A Dallas-based engineering company that specializes in fire protection is partnering with McKinney to install fire sprinklers across several city blocks in the downtown area.

McKinney City Council members approved a $420,775 contract with Reed Fire Protection Engineering in December to design a fire sprinkler system for each block. Assistant City Manager Barry Shelton said the design phase is expected to occur during most of 2026.

What happened: Council members approved the contract Dec. 16 after the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 1 board voted to allocate money for the project the same day. The design phase is funded by money from TIRZ No. 1.

“The desired outcome for this project—number one is a basic 100% fire coverage with fire alarms and fire sprinklers within the design study area,” Shelton said.

The scope: The study area he referred to includes nine blocks in downtown McKinney with 104 separate businesses. Some businesses within the area already have fire sprinkler systems, according to Shelton’s presentation.

Two Scooter’s Coffee locations on University Drive and Virginia Parkway in McKinney have closed, according to signs posted at each location.

The gist: Both locations served a variety of hot drinks, cold drinks, smoothies and pastries. The location on University Drive opened most recently in 2022. A representative from Scooter’s could not immediately be reached for comment.

• 8650 W. University Drive, McKinney; 2741 Virginia Parkway, Ste. 100, McKinney

Approximately three dozen new Texas laws are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, impacting how artificial intelligence is used in state government, when local officials can raise taxes after natural disasters and how much of businesses' inventory is taxed.

The background: The changes come after Texas’s biennial legislative session ended in early June. Gov. Greg Abbott signed over 1,100 laws passed by state lawmakers, many of which took effect in June or September.

The details: Some of the bills becoming law in the new year are:

• House Bill 9, which will expand a tax exemption for business owners
• House Bill 30, which will tighten regulations on counties' and cities' abilities to raise tax rates after natural disasters
• House Bill 149, which will regulate the fast-growing AI industry
• House Bill 247, which will exempt certain border security infrastructure from property tax increases
• House Bill 1399, which will create a property tax exemption for stores selling animal feed
• House Bill 2508, which will establish a property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of certain military members