ATX-LLH: Impact 10/28/2025

Check out the latest news from Leander ISD.

Board approves resolution for long-range planning efforts: The board unanimously approved a resolution Sept. 30 to establish a clear process for long-range planning, define roles and outline timelines for the 2026-27 school year and beyond. Some of the key details of the resolution include:

• Establish criteria and thresholds for campus consolidation
• Consult with community and staff before implementing educational program changes
• Find revenue generation and expenditure reduction strategies

The Santa Rita Ranch community in Liberty Hill celebrated the opening of a new 1-acre playground Oct. 21.

The Happyland Play Park is divided into two separate playgrounds, Lil Kids and Big Kids. Both play spaces offer swings, slides and climbing equipment, while the Big Kids portion also has three ziplines.

In addition to playground equipment, the park offers shaded pavilions for parents and open fields for sports.

What else?: The playground is the final portion of the neighborhood’s Ranch Camp Amenity Center, an 8-acre complex in the heart of the Santa Rita community that also includes two pools, a splash park and two pickleball courts.

“Lifestyle is such a strong focus for us that it was important to have amenities open and ready to enjoy as soon as possible, and to continue to add to the amenity offerings as our community has grown,” said Santa Rita Ranch Developer Ed Horne in a news release.

Texas is home to about 3.5 million small businesses, according to the National Federation of Independent Businesses. Estimates show that the average Texas small-business owner could save about $2,500 per year if voters approve an expanded business tax exemption on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The details: State Proposition 9 would exempt up to $125,000 of a business’s personal property, such as equipment, furniture and vehicles, from taxation. Texas business owners currently receive a tax exemption on property worth $2,500 or less.

“At $2,500, virtually everyone's paying this tax,” NFIB Texas Director Jeff Burdett said in an Oct. 24 interview. “If you have a desk, a computer and a chair, you're probably over $2,500 [in inventory]. … It makes no difference for almost any business.”

At the polls: Early voting in the Nov. 4 election began Oct. 20 and runs through Oct. 31. For more information about the propositions and candidates on your local ballot, visit www.communityimpact.com/voter-guide.

The Austin community is officially preparing for the upcoming holiday season with Austin Energy stringing the 155-foot-tall Christmas light tree at Zilker Park.

The setup: The tree is formed using 39 strings of LED bulbs which feature 81 red, yellow, green and blue bulbs. Lights are placed strategically so the yellow bulbs create a swirl pattern, accompanying a 10-foot by 10-foot double star at the head of the display.

The historic moonlight tower in the park which is used as the base for the holiday tree is one of the original 31 towers that the city used for its urban lighting system in 1895, as stated in a news release. Today, the tower is one of 17 original towers still remaining in Austin.

Stay tuned: The lighting of the tree will happen right after Thanksgiving on Nov. 30 at 5:15 p.m. at Zilker Park. Attendees can look forward to live music, entertainment and food.

• Zilker Park, 2100 Barton Springs Road, Austin

The overview: As Community Impact enters its third decade, it’s returning to its roots of growth and deeper reader connections. The “Patron” program, which began in 2020 by reader demand, has relaunched as the InCIder.

“This relaunch represents our renewed commitment to readers who support our local news,” CEO John Garrett said. “Beyond funding great journalism, we also want to reward our InCIders and build deeper connections with them, creating a true sense of community around the work we do.”

Event details: As part of the relaunch, Community Impact will host its first-ever InCIder Hour, a new event aimed at celebrating and engaging the company’s supporters.

The event, open to InCIders only, will take place Nov. 12 from 5:30-7 p.m. at Community Impact Headquarters, 16225 Impact Way, Pflugerville.

Guests will have the opportunity to network with fellow InCIders, meet Community Impact staff and attend a featured conversation with legislative reporter Hannah Norton, moderated by CEO John Garrett.

“Our first event needed to start where all the hard work is put together,” Garrett said. “People are blown away when they see our operation. To be able to sit and chat with the best legislative reporter in Texas, Hannah Norton, makes it an event our InCIder friends deserve and hopefully will enjoy.”