SkillZone Game Room is now open in Porter after rebranding and relocating.

The backstory: The business was previously called “Space City Games” and was located elsewhere in Porter. SkillZone Game Room is owned by Big Easy Entertainment, which is headquartered in Austin.

Check it out: The Porter business offers snacks, drinks and music as well as a variety of entertainment for customers, including:

• Digital skill games
• Free digital sweepstakes games
• TVs to watch sports

• Relocated in September
• 23741 Hwy. 59, Ste. 27, Porter

During a Dec. 17 workshop, Roman Forest City Council considered whether the city should move forward with a pair of commissions related to the city’s push to enact zoning ordinances next year.

The details: In September, council members approved a comprehensive plan for the city, which Roman Forest City Attorney Scott Francis said laid the groundwork for potential zoning regulations. Francis said city officials first needed to determine whether they would create a planning and zoning commission and a board of adjusters.

A closer look: If created, Francis said the planning and zoning commission would not act as an actual governing body. Instead, he said the commission would be charged with submitting reports to council members.

What’s next: While council members did not determine how they wished to move forward regarding the creation of a planning and zoning commission and a board of adjusters, Francis said the city could potentially move forward with zoning ordinances as early as late January.  

Montgomery County commissioners approved a contract Dec. 16 to continue digitizing and preserving historical Commissioners Court records—an effort County Clerk Brandon Steinmann said is aimed at making documents easier for residents and county offices to find without digging through physical archives.

The gist: Under the agenda item, the court approved Phase 2 records management and preservation services through the TXMAS interlocal agreement with Kofile Technologies Inc. for $406,550. 

County officials said the project will be funded through the County Clerk Records Management Fund/Records Archive Fund, with no general funds used.

During the discussion, Steinmann said Phase 2 is focused on getting Commissioners Court records online so they are searchable. He said right now, requests for older documents can require staff to spend “hours or a day” going through old books in the county’s records archive.

Steinmann told commissioners the records being preserved date back to early statehood, after Texas transitioned from a republic, and said the digital access is intended to help both county offices and the public.

Central Texas counties could begin receiving up to $1.25 million each in state funding for flood warning sirens in the coming weeks and months, officials announced Dec. 16.

The overview: The funding comes less than six months after historic flooding hit parts of Central and West Texas over the July 4 weekend, killing at least 137 residents and visitors. During special legislative sessions this summer, state lawmakers approved requirements that 30 counties included in a July disaster declaration install flood warning systems with the help of $50 million in state grants.

Zooming in: Each county is expected to receive up to $1.25 million from the Texas Water Development Board. Counties seeking more money will need their requests approved by the three-member board.

Counties are required to submit detailed project plans to the TWDB and can use the grants to install physical infrastructure such as sirens, rain gauges, flood gauges and solar panels to power the warning systems. The money can also be used for local flood education, outreach and training programs, TWDB staff said.