The Austin-based nonprofit organization Foundation Communities opened its new financial assistance center, Prosper Center North, on West Braker Lane on Oct. 28. The facility replaces the former Prosper Center on North Airport Boulevard and will provide free assistance with tax preparation, health insurance enrollment, financial coaching, benefits assistance and college and career coaching.

Learn more: Located in a former church, the facility features a 4,600-square-foot main building with:

• 20 work stations with sound-minimizing dividers
• Fully enclosed office spaces
• Renovated restrooms, roofing and insulation
• A 12x7-foot window

The impact: The Prosper Health Coverage program will operate seven days a week through Dec. 15. The program plans to:

• Enroll 4,000 Central Texans in health insurance plans
• Host over 230 Certified Application Counselors working with 20 staff members
• Enroll about 2,400 Central Texas Musicians in partnership with Health Alliance for Austin Musicians

Austin officials voted Nov. 5 to formally update the city's 10-year housing plan, creating a new framework to guide affordable housing construction and preservation from 2028-37. The update will replace the current Strategic Housing Blueprint, adopted in 2017 with a high-level goal of adding 135,000 housing units by 2027.

The details: The new planning effort is funded with $750,000 of a $6.7 million federal housing grant, using no city dollars. Key elements of the updated strategy will include:

• New goals for affordable housing development and preservation

• An updated Opportunity Map to guide housing placement in desirable areas

• A shift toward supporting deeper levels of housing affordability

• A focus on displacement and preserving naturally occurring affordable housing

• Housing strategies for specific populations, including the homeless, youth, students and domestic violence victims

A record number of Travis County voters cast ballots during early voting for the Nov. 3 midterm election, according to unofficial results from the Travis County Clerk’s Office. Voters cast 449,556 early ballots in person and by mail, or 47.39% of the county’s 948,567 registered voters.

The details: Including Election Day, 552,560 ballots were cast, putting unofficial turnout at 58.25%. That topped the 51.99% recorded in 2022 but trailed 2018’s 63%, according to the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.

What’s next: Totals are unofficial until the canvass, which must be completed by Nov. 17. Runoffs for local races will be held Dec. 12, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.

Austin voters rejected Proposition I, a proposed mandate for recurring independent assessments of city government operations, by a 10-point margin.

The details: Despite the failure of the Save Austin Now-backed measure, an existing multi-year comprehensive efficiency review authorized by City Council remains in progress. The program is taking place under a $5.23 million contract with Public Works LLC, and the firm has started its preliminary reviews of Austin's government:

• Year 1: General fund departments providing public-facing services, including public safety, public health, homeless strategy, housing and planning, parks, library, animal services, and arts and culture

• Year 2: Enterprise and support services departments, including aviation, transportation and public works, watershed protection, convention center, financial services, City Council and city management

• Year 3: Utility departments, including Austin Energy, Austin Water and Austin Resource Recovery

Initial public reporting from Public Works is anticipated during a January presentation to council members.