From fall festivals to vintage markets, here are eight Sugar Land and Missouri City area events to add to your calendar this September and October.

Missouri City Oktoberfest: Enjoy beer, pretzels, live music and a dachshund race at Oktoberfest. The event at Quail Valley Golf Club will also include contests for Bavarian-inspired outfits and beer stein holding.

• Sept. 19, 5-8 p.m.

• Free (entry)

• 2880 La Quinta Drive, Missouri City

Thriller Vintage Market: The annual seasonal celebration at Sugar Land Town Square will feature food, live music and hayrides. The event will also host vendor booths.

• Sept. 27, noon-6 p.m.

• Free (entry)

• 2711 Town Center Blvd., Sugar Land

Houston Filipino Street Festival: Enjoy a taste of Filipino culture with food, performances and vendors at Constellation Field, hosted by the Filipino Young Professionals of Houston.

• Oct. 17, 3-10 p.m.

• $19 (tickets), kids 7 and under are free

• 1 Stadium Drive, Sugar Land

Missouri City meetings could see some changes in an effort to increase accessibility and flexibility. 

At a Sept. 8 meeting, Missouri City City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to amend select council meeting rules and some regulations for boards, committees and commissions.

What’s new: State law requires City Council allot six minutes of public comment per person who needs a translator, which is double the amount of time given to someone who does not use a translator, per agenda documents.

Also of note: The ordinance also proposed lowering the residency requirement for board and commission applicants from three years to one year with the goal to expand opportunities for residents to become involved in the city, per agenda documents.

Looking ahead: If the council approves the items on a second reading, some changes will go into effect immediately with others on Dec. 31.

Across Texas, the taxes that homeowners pay to their local school districts went down by about 13.6% in 2025, one state senator found.

The overview: Across the board, many Texas counties mailed out reduced property tax bills for the 2025 tax year, Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, reported. During a Sept. 1 hearing of the Senate Local Government Committee, he said the average homeowner's property tax bill went down by about $140 last year, falling from $1,037 per year in 2024 to $896 per year in 2025.

Texas' 2026-27 budget includes $51 billion in property tax relief, previous Community Impact reporting shows. Unless the legislature rolls back existing tax exemptions, the state will be required to spend that much or more on tax relief in future bienniums.

How it works: The state does not charge property taxes, meaning homeowners are taxed by local entities such as school districts, cities, counties and municipal utility districts. The Texas Legislature, however, can place limits on how much local governments raise taxes annually and require tax exemptions for certain groups.