Georgetown ISD begins rezoning process to adjust attendance boundaries for 2026-27 school year
Georgetown ISD may rezone some students to attend different campuses next school year.
The district will adopt updated attendance boundaries to accommodate the opening of new schools and balance enrollment across campuses nearing their capacities, Chief of Strategic Operations Lannon Heflin said at a Sept. 2 board workshop.
What’s happening: GISD will rezone campuses for the 2026-27 school year to:
Open Elementary School No. 12 and Middle School No. 5
Address capacity concerns at Williams, Wolf Ranch and Cooper elementaries
Maximize the utilization of current campuses
Plan for future growth
The approach: In September, GISD will form a committee of district officials, staff and 15 community members to help create new attendance boundaries. Campus principals may nominate community members to participate in the committee.
The district will hold a series of town hall meetings over the next few months and receive community feedback online in January.
In February, district officials will present their rezoning recommendations to the board of trustees for their final approval.
Chuy's to build restaurant near Georgetown, Leander border
Tex-Mex food lovers in the Leander and Georgetown area may soon rejoice as a project registration with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation shows a new Chuy's location slated for the area.
What we know: The new location is slated to come to land near the Bar W Marketplace shopping center, per the filing. Construction on the building is expected to begin in December and last until July.
On the menu: The Chuy's menu features a mix of enchiladas, tacos and burritos as well as appetizers, specialty sauces and margaritas.
What else?: Founded in Austin in 1982, Chuy’s restaurants were acquired by Orlando-based Darden Restaurants in the summer of 2024. Darden’s portfolio includes brands such as Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse.
There are 10 existing Austin-area Chuy's locations, including ones in Round Rock and Cedar Park.
Williamson County officials approve $702M budget, tax rate increase
Williamson County commissioners approved a $702.4 million budget and supporting tax rate of $0.413776 per $100 valuation for fiscal year 2025-26 at a Sept. 3 meeting.
What residents should know: The newly approved tax rate is the highest rate commissioners can adopt without calling for an election. It is a 3.4% increase over FY 2024-25’s rate.
Using the new tax rate, a resident’s estimated county property tax bill for the upcoming fiscal year comes out to $1,556, based on the median property value of $358,542, according to county documents.
This is an increase of approximately $122 per year from FY 2024-25.
What happened: The final budget includes two changes from the last budget workshop.
At the Sept. 3 meeting, commissioners unanimously approved removing money allocated for a county vehicle that was already delivered this year, coming out to around $87,000.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Valerie Covey also proposed adding $17.9 million to the general fund for the Capital Improvement Plan and the Long-Range Transportation Plan.
FOODIE FRIDAY Check out these new restaurants and bars opening across the Austin area.
A new restaurant bringing a homestyle menu based on recipes from owner Scott Roberts’ grandmother, Roxanna, is opening soon in Buda, according to a news release.
Roxie’s, from the family that established The Salt Lick BBQ, will be opening in the fall.
Roberts said he plans for Roxie’s to be open daily for lunch and dinner.
The menu will offer pimento cheese, deviled eggs topped with fried chicken bites, chicken-fried steak, char-grilled steak and a selection of pies.
😋 AnTeNa Kitchen and Bar coming soon to Leander (Read more)
🍫 Kesshō Craft Chocolate expands with new Burnet Road location in Austin (Read more)
🍝 Numero 28 heads to Bastrop with Southern Italian food (Read more)
🍣 Sushi Warriors now serving sushi, sashimi in North Austin (Read more)
Koko’s Bavarian has revealed it will be opening a brick-and-mortar location on South Lamar in October.
The location will feature 7,000 square feet of Bavarian tradition and Texas hospitality with an expanded food and beverage menu including wings, mozzarella sticks, whitefish dip, Bavarian pretzel, Belgian-style fries and more.
For diners looking for a more filling treat, the menu also features sausages, hot dogs, salads, sandwiches and cheeseburgers.
Second special session ends without new laws on THC, property taxes
Around 1 a.m. Sept. 4, the Texas Legislature gaveled out of its second special session of the year. On the heels of a two-week Democratic walkout that stymied bills during a previous legislative overtime, lawmakers moved quickly to pass 16 of Gov. Greg Abbott’s 24 priorities in under three weeks.
The details: A long-debated plan to ban or restrict sales of hemp-derived THC and a measure aimed at reining in local property tax growth were among the proposals that did not make the cut. Those proposals fell apart in the final days of the special session, after House and Senate lawmakers were unable to reach agreements.
Also of note: Lawmakers also did not pass bills intended to improve emergency preparedness and communications in the wake of the deadly July 4-5 floods; shield certain law enforcement files from public disclosure; and bar local governments from hiring outside lobbyists.
The governor can call a special session at any time; however, legislative leaders indicated they did not expect to return to Austin to tackle the remaining agenda items.
