Campaigns against Austin's Proposition Q reported a strong fundraising advantage over supporters of the tax increase ballot measure in the weeks leading up to the November election.

The details: Several political action committees, or PACs, are working in favor of or against Proposition Q this fall. After already spending tens of thousands of dollars on their campaigns as of late September, new reporting from the groups this week shows that activity has ramped up with days to go until Election Day.

Pro-Proposition Q PACs drew about $80,000 in the past month and spent more than $120,000 on their campaigns. On the other side, groups opposing the tax rate measure reported contributions totaling almost $290,000 and about $260,000 in spending.

A new location of The PREP Schools is slated to be developed at the front of the Caliterra subdivision.

The gist: A 4.98-acre lot at the front of the Caliterra subdivision was rezoned for retail use for the development of the new school at 26025 RR 12.

The sale of the property is expected to close Nov. 4, with the school opening for the 2027 school year. This would be the third location of The PREP Schools in the Dripping Springs area, and it would serve children ages 6-12, operating 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Diving deeper: The PREP Schools representatives applied for the lot to be rezoned from an Agricultural district to a General Retail-Conditional Overlay (GA-CO) district, which Dripping Springs City Council approved at an Oct. 21 meeting.

South Austin community members can look forward to several interactive events and fundraisers this November including a comedy festival, a veterans dinner and dance and a local performance of “The Nutcracker.” This list is not comprehensive. Event details are subject to change.

Veteran's Day Dinner & Dance
Hosted by Rotary Club of Dripping Springs, veterans and their families will enjoy a program dedicated to honoring veterans combined with a catered dinner and live dance music provided by Alex Dormont and the Hot Texas Swing Band.

• Nov. 11, 5-9 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• Dripping Springs Distillery, 5330 Bell Springs Road, Dripping Springs

• Nov. 22, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• $10-$25 (admission)
• St. Andrews Dell Fine Arts Center, 5901 Southwest Parkway, Austin

A national search for the next leader of Austin Energy led to an internal hire, with interim General Manager Stuart Reilly's selected to take the job on a permanent basis starting this fall.

The details: Reilly has nearly two decades of experience in the public power sector, including previous stints as AE's deputy and interim general manager. He's been leading the city-owned power utility on an interim basis this year following the retirement of former General Manager Bob Kahn this spring.

As general manager, Reilly is responsible for overseeing the daily operations and long-range strategy at AE. The utility is operating on a $1.99 billion budget with nearly 2,000 full-time employees for fiscal year 2025-26.

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 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.”