<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[ElginTexasNews.Com]]></title><description><![CDATA[ElginTexasNews.Com is your independent source for local news, public records, and in-depth analysis. We shine a light on what matters to Elgin citizens.]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2026 04:11:15 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.elgintexasnews.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Watch the Other Hand!  Elgin's political circus won't pay the bills]]></title><description><![CDATA[Opinion by Stephanie Lippke Every magic trick works the same way. The magician makes you watch the hand that's waving. The trick happens in the other one. Elgin is being shown the waving hand. What the Mayor's group is doing In my opinion, Mayor Theresa McShan, Mayor Pro Tem YaLecia Love and Council Member Arthur Gibson have made a choice: rather than defend their decisions, they have made the people asking about those decisions into the story. Council Members Brenda Piña, Liston Crim and...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/watch-the-other-hand-elgin-s-political-circus-won-t-pay-the-bills</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa97456538b920dad6fc91d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2026 21:20:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_498c0cb4db0c454c88ceb3f8a2aeb902~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_941,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elgin Already Has an Interim City Manager. So Who Is Council Really Looking At?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Elgin already has an interim city manager. That is what makes Wednesday night’s agenda so interesting. On September 3, council went into executive session to discuss City Manager Robert Eads. When members returned, they voted to make Beau Perry interim city manager. Now, just six days later, council is going back behind closed doors. This time, the agenda specifically says members will discuss both the future of Eads and the “appointment and employment of an Acting or Interim City Manager.”...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/elgin-already-has-an-interim-city-manager-so-who-is-council-really-looking-at</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6aa03cb69faa206cd06de263</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2026 17:00:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_a94ed5cd82574278896d596cf1eb09c3~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[22 Days Later: Pecos Fired Him. Now He’s Elgin’s Unannounced Finance Director.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Twenty-two days. That’s how much time passed between Charles E. Lino being terminated as City Manager of Pecos and appearing in a statewide municipal directory as the new Finance Director for the City of Elgin. Elgin hasn’t announced his hiring. His departure from Pecos followed months of controversy over information councilmembers said he knew and failed to disclose. And now Robert Eads, the Elgin City Manager responsible for hiring City employees, is reportedly on indefinite leave. There is...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/22-days-later-pecos-fired-him-now-he-s-elgin-s-unannounced-finance-director</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a92320194a35c6c99d48dc3</guid><pubDate>Sat, 29 Aug 2026 01:16:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_bc9562bfab1f4d74be96dc62d92ce089~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_941,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Which Bill Do You Cut When Taxes and Utilities Both Go Up?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gas. Groceries. Utilities. Taxes. How Much More Can Elgin Families Take? For many Elgin families, the problem is no longer whether something costs a few dollars more. It is what gets pushed aside when several bills rise at the same time. Gas, groceries, electricity, insurance, housing and everyday necessities already compete for the same paycheck, and now the September 1 City Council agenda moves Elgin another step toward a higher property tax rate while a five-year utility rate plan points...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/which-bill-do-you-cut-when-taxes-and-utilities-both-go-up</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a91cbaf94a35c6c99d3c18c</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 18:39:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_02c4d90b7b0f4e13882455852aa8333c~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_941,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elgin Is Ready to Raise the Tax Rate, but the Budget Still Isn’t Finished]]></title><description><![CDATA[Elgin City Council is heading into a September 1 vote on a higher property tax rate and a revised FY2027 budget, but the story behind that vote is not a simple one. For months, City staff spent significant time and resources building more than $5 million in department requests. Council then spent weeks talking through that wish list, which was eventually narrowed to about $3.4 million. Now, after all of that work, the higher proposed tax rate would bring in only about $510,000 more in current...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/elgin-is-ready-to-raise-the-tax-rate-but-the-budget-still-isn-t-finished</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a91b4d0813c8b51e67676bd</guid><pubDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 16:37:33 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_efad9d51951c4d0b8c157dfc4fc0da4b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_941,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elgin's FY27 Budget Raises a Simple Question: Where Is the Restraint?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Imagine a normal Wednesday morning in October. You flush the toilet and nothing happens, then turn on the faucet and no water comes out. There is no hurricane, freeze or Snowmageddon; a major component of Elgin's water or wastewater infrastructure simply failed, and whatever broke has to be repaired immediately. That scenario is why cities maintain utility reserves. Pumps fail, motors burn out, water lines break and treatment equipment eventually reaches the end of its useful life. No one can...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/elgin-s-fy27-budget-raises-a-simple-question-where-is-the-restraint</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8df9645a2a910e1d86fbaa</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 20:52:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_4d6ba4e4ae354a1aa6447ff516ca9032~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elgin ISD’s New Superintendent Finalist: Strengths, Questions, and What It Could Mean for a Growing District]]></title><description><![CDATA[Elgin ISD has named Dr. Christopher Bailey as its lone finalist for superintendent, putting the district one step closer to selecting the leader who will help guide its future. For a district like Elgin, this is not a routine hire. Elgin ISD is growing fast. The district is serving more students, facing increasingly complex academic and behavioral needs, and preparing for the kind of expansion that can change a school system dramatically over the next decade. That means the superintendent...