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The Dripping Springs Independent School District has a $402.3 million bond on the ballot that will go to voters this spring.

DSISD has grown by 61% in the last decade and is expected to continue growing for the next several years. To address this, the district is looking to build a new high school, expand bus transportation and upgrade technology across campuses.

The DSISD bond is split into two propositions, so voters don't have to pass the whole thing; they can choose to pass one section and not the other.

Here's what's in the bond.

Prop A totals about $399.7 million. Currently, four campuses in DSISD are overcapacity — Dripping Springs Elementary, Walnut Springs Elementary, Sycamore Springs Middle School and Dripping Springs High School.

Dripping Springs High School is the only high school in the district and serves more than 2,500 students. Even with portable classrooms, the campus is expected to exceed capacity by 2028.

The bond would add a second high school, allowing for another 2,500 students. It would be built along Darden Hill Road and cost the district about $298.8 million. It's expected to open for the 2028-2029 school year.

The fund would also go toward renovations at Dripping Springs High School and Rooster Springs Elementary, and would help maintain buildings across the district.

Prop A would also help the district buy new school buses and replace and retrofit old ones to ensure all buses have seat belts. Transportation safety has been a concern across the region following a Hays CISD school bus deadly crash last year. Since then, several districts have made an effort to meet new safety standards.

Prop B totals about $2.6 million. The funds would upgrade technology for teachers, staff and students. Devices for teachers and staff are usually replaced once they’re over five years old; devices for students aren’t replaced until they break or stop working.

Part of the technology upgrade includes replacing interactive panels in classrooms, which work like electronic whiteboards. Those are usually replaced every seven years, once they reach the end of their warranty period.

DSISD officials said the property tax rate is expected to remain the same whether or not the bond passes.

Early voting runs from April 22 to April 29; Election Day is May 3. Find out more about the election here.

A long-running wastewater battle that stalled growth in one of Austin’s fastest-growing suburbs may finally be over.

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday sided with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in a lawsuit over Dripping Springs’ wastewater permit, clearing the way for the city to more than double its treatment capacity, the Austin Business Journal reported.

The ruling affirms a 2019 TCEQ decision allowing the city to discharge up to 822,500 gallons of treated wastewater per day into Onion Creek, up from the previous 300,000, despite opposition from environmental groups led by Save Our Springs Alliance.

The fight cast a long shadow over development in Dripping Springs, where the city’s wastewater system was nearing 90 percent capacity. The city imposed a since-revoked moratorium on new construction in 2021 and has been turning away new wastewater service applications, especially on the commercial side.

Retailers like H-E-B, which had received approval to double the size of its local store, shelved plans indefinitely pending the court’s decision?.

Design and construction plans for the expanded South Regional Wastewater System are ready to go, said Deputy City Administrator Ginger Faught. The city has also signed contracts with developers to use treated effluent for irrigation and expects to open more capacity for future housing and retail projects.

The ruling also grants the city greater flexibility under a discharge permit rather than a land application permit, allowing treated wastewater to be reused more efficiently without requiring frequent amendments.

Environmental groups still have the option to request a rehearing, but city officials say the judge’s decision represents a turning point.

Dripping Springs grew by more than 20 percent last year and now counts over 8,700 residents. With demand for housing and services surging, the ruling could unlock years of pent-up development and give the city a competitive edge in attracting retailers who previously opted for suburbs with fewer permitting hurdles.

— Judah Duke

Early voting begins April 22 and ends April 29. Voters within the Dripping Springs ISD boundaries will vote for two At-Large district trustees and two bond propositions.

On the ballot

Listed in ballot order, the following candidates will be on the ballot:

*indicates incumbent

The two candidates with the most votes will win the trustee election.

To learn more about the candidates, visit previous reporting by Community Impact.

Voters will also see the following propositions for a bond:

To learn more about the bond election, visit previous reporting by Community Impact.

At the polls

Voters must bring an acceptable form of identification to their polling location. Voters can bring notes and sample ballots, but cannot promote any candidate, political party or ballot item within 100 feet of the entrance to the polling place.

