SATX-BNE: Impact 11/11/2025

The cities of Fair Oaks Ranch and Boerne are planning capital improvements to local roads and sidewalks. Check out the latest updates on these four transportation projects.

Ongoing projects: Willow Wind Drive and Rolling Acres Trail in Fair Oaks Ranch are receiving improvements to water mains that have a history of breaks. The project commenced in August and is scheduled for completion in early 2026. 

To the south of Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch, the Texas Department of Transportation is making progress on the Loop 1604 expansion, which led to the opening of flyover ramps at the I-10 and Loop 1604 interchange. 

Upcoming projects: The city of Boerne is working ot secure funding for the widening and improving of Cascade Caverns Road. Since 2021, the project has experienced a significant price increase, resulting in delays. 

The city of Boerne is also working through the design of sidewalks along Bentwood Drive.

In the wake of the July 4th floods that struck the Hill Country, Edgar Zamorano said he felt obligated to help in any way he could.

The action taken: Zamorano was working at the Bevy Hotel in Boerne, where many Texas Department of Public Safety, or DPS, workers were staying before heading into Kerr County to help with rescue and cleanup efforts.

“The guys from the DPS were leaving town at 5 a.m.,” Zamorano said. “So I asked them the first night if there was any way I could donate them breakfast.”

Making San Antonio’s famous breakfast tacos and seeing a need for hardworking first responders to be fed, Zamorano went to Kerrville—marking the beginning of Operation Taco, his new nonprofit.

Read all about it: Now, Zamorano said he serves first responders throughout the entire region and is waiting to further expand his operation.

“I thought, how do I keep doing this? I’ve loved every second of it,” Zamorano said.

• Serving South Central Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott announced his bid for a fourth gubernatorial term Nov. 9, laying out an ambitious six-pronged plan to make “out-of-control property taxes finished in Texas.”

The details: Abbott's goals include eliminating property taxes charged by public school districts, which make up the majority of an average homeowner’s property tax bill. Some conservative groups and lawmakers pushed for an end to school property taxes during recent state legislative sessions.

The governor’s plan to limit local tax increases includes:

• Limiting annual local government spending
• Requiring approval from two-thirds of local voters for all tax hikes
• Allowing local residents to petition for an election to roll back tax rates
• Requiring property appraisals to occur once every five years
• Capping appraisal increases at 3% per year, down from 10% today
• Asking voters to eliminate school property taxes

More than 20 months after wildfires swept through the Texas Panhandle in early 2024, burning over 1.2 million acres of land, state lawmakers questioned if Texas has the tools needed to tackle another major fire.

The context: Texas is always a fire-prone state, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Association. The association’s website reports that annual wildfire risk is most severe from February-April, when dry grasses and high winds can cause fires to spread, and August-October, when high temperatures and droughts contribute to fires.

“Our purpose today is to figure out—what is our response going to look like next February and March?” Rep. Ken King, a Republican representing Canadian and other Panhandle communities, said during a Nov. 3 committee hearing. “Are we better prepared … or are we in the same position we were in 2024, when our response was lacking?”

The details: Officials said Texas owns just two firefighting aircraft, with others "essentially [subleased] through the federal government."

During peak wildfire season, this means Texas may have access to limited resources.