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/elgin-isd-s-new-superintendent-finalist-strengths-questions-and-what-it-could-mean-for-a-growing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a846a9ae009b3510d386d4c</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:56:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_092db4158da04a1b8675c3395bea67d5~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elgin Council Preview: Big Water, Big Growth, Big Questions — August 18, 2026]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Elgin City Council meets Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at the Elgin Public Library Annex Council Chambers, 404 N. Main Street. This is not a budget adoption meeting, but there are several items on this agenda that could have long-term financial and growth impacts for Elgin. The biggest issues involve the Water Treatment Plant, the Triada development, new EDC property purchases, and the City’s legislative priorities for the 2027 Texas Legislature. The biggest item: $5.48 million...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/elgin-council-preview-big-water-big-growth-big-questions-august-18-2026</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a8338f4c3cef5dd4ab3bc2a</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 16:42:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_3590bf9d7dad47a0bb10bfe67e86e445~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_724,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elgin’s $2 Million Budget Question: What Replaces the Utility Money?]]></title><description><![CDATA[The City has already said there will be no more administrative transfers from the Utility Fund to the General Fund in FY27. Utility transfers will be limited to capital-related expenses. That is an important change. It also creates a very simple budget question: What replaces the roughly $2 million the General Fund received from Utility last year? Think of it like a household budget Imagine your household loses a second income of $2,000 a month. At the same time, you get a raise of about $900...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/elgin-s-2-million-budget-question-what-replaces-the-utility-money</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7f384ea7a7d1a936d1fe78</guid><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:02:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_81313c76184b474ebf714815fef056fa~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[August 11, 2026 Budget Workshop Meeting]]></title><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/august-11-2026-budget-workshop-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a761eff6de144790dd02898</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:08:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_d56fdf7514074ca290a7318709134b11~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elgin’s Budget Is Your Business: Speak Up Before the Decisions Are Made]]></title><description><![CDATA[By Stephanie Lippke 8/7/26 12:00pm The City of Elgin is working on next year’s budget and property tax rate. These decisions will affect every homeowner, renter and business in Elgin. The highest rate now being considered is $0.719777 per $100 of taxable value. Last year’s adopted rate was $0.619296. The no-new-revenue rate is $0.629128. The higher rate has not been finally adopted. Citizens still have time to speak up. The next budget meetings are scheduled for: August 11, 2026 August 25,...]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/elgin-s-budget-is-your-business-speak-up-before-the-decisions-are-made</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a760e507e238b0b8addd66a</guid><pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:39:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_3cd0d108947a441b8da19469f92f8127~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_929,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[August 4 Elgin City Council Agenda Preview | ]]></title><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/august-4-2026-elgin-city-council-meeting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7397fa71634c5180817f87</guid><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 20:07:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_63c57cb6a9b84c2091865dcdcb7780da~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Wrong Deals, Bad Math and $6.7 Million Still Untraced: What Happened at Elgin City Council Meeting Last Night]]></title><description><![CDATA[Wrong Agreements, Conflicting Dates and a Watchdog:  Council Stops the Triada Vote. The Elgin City Council tabled the Triada Strategic Partnership Agreement Tuesday night after the agenda packet sent Council and the public through records tied to three different developments. The packet included a Strategic Partnership Agreement for Harvest Ridge and Altessa Municipal Utility District instead of the correct Triada agreement. The executive summary also listed a May 2025 approval date....]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/wrong-deals-bad-math-and-6-7-million-still-untraced-what-happened-at-elgin-city-council-meeting-l</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7368ef83bd56b51ff14fd1</guid><pubDate>Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:06:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_2bc9e051c2444f7eb1e43dc09983a7ea~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Elgin’s Tax Rate Could Rise 26.3% in Just Two Years]]></title><description><![CDATA[Elgin’s Tax Rate Could Rise 26.3% in Just Two Years

Tonight’s first reading could move Elgin closer to a 16.22% tax-rate increase this year, while the City is also studying higher water and sewer rates. See what taxpayers are being asked to fund, why the increase is so large, and what residents should demand before the final vote.]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/elgin-s-tax-rate-could-rise-26-3-in-just-two-years</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a72536a277d47c355d1102a</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2026 21:06:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_4032e4802c2e4722b71d8e3c0768600e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[A 40-Year Deal, a Last-Minute Rewrite, and the Questions That Wouldn’t Stay Buried]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tonight, Elgin City Council may be asked to approve a 40-year Triada agreement using documents that contained the wrong date, the wrong agreement, and missing payment terms. Now, hours before the vote, corrected papers may be handed out and major language removed, even though the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) says amendments require written approval from both the City of Elgin and Triada Municipal Utility District (MUD). Read the full timeline and see why this vote should be postponed.]]></description><link>https://www.elgintexasnews.com/post/a-40-year-deal-a-last-minute-rewrite-and-the-questions-that-wouldn-t-stay-buried</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a7224c354ef9951451f2fae</guid><pubDate>Tue, 04 Aug 2026 17:46:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d9e2e3_7683b82b20b0458ea7cf79f889aa6776~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Elgin Saga</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>