Houston City Council approved a deal that will provide the city a total of $50 million over the next four years from The Woodlands Township in exchange for agreeing to not annex the township.

The vote: Houston City Council voted to amend a Regional Participation Agreement between the city and The Woodlands that required the township to pay one-sixteenth of 1% of its sales tax to a Regional Participation Fund every year. 

Those opposed: The RPF had not been used since 2018, and no projects, which require approval from The Woodlands, have been suggested since then.

District C council member Joe Panzarella, who cast the lone “no” vote, said he was unaware of the fund until two weeks ago, when the amendment was added to the agenda. 

Some background: Mayor John Whitmire added that The Woodlands board of directors chair Brad Bailey is up for election to the state legislature, and the city has to be smart about using its relationships to advance the city’s goals.

Behavioral Innovations, a company specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis therapy and autism diagnostic services for children, celebrated the opening of its latest branch location in the Westchase area on Sept. 2, officials confirmed.

The specifics: At the Westchase center specifically, children and families can obtain services related to individualized ABA therapy, communication building, social and daily living skill development, as well as undergo autism assessments, officials said via email to Community Impact.

Behavioral Innovations’ newest branch is located at 10001 Westheimer Road, Houston. Clients can contact the center with further questions or book an appointment by phone and through its official website.

• 10001 Westheimer Rd., Ste. 1090, Houston

A new 310,000-square-foot distribution warehouse is slated to be constructed as part of Houston Food Bank's CORE program, which officials broke ground on during an on-site Sept. 1 ceremony, according to a news release.

What's happening: Through the landmark project, HFB seeks to enhance its distribution services to better address increased food insecurity needs in the region’s growing population.

Features of the new facility, located at 2121 W. Mt Houston Road, Houston, include a boosted cold storage capacity, increased space for volunteer opportunities and improved disaster relief response capabilities, per release details.

Stay tuned: As of early September, construction of the new facility is scheduled to move forward in designated phases. The anticipated launch date for initial operational capacity is sometime in 2028, officials confirmed.

With Harris County commissioners set to make budget amendments next week, Commissioner Rodney Ellis is making an appeal for $4.5 million to go toward four community safety programs and strategies.

The big picture: The request is based on a report from Ellis’ office and Georgetown Law’s Center for Innovations in Community Safety. It evaluates results from three county programs, recommending investment to expand and sustain them, in addition to creating a community safety department. The county launched HART, RISE and the domestic violence intervention and prevention programs four years ago, which the report examines.

The context: The Harris County Commissioners Court is facing a $181 million shortfall, as Community Impact previously reported.

Sophie Elsner, senior policy adviser for Ellis’ office, said the county’s deficit will continue to grow if there is no change to how money is spent. About 60% of the budget goes toward the criminal justice system, which includes law enforcement, courts, prosecution and defense, she said.

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.