Montgomery County Commissioners Court approved the fiscal year 2026-27 budget in a 3-2 vote during its Sept. 8 special session.

By the numbers: Some of the provisions adopted in the $546.8 million budget include pay parity for law enforcement, a 5% across the board raise for non-law enforcement employees and funding for the new 523rd District Court.

What they're saying: The main point of disagreement in the budget was a 5% across the board raise for non-law enforcement Montgomery County employees and pay parity for law enforcement beginning June 5. 

Several events are happening in The Woodlands area this weekend, Sept. 11-13, including a day of remembrance on Sept. 11.

25th Anniversary Patriot Day of Remembrance
Join The Woodlands Fire Department for a morning of remembrance 25 years after the Sept. 11 attacks. The ceremony will honor lives lost and to recognize the nation's first responders at The Woodlands Central Fire Station.

• Sept. 11, 7:30-8:30 a.m.
• Free
• The Woodlands Central Fire Station, 9951 Grogans Mill Road, The Woodlands

Backing The Brave TX

The community festival will take place for the third year in a row, which will offer services from local vendors, family-friendly activities, live entertainment and resources for those currently or formerly serving in the military. Every dollar raised at the event will support Thin Line Force’s mission to provide assistance to veterans, active duty military, first responders and their families in Montgomery County. Admission is free.

• Sept. 12, 2-6 p.m.
• Free (admission)
• 2007 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring

The Woodlands Township invites pickleball players of all skill levels to participate in the Fall Pickleball Tournament Series.

What to expect: The series will feature themed games and unique tournament formats. All games will take place at Falconwing Pickleball Courts, 1077 Falconwing Drive, The Woodlands, and all participants must be 18 years or older. 

Top of the Town
In this fast-paced competition, participants will battle it out to find the top individual players.
Sept. 12, 9 a.m.
$20 (residents), $25 (nonresidents)

Halloween Tournament
Players can enjoy a specially themed seasonal Halloween open doubles format tournament with traditional scoring rules.
Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m.
$20 (residents), $25 (nonresidents)

The Texas comptroller's office is requesting that lawmakers provide more than $2 billion for the second and third years of the state's education savings account program, which gives participating families taxpayer dollars for private education and homeschooling.

How we got here: The legislature created Texas Education Freedom Accounts in 2025 and allocated $1 billion for the program's first year, the 2026-27 school year.

Nearly 110,000 students have received state dollars from the program so far, and officials said providing another $1 billion annually would ensure the state can "maintain our current participation" in the next two years.

Zooming in: According to the comptroller's legislative appropriations request for the 2028-29 biennium, it would cost approximately $4 billion to maintain funding for current participants, accept the siblings of participating children who will soon qualify for the program and admit more than 106,000 waitlisted students.

Something to note: The comptroller's $2 billion base budget request would not fully cover the waitlist and interest list, which would cost nearly $4 billion for the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.