🟪 Business advocacy group launched to aid Austin-San Antonio mega region (Austin Business Journal)

🟪 Dog's Head developer: TIRZ needed to land Fortune 100 company — and clock is ticking (Austin Business Journal)

🟪 Austin Community College to hold Pflugerville ISD annexation public hearing (Community Impact)

🟪 CapMetro to collect public feedback on proposed fare increases (Community Impact)

🟪 Considerable to catastrophic flooding likely through Thursday in Texas, forecasters say (Texas Tribune)

🟪 Texas lawmakers examine the state’s fragmented response to homelessness (Texas Public Radio)

🟪 New York becomes first U.S. state to impose AI data center ban (CNBC)

🟪 Trump will speak on elections in primetime address after pushing debunked conspiracies (Associated Press)

READ ON!

🏛️ Budget Meeting of the Austin City Council - Tomorrow, July 16 @10AM

💰 FY 2026/27 Proposed Budget

The City of Austin's proposed FY 2026/27 budget was released Friday night.

The $6.6 billion operating budget represents a $301 million increase over the current amended budget and calls for higher property taxes, increased utility rates and cuts to social services.

Review the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget documents here

🟪 Thursday, July 16 at 10AM : City manager will present draft budget to mayor and council

🟪 Wednesday, July 22: Work session (social service contracts will be discussed at this meeting)

🟪 Tuesday, July 28: Work session

🟪 Thursday, July 30: Work session

🟪 Thursday, Aug. 6: Work session and bond discussion

🟪 Wednesday, Aug. 12 – Friday, Aug. 14: Final vote approving budget

🏛️ Austin City Council July 23rd Regular Meeting Agenda

As Austin (MSA) continues to grow, more and more development is happening beyond the famed Austin City Limits. This Monthly LinkedGlenn event series highlights a single fast growing Austin suburb and July's stop is all about Hutto.... Hippos, Co-Op, Data Centers, Industrial, Retail, Downtown Redevelopment, Rooftops, Transportation and so much more...All things growth.

Full event details and ticket information here.

✅ Business advocacy group launched to aid Austin-San Antonio mega region (Austin Business Journal)

A new advocacy group has launched with plans to support the unification of the mega region that's emerging between Austin and San Antonio.

What's being called the Central Texas Alliance was described in a July 14 news release as a newly formed coalition of civic, business, economic development, academic and community leaders that is supporting the 13-county mega region that includes more than 120 cities in Central Texas.

It's a region that is emerging as a hub for massive high-tech corporate investment. That's evident in the wealth of companies in the artificial intelligence space, whether its data centers, autonomous trucking and construction robotics companies, and defense and aerospace manufacturers.

Central Texas Alliance is aiming to address opportunities and challenges that have come with that rapid growth. Both Austin and San Antonio are among the largest dozen cities in the U.S. and continue to rank among the fastest-growing metro areas. The group pegged the population between Austin and San Antonio at 5.3 million people – and expects it to add another 3 million by 2050, creating demands on housing, energy and water resources, mobility infrastructure and workforce, according to the release… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Dog's Head developer: TIRZ needed to land Fortune 100 company — and clock is ticking (Austin Business Journal)

The Dog’s Head annexation and development plans have moved at a quick pace in recent weeks. But if it doesn’t clear an important financing hurdle later this month, the developer says Austin won’t land a big corporate fish being reeled in to a city hungry for big economic wins again. 

The Dog’s Head is in contention to land an advanced manufacturing facility from a Fortune 100 company. But the unnamed company will need the East Austin swath of land to be designated as a Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, Andy Pastor, the managing principal of the Endeavor Real Estate Group, said in an interview. He added the Dog’s Head is in competition with another site in the U.S. to land the advanced manufacturing facility. 

“We are in competition,” Pastor said, adding that another city is being considered by the prospect. “The purchase and sale contract is contingent on TIRZ approval because that's what's required to pay for the high level of infrastructure required for this specific user.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin opens applications for public art projects across the city (KUT)

The city is accepting applications for four different Art in Public Places opportunities — an initiative that commissions artists to create artwork for public sites around Austin.

Selected artists will receive budgets ranging from $90,000 to $300,000 to complete their projects, according to Melissa Alvarado, cultural heritage tourism division manager at Austin Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment. Alvarado said she encourages all artists — regardless of expertise — to apply.

“Public art is important because it makes art accessible to everyone, regardless of where you live [or] how busy you are,” she said. “It creates an unexpected element of whimsy throughout our entire city without necessarily having to stop and go to a museum.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin Community College to hold Pflugerville ISD annexation public hearing (Community Impact)

Austin Community College officials are preparing to hold a public hearing for a potential ballot measure that could annex Pflugerville ISD's territory into ACC's taxing district, allowing students living within PfISD's boundaries to access ACC's in-district tuition rates and other opportunities.

