McKinney City Council voted on October 20, 2026, to approve a resolution adopting nine legislative priorities the city will push during the 2027 Texas legislative session, with transportation topping the list. The priorities also cover water, airport development, economic development, education and workforce, elections, tax reform, open government and municipal home-rule authority.
The vote came as reported by Community Impact, which first detailed the council's action. Nimra Zubair, assistant to the city manager, said the priorities guide the city's legislative recommendations, according to that report. McKinney's own priorities page, which collaborates with state legislators on the city's behalf, states that the city seeks to promote its priorities “in collaboration with our state legislators,” according to the city's official Legislative Priorities page.
Mayor Bill Cox framed transportation as bigger than McKinney alone. Cox said transportation is a regional concern across Collin County, and he said a coalition of elected officials, including county-level officials, could shape how the city's priorities play out in Austin, per Community Impact's reporting. McKinney mayors have also discussed traveling to Austin to support transportation funding, the outlet reported.
Specific Road Projects Named in the Resolution
The legislative resolution itself lists concrete infrastructure asks. It calls for reconstruction of SH 5 between Powerhouse Street and Telephone Road, construction of Stonebridge Drive between U.S. 380 and Bloomdale Road, and a new FM 456 connection between future Spur 399 and the existing FM 456, according to Community Impact's account of the resolution. The city's transportation priority broadly supports funding for both new and existing projects.
Some of that work is already moving. McKinney's March 3, 2026, City Council meeting agenda included a resolution authorizing a contract with CP&Y Inc., doing business as STV Infrastructure, for engineering design services on the Stonebridge Drive segment between U.S. 380 and Bloomdale Road, according to a city council meeting recording. Separately, the first phase of the SH 5 project is expected to start in 2027 and would reconstruct and widen the road into a divided four-lane roadway between McMakin Street and Power House Street, according to a separate Community Impact report on SH 5 enhancements. City staff are also working with the Texas Department of Transportation to add two-stage pedestrian crossings at six locations along SH 5, the same report noted.
Water, Airport and Home-Rule Authority Also on the List
Beyond roads, the city's broader legislative priorities page lays out support for additional state funding tied to water supply and for preserving local authority over water conservation efforts. The page also backs increased state funding for development of McKinney National Airport and related infrastructure, plus continued Texas Department of Transportation funding for both new projects and asset maintenance, per the city's priorities page.
Home-rule authority is another recurring theme. The city supports legislation that upholds McKinney's home-rule authority and opposes any bill that would diminish it, according to the city's own priorities page. The resolution's broader list also names economic development, education and workforce, elections, tax reform and open government as priorities, per Community Impact's reporting, with city staff expected to report back to council on developments in Austin once the legislative session begins.
Timing Lines Up With the 2027 Session
The 2027 Texas legislative session is scheduled to start January 12, 2027, with the bill-filing period set to open November 9, 2026, according to Community Impact's reporting. McKinney is not alone in getting its priorities locked in early — Texas cities broadly are developing policy proposals ahead of the session, according to the Texas Municipal League, and El Paso's City Council separately approved its own state legislative agenda for the upcoming session, as reported by KTSM 9 News.
McKinney's priorities are developed in coordination with legislative consultants, the Texas Municipal League, the North Texas Commission and others, according to the city document cited in Community Impact's reporting. With bill filing opening soon and the session itself just weeks away after that, the city's wish list now heads to Austin for lawmakers to consider.
