Williamson County will work with local water providers to explore long-term water supply solutions, including an engineering study that will evaluate regional needs for water.

County commissioners approved $500,000 for the study at their Nov. 25 meeting.

The setup: Although the county is not a water provider, County Judge Steve Snell said officials hope to guide cities and utilities in coordinating water procurement, infrastructure planning and conservation efforts through the new study and coalition.

The newly formed Williamson County Water Group includes representatives from the county and major water providers like the cities of Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park, Georgetown and the Brazos River Authority.

Potential solutions could involve groundwater and surface water development, water reuse, upgrades to aging infrastructure, and a broad conservation plan, Snell said.

What's next: The water study is anticipated to be conducted in April.

The Leander ISD board of trustees are continuing long-range planning discussions in light of budget concerns and pushback on potential elementary school closures. 

Some context: LISD officials are projecting multimillion dollar budget shortfalls over the next several years. In May, officials began considering ways to address these shortfalls, and in September, the board approved a resolution to establish criteria and thresholds for potential campus consolidations, including how enrollment will be considered.

Major takeaways: Under potential new staffing guidelines, or the ratio of staff needed to effectively serve a campus, campuses with 400 to 499 students would be under the low-enrollment phase 1 threshold and adjust staff levels for librarians, receptionists and registrars to 0.5, or part-time roles. Campuses with up to 399 students would be under the low-enrollment phase 2 threshold which would adjust the same roles to 0.5, along with assistant principals, counselors and instructional coaches. 

Next steps: The board is slated to continue this part of long-range planning at its Dec. 4 workshop, including:

• Finalizing staffing guidelines
• Developing enrollment thresholds 
• Exploring mitigation strategies 

Those looking for an Austin restaurant to dine at this Thanksgiving have several options. Some restaurants require reservations and others accept walk-ins.

Corinne
Community members can stop by the restaurant for lunch or dinner and taste traditional Thanksgiving meals, including roasted turkey. Entrees can be paired with seasonal sides and housemade desserts.

• Price: $65 per person
• 304 E. Cesar Chavez St., Austin

• Price: $49 per person (Thanksgiving menu with caramelized prime rib)
• 11801 Domain Blvd., Ste. 100, Austin

• Price: $40 per person
• South Congress Hotel, 1603 S. Congress Ave., Austin

A new "state-of-the-art" hospital and medical research campus from The University of Texas at Austin and MD Anderson Cancer Center may move from its planned location downtown to a site in Northwest Austin, UT officials announced this month.

What's happening: The UT Medical Center was first announced in summer 2023 as a major new piece of UT Austin's academic health system. The project, then estimated at $2.5 billion, was envisioned as a pair of medical towers housing an MD Anderson clinical and research cancer center and UT Austin specialty hospital on the old Frank Erwin Center site off I-35.

However, university officials are now considering UT land near The Domain as the possible future home of the UT Medical Center. A timeline for a decision on whether to locate the medical campus downtown or in Northwest Austin has yet to be determined.

The possible shift away from downtown comes months after state law was changed to allow the hospital towers to be built on the Erwin Center property.

Hundreds of new units were cleared for construction during the initial year of the Home Ownership for Middle-income Empowerment, or HOME, initiative's first phase allowing for more housing on single-family lots.

The details: The effects of the new policy are already being felt around Austin, although more time may be needed to determine its clear outcomes on housing affordability, resident displacement, public infrastructure and the environment, according to city reporting.

City Council required annual reporting on HOME's impacts when the land-use update was approved in late 2023. During its first year in effect, from February 2024 through February 2025, the city approved plans for more than 400 new housing units, including many projects featuring multiple homes on a property.

The city's first in-depth analysis, released Nov. 19, suggests HOME is "beginning to achieve its intended objectives without triggering widespread negative impacts." However, city staff wrote that further annual reviews are likely needed before drawing conclusions about HOME's potential success or consequences.