The San Marcos CISD board of trustees approved a new compensation plan for the 2026-27 school year. The plan will provide a 2% increase to staff salaries while reducing the district’s monthly health insurance contribution.

What happened: At a May 18 board meeting, SMCISD staff presented the board of trustees with four options for the 2026-27 compensation plan. Each option included a different percentage raise to staff pay.

The board approved option 4, granting staff a 2% raise. The compensation plan will contribute approximately $2.07 million towards the shortfall, according to agenda documents.

Diving deeper: As a result of rising premium costs, all of the proposed plans featured a reduction in the district’s contribution to its health insurance, provided through TRS-Active Care, according to agenda documents.

The total monthly cost for the district’s employee-only primary insurance is $521. The district had an insurance contribution cap of $484 per month during the 2025-26 school year. Under the new plan, the cap will be reduced to $350 per month.

The latest data from Unlock MLS shows signs that the housing market is ticking up in Central Texas, with higher year-over-year home sales and homes selling closer to their original listing price.

The details: Representing the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area, or MSA, the data released May 12 shows residential home sales increased 2% year over year in April for the MSA, reaching 2,648. That's the highest number of monthly home sales so far this year, up from a 0.5% year-over-year increase in March and decreases in both January and February. 

“What stands out in April’s data is the shift in buyer psychology and overall market momentum," said Vaike O’Grady, market research advisor at Unlock MLS, in a news release. "Many buyers who had been delaying their home search took advantage of the temporary dip in mortgage rates we saw earlier this year and moved quickly once conditions became more manageable."

Increasing pending and closed sales point to a market where buyers are "stepping into the market with more urgency," O'Grady said.

Costco Wholesale is officially open in New Braunfels.

In case you missed it: Officials with the city of New Braunfels and Costco celebrated the store's May 15 opening at 235 Kohlenberg Road with a ribbon-cutting. Council member Michael Capizzi and Mayor Pro Tem Lawrence Spradley were in attendance, along with Mayor Neal Linnartz.

Linnartz said Costco was always “at the top of the list” for what people said they wanted in town.

“We’re glad to be able to keep these tax dollars here,” Linnartz said.

The 152,000-square-foot store sells a wide variety of grocery items, jewelry, appliances and more.

• 235 Kohlenberg Road, New Braunfels

From a new apartment community in Austin to a trail in Cedar Park, here are five of the most expensive projects filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in the Austin metro this week.

1. Pflugerville Business Park ($37 million): This project involves the construction of the shell industrial buildings with speculative office space in each.

2. Oak Hill Highline Phase II ($26 million): Construction on a 129,306-square-foot apartment community will begin in September.

3. Buda Sportsplex Phase I ($15.2 million): A multifaceted expansion and enhancement of the Buda Sportsplex began last summer and will run through September.

4. Lakeline Park to WilCo trail connection and pedestrian bridge ($9.65 million): This project involves the construction of a one-mile trail connecting Lakeline Park to the Brushy Creek Regional Trail, including a pedestrian bridge crossing South Bell Boulevard.

5. Cedar Park Police Department dispatch renovation ($3 million): This project involves approximately 5,000 square feet of office space renovation for the communications center relocation. 

Austin officials will spend $6 million to renovate the Charles Page Zilker Clubhouse. Years of deterioration and multiple recent break-in incidents have damaged the historic structure.

What's happening: The nearly 100-year-old clubhouse, located in the Zilker Nature Preserve west of MoPac, is situated at Zilker Park's highest point and has traditionally served as an event venue. The property and nearby Lookout Point now require multiple maintenance updates. Security improvements are also needed after a recent string of break-ins that resulted in damage, according to Austin Parks and Recreation.

City Council authorized a $6.07 million contract for the facility and security updates, funded with historic preservation dollars from Austin's hotel occupancy tax revenue. Construction is expected to begin later this year and wrap up in 2027.

Quote of note: “This is a very important moment, not only for protecting the history of the Zilker Preserve and the Zilker Clubhouse, but making it safer and more accessible to all," council member Paige Ellis said.