ATX-SBK: Impact 10/16/2025

In a 3-2 vote, Hays County Commissioners Court officials terminated a contract with Flock Safety, a company that creates automatic license plate readers and manages vehicle data.

This decision comes after several months of discussion and deliberation by the court over public concerns surrounding the company’s data privacy practices.

What happened: Two items regarding Flock Safety were on the agenda, with one proposing to purchase more equipment from the company and the other proposing to terminate the contract.

Flock was scheduled to give a presentation to the Commissioners Court at the Oct. 14 meeting, but the paperwork was not submitted on time.

What else? According to Hays County Sheriff Anthony Hipolito, the Flock Safety contract requires a 30-day notice for termination.

At that time, Flock representatives are expected to deactivate and remove the equipment.

Texas State University officials recently launched the first university-level course designed to teach students how to create interior spaces that support people with mental illnesses, officials announced in a news release.

The program was designed by Mais Aljunaidy, assistant professor of psychology and Nadim Adi, assistant professor of interior design, officials announced in a news release.

The gist: The interdisciplinary program, coined “architectural psychopathology,” focuses on therapeutic environments that support people with mental illnesses, including autism, dementia and depression.

The details: In addition to helping students learn how to be intentional about designing living spaces for people with varying needs, it also encourages them to advocate for building codes that prioritize mental health.

What they’re saying: “This course is the first of its kind to provide comprehensive guidance on how interior design features can be tailored to support people with mental health conditions, from eating and sleep disorders to personality and anxiety disorders,” Blaschke said.

The Texas House and Senate are launching new legislative committees to “get to the bottom of exactly what occurred” during this summer’s deadly Central Texas floods, state leaders announced Oct. 13.

The details: The bipartisan panels, known as the House and Senate General Investigating Committees on the July 2025 Flooding Events, will meet jointly to conduct “a comprehensive and thorough review” of the floods, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said.

Lawmakers will be tasked with:

• Identifying strategies to strengthen Texas’ disaster preparedness
• Helping communities respond to future floods
• Examining actions taken at summer camps in the flood zone