Homeowners in Hays CISD can expect to see lower tax bills in fiscal year 2026-27, partially due to decreased taxable home values in the area.

The big picture: The board of trustees adopted a tax rate of $1.14 per $100 of valuation at a Sept. 28 meeting. This is slightly more than a 1-cent decrease from the previous rate of $1.1546. The total tax rate includes a maintenance and operations rate of $0.6523 and an interest and sinking rate of $0.4877.

In case you missed it: In June, the board of trustees proposed adopting the same tax rate as FY 2025-26. However, after receiving appraised property values, the Texas Education Agency set the maximum compressed rate at $1.14, allowing the district to adopt a lower tax rate.

The district originally expected the tax bill for the median homeowner to decrease by about $86. With the adopted rate, homeowners could save approximately $210. Owners of a median taxable-value property of $173,290 can expect to pay $1,976 per year, according to the taxpayer impact statement.

A new winery and vineyard, located in the scenic Texas Hill Country between San Marcos and Wimberley, is set to open to the public at the end of October.

The full story: The locally owned and operated Paradis Vineyard & Winery will welcome customers this fall, offering a variety of wines made from grapes grown in the Texas Hill Country.

The winery will feature a Cabernet and Viognier as the two signature wines from the vineyard’s 2025 harvest. The business will also offer a variety of other wines from area vineyards.

Paradis Vineyard & Winery sits on limestone-rich ground with multiple elevation changes, making it the ideal terrain for cultivating grapes, according to the winery’s website.

Meet the owner: Owner Alan Paradis turned an abandoned 20-acre hunting ranch into the expansive vineyard. He has transformed the land over the past 10 years, developing the vineyard rows, winemaking facility, tasting room and surrounding grounds, according to the website.

• 7585 Ranch Road 12, San Marcos

Austinites will now have access to information on local transportation projects that could impact commutes through a mobile app. City leaders celebrated the official launch of CTXGO on Oct. 1, a new tool from the Construction Partnership Program.

Some context: Participating CPP agencies include the city of Austin, Austin Transit Partnership, CapMetro, the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Texas Department of Transportation.

How it works: CTXGO operates as both a free mobile app and website. Users can select from a variety of map layers to see real-time roadway information, including traffic congestion, incidents such as stalled or abandoned vehicles, and what electronic roadway message signs are currently displaying such as estimated travel times. The work zone map displays lane closures with expected start and end dates and times.

The local impact: Austin Mobility officials said more than $20 billion in transportation and infrastructure projects across multiple agencies are planned in Central Texas over the next several years.

ACL Fest kicks off Friday at Zilker Park with rain in the forecast. The 25th Austin City Limits Music Festival runs Oct. 2-4 and Oct. 9-11.

There is no parking at Zilker Park, and parking in surrounding neighborhoods is prohibited, according to Austin Transportation and Public Works.

Getting there: A free festival shuttle departs from Sand Beach Park, at Walter Seaholm and Electric drives, starting at 11:30 a.m.

CapMetro routes 3 and 803 stop near South Lamar Boulevard and Barton Springs Road.

Rideshare points are at Veterans Drive, Lee Barton Drive and Wallingwood Drive.

Watch the weather: The festival will go on unless producer C3 Presents decides otherwise. A flood watch is in effect through 7 p.m. Friday, with 2-3 inches of rain forecast and the county's emergency operations center activated.

Steering clear: Barton Springs Road is closed from 7 p.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Monday both weekends, and some lots and roads will stay closed as late as Oct. 16.

The Austin Police Department will run a No Refusal Initiative nightly Oct. 3-12.

Heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding will threaten large parts of Texas this week, Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters Sept. 28.

The overview: The governor pointed to severe flooding that occurred in South-Central Texas in mid-July, damaging property, sweeping cars off roadways and killing two people. This week's storms will impact "a far more vast portion of the state" than the July flooding, he warned.

The details: Abbott said heavy rains will "really dramatically affect" the majority of the state on Sept. 30, and the National Weather Service noted that "North-Central Texas is a particular concern."

"We don't have the information needed right now to advise Texans on exactly what's going to happen in our rivers," Abbott told reporters. "I can tell you this, however: Everyone should expect the rivers to rise."