HTX-NCP: Impact 8/26/2025

Roman Forest will hold two contested races in the Nov. 4 city council election, City Administrator Scott Castleberry confirmed in an Aug. 22 email.

Meet the candidates: While three council positions will be up for grabs in November, Castleberry said Mayor Chris Parr is running unopposed.

The following candidates have filed to run for Position 2:

• Incumbent Chris Ellis
• Linda Stewart
• David Mullane

• Incumbent Greg Partin
• Ricky Warwick

Lenny’s Grill & Subs is now open in Porter, management confirmed via email Aug. 23.

On the menu: The restaurant offers a variety of hand-crafted sandwiches, wraps, soups, cheesesteaks and salads.

Some context: Lenny’s Grill & Subs has about 100 locations across the U.S. The business first opened in 1998 in Memphis.

• Opened Aug. 4
• 22510 Hwy. 59, Porter

Montgomery County Commissioners Court is set to meet Aug. 26 to consider items, including the creation of a new criminal district court and a potential interlocal agreement with the city of Conroe to improve traffic signal systems. 

What you need to know: According to the agenda, commissioners will consider, discuss and potentially take action on entering into an interlocal agreement with the city of Conroe for the installation and maintenance of Intelligent Transportation Systems. The systems would be used to enhance traffic signal operations throughout the city, per the agenda.

The court will also discuss the possible establishment of a new criminal district court. Details on the proposed court, including its scope and funding, were not outlined in agenda documents.

Also on the agenda:  Commissioners will consider accepting an advance funding agreement between the county and the Texas Department of Transportation for a fiber connections project. 

Another agenda item calls for approval of an interlocal cooperation contract between Montgomery County and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.   

The number of leased listings for single-family homes and rentals available in the Greater Houston area both increased compared to last year in July, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ July 2025 Market Update released Aug. 20.

The details: Leased listings rose 6.5% compared to July 2024, with a total of 4,645 single-family rentals leased in July this year, according to the report.

The Texas Transportation Commission officially approved the 2026 Unified Transportation Program on Aug. 21, outlining an additional $2.2 billion in state transportation funds for the Greater Houston area.

The big picture: The UTP is a 10-year project plan crafted and funded by the Texas Department of Transportation, and reviewed and updated on an annual basis according to feedback from communities and metropolitan planning organizations. The 2026 UTP allocated an additional $2.2 billion for projects in the Houston region through 2035.

Quote of note: "This more than $146 billion investment in our roadways will help Texas meet the critical needs of our growing state as more people and businesses move here for the freedom and opportunity they can’t find anywhere else," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release. "We must strengthen our roadways and improve congestion and safety to keep our economy booming and keep Texans moving. By investing billions of dollars in our transportation network today, we will build the future of Texas for generations to come."