Austin City Council Recap: Bond Vote Pulled, Dog’s Head Development Moves Forward
Austin City Council worked through a lengthy agenda this week, tackling everything from airport leases to zoning cases. But two items stood out above the rest: a resolution that would have set the stage for a November bond election, and a sweeping set of approvals tied to the “Dog’s Head” development in southeast Travis County.
Bond Election Resolution Withdrawn
Item 4 on the agenda asked Council to direct the City Manager to begin drafting an ordinance for a November 2026 bond election — including recommended bond measures, proposition language, categories, and dollar amounts for public improvements. This kind of resolution is typically the first formal step toward putting a bond package in front of voters.
Rather than debating it on the dais, Council withdrew the item entirely. That means, for now, there’s no active timeline or framework moving toward a November bond vote. The withdrawal doesn’t kill the possibility of a future bond election, but it does signal that the pieces — whatever they are, whether disagreement over categories, amounts, or timing — weren’t ready to move forward this week.
Dog’s Head: A Big Step for a 2,645-Acre Development
The bigger story of the day was “Dog’s Head,” a roughly 2,645-acre area bounded by the Colorado River, US Highway 183, and State Highway 130. Council took several coordinated actions that, together, clear a major path for this development to proceed:
- Item 111, the headline vote, created Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) No. 21 for the Dog’s Head area, approved the zone’s boundaries and the City’s participation rate, and appointed a board of directors. It passed as amended on an 8-2 vote.
- Item 14 authorized an agreement with Travis County to jointly fund and participate in that same TIRZ.
- Item 15 approved the preliminary project and financing plan for the zone, also as amended.
- Item 142 amended the underlying Development Agreement with Dog’s Head Land JV, Ltd., updating terms on drainage and environmental protections, land development standards, and the TIRZ itself.
- Council also approved related right-of-way vacations (items 75 and 76) conveying land to Dog’s Head Land JV, Ltd., and an annexation (item 106) bringing roughly 37 acres of right-of-way — including Hergotz Lane, Thompson Lane, Edwin Lane, Dalton Lane, and Ramirez Lane — into the City’s full-purpose jurisdiction.
Council passed an amendment to the development agreement banning military installations on the site — likely part of why items 15, 111, and 142 show as “approved as amended” rather than straight approvals.
Taken together, these votes establish the financing mechanism (a TIRZ, which allows future property tax revenue growth in the zone to be reinvested in public infrastructure there) and the legal groundwork needed for a large-scale development in an area that was only recently annexed into the city.
JOSÉ VELÁSQUEZ – DISTRICT 3
CHITO VELA – DISTRICT 4
Other Notable Actions
The rest of the agenda was heavy on routine but consequential business:
- A five-year lease with Southwest Airlines for cargo and provisioning space at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
- A battery storage agreement with a Jupiter Power subsidiary for up to 200 megawatts of capacity, in a deal worth up to $320 million over 20 years.
- Approval of the City’s Federal Legislative Program and State Legislative Priorities ahead of the next Congressional and Texas Legislature sessions.
- A handful of zoning cases were postponed at neighborhood or applicant request, including cases along Guadalupe Street, Anderson Mill Road, and East Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard — all pushed to the August 27 meeting.
- Several eminent domain resolutions for water, drainage, and trail projects, ranging from a $431 easement on Manor Road to a $148,973 acquisition for the Rutland to Northgate Trail.
- A large slate of routine contracts and franchise renewals, including a new gas franchise with Texas Gas Service and an electric franchise with Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.
City Council approved an agreement allowing Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center operate a new facility in South Austin.
Council approved new requirements for large-volume water customers.
The Takeaway
While most of Thursday’s agenda was consent-calendar business, the day’s real significance was in what didn’t move (the bond election framework) and what did (Dog’s Head). With TIRZ No. 21 now created and its financing plan approved, the City has effectively locked in its approach to funding infrastructure for one of the largest development areas recently brought into Austin’s jurisdiction — even as bigger citywide bond questions remain on hold.
Northeast Austin was the scene early this morning of a fatal shooting in what authorities say looks like a case of suicide by police.
One suspect was shot and has been pronounced deceased, according to APD. No officers or community members were injured.
10100 block Baden Lane
Chief Lisa Davis says a press conference will be held later to provide more information at around 12 to 12:30 p.m.
AFTERNOON UPDATE
Austin and Travis County officials have extended their ban on watercraft use across area waterways for a second time, pushing it to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 25, as high, fast-moving water from ongoing dam operations continues to make Lake Austin, Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River unsafe for boaters.
The city’s waterway activity ban now covers Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin and the Colorado River downstream of Longhorn Dam through Saturday at 5 p.m.
Floodgates at Mansfield Dam were closed Wednesday after being opened for the first time since 2019, while gates at Tom Miller Dam and Longhorn Dam remain open. City officials warned that the higher, faster water flows caused by the dam operations can create hazardous conditions for boaters, particularly those in non-motorized craft on Lady Bird Lake.
Canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, boats and similar equipment remain prohibited on the affected lakes while the ban is in place, and residents and visitors are urged to stay off riverfront trails vulnerable to flash flooding.
Several kayak and paddle rental companies have been forced to close for nearly a week.
But while residents can’t access the lakes right now, Austin Fire’s Special Ops and Liberty Hill Fire Department are using the high, faster-moving water as a training ground.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza is challenging a judge’s decision to award 12 jurors and two alternates $27,000 in compensation after just three days of hearing a high-profile criminal case. (Austin American-Statesman)
Days after their felony case was dismissed, former Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody and former County Attorney Jason Nassour are suing Travis and Williamson Counties, as well as District Attorneys José Garza and Shawn Dick.
