be involved? Yes,” Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, said. “Does local government need to have a say? Yes. But we’ve also got to remember, so does the private taxpayer. So we need to get a combination of all three.”