The Leander City Council approved purchases amounting to nearly $875,000 for ten vehicles to support the city’s police and public works departments Aug. 20. During the same meeting, the city council also approved a $700,000 contract for the leasing of golf carts for the Crystal Falls Golf Course.

By the numbers: The purchases include six police vehicles for more than $634,000, three Ford trucks for the Public Works department for less than $161,000 and a mini excavator for the Public Works department costing less than $80,000.

What else? The council approved a two-year contract to lease 92 golf carts and a hauler cart for the Crystal Falls Golf Course for more than $700,000. City documents indicate that the annual revenue from golf cart rentals at the course averages more than $600,000.

=A new restaurant focused on clean food is expanding to Texas with a location planned for Leander. Aubergine Kitchen aims to open in Northline by spring 2027, a representative from the company confirmed. The restaurant has more than a dozen locations across Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Utah.

What they offer: Aubergine Kitchen does not use seed oils or added sugar and offers gluten-free options for guests. The menu features breakfast, lunch and dinner. Guests can choose from a variety of salads, bowls and melts. Aubergine Kitchen also offers vegan smoothies, ice cream and shakes.

Other businesses coming to the Northline development include 7 Brew Coffee, Piada Italian Street Food and Tifa Chocolate & Gelato.

• 508 E. San Gabriel Parkway, Ste. 110, Leander

Texas senators indicated Sept. 1 that they intend to tighten regulations on data centers during next year’s legislative session, which begins in January.

What they're saying: “I think every member's district has had an impact from a data center conversation, so there will be plenty of bills trying to put things in place that are reasonable, responsible regulatory frameworks for data centers,” state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, said.

The big picture: With some Texas residents and conservation groups sounding the alarm about water-intensive technologies used by some data centers, state agencies have warned that limited information is available on how much water the industry actually uses. Officials said they have also had trouble determining exactly how many data centers are operating in the state today, as there is no “comprehensive statewide list” of existing and planned facilities.

Estimates from state agencies and the University of Texas at Austin suggest that roughly 370 data centers are currently operating in Texas, with about 100 facilities under construction and another 180 being proposed.