After tabling its decision in March, Jersey Village City Council, in a 3-2 vote, adopted an amended version of the International Property Maintenance Code April 20 despite some disagreement from the community and members on the dais.

The action taken: City Council approved the ordinance in a 3-2 vote after council members agreed to remove Section 105 from the IPMC, which establishes duties and powers of the code official.

Council members Connie Rossi and Simon Hughes opposed, saying they could not support moving forward with the ordinance while property owners are still learning about the changes. 

Why it matters: Community Development Manager Miesha Johnson told City Council the localized IPMC will make it easier for city staff to enforce maintenance standards going forward—a goal addressed in several of the city’s long-term strategic plans.

A quick note: Council members Drew Wasson and Jennifer McCrea cast their final votes as City Council members during the April 20 meeting, and two new faces will join the dais following the May 2 local election.

The Tomball Regional Health Foundation celebrated the opening of its new administrative and learning center April 16 during an event that culminated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the new building.

Quote of note: “This is our gift to the community,” TRHF board Chair Tom Kikis said.

More details: As previously reported by Community Impact, the new center includes:

• A learning center that can accommodate 120 people and be divided into multiple rooms
• A 1/3-mile walking loop with 8-foot-wide sidewalks
• A fishing pond, mobility exercise stations and birding areas

The March Housing Market Update from the Houston Association of Realtors, released April 8, shows signs of stability and growth in the Houston housing market. Factors behind this stability include slowly falling house prices and sales gains in single-family homes and townhomes/condominiums.

The conditions: According to HAR, single-family home sales rose by 3.7% with 7,644 homes sold in March compared to the 7,369 sold last March. Home prices fell slightly as well by 1.5%, leveling to a median price of $333,000. Houses saw a slight increase in days on the market, rising to 67 days compared to 62 days last year. Total property sales across the Houston area grew by 3.6%, with 9,001 properties sold, and the number of active property listings rose by 8.8%, equaling 55,611.

What the experts say: HAR Chief Economist Ted C. Jones said the current state of the global economy has led to some instability in interest rates; however, the market has stabilized in comparison to last year.

The final phase of ticket sales for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament will drop April 22 at 10 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. The drop coincides with the 50-day countdown to the tournament.

What to expect: Tickets across all 104 matches, including the seven held in Houston this summer, will be made available for public purchase on the FIFA website, according to an April 21 news release.

Fans can choose tickets from across categories 1 to 3 and the front-row seat categories, depending on the match. Along with this ticket set, additional tickets will continue to be released to the public on an ongoing basis up until the final match July 19 in New Jersey.

Something to note: Ticket demand for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been the highest in history. Over 5 million tickets have already been sold, leaving roughly 2 million seats left across the 16 World Cup stadiums.