Brazos County Commissioners Court unanimously approved allocating $20 million for projects concerning the repair of public buildings throughout the county during the July 28 meeting.

What you need to know: The approved money comes from the general fund and will be given for repairs for deferred maintenance:

• The county courthouse annex building
• The county administration building improvements
• Professional services associated with the projects

College Station City Council heard and was receptive to the idea of adding murals along State Highway 6 to honor the city and the area's heritage during the July 23 meeting.

The gist: Presented by the former Director of the College Station Parks and Recreation Department, Steve Beachy, the idea of displaying iconography would be similar to other cities in Texas, such as Lubbock, Houston and Kingsville.

“The idea is to use this 12-mile stretch of highway to sell this culture of this vibrant community to everyone that travels on it,” Beachy said.

What the council is saying: Council member Scott Shafer complimented the presentation and idea. He said more public art needs to be out there for people to see.

“If done right, I think it can create some really interesting visuals for the community,” Shafer said.

The takeaway: The council did not take action, but endorsed the idea and looked forward to hearing more about the project and giving guidance in future meetings.

Sprouts Farmers Market has announced the opening date for its College Station location, coming this fall.

The grocery store broke ground in College Station this winter, taking over the former Big Lots location.

About the project: According to state filings, the $3.6 million project has 23,000 square feet of space, and Sprouts said it will feature an open layout featuring its produce at the heart of the store.

Sprouts spokesperson Mychael Ramirez previously told Community Impact the company was looking forward to being in Aggieland and how the market was excited about “growing our presence in Texas.”

Stay tuned: With Sprouts officially opening in late September, Bryan-College Station won’t have to wait long until there are more options for fresh produce and goods.

• Opening Sept. 25
• 1913 Texas Avenue South, College Station

Texas lawmakers are considering cutting a costly, decade-old tax break for the state’s booming data center industry.

The overview: Texas spends more than $1 billion annually on the sales tax exemption, and the comptroller’s office estimated in 2025 that due to the program, the state will lose about $3.2 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years.

The Lone Star State is home to the nation’s fastest-growing data center market, and the Data Center Coalition, which advocates for the industry, has argued that the tax break program is key to maintaining that title. Senators and members of the public who spoke at a July 27 hearing disagreed.

Looking ahead: Amid a bipartisan push for more regulation of data centers, senators indicated that they intend to add more strings to the tax exemption program or eliminate it entirely.

"The question is whether or not we need to have a special session where all of us are focusing in on this," Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said.

“We do,” Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, replied.