HTX-HRM: Impact 9/5/2025

Houston City Council approved an agreement during a Sept. 3 City Council meeting to have Harris County Precinct 4 Lesley Briones’ office operate and maintain seven Houston parks.

The gist: The agreement will have the county maintain the following parks for the next 20 years:

• Bonham Park
• Cottage Grove Park
• Jaycee Park
• Kirkwood Greenspace
• Reeves Park
• Waldemar Park
• The Lorraine Cherry Nature Preserve

A new clinic specializing on longevity medicine and aesthetic treatments is opening a new location in the Galleria area, the founder and owner confirmed.

The details: LifeSculpt was founded by Dr. Christi Pramudji, who said she started her journey when she opened her solo practice specializing in urology 11 years ago. Urology is the surgical specialty dealing with conditions involving the genitourinary system, which includes the kidneys, bladder, prostate and genital area, according to the University of California, Los Angeles' David Geffen School of Medicine.

Pramudji said as she was going through her own aging journey and experiencing the struggles her patients face, from a declining sex drive or their body changing as they grow older, Pramudji decided to open LifeSculpt to bring personalized and holistic healthcare providing anti-aging and wellness medicine.

What they offer: The clinic offers numerous treatment methods tailored to each individual patient. Some patients may go through surgery, while others can go through non-surgical treatments, including Botox, hormone therapy and laser therapy.

📍1711 Post Oak Blvd, Houston

Tomball Fire Station No. 5 is now home to Harris County’s first Safe Haven Baby Box, giving parents in crisis a safe and anonymous option to surrender their newborns, founder Monica Kelsey said.

The details: The baby box was dedicated Sept. 2 in partnership with Tomball Fire Rescue, Harris County Emergency Services District No. 15, the city of Tomball and community leaders, including St. Anne Catholic Church and the Cotton Foundation, which funded the installation.

Under Texas’ Safe Haven law, parents may legally surrender infants up to 60 days old at designated facilities. The new baby box—installed in an exterior wall of the fire station—locks automatically once a newborn is placed inside and alerts staff through interior sensors, ensuring immediate care, according to the Safe Haven Baby Box website.

Why it matters: The baby box is the 374th Safe Haven Baby Box in the U.S. and the 12th in Texas, Kelsey, who was herself abandoned at birth and has since championed the program nationwide, said.

A proposed $114,290 annual salary bump for Harris County’s eight elected constables died at Harris County Commissioners Court on Aug. 26 as county leaders continue to develop the fiscal year 2025-26 budget.

In a nutshell: Harris County commissioners considered a proposed 64% salary increase for the county’s eight elected constables, which would raise their annual salary to $292,796. Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia proposed granting the constables the raise if they agree to consolidate their departments’ dispatch and evidence services. However, Garcia’s motion died for lack of a second.

Going forward: When it comes to reviewing salary pay and potential pay raises for elected county officials, such as Harris County’s eight elected constables, officials can pursue such measures through a salary grievance committee.

Around 1 a.m. Sept. 4, the Texas Legislature gaveled out of its second special session of the year. On the heels of a two-week Democratic walkout that stymied bills during a previous legislative overtime, lawmakers moved quickly to pass 16 of Gov. Greg Abbott’s 24 priorities in under three weeks.

The details: A long-debated plan to ban or restrict sales of hemp-derived THC and a measure aimed at reining in local property tax growth were among the proposals that did not make the cut. Those proposals fell apart in the final days of the special session, after House and Senate lawmakers were unable to reach agreements. 

Also of note: Lawmakers also did not pass bills intended to improve emergency preparedness and communications in the wake of the deadly July 4-5 floods; shield certain law enforcement files from public disclosure; and bar local governments from hiring outside lobbyists. 

The governor can call a special session at any time; however, legislative leaders indicated they did not expect to return to Austin to tackle the remaining agenda items.