HTX-KTY: Impact 10/21/2025

Katy-area foodies are invited to dine out for a cause from Oct. 24 to Nov. 2 as over 20 restaurants participate in the  inaugural Eat.Drink.Give KTX Restaurant Week.

What residents need to know: Participating restaurants will offer multi-course menus with a portion of proceeds benefitting multiple nonprofits including Armor of Hope Foundation, Katy Christian Ministries Food Pantry and Lunches of Love, officials announced in an Oct. 8 news release.

Speciality priced menus, which do not include tax and gratuity, will include $19 brunch and lunch options as well as $29 and $39 dinners.

Notable quote: “Great food brings people together—and together we can do real good,” Eat.Drink.Give KTX Event Organizer Cyril Thomas said in the release. “When guests choose a Restaurant Week menu, they’re not just getting a great meal; they’re helping fund food security for families right here in our community.”

The city of Katy is creating new no parking zones during school zone hours on some roads surrounding Woodcreek Elementary School.

What’s happening? At an Oct. 13 meeting, Katy City Council unanimously passed an ordinance to restrict parking on specific streets during school drop off and pick up hours to prevent cars from blocking residential streets.

The ordinance is also meant to discourage parents from parking on nearby streets and walking their children through traffic to get to school, Katy Chief of Police Bryon Woytek said.

Zooming in: The ordinance comes after a request from the Woodcreek Homeowners Association, a petition from homeowners and traffic data suggesting it's in the city’s best interest to prohibit parking during school zone hours, according to agenda documents.

What’s next: Once signage is up, police will issue warnings for approximately a week before issuing citations of up to $200, Woytek said.

Texas Ramp Project, which builds free wheelchair ramps for those in need across the state, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, according to a Sept. 15 news release. Over its 40 years, the nonprofit has built ramps for over 30,000 recipients with the help of over 3,500 volunteers.

Some context: The organization began in 1985 as the Dallas Ramp Project before being incorporated as the Texas Ramp Project in 2006, according to the news release. Texas Ramp Project provides the ramps to recipients at no cost, according to the news release. Most ramps cost between $800-$900 to build.

What else: In 2024, Texas Ramp Project built 2,727 ramps in 145 counties, according to its Sept. 1 fact sheet. To get a ramp, recipients must be referred by a health care provider or qualified organization via the nonprofit’s website.

As water restrictions and shortages become more common in Texas communities, state lawmakers are asking voters to approve $20 billion to fund new water supply projects and improve existing systems over the next 20 years.

The overview: If voters approve State Proposition 4, which is on the November ballot, the state will create a dedicated funding stream to help local utilities access more water and upgrade their infrastructure. Without the new funding, Texas’ water crisis could deepen, experts say.

“We’ve got 1,500+ people moving to Texas every day, and not one of them is bringing a single drop of water with them,” Dean Sharp, who leads the management division of the Texas American Water Works Association, said Oct. 16.

Key takeaway: Despite the $1 billion annual price tag, Proposition 4 would not create any new state taxes or increase costs for Texans, lawmakers and experts said. Beginning in 2027, the money would come from existing sales tax revenue and be deposited in the Texas Water Fund, a state account that voters approved in 2023.