A formal demand letter outlines an estimated $15–$16 million in economic damages and $40 million in non-economic damages (excluding attorney’s fees). To settle the civil lawsuit, Chody and Nassour are offering Williamson County a $35 million settlement. (FOX 7 Austin)
A sudden proposed plan to close Paredes Middle School in Austin ISD is raising concerns from families and teachers in the district.
(Episode from July 23, 2026)
Central Texas is sweltering under triple-digit heat this week, and the state’s power grid is straining to keep up.
On July 21, ERCOT logged 87,403 megawatts of electric demand—nearly 2,000 megawatts higher than the standing record set during an August 2023 heat wave—and demand topped 90,000 megawatts the following day, as large parts of the state remained under extreme heat warnings or advisories.
Grid operators say the surge is being driven by both the heat wave and rising demand from data centers and cryptocurrency miners flocking to the state. Despite the record-setting numbers, ERCOT says the grid is operating under normal conditions and continues to bring generating resources online early to guard against sudden swings in supply or demand.
Central Texas’s summer heat is taking a toll on local transit, as Capital Metro warned riders to expect intermittent delays across its system throughout the day due to extreme weather conditions.
WEATHER
THURSDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO
0211 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2026
...RECORD DAILY WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURE SET AT AUSTIN CAMP MABRY...
A RECORD DAILY WARM MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 82 DEGREES WAS SET AT
AUSTIN CAMP MABRY YESTERDAY JULY 23. THIS BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF
80 DEGREES SET IN 2023.
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
After making landfall in St. Bernard Parish on Wednesday and again near the Texas-Louisiana border on Thursday, Tropical Rainstorm Bertha is now tracking west across Texas, bringing heavy downpours.
The storm will continue weakening into Friday morning as its effects spread across South Texas. However, localized flash flooding remains a major risk, and dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents will persist far beyond the storm’s center.
Ruling that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office lacked real evidence beyond an anonymous email, a state appeals court on Thursday dismissed an injunction that had forced a Houston-area midwife to close her clinics under the state’s 2022 abortion ban. (Texas Tribune)
A proposed data center planned for Henderson County will not be pursued by developers after the project was assessed as failing to meet expectations set by Gov. Greg Abbott for similar projects.
SpaceX pushed back the launch of its 13th Starship test flight to Friday evening, citing poor weather and visibility conditions on Thursday that would have prevented crucial ground tracking of the rocket’s heat shield during ascent.
The decision delays a key milestone for the world’s most powerful launch system, which is currently targeting a 90-minute launch window opening at 5:45 p.m. CDT (6:45 p.m. EDT) today, from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents said nine undocumented migrants were rescued from wooden crates at the Falfurrias Checkpoint in an apparent human smuggling attempt.
Border patrol officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility, intercepted $2,781,000 worth of alleged cocaine concealed in a shipment manifested as bottled beverages.
After Tuesday’s disastrous press conference, from which Ken Paxton fled even basic questions from the press amidst the skirts of his handler – how on Earth does he expect to face equally insistent moderators, across a stage from James Talarico, before a huge live and televised audience, at a Senatorial debate? On our weekly roundtable this week, we dive deep into this important and extremely amusing question.
A 15-year-old New Braunfels boy faces multiple charges after officials say he displayed a handgun during a confrontation between two groups of juveniles in the Creekside Shopping Center parking lot Wednesday night and then attempted to conceal the weapon. (New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung)
A crash involving two 18-wheelers and a passenger car left one of the semi-trucks hanging off the edge of Interstate 10 near Katy Thursday morning and sent two people to the hospital with minor injuries, authorities said.
Midwest Poultry Services, L.P. has voluntarily recalled approximately 1.6 million dozen eggs—more than 19 million individual eggs—that were produced at two Texas farms.
Texas Department of Safety is looking for Ruben Calzada Hernandez – Texas’ newest 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrant.
Texas Game Wardens recently discovered a crested caracara, a red-tailed hawk, two red-shouldered hawks, two great horned owls, a northern cardinal, two otters, a bobcat, a white-tailed fawn, a groundhog and other protected wildlife in freezers in a Texas woman’s home.
If you suspect someone is illegally taking or possessing wildlife, report it anonymously through Operation Game Thief by calling 1-800-792-GAME (4263), texting TXOGT to 847411 along with your tip, using the Operation Game Thief app or submitting a report online. Rewards of up to $1,000 may be available for information leading to convictions.
Two people have been arrested in connection with what police described as an animal hoarding case in Alvarado. Police said 64 live cats and six live dogs were removed from a home and taken for treatment. They also found 69 dead cats, as well as the carcasses of other animals from various species. (FOX 7 Austin)
Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg and his family dominated last night’s episode of Celebrity Family Feud, defeating Barstool Sports’ Dave Portnoy and crew in a charity matchup that aired on ABC and streamed on Hulu.
SPORTS
MLB: Both Texas ballclubs are back in action tonight after Thursday’s day off. The Rangers open a three-game set at home against the Seattle Mariners, first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. CDT at Globe Life Field. Meanwhile, the Astros hit the road to open a series against the Chicago White Sox, with that game starting at 6:40 p.m. CDT on the South Side.
Tampa’s SEC Media Days wrapped Thursday with Texas closing out the four-day event, and head coach Steve Sarkisian didn’t shy away from big talk.
Sarkisian declared the Longhorns are competing for both an SEC and a national championship this year, regardless of conference affiliation. It’s a bold statement given Texas fell short of that standard in 2025, finishing 9-3 and missing the College Football Playoff.
One family in Texas set up a lemonade stand that became a destination for World Cup fans from around the globe. After the final games, the family took a moment to reflect on all the fans who passed through.
