Round Rock ISD owns 1,496.9 acres of land within its 70,400-acre boundaries, with almost 250 of those acres currently undeveloped.

The context: Some parcels were held for future campuses and a second stadium. However, as the district enters into another financial year characterized by uncertainty, Superintendent Hafedh Azaiez said every option is on the table.

The action taken: During the 2024-25 financial year, the district announced the sale of a 7.5-acre property for $9.8 million, which turned a balanced budget into a surplus. In FY 2025-26, sales of smaller land parcels totaled just over $1 million.

What are the options? If growth persists, the district could adjust attendance boundaries instead of building new campuses, allowing it to sell undeveloped properties. The district is also monitoring how education savings accounts and its virtual academy impact facility needs.

Studio 16:19, a planning and design firm based in Round Rock, marked 15 years of operation in early August.

About the business: Founded by Brent and Angela Baker, the firm provides planning, irrigation design, landscape architecture, branding and signage services.

• 305 W. Liberty Ave., Ste. 100, Round Rock

Three candidates are running to lead the Texas Department of Agriculture in the Nov. 3 election.

The details: Libertarian Austin R. Kelly, Republican Nate Sheets and Democrat Clayton Tucker are vying to become Texas' next commissioner of agriculture. The commissioner's duties include regulating agriculture, administering nutrition programs and providing rural economic development assistance.

How we got here: There is no incumbent in this race after Sheets beat sitting Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in the March Republican primary. Tucker ran uncontested in the March Democratic primary, while Kelly was selected as the Texas Libertarian Party's candidate during an April nominating convention.

The winner of the November midterm will be sworn in to succeed Miller in January.

Looking ahead: Early voting runs from Oct. 19-30 in the midterm election, and Election Day is Nov. 3.

Across Texas, the taxes that homeowners pay to their local school districts went down by about 13.6% in 2025, one state senator found.

The overview: Across the board, many Texas counties mailed out reduced property tax bills for the 2025 tax year, Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, reported. During a Sept. 1 hearing of the Senate Local Government Committee, he said the average homeowner's property tax bill went down by about $140 last year, falling from $1,037 per year in 2024 to $896 per year in 2025.

Texas' 2026-27 budget includes $51 billion in property tax relief, previous Community Impact reporting shows. Unless the legislature rolls back existing tax exemptions, the state will be required to spend that much or more on tax relief in future bienniums.

How it works: The state does not charge property taxes, meaning homeowners are taxed by local entities such as school districts, cities, counties and municipal utility districts. The Texas Legislature, however, can place limits on how much local governments raise taxes annually and require tax exemptions for certain groups.