Conroe City Council voted March 12 to end the executive employment contracts of city administration and approved related payments totaling $1.85 million.

Mayor Duke Coon said ending the contracts would stop future increases tied to those agreements and leave the city with only one contracted employee. The terminated contracts are tied to City Administrator Gary Scott; Nancy Mikeska, deputy city administrator and director of community development; Norman McGuire, assistant city administrator and public works director; and Human Resources Director Andre Houser. 

What happened: Council first accepted Mike Garner’s resignation as city attorney and McGuire’s retirement, which will take effect March 27. Coon said the agreements would convert the employees to at-will status once approved, and that payout records would be subject to public information requests.

Coon also said the payments would be made through the city’s general fund.

By the numbers: A March 16 city human resources document shows the council-approved payouts total about $1.85 million.

Per the document, payments include:

• $644,834.60 for Scott
• $524,699.82 for Mikeska
• $477,001.26 for McGuire
• $201,287.88 for Houser

The Willis Police Department moved its location, officials said.

The details: Willis Police Department's new location was the previous city hall for Willis and features four interview rooms for interactions with victims of crime. A ribbon cutting was held Feb. 26 by the Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce.

• 200 N. Bell St., Willis

With a partial federal government shutdown ongoing, officials with the Houston Airport System said on March 23 that passengers could continue to see growing wait times at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), including in some cases exceeding four hours at IAH.

As a result, federal agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have begun supporting TSA operations at airports nationwide, including in Houston, Houston Airport System officials announced in a March 23 news release.

Some context: Due to the partial federal government shutdown, which began Feb. 14, TSA officers are working without pay, which is creating staffing shortages that have led to longer than typical wait times at airports nationwide.

Diving in deeper: Per the release, with the addition of ICE agents at Houston airports, screening procedures for passengers remain unchanged. Additionally, officials noted the number of available TSA screening lanes can vary by airport and shift, depending on staffing levels.

More than 229,000 students have applied to receive state funds for private education or homeschooling under Texas’ education savings account program, according to the state comptroller’s office.

By the numbers: State data indicates that the most applications have been submitted on behalf of students living in urban areas and the surrounding suburban communities. As of March 8, students living in Houston ISD’s boundaries led the pack with over 8,900 applications, followed by 6,700 applicants in Dallas ISD.

The data reflects how many students living in each district's boundaries have applied, including those not currently enrolled in a public school.

The background: State lawmakers created the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program in 2025.

Students accepted for the 2026-27 school year will receive $10,474 for private education or up to $2,000 for homeschool. Students with disabilities can receive up to $30,000 each.

More details: Of the first 152,000 program applicants, nearly three-quarters were not enrolled in a public school during the 2025-26 school year, data obtained by the Texas Center for Voucher Transparency shows.