Following the arrest of Mayor Matthew "Doc" Dantzer city leadership duties are continuing to shift. Additionally, another lawsuit was filed against the city April 8, prior to Dantzer’s arrest April 14

Current situation: During the special April 20 meeting, the council did not take any action related to Danzter. Instead, they rescinded an offer to a city administrator candidate.

At the April 14 Magnolia City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Jack L. Huitt Jr. said the city learned of Dantzer’s arrest that day and scheduled the special April 20 meeting to discuss possible action to censure the mayor. Huitt Jr. also said he had previously asked Dantzer to resign “on several occasions,” as previously reported.

Dantzer has since been released on a $15,000 surety bond out of Tarrant County after being charged with assault of a pregnant person, according to bond records.

Diving in deeper: City Secretary Christian Gable filed suit against the city of Magnolia and Dantzer in federal court April 8.

Jayden Layne Boutique relocated within Tomball, owner Brittani Johnson confirmed. The business, previously located at 309 Market St., Stes. B & C, Tomball, can now be found at 314 Market St., Tomball.

The details: The women’s boutique offers a variety of women’s clothing, along with a custom hat bar, a charm bar and a T-shirt bar. Jayden Lane Boutique also specializes in denim and features a dedicated denim bar, Johnson said.

Quote of note: “What started in a spare bedroom has grown into a storefront in the heart of Tomball,” Johnson said. “We’ve been proud to grow alongside this community, and this move marks an exciting new chapter as we continue creating a space where women feel confident, comfortable and taken care of when they shop.”

• 314 Market St., Tomball

With state deadlines inching closer, the Harris County Flood Control District is chipping away at dozens of grant-funded flood recovery and mitigation projects—but county leaders believe pace of work and public transparency could be improved.

What you need to know: In an April 16 update to Commissioners Court, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen shared the status of local flood projects funded with Community Development Block Grants for disaster recovery and mitigation, also known as CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT.

At least 14 projects are still in the design phase as of April 1, per the report. Seven of the 11 disaster recovery projects are under construction, and three of 17 total mitigation projects have been awarded contracts. 

Why it matters: The flood control district must spend all CDBG-DR dollars by February 2027 and CDBG-MIT dollars by March 2028 or lose the funding.

The action taken: Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey called for HCFCD to provide monthly reports to Commissioners Court detailing for specific construction and financial updates for each project. The first report is expected May 1.

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.