Liberty Hill City Council members are weighing whether to continue the city’s contract with surveillance technology company Flock Safety.

The big picture: The city’s contract with Flock is set to automatically renew when the current agreement ends in October.

One of the products Flock Safety offers is automatic license plate readers, or ALPRs, that take photos of all vehicles that pass by. The company uses artificial intelligence to interpret the photos, tagging them with data like license plate numbers, vehicle color, make and model, and other identifying characteristics, Flock Safety representative Ian Leslie said.

The local impact: That data can then be searched and shared between law enforcement agencies. Several Liberty Hill residents voiced concerns Aug. 26 about privacy, transparency and accountability.

Police Chief Jeff Ringstaff and a representative from Flock Safety gave presentations on Flock cameras and the city’s use of them, expressing support for their continued use.

The first Austin-area location of dirty soda shop chain FiiZ Drinks is coming to Liberty Hill, owner Sophie Platt said.

What’s on the menu: FiiZ’s menu is centered around dirty soda, which is soda that is mixed with other elements like flavored syrups, cream, juice, fresh fruit and candy, FiiZ Director of Marketing Kelly O’Rourke said.

The menu also includes non-soda options like crafted water, lemonade, energy drinks and frozen drinks, as well as a variety of sweet and savory snacks, O’Rourke said. The company’s tagline is, “Your drink. Your way.”

The details: Platt and her family, who also own and operate the FiiZ Drinks location in College Station, are aiming to open the store by the end of the year, she said.

Austin has the largest concentration of homes at risk from wildfires of any U.S. metro area outside California, according to a new report. More than 100,000 properties in the Austin area are exposed to wildfire risk, with a combined reconstruction cost of $49.2 billion.

Zooming in: Local officials highlighted the findings Aug. 25 as Travis County remains under a countywide burn ban amid hot, dry conditions. About 67% of western Travis County was experiencing moderate drought as of Aug. 25, while 21% was abnormally dry and 10% of far eastern Travis County was in severe drought.

Fire officials emphasized that wildfire risk extends beyond rural areas, with embers able to travel up to a mile and ignite homes, businesses and other structures.

What you should know: Residents are urged to avoid outdoor burning, properly secure trailer chains, avoid driving or parking in dry grass and use caution when welding, cutting or grinding. The county’s burn ban prohibits outdoor burning until conditions improve.

Check out six trending Austin-area stories from Aug. 24-27. 

1. Bad Habits Card Company now open in Georgetown

2. Tejas Meat Supply closes Round Rock restaurant, butcher shop

3. COTALAND Theme Park to host grand opening event in late September

4. Scheels holds ribbon cutting ahead of Aug. 29 opening

5. Amazon picks East Austin for multi-billion dollar robotics facility

6. Hutto, Williamson County poised for $674M Blue Origin facility

The Texas Department of Transportation manages over 200,000 miles of state highways. Roughly 72% of all vehicle travel in the state occurs on TxDOT-maintained highways, TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said.

As Texas’ population continues to grow, so does “demand on our transportation systems, from busy urban corridors to rural communities,” Williams told lawmakers during an Aug. 17 hearing held by the Texas House Transportation Committee.

What's happening: More than 11,000 TxDOT projects are currently in the works, according to the agency’s website.

To keep motorists informed about road construction, TxDOT collects public input during the project planning process, then conducts outreach on social media, on project websites and through email notifications before and during closures, according to Eric Lykins, TxDOT’s senior director of district operations. The agency also places electronic message signs on roadways ahead of closures or detours, he said.

Some state lawmakers are encouraging transportation officials to improve outreach to motorists when roads, lanes and exits are closed or adjusted.