Liberty Hill ISD students began classes Aug. 12, with two campuses welcoming students for the first time ever.

Legacy Ranch High School and Lariat Trails Elementary School held their first classes as LHISD’s newest campuses. Meanwhile, Legacy Ranch Middle School held its first classes for grades sixth through eighth.

Going forward: With the start of the new semester Aug. 12, here are key dates to keep in mind for the fall semester.

• Sept. 3-4: student holiday
• Sept. 7: student holiday in honor of Labor Day
• Oct. 8-9: student holiday
• Oct. 12: Columbus Day
• Nov. 23-27: Thanksgiving break
• Dec. 17: last day of the fall semester
• Jan. 6: first day of the spring semester

Williamson County commissioners set the maximum tax rate for fiscal year 2026-27 at the no-new-revenue rate of $0.421547 per $100, saying that residents could see a decrease on their county tax line next year.

By capping the proposed rate at this level, no public hearing is required.

What it means: The no-new-revenue rate calculates the property tax rate that would generate the exact same amount of revenue as last year from existing properties. Williamson County’s current tax rate is $0.413776 per $100.

Because of adjustments in overall home values, residents could experience a reduction in their county property tax bills if the proposed rate is finalized.

Digging deeper: The proposed tax rate supports the county’s recommended general fund budget of $411.6 million. For the road and bridge budget, the budget department recommends a $74.94 million budget, and the recommended budget for the county’s debt service comes out to $232.3 million.

What’s next: Commissioners and county officials will continue finalizing the budget through August, with final adoption votes scheduled for September.

From 2020-25, more than 45,000 wildfires burned over 2.7 million acres of Texas land, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are looking into ways to better prevent wildfires from happening and prepare communities to respond when fires do start.

The background: In 2025, state lawmakers passed Senate Bill 34, which required the Texas A&M Forest Service to create a statewide database of firefighting equipment; established a council to improve emergency communications between local, state and federal agencies; and increased funding to help rural volunteer fire departments purchase equipment from $30 million to $40 million.

Quote of note: Sen. Kevin Sparks, a Midland Republican who authored the law, said more work needs to be done to increase wildfire preparedness across the state.

"As we move forward, our focus should be on a more proactive approach that prioritizes prevention and mitigation alongside response preparedness," Sparks said during an Aug. 11 hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, which he chairs.