Neal Amador started running in his mid-50s after his wife suffered a back injury. To help her heal, she took up walking and Amador joined in support. The pair started a couch-to-5K program in 2014 and Amador has been running ever since.

“In a seven month window, I went from not having run before to doing a 5K, a 10K and a half marathon,” Amador said.

The background: Mark King, owner of Fleet Feet Round Rock, first opened the store in 2013 and opted to host a run club at the location. Amador joined a Fleet Feet run club in 2015 and in early 2016 he took over as director, continuing to mentor and coach fellow runners. He recently completed his 23rd half marathon and said if he can start running, anyone can. 

The run clubs have a 5K and 10K programs available for runners with scheduled training sessions and goal races.

The median price of homes sold in November increased in three of four Round Rock ZIP codes, compared to November 2024, according to data by Unlock MLS.

Overview: As home prices declined, home sales were mixed in November, with two ZIP codes seeing a decrease and two experiencing an increase. Across the city, sales dropped from 169 in November 2024 to 136 last month. At the same time, inventory rose from 4 months of inventory to 5 months, and the average time homes spent on the market rose in three of the four Round Rock ZIP codes.

Pablo Serna became Williamson County’s new architect, overseeing the planning, design and construction of county facilities, Oct. 24. Serna sat down with Community Impact to discuss his previous experience and new role.

Why were you drawn to Williamson County?
When Williamson County came up, I saw that as a good transition over to [the] more local. What was attractive to me about that position is they were working on some really large projects.

What's the role of the county architect?
A liaison between the professional teams that are hired. ... Usually it's a hybrid architect-engineering company that we hire to do a lot of these large projects.

How can county facilities both preserve history and serve modern needs?
The way I see that [is] we, even at the county level, are stewards of this history. But a lot of times ... it’s understanding that these buildings have a life beyond their original purpose and intended use.

Texans now have a new database to track the results of local bond propositions and tax rate elections, or TREs, in their communities and across the state.

The details: Texas’ Local Government Bond, Tax, and Project Transparency Database was unveiled after state lawmakers passed House Bill 103 this spring. The new law requires the comptroller to compile information about all bonds, tax rate elections and maintenance tax rate changes proposed by local governments in an election, including:

• Ballot language for all tax-related proposals
• How each tax measure would impact the local tax rate or debt service
• The difference between the adopted tax rate and voter-approval tax rate, if applicable
• The entity’s tax rate for the prior year and the tax rate following the election
• A list of projects funded by each tax measure
• The results of each election, including votes for and against a measure