Candidates for Austin City Council races in this year's November election raised more than $450,000 and had over $1 million available as of this summer, with several council incumbents making up more than half of that cash on hand total.

The details: Council seats in Districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9 will be on the ballot this fall. Four of those races are expected to include incumbent council members seeking to defend their seats, while District 1 council member Natasha Harper-Madison is term-limited and leaving office.

All incumbents reported high financial totals in their campaigns so far this year, with some challengers keeping pace across the district contests. The official candidate filing period for places on the ballot will run through Aug. 17.

Relatively little activity was reported by local political action committees, aside from Save Austin Now, which drew more than $526,000 in individual and corporate donations. The PAC reported no spending and had just under $8,200 still available as of June as it campaigns for its citywide auditing ballot measure.

After officially opening its third location in South Austin earlier this summer, The Art Garage is slated to hold a grand opening celebration in August.  

The details: Per a news release, the business will hold the grand opening on Aug. 8 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, free tie-dye T-shirts and spin art, 15% off pottery painting, and pop-up vendors including MK Tattoos, Peaches Coffee and King of Pops. 

The art studio has other locations at 11190 Circle Drive, Austin and 5501 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin and offers paint-your-own pottery, glass fusion, mosaics, clay workshops and art camps. 

• 8204 Brodie Lane, Ste. 103, Austin

Austin ISD will fully operate Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools this fall after the district and the Texas Council for International Studies mutually agreed to end their management partnership, which officially concludes July 31.

Why it matters: The split comes after the Texas Education Agency declined to grant the partnership state benefits in late May—and with all three campuses carrying four consecutive F ratings, this fall's accountability scores could determine whether the state intervenes. District officials say early testing gains and turnaround investments will continue.

What's next: The 2026 accountability ratings, expected in August, will show whether the campuses broke their streak of failing scores. A fifth consecutive F at any campus would require the TEA commissioner to close it or take over the district. Preliminary data offers some hope: 100% of students tested at Burnet and Dobie passed the Algebra I state assessment, per the district.

Check out the latest transportation project updates across the Austin metro. 

Ongoing projects

Burnet Road Mobility Program
Project: The project will feature updated traffic signals, improved crossings, bus stop improvements, trail connections, drainage improvements, shared-use paths and more on Burnet Road from White Horse Trail to US 183 (C2), Bright Verde Way to MoPac (C3) and US 183 to Bright Verde Way (C4).
Update: According to Austin Transportation and Public Works officials, all three segments are officially under construction as of early June. 

• Timeline: 2026-28
• Cost: $64 million
• Funding source: 2016 Mobility Bond

• Timeline: March 2023-early 2029
• Cost: $606 million
• Funding source: funded by Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Texas Department of Transportation