Houston officials launched their annual budget survey, inviting residents to give feedback and weigh in on what should be prioritized in the 2027 budget.

At-large council member Sallie Alcorn’s office launched the survey April 15 in partnership with the Kinder Institute for Urban Research.

What is it? The survey asks how satisfied residents are with certain topics, including health services, development and permitting, the library, parks and recreation, and public safety. It also asks if residents would like to see the city spend less, about the same or more on those subjects.

It also lets participants rank which areas they would be okay with the city spending less funding on.

“For the past six years, I’ve asked residents to share their priorities through a budget survey,” Alcorn said in an April 15 news release. “This year, with continued support from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, the ‘Your Two Cents’ survey has been further refined to better capture your input.”

Local Table, a Houston area family-owned concept, is celebrating ten years of business April 18 with a $10 discount on all tabs at every location, according to an April 13 social media post.

The context: Established in 2016, Local Table was created by the family behind Hungry’s Café and Bistro and was built with young families in suburban areas in mind, according to its website.

In the last ten years, Local Table has expanded to six locations, with the newest addition opening in Missouri City in March. The brand can also be found in Cinco Ranch, Cypress, Fulshear, Houston and The Woodlands.

On the menu: Offering brunch, lunch, dinner and happy hour, Local Table serves hand-crafted recipes made with fresh ingredients with menu options including plant-based offerings, burgers, wraps, tacos and staple brunch dishes, per its website.

• Locations vary

Houston City Council member Abbie Kamin will serve as Harris County attorney effective June 15 after Commissioners Court approved her appointment April 16 in a 3-2 vote.

What happened: Kamin replaces County Attorney Jonathan Fombonne, who said he will serve in the position until she takes over in June. Commissioners Court named Fombonne as the county attorney Jan. 8 after now-U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Houston, resigned from the role to run for Congress, Community Impact previously reported.

Kamin must still earn voter approval in the Nov. 3 election, where she faces Republican candidate Jacqueline Lucci Smith, the sole Republican to enter the race to serve for the rest of Menefee's county attorney term, which expires in 2028.

What they're saying: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said she expects Kamin to garner the votes Nov. 3, but it "doesn't feel right" to appoint her to the role prematurely. Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey also said the process lacked transparency and that he could not support her appointment.

Texas is home to the nation’s fastest-growing data center market, with one January report projecting that the state will see a 142% increase in its share of the data center industry by the end of 2028.

During a wide-ranging Texas House hearing April 9, lawmakers questioned data center developers, energy companies and state grid officials about the amount of water the large facilities use; how they impact noise levels and air quality; and whether residents can expect higher costs when data centers come to their communities.

What they're saying: “Water is a really scarce resource in this state, and so we have to have a clear picture of what these facilities use on the water side,” said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

More details: Data centers use water to cool their computer servers and prevent overheating. The facilities have historically used a water-intensive process known as "evaporative cooling," but data center executives said April 9 that they have transitioned to “closed-loop” systems where water is continuously reused.