Tomball Police Chief Jeff Bert is retiring from the city after six years leading the department and will take on a new role at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, according to a July 31 announcement from the Tomball Police Department.

The details: Bert joined the city as police chief in July 2020 after retiring from the Los Angeles Police Department, where he spent 24 years in law enforcement, according to the city website.

During his time with the LAPD, Bert worked in patrol, investigations, narcotics and vice, along with several administrative roles. He later served as a police commander overseeing the department’s community policing programs, according to his city biography.

In its announcement, the Tomball Police Department credited Bert for his leadership, mentorship and commitment to both city employees and residents.

“We sincerely thank him for his leadership, mentorship and service to our community,” the department stated. “He will be greatly missed, and we wish him and his family nothing but success in this next chapter of their journey.”

Montgomery County commissioners could take the next steps toward a potential November bond election while continuing discussions over a new jail facility for the sheriff’s office during an Aug. 6 meeting.

What you need to know: Per meeting documents, commissioners will consider calling a bond election for Nov. 3. The proposed bond election would ask voters to consider funding a new justice center in downtown Conroe. If approved, the order would establish polling locations and procedures for early and Election Day voting.

The court is also expected to discuss potential funding scenarios for the bond election.

Also of note: The court will continue discussions surrounding the proposed Montgomery County jail facility. Commissioners could approve a resolution stating the county’s intent to finance expenses related to the project and discuss funding, architectural design and additional planning.

The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 6 at the Alan B. Sadler Commissioners Court Building, 501 N. Thompson St., Ste. 402, Conroe.

Harris County commissioners are set to discuss the county's minority- and women-owned businesses equity program over a week after a federal court issued a decision that the city of Houston's version of the program was unconstitutional.

The big picture: Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey added the item to the agenda after U.S. District Judge David Hittner, the ruling judge on the case, said the city of Houston's program violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.

Run by the Harris County Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity, the program was established in November 2020 by commissioners to provide equity among women- and minority-owned businesses for county contracts. 

Also on the agenda: Commissioners will receive an update on third-quarter projections for the Harris County fiscal year 2026-27 budget. During the presentation, the budget office will also look at identifying "high-value, underutilized county real estate assets to sell or lease to generate general fund revenue for the FY27 budget."

Want to see the latest happenings with Montgomery County-area nonprofits and other entities? Check out Community Impact's updates below for information about recent fundraisers as well as other events and upcoming initiatives. This list is not comprehensive.

Montgomery County Food Bank plans luncheon
Montgomery County Food Bank announced its inaugural Flourish & Nourish Ladies Luncheon, a signature event for women in Montgomery County to prevent hunger.

Breakfast benefit raises $15,000 for Children's Safe Harbor
A breakfast fundraiser held by Montgomery County Precinct 3 Constable Ryan Gable raised more than $15,000 to benefit a nonprofit geared towards children.

This summer, Texas is launching a new process to study the viability of data centers and other large projects seeking to connect to the state’s power grid. The process’ strict requirements could deter major industrial projects from coming to the state, experts warn.

The overview: The Electric Reliability Commission of Texas’ new "batch study process" will require that large projects be evaluated in groups, rather than individually. The process was developed in response to Texas’ data center boom.

What they're saying: All projects that would use at least 75 megawatts of electricity will be required to participate in the batch process—including industrial and hydrogen production facilities. However, industrial and manufacturing projects operate differently from data centers and may not be able to meet some of the batch requirements, industry representatives said July 29.

In a state that works to attract major companies and bills itself as business-friendly, that’s a concern, lawmakers said.

"Where are y'all at on trying to differentiate those types of traditional, enterprise, big commercial, large load projects?" Sen. Phil King, R-Weatherford, asked.