Cy-Fair ISD's board of trustees called for a 12-cent voter-approval tax rate election, or VATRE, and a four-proposition bond election during the Aug. 10 meeting in a 6-1 vote, with trustee Christine Kalmbach opposed.

The big picture: The district first discussed the 12-cent maintenance and operations, or M&O, tax increase in April as an option to address the district's per-student state funding gap and fiscal year 2026-27 projected shortfall.

The $1.63 billion bond was presented to the board of trustees in February by the Long Range Planning Committee, or LRPC, following its evaluation of district needs, Chief Operations Officer Matt Morgan said. 

The impact: If voters pass the propositions, they will see a 9-cent property tax increase, per a news release. The increase is partially offset by the bond, which is projected to bring a 3-cent reduction to the debt service tax, Morgan said. The total property tax rate is determined by combining the M&O and debt service rates.

Ventana Nails & Spa officials said the nail salon opened a new location in Cypress on May 16. Ventana Nails & Spa opened a location in Towne Lake earlier this year, per previous Community Impact reporting.

What they offer: Ventana Nails & Spa offers various nail services, per the website including three types of manicures and eight pedicure options. The spa also offers nail services from gel and dip to acrylics as well as waxing and eyelash services.

Looking to spend a day at the mall? Check out the newest shops open at two malls in northwest Harris County.

Primark opens seventh Texas location at the Willowbrook Mall
Per a news release, the international retailer opened its seventh location in Texas and 43rd location nationwide at the Willowbrook Mall on July 16. The new Willowbrook location features a 30,000-square-foot space and offers Houston area shoppers its signature combination of quality fashion at affordable prices, said the release.

• Opened July 16
• 2000 Willowbrook Mall, Houston

• Birkenstock opened June 16; The North Face opened June 19
• 29300 Hempstead Road, Cypress

CenterPoint Energy officials announced a new initiative which aims to provide a savings of up to $5 billion to all residential and small to medium businesses over the next decade in a Aug. 11 news release.

The big picture: The initiative stems from both the strengthening of requirements for large load energy users like data centers in the 89th Legislative Session and a project to add 14 gigawatts of energy load to CenterPoint Energy's service area.

Senate Bill 6 was authorized in the 89th Legislative Session and requires any development which expects to utilize over 75 megawatts of power at any point to pay higher overall energy costs.

In their words: "We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to generate historic levels of customer savings of more than $5 billion statewide by leveraging new investment in large projects to build a more affordable, reliable and resilient electric grid for millions of customers," CenterPoint Energy Chairman and CEO Jason Wells said.