Conroe City Council voted Dec. 11 to temporarily restore the city’s street-closure permit fee to $35 after a recent increase to $1,303 sparked backlash from residents and downtown business owners.

The overview: During council discussion, council members said the goal is to recover the city’s actual costs for staffing, equipment and safety without making community events and small-business promotions unaffordable.

Zooming in: Council members approved a motion to suspend the higher fee and “revise the fees to $35 ... until further notice,” later amending the motion so the temporary rollback expires “no later than the second meeting in January,” when council expects to consider an updated fee proposal.

What’s next: Norman McGuire, assistant city administrator and public works director, told council there are “a multitude of ways” to set fees, including pricing events individually and building a more detailed ordinance that accounts for the city’s true costs, such as police, fire and public works support, based on event size and needs.

National Equipment Dealers is now open in Willis.

What you need to know: National Equipment Dealers is a large heavy equipment dealership. This is the second location for the company in the Houston region area but the sixth location in the state.

• 17463 I-45, Willis

Private schools around the Conroe and Montgomery area offer a variety of specialised instruction, from different religious affiliations to various types of curriculum. This is a noncomprehensive list of private schools in the Conroe and Montgomery area, including several from bordering areas that serve Conroe and Montgomery. Tuition prices are current.

Calvary Baptist School
Type: religious-based
Grades served: K4-12
Religious orientation: Baptist
Extracurricular activities: athletics, cheerleading, art, music, ministry arts, guitar lessons
Enrollment: 295-300
Tuition: $5,000-$5,200 annually (subject to change)

• 3401 N. Frazier St., Conroe

• 2080 Longmire Road, Conroe

• 12681 FM 149, Montgomery

Montgomery City Council got an early look Dec. 9 at a concept to convert the former Jim’s Hardware building into a combined municipal complex and police department.

The current design is a 32,000-square-foot, two-story building with an estimated $10 million price tag, Jon Stevens, a representative with McFate Group, told council. 

What we know: Stevens told council members the project is in a “programming level test fit stage” and said the drawings are preliminary. Stevens said the team has 3D-scanned the existing building, built a model and worked through multiple design iterations using a spreadsheet of department “wants, needs [and] desires,” along with code requirements.

Stevens said the draft layout centers the council chambers as the “heartbeat” of the building, with many offices along exterior walls where new windows could be added. The concept also includes an elevator, record storage and flexible office/meeting spaces.

Willis ISD has seen 18.41% enrollment growth within the past five years—rising by 1,448 students from 7,865 to 9,313 students between the 2019-20 and 2024-25 school years, according to the district’s fall 2025 demographics report from Population and Survey Analysts.

New detail: Data based on the birth rate in the district by ZIP code shows an increase in kindergarten students compared to the birth rate statewide and in other districts.

Notable quote: “It is interesting to me that what we’re seeing in your kindergarten enrollment is higher than your birth rate," said Kris Pool, representing PASA. "A lot of times what you will end up with is in an area that is growing and will have a higher birth rate than your kindergarten enrollment."