The newly renovated Griffith Building in Downtown Round Rock now serves as the home for the Round Rock Chamber, the Round Rock Visitors Center and The City Arts Center.

The overview: The 44,000-square-foot building features an art gallery, space for visitors to learn more about the city and, on the second floor, multiple conference rooms and offices for the Round Rock Chamber.

Adjacent to the Griffith Building, the city recently completed the downtown paseo that stretches from the Round Rock Public Library down to Main Street.

Diving deeper: The $19.5 million project was funded by the city’s Type B sales tax revenues, hotel occupancy tax revenues and around $4.2 million came from the city’s general self finance construction budget.

The Griffith Building previously played several roles in downtown Round Rock, including serving as a fire house, auto shop, city hall and the former library.

The Chamber held a reception on Jan. 22 to celebrate the building’s Founder’s Wall—a display honoring the businesses and community members that have helped support the Round Rock Chamber Foundation’s initiatives.

Round Rock City Council approved two ordinances allowing commercial development on a 3.86-acre tract along East Palm Valley Boulevard.

The overview: Council approved ordinances amending the city’s comprehensive plan and rezoning the property at 3260 E. Palm Valley Blvd. from open space to a limited general commercial zoning district, waiving the requirement for a second reading. 

The actions permit commercial uses on the site, but do not approve a specific development.

Four Republican candidates are running for Texas comptroller in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The big picture: Michael Berlanga, Christi Craddick, Kelly Hancock and Don Huffines are seeking the Republican nomination to be Texas' next chief financial officer. The Republican nominee will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

The background: The comptroller's office is open after former state comptroller Glenn Hegar stepped down in July to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Former state Sen. Kelly Hancock currently serves as acting state comptroller and is running in the Republican primary, although he is not considered the incumbent in the race.

The comptroller is tasked with overseeing government spending, projecting Texas' biennial budget for state legislators, reporting on statewide economic issues, and managing the state treasury and unclaimed property programs. Hancock's office also recently launched the state’s new education savings account program, as mandated by the Texas Legislature.

Three Democrats are running to be Texas' next chief financial officer in the upcoming March 3 primary election.

The overview: Sarah Eckhardt, Michael Lange and Savant Moore are seeking the Democratic nomination for Texas comptroller. The winning Democratic candidate will face the Republican nominee in November; the winner of that election will be sworn in for a four-year term in January 2027.

The context: The comptroller's office is open after former state comptroller Glenn Hegar stepped down in July to become chancellor of the Texas A&M University System. Former state Sen. Kelly Hancock currently serves as acting state comptroller and is running in the Republican primary, although he is not considered the incumbent in the race.

The comptroller is tasked with overseeing government spending, projecting Texas' biennial budget for state legislators, reporting on statewide economic issues, and managing the state treasury and unclaimed property programs. Hancock's office also recently launched the state’s new education savings account program, as mandated by the Texas Legislature.

A far-reaching winter storm is expected to bring below-freezing temperatures, wintry precipitation and “dangerous ice” to Texas beginning Jan. 23, according to the National Weather Service. As residents brace for days of potentially hazardous conditions, state leaders said Jan. 22 that the Texas power grid “has never been stronger” and will withstand the storm.

What's happening: Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 134 of Texas’ 254 counties, telling reporters that the northern two-thirds of the state—from San Antonio to the Panhandle—will be impacted by the storm.

Officials said they do not expect a repeat of the widespread power outages that occurred during Winter Storm Uri in 2021, emphasizing that changes have been made in recent years to harden the grid against extreme weather. The governor said some Texans could see “local, isolated” outages due to fallen tree branches or ice on power lines.

"The severity of it is not quite as great... as Winter Storm Uri," Abbott said. "That said, people would be making a mistake if they don't take it serious."