Austin will pay more than $5 million for a multiyear independent audit of all city departments, advancing the recurring citywide assessment program created by City Council this year.

The details: The ongoing audit review will cover Austin's government, the programs and services it supports and its third-party contracting. It'll include comparisons to peer cities, regular public reporting, and recommendations for improvements to city officials and department leaders. The new efficiency audit will likely take several years, and repeat into the future.

While citywide assessments are now established in Austin's code, a local political group is campaigning for a similar but separate auditing requirement. Save Austin Now successfully added its "Independent Affordability and Efficiency Initiative" measure to the November ballot as an amendment to the city charter, which can only be changed in an election. Its version of a citywide audit has several differences from the council-approved version moving forward.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar is launching its latest location in Mueller on Aug. 5, bringing burgers, sides and breakfast, according to a news release. The expansion comes over a month after the company was recently acquired by Founders Table Restaurant Group last month, Community Impact previously reported. 

On the menu: Hopdoddy offers specialty burgers, salads, fried chicken sides and shakes. Patrons can choose from burgers like the Cadillac Wagyu, which includes a wagyu beef patty, Swiss cheese, bacon, fried onions, steak sauce, truffle aioli, roasted tomato and arugula.

The grand opening: Hopdoddy will officially open on Aug. 5 at 11 a.m. The first 100 visitors will receive scratch-off tickets with prizes like free menu items and Hopdoddy swag. 

Hopdoddy will host an official grand opening event on Aug. 23 from 9 a.m.-noon to celebrate the new location. The party will feature a ribbon cutting, live music and giveaways. The first 100 guests will receive a free shirt and burger.  

• 2005 Aldrich St., Austin

As more data centers are being built in Texas, the state’s water planning agency warns that limited information is available about the booming industry and its impact on water supplies.

The overview: The Texas Water Development Board adopted its initial 2027 State Water Plan on July 23, with a “more robust” version of the plan expected later this year. The plan consists of 3,000 water management projects and 6,700 strategies that experts say are needed to prepare for future severe droughts.

It will cost about $174 billion to complete the projects, according to the TWDB. However, if they are not implemented, a severe drought could cost the state $91 billion in economic damages as soon as 2030 and lead to $177 billion in annual losses by 2080.

The context: These projections do not account for the amount of water that data centers—which largely purchase their water from public systems—may use or how the large facilities could contribute to overall water availability. Right now, the board said it did not have enough information to do so.