The public hearing will be held July 16 at 5 p.m. at PfISD's Learning and Technology Center, located at 1601 W. Pecan St. in Pflugerville.

A petition from Pflugerville residents that sought to place the annexation item on the November 2026 ballot was unanimously accepted during a special ACC board of trustees meeting June 15, as previously reported by Community Impact… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ CapMetro to collect public feedback on proposed fare increases (Community Impact)

Capital Metro customers and community members will be able to provide feedback on CapMetro's proposed fare increases, the first for the agency since 2015.

The agency announced the community engagement efforts in a July 13 news release.

The agency is proposing a phased approach to implementing the new fares, with potential fare adjustments Jan. 10, 2027, and again in January 2029. Under this plan, fares for a single ride would increase by the following:

According to CapMetro officials, the proposed change will help the agency "ensure service reliability and maintain investments in new transit vehicles and infrastructure made over the last 11 years."… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Considerable to catastrophic flooding likely through Thursday in Texas, forecasters say (Texas Tribune)

Considerable to catastrophic flooding is likely to occur over the next two days in places along the U.S. 90 corridor west of San Antonio, according to federal forecasters, who elevated the risk for heavy rain causing flash flooding to the highest possible level through Thursday morning.

Some places could see a staggering 10 to 20 inches of rain, raising particular concerns among National Weather Service forecasters for people vacationing there and who might not be familiar with the flash flood threat. The areas at greatest expected risk included all or parts of Medina, Frio, Uvalde, Kinney, Maverick, Zavala, Val Verde, Edwards, Real and Bandera counties.

The Pecos, Rio Grande, Nueces, Frio, Medina and San Antonio rivers could all flood, forecasters said… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Texas lawmakers examine the state’s fragmented response to homelessness (Texas Public Radio)

For decades, Texas has largely treated homelessness as a local responsibility. Cities operate shelters and fund outreach programs. Counties run jails and public hospitals. Police officers respond to disturbances, while nonprofit organizations provide housing, treatment and other services.

Now, state lawmakers are questioning whether the fragmented system contributes to a costly cycle in which some of the most vulnerable Texans move repeatedly among the streets, emergency rooms, county jails and short-term treatment programs.

The Texas House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs has been directed to study how the state can treat and prevent homelessness before the next legislative session. At a June hearing, lawmakers heard that local governments are already spending billions of dollars responding to people in crisis but often without producing long-term stability.

Republican state Rep. David Spiller said lawmakers first must understand the different problems that fall under the broad label of homelessness.

“We are really talking about three separate issues: homelessness, mental illness and systemic recidivism. They’re all related, but they’re all separate,” Spiller said. “I don’t think we can adequately fix it unless we understand fully what’s causing it.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ New York becomes first U.S. state to impose AI data center ban (CNBC)

New York became the first U.S. state on Tuesday to halt construction ​of large new data centers, imposing a one-year moratorium as concerns grow that the facilities driving the artificial-intelligence boom are raising power costs, straining water ‌supplies and burdening local communities.

The moratorium positions New York at the forefront of a growing national debate over how to manage the infrastructure needed to support AI. While technology companies are racing to build new data centers, lawmakers and regulators in dozens of states are weighing measures to limit their effect on electricity grids, utility bills and local communities.

"As data center development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural ​resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it's my responsibility to take action and lead," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. She added that she would ​also pursue legislation to repeal sales tax exemptions for large data centers.

The construction ban will apply to data centers that use 50 megawatts ⁠or more of power, officials in the governor's office said.

During the moratorium, the state's Department of Environmental Conservation will not issue any discretionary permits not already deemed complete, the ​governor's office said.

Instead, Hochul directed state officials to develop a Generic Environmental Impact Statement to ensure that new data centers coming online are held to "consistent standards," as well as examine the ​potential environmental impacts of the construction and operation of data centers in the state.

The ban will be lifted once the state finalizes those standards, according to Hochul's office… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Trump will speak on elections in primetime address after pushing debunked conspiracies (Associated Press)

President Donald Trump will deliver a primetime address this week that he says will include a focus on elections, suggesting he could revisit long-debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. The speech comes as he’s escalated calls for Republicans to pass tighter federal voting rules for November’s midterm elections.

The Republican president has been guarded about what he plans to say in the 9 p.m. Thursday speech, scheduled as he confronts a collapsing deal to end the war with Iran. He also faces numerous domestic issues, including recent deadly shootings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Asked for a preview of the speech on Tuesday, Trump offered scant detail but said he has “really big news.”

“It doesn’t get bigger, because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country,” Trump said in the Oval Office. He refused to go further, saying he wanted to “save it” for the moment, though he also hinted he would be talking about a hodgepodge of issues.

“We’ll be discussing other things, too,” Trump said, without elaborating. “It’s going to be a very big announcement.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)