West University Place officials are considering alternatives to how residents can dispose of their hazardous waste recycling.

The options: One option was to host an event in the city where residents could bring their hazardous waste materials to be properly disposed of. It would be a one-time event and would only reach about 10% of residents, RSWRB board member Allison Kozdron said. To put on a drive would cost around $53,000.

“The cost for a single event is significant,” she said. “While helpful, it will only serve a small portion of our community.”

The other option would be an at-your-door collection, where residents would schedule via phone or online for Waste Management to come by and collect their waste. It would cost around $18 a year for residents, breaking down to $1.50 a month.

How it works: Kozdron added that it would be unlimited and there would be no cap on how many pickups can be done.

The board recommended using the Waste Management at-your-door services and will vote on it in May. 

Coffee Fellows is a European brand with four brick-and-mortar locations across the Greater Houston metro, including two in Katy, one in the Energy Corridor and one in Bellaire. Now, the coffee shop has launched a mobile cafe that will travel to different communities in Houston.

What they offer: The van, according to an April 13 news release, will serve Coffee Fellows' signature espresso beverages made from blends developed in Germany and roasted each day locally. The menu includes specialty drinks, cold brew, matcha beverages and frappiatos, a classic frappe with a twist.

The mobile cafe will rotate across Houston area neighborhoods, corporate campuses, farmers' markets and festivals. It will also be available for private bookings and events.

Another detail: The mobile cafe will be run out of an all-electric, zero-emission van, per the release, and is a part of Coffee Fellows' broader sustainability efforts.

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.”

Harris County Commissioners Court on April 16 greenlit a business development program for child care providers that aims to help more centers qualify for federal subsidies, part of a large-scale effort to increase affordable early education options in the Greater Houston area.

The action taken: The April 16 vote directed the county’s Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity to create an early childcare business accelerator program in partnership with the University of Houston and the Gulf Coast Workforce Board, the two entities developing curriculum for providers.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who proposed the action in partnership with Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, said the program will provide mentoring and business support with the goal of expanding available child care seats and improving compliance with local and state regulations.

More details: Briones said the county will specifically focus on assisting providers who lack Texas Rising Star certifications—a quality recognition from the Texas Workforce Commission that’s required for centers to qualify for federal support. Only about 55% of Harris County centers are TRS-certified, she said. 

Do you miss any of Community Impact’s coverage from last week? Check out five trending stories in the Greater Houston area from April 13-17.

• Pearland authorizes eminent domain near Smith Ranch Road
• Enrollment erosion: HISD to close 12 schools in face of student loss, maintenance costs
• Trader Joe's announces plans to open Spring-area store
• Magnolia Mayor Matthew ‘Doc’ Dantzer arrested; council sets April 20 censure meeting
• See what's happening at The Grid development in Stafford

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.