SATX-BNE: Impact 10/8/2025

Fair Oaks Ranch City Council will consider updates to budget policies during the Oct. 16 meeting, discussing the reserve balance and other policies.

The details: On Oct. 2, City Council held a workshop reviewing changes to financial policies. Of the presented changes, one of the most notable was the splitting of the city's governmental reserve. In previous budgets, the reserve balance was equal to six months of operating expenses, per city policy.

During the fiscal year 2025-26 budgeting process, council discussed updating the reserve policy to give more guidance on reserve fund uses. Under the proposed changes, the reserve will be split into two balances totaling six months of operating expenses.

Director of Finance Summer Fleming said the plan is to create an emergency reserve, which keeps four months of operating expenses to be used in an emergency. This reserve will have strict usage requirements. The other reserve is for budget stabilization, being used to minimize tax impacts or target revenue shortfalls. This reserve will be less restrictive.

Scooter’s Coffee inches closer to the construction of a Boerne location, following special use permit approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 6. The SUP will move to approval from Boerne City Council before being official. 

What’s happening? The proposed development is located in the Scenic Interstate Corridor Overlay District, which establishes design and development standards for the area. The permit would allow for an accessory drive-thru for Scooter’s Coffee.

City staff said that with the location of the development and neighboring businesses having drive-thrus, the recommendation to Planning and Zoning was to approve the permit. 

What they're saying: Commissioner Lucas Hiler raised concerns regarding the traffic coming off I-10 near Cascade Caverns Road. 

Director of Engineering and Mobility Jeff Carroll said there is a plan to improve Cascade Caverns Road, but the project is still several years out.  Carroll said city staff have been working with other developers to see what mitigation efforts can be implemented in the area. 

As the nationwide coffee chain plans to close locations across the country, several locations in San Antonio have already shut their doors.

In case you missed it: Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol released a statement on Sept. 25 detailing the company’s plans for the future.

“Our overall company-operated count in North America will decline by about 1% in fiscal year 2025 after accounting for both openings and closures,” Niccol said in the statement.

While the business did not specify the exact number of locations that will close, two in the San Antonio area have already shut down.

The location at 18154 Blanco Road in North San Antonio has permanently closed and no longer appears on the Starbucks store locator tool.

The context: Along with shop closures, Niccol also detailed plans to reduce staff numbers in the statement.

“This includes the difficult decision to eliminate approximately 900 current non-retail partner roles and close many open positions,” he said.

• 18154 Blanco Road, San Antonio

From Oct. 13-19, Texas residents will not have to pay to apply to in-state public colleges and universities.

The details: During Free College Application Week, application fees will be waived for all Texas residents applying to undergraduate programs at public colleges and universities located in Texas. First-time college students, transfer students and students returning to school are eligible, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

To qualify for the fee waiver, all applications must be submitted through ApplyTexas, the state’s college application portal.

What they're saying: “Texas prioritizes opportunities for students to pursue the best education they need to succeed in high demand, good-paying jobs after graduation,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in an Aug. 29 news release. “By supporting our students today, we are investing in a stronger Texas tomorrow.” 

Put in perspective: Most high school seniors apply to 5-10 colleges or universities and each application costs about $60-$75, state lawmakers estimated in June.