Rollingwood City Council discussed potentially implementing regulations, permitting and fees for commercial films and television productions occurring within the city at the May 13 meeting.

The overview: According to Mayor Gavin Massingill, a “large Fortune 100 company” wanted to film in Rollingwood about a year ago, yet the city did not have the proper processes to address the request.  

“We didn’t have anything to address that when we got that call,” Massingill said.

Massingill asked council members if a process to provide regulations, permitting and fees should be implemented to handle commercial filming requests.

Council agreed that a process for taking commercial filming requests should be further considered, yet it was noted that the guidelines should not include personal instances.

“We want to stay away from anything for personal use,” Massingill said. “Like senior photos or Realtor videos at homes for sale.”

What’s next: Guidelines surrounding the implementation of regulations may be presented at a future City Council meeting.

Austin officially surpassed 1 million residents for the first time in its history last year, making it the 12th-largest U.S. city.

The overview: The city's estimated 2025 population was 1,002,632 people, based on new census data. The addition of more than 4,000 residents from 2024 moved Austin past the 1 million mark.

Austin's expansion came during what the U.S. Census Bureau called a "widespread national slowdown" in population growth, and reported drop-offs in annual growth among large cities. Despite declining international migration, demographer Lila Valencia said Austin, Travis County and the wider metro area continue to maintain "steady growth" thanks to in-state and domestic migration.

Zooming out: While Austin remains one of the largest cities nationwide, it's still ranked fifth in Texas and isn't growing as rapidly as some smaller cities in the state.

A 2023 Texas law allowing state and local police to arrest people suspected of entering the country illegally is scheduled to take effect May 15.

The overview: Texas legislators passed Senate Bill 4, a state immigration enforcement law, in late 2023. The law was originally set to take effect in March 2024, but has been tied up in court for more than two years.

For the first time, the law would allow Texas police to arrest migrants they suspect crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization and allow judges to order migrants’ removal if they are found guilty of illegal entry.

The background: SB 4 had been largely blocked by a series of court rulings since early 2024. A federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit against SB 4 April 24, and a separate lawsuit was filed May 4.

On May 13, U.S. District Judge David A. Ezra—who previously deemed SB 4 unconstitutional—heard arguments in the secondary lawsuit, although he did not issue a ruling before press time May 13.