ATX-BAS: Impact 11/3/2025

Bastrop City Council will consider a $949,216 construction contract with Bull-G Construction for a sanitary sewer pipe bursting project along Hwy. 71 during a special meeting Nov. 4.

The details: The actual cost of the project that Collier Engineering and Design was hired to design could fall below $949,216—a figure that includes a 10% contingency to protect the city from unforeseen circumstances, according to city documents.

Bull-G Construction’s base bid was $862,924.

Five other base bids were received:

• Brother Group, $892,062
• Tejano Utilities, $949,865
• Lopez Utilities Contractor, $1.1 million
• S-Co Incorporated, $1.3 million
• PM Construction, $1.5 million

Bastrop County is seeking construction proposals for repairs to the Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail Complex.

The details: Projects, which Bastrop County hired Architexas to design in 2024, include:

• HVAC replacements for the Bastrop County Courthouse and Jail Complex
• Roof repairs to the Bastrop County Courthouse

Here are the top Community Impact stories in the Austin area from Oct. 27-31.

1. Taiwan-based tech company to locate first US manufacturing facility in Georgetown

2. TxDOT spends $748M to burrow bus-size tunnels under Central Austin

3. The Flats opens in downtown Round Rock after relocation

4. Check out 3 of the latest development stories in Bastrop County

5. GFiber to start connecting Georgetown homes, businesses in 2026

6. New Bee Cave Trader Joe’s opens Oct. 29

Millions of Texans may see delays in their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits beginning Nov. 1, as the federal government shutdown reaches the one-month mark.

The latest: The federal food assistance program is set to run out of funding in November, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Two federal judges ruled Oct. 31 that the Trump Administration must use federal contingency funds, which are stockpiled for emergency expenses, to fund SNAP in November, although the next steps surrounding SNAP benefits were unclear as of press time.

The local impact: Over 3.5 million Texans receive SNAP benefits each month, according to Feeding Texas, the statewide network of food banks.

“People are at risk of going hungry if the government doesn't reopen and SNAP benefits are delayed. … These are already vulnerable Texans,” Feeding Texas CEO Celia Cole said in an Oct. 27 interview.

Food banks across the state Texas food banks previously expanded their operations to meet increased demand as thousands of federal workers go without paychecks during the shutdown.