The San Marcos CISD Board of Trustees adopted a new tax rate for fiscal year 2026-27. The new rate features a reduction from the previous year’s rate, decreasing the amount taxpayers will owe each month.

The whole story: The Board adopted a tax rate of $0.8902 per $100 of taxable value during a Sept. 21 meeting, reducing the overall rate by 12.5 cents from the fiscal year 2025-26 rate of $1.0152 per $100 of taxable value.

The yearly taxes owed for a property worth $250,000 in taxable value will be reduced by approximately $312.50 if the taxable value remains the same as in FY 2025-26, said SMCISD Board Member Juan Miguel Arredondo in a statement.

The details: The total tax rate is composed of the Maintenance and Operations, or M&O, rate and the Interest and Sinking, or I&S, rate.

Austin Pets Alive! and PAWS Shelter of Central Texas announced a new partnership to launch the Hays County Pets Alive! initiative. The collaboration will expand animal services to save more pets in Hays County.

The overview: Hays County Pets Alive! was created after the boards of directors for both organizations met to discuss a potential partnership aimed at supporting PAWS and its efforts to provide Hays County with animal services.

The collaboration will provide essential animal services to the region, according to the release. Clinical service days at the PAWS Dripping Springs shelter will be increased.

Looking forward: PAWS will continue leading operations at the Dripping Springs shelter location. Both organizations are working to reopen the Kyle shelter location by the end of the year.

On July 17, PAWS announced its intention to wind down operations and close the Kyle shelter because the organization could not logistically and financially maintain it and the Dripping Springs shelter.

Austin Community College trustees unanimously approved a tax rate of $0.103643 per $100 of valuation, up from $0.1034 last year. Because property values fell, the average bill will drop about 2.2%, and the average homestead bill will drop about 1%. The owner of an average home will pay about $557, down from $562 last year.

The details: The new rate is below the college's no-new-revenue rate, meaning it will collect less from existing property. District officials said the slight rate increase is tied to debt on a $770 million bond voters approved in 2022. Property taxes fund about 67% of the college's $583 million budget.

What's next: Tax bills typically go out in the fall. They are due Feb. 1, 2027, because Jan. 31 falls on a Sunday.