🟪 Austin leaders eye water conservation measures for major projects as data center growth raises resource concerns (Community Impact)

🟪 Austin ISD trustees hear concerns over proposed Paredes Middle School closure (CBS Austin)

🟪 City of Austin asking for feedback on potential César Chávez Street name change (KXAN)

🟪 Community colleges brace for local cuts after Texas funding shortchanges them millions (Texas Tribune)

🟪 Energy agencies want more authority over Texas data centers (Texas Tribune)

🟪 Kentucky governor demands that McConnell prove he is fit to serve or resign (Associated Press)

🟪 The Federal Reserve faces a critical decision on interest rates (NPR)

READ ON!

🏛️ COUNCIL MEETINGS:

💰 Review the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget documents here

🏛️ MEMO: Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget Adoption Timeline

🎙️ The BG Podcast is back! Episode 269 features my conversation with former San Antonio Mayor and HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros about the Austin–San Antonio mega region.

The discussion comes as the new Central Texas Alliance seeks to build consensus across 13 counties along and around the I-35 corridor.

Listen on:

🟪 BG Blog: Texas State or Austin Municipal Lobbyist? How to Hire the Right Firm

✅ Austin leaders eye water conservation measures for major projects as data center growth raises resource concerns (Community Impact)

Austin leaders are seeking to mandate long-range water use and conservation plans from facilities that use large amounts of water. They're also considering limits or a ban on large data centers, and where those projects might fit into the city's pursuit of new economic development prospects.

“The overall message is that Austin is looking very carefully at water usage, and if you want to use a lot of water you’ll not only have to pay your fair share for water and infrastructure, but you also have to conserve as much as possible," said council member Mike Siegel, the measure's sponsor.

Siegel's resolution approved July 23 would impose new water planning processes for local projects. As proposed, large-volume water customers in Austin would be required to… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Austin ISD trustees hear concerns over proposed Paredes Middle School closure (CBS Austin)

Austin ISD trustees heard from parents and community members Tuesday night about a proposal to permanently close Paredes Middle School just weeks before the start of the new school year.

District leaders say the recommendation is necessary to improve student outcomes after a year of turnaround efforts did not produce enough academic growth. If approved Thursday, the district would replace the current turnaround plan with campus closure and student reassignment.

Many who spoke during the board’s information session said their biggest concern is the timing of the proposal, with school set to begin in just a few weeks.

Amy Moore, a parent, urged district leaders to provide more certainty for families before the start of the school year.

“Three weeks before school starts, AISD students, teachers, and the community deserve a clear plan and confidence that every campus has what students need to succeed.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ City of Austin asking for feedback on potential César Chávez Street name change (KXAN)

he City of Austin is asking the community for their thoughts on a potential renaming of César Chávez Street.

The City will host three meetings providing information about the history of the street, the renaming process, and the possible impacts for the community and nearby businesses.

The meeting details can be found below:

The city is asking for Austinites to weigh on two major questions:.. 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Community colleges brace for local cuts after Texas funding shortchanges them millions (Texas Tribune)

Texas community college leaders are bracing for cuts because they’re missing out on millions that the schools earned but the state can’t afford to pay. 

The administrators spoke publicly for the first time about the stress that the state funding shortfall puts on their budgets during a Texas Senate committee hearing Tuesday.  They said it will be hard to sustain the investments that state officials asked the colleges to make to improve students’ success . 

“When I put that [shortfall] into our budget, it turns into faculty salaries. … It’ll definitely affect advising,” said Brenda Hellyer, president of San Jacinto College. “For us, it’s going to be a hard budget year.”

Schools surpassed state projections on student outcomes, which is primarily how community colleges are funded. In response, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board officials  prorated the dollars each college will get to stay within the budget. That contributes to a more than 15% drop in state funding for nearly a dozen colleges… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Energy agencies want more authority over Texas data centers (Texas Tribune)

Texas’ power grid operators are calling for state lawmakers to expand their authority to regulate data centers, following a recent directive to rein in these facilities from Gov. Greg Abbott.

In a letter to the agencies last month, Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to take action to ensure that data centers lower residents’ energy bills when the facilities connect to the grid and require data centers to pay for the costs of their electric infrastructure.

The governor also directed the commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the state’s electricity grid, to review their authority and “identify actions that can be taken under those authorities to safeguard Texans, their property, and resources.”… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ Kentucky governor demands that McConnell prove he is fit to serve or resign (Associated Press)

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a rising national figure in the Democratic Party, is calling on the state’s Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell to either prove that he is fit to continue serving after his lengthy hospital stay or resign from office.

Beshear made the demand in a letter after McConnell’s office said Monday that the 84-year-old senator had not yet been medically cleared to leave the rehabilitation facility where he has been undergoing physical therapy. The office said he would miss a major Kentucky political event and upcoming Senate votes. McConnell was hospitalized June 14 and disclosed weeks later that it was the result of a fall.

Beshear, who is widely viewed as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, first urged McConnell in early July to release more information about his condition after weeks of public silence. His letter Tuesday marked a significant escalation… 🟪 (READ MORE)

✅ The Federal Reserve faces a critical decision on interest rates (NPR)

It's decision day at the Federal Reserve — and policymakers are weighing a critical decision: What to do about interest rates in the face of stubborn inflation.

Kevin Warsh, who took over as Fed chairman two months ago, has been careful not to tip his hand about where he thinks rates should go. But Warsh told lawmakers earlier this month he and the other members of the Fed's rate-setting committee are determined to bring prices under control.

"My colleagues and I recognize that high inflation has been an undue burden on American households and businesses," Warsh told the Senate Banking Committee at a hearing this month. "The members of our committee have no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation and we share a resolute commitment to restore price stability."… 🟪 (READ MORE)