HTX-LHK: Impact 10/16/2025

Taste of Paris Creperie & Cafe officials celebrated the Lake Houston-area eatery’s five-year anniversary in August.

The details: Located in the West Lake Village shopping center, the cafe offers a variety of sweet and savory crepes for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as coffee and espresso beverages.

According to the business’ website, the fast-casual eatery also sells paninis, soups, salads, desserts, as well as waffles, omelets and French toast for breakfast.

• 12230 W. Lake Houston Parkway, Ste. 115, Houston

Veteran- and woman-owned business Patriot Paws Mobile Imaging is now serving Montgomery County and parts of Harris County, officials said.

Meet the owners: Owned by Porter residents Katie and Jason Blanco, who are members of the VFW and the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, the business opened in May and launched as a mobile business to local veterinarians in August.

Quote of note: “We started Patriot Paws Mobile Imaging after seeing how challenging it can be for hospitals to get timely ultrasounds scheduled, sometimes waiting weeks, which can delay treatment and add unnecessary stress for both doctors and clients and their pets,” Katie Blanco said.

The details: The locally owned business offers services to the following areas:

• Cleveland
• Conroe
• Cypress
• Humble
• Magnolia
• New Caney
• Splendora
• Porter
• Spring
• Tomball
• The Woodlands

Current situation: Houston City Council members passed an unchanged property tax rate for fiscal year 2025-26 in an 11-3 vote at their regular meeting Oct. 15, despite a projected $53 million loss in the fund balance with the approved rate.

What you need to know: City Council approved a tax rate of $0.5191 per $100 home valuation, the same as last fiscal year's tax rate. However, the approved rate is lower than the tax rate used to calculate the FY 2025-26 city budget council adopted in June.

The city will see an estimated $53 million decrease in revenue with the tax rate adopted at the Oct. 15 meeting, according to City Finance Director Melissa Dubowski's Oct. 7 presentation to the Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee.

The debate: While some council members expressed worries about the $53 million dip in revenue, others saw the benefits in saving money for homeowners.

Council member Abbie Kamin suggested the city adjust its budget adoption calendar so the council can work with the most up-to-date valuations.  

Texas Ramp Project, which builds free wheelchair ramps for those in need across the state, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, according to a Sept. 15 news release. Over its 40 years, the nonprofit has built ramps for over 30,000 recipients with the help of over 3,500 volunteers.

Some context: The organization began in 1985 as the Dallas Ramp Project before being incorporated as the Texas Ramp Project in 2006, according to the news release. Texas Ramp Project provides the ramps to recipients at no cost, according to the news release. Most ramps cost between $800-$900 to build.

What else: In 2024, Texas Ramp Project built 2,727 ramps in 145 counties, according to its Sept. 1 fact sheet. To get a ramp, recipients must be referred by a health care provider or qualified organization via the nonprofit’s website.

The Texas House and Senate are launching new legislative committees to “get to the bottom of exactly what occurred” during this summer’s deadly Central Texas floods, state leaders announced Oct. 13.

The details: The bipartisan panels, known as the House and Senate General Investigating Committees on the July 2025 Flooding Events, will meet jointly to conduct “a comprehensive and thorough review” of the floods, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said.

Lawmakers will be tasked with:

• Identifying strategies to strengthen Texas’ disaster preparedness
• Helping communities respond to future floods
• Examining actions taken at summer camps in the flood zone