Early voting polling locations in Dripping Springs include the following:

Voters in both Hays and Travis Counties can vote anywhere in their county. Other Hays County early voting locations outside of Dripping Springs can be found here. Travis County early voting locations can be found here.

A Hays County sample ballot can be found here and a Travis County sample ballot can be found here.

For more information on Hays County, visit www.hayscountyx.gov. For more information on Travis County, visit www.votetravis.gov.

Elisabeth joined Community Impact in October 2024 and covers all things Austin ISD, Dripping Springs and Hays County. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin May 2024 with a degree in journalism and certificates in creative writing and environment and sustainability. In her free time, she enjoys catching live music in Austin, watching movies and doing art projects. Send tips, feedback or questions to ejimenez@communitimpact.com.

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The fourth annual Dripping Springs Brewers Festival is happening this weekend in the city’s downtown district.

The details

The daytime event March 29 will celebrate craft beer featuring local breweries. Participating brewers include:

The festival will also include live music and food from Garbo’s Food Truck and Dripping Springs Cookoff Club.

What else

Dripping Springs earned the designation as a Brew City, Texas destination by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. The Brew City designation recognizes cities that focus on craft beer tourism.

Two Dripping Springs brewers earned awards at the guild’s 2025 Texas Craft Brewers Cup for their beer flavors. Acopon Brewing Co. won a bronze medal in the “Classic UK Styles” category. Ghost Note Brewing won a gold medal in the “Brett and Mixed Culture” category. In 2024, Acopon, Ghost Note and Fitzhugh Brewing were awarded medals for their beers.

The award-winning beers, and other flavors, will be served at the festival until supplies last, according to the city website.

General admission tickets are $40. The event will be held 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Mercer Street.

Elisabeth joined Community Impact in October 2024 and covers all things Austin ISD, Dripping Springs and Hays County. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin May 2024 with a degree in journalism and certificates in creative writing and environment and sustainability. In her free time, she enjoys catching live music in Austin, watching movies and doing art projects. Send tips, feedback or questions to ejimenez@communitimpact.com.

The first-ever public restrooms are coming to downtown Dripping Springs on April 17.

The details

Four restroom stalls—two women’s and two men’s—will be installed along Mercer Street, east of Vintage Soul, 302 Mercer St., Dripping Springs, as previously reported by Community Impact.

Dripping Springs Mayor Bill Foulds said the new restrooms will make downtown more accessible.

“Public restrooms may not sound glamorous, but they are essential to creating a downtown that is welcoming, walkable and built for everyone,” he said in a news release. “We’re grateful to the TIRZ board, to the City Council, and to everyone involved in this for making this important project a reality. We are excited that these are being unveiled in time for our annual Founders Day Festival.”

The city is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony April 17 at 4 p.m. to celebrate the occasion. The event will be on Stephenson Way between 302 and 300 Mercer St., Dripping Springs. City officials said attendees should gather in the Stephenson parking lot due to the number of attendees expected.

City officials said the event may include a “ceremonial first flush to christen the new facilities.”

What else

The project started in December and is expected to finish April 17 in time for the ceremony and Founders Day, April 25 through April 27.

It cost an estimated $365,000 for the restroom project. Partial funding was from the city of Dripping Springs Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, board, which focuses on infrastructural improvements in the city, according to the news release. The restrooms are part of a TIRZ initiative to enhance the downtown infrastructure and economic vitality of Dripping Springs, the news release states.

Elisabeth joined Community Impact in October 2024 and covers all things Austin ISD, Dripping Springs and Hays County. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin May 2024 with a degree in journalism and certificates in creative writing and environment and sustainability. In her free time, she enjoys catching live music in Austin, watching movies and doing art projects. Send tips, feedback or questions to ejimenez@communitimpact.com.

Thanks for reading!

Daily news about your community is free, and your support is invaluable.

Give $10 now towards CI's journalistic mission across Texas.

Become a CI Patron