HTX-NCP: Impact 10/21/2025

MIMIIS, a Latina-owned jewelry and accessory store, is now open at the business’s first brick-and-mortar location in New Caney. 

Meet the owners: The business is owned by husband-and-wife duo owner Ivan and Noemi Herrera. The business originally opened in 2024, operating from pop-up markets on the weekends, Herrera said. Now, the store is located within Rogers Premier Salon Suites in Valley Ranch Town Center.

What they offer: MIMIIS sells jewelry, purses, home decor, teas and beauty supplies.

• Grand opening held on Sept. 6
• 22186 Market Place Drive, Ste. 207, New Caney

Check out what's happening in the New Caney and Porter area this weekend, Oct. 24-26. Events are subject to change.

Spay and neuter pet event: Dog and cat owners can get their furry friends spayed or neutered at this low-cost event hosted by the Lone Star Animal Welfare League. Packages including surgery, vaccines and microchipping are available.

• Oct. 24, 7 a.m.-4 p.m.
• $60 per dog, $40 per cat
• 21679 McCleskey Road, New Caney

• Oct. 24, 4-10 p.m.; 7:30 p.m. (band starts)
• $10 (ages 12 and older, preorder tickets); $15 (ages 12 and older, same-day/at the door tickets)
• 26452 Sorters McClellan Road, Porter

Montgomery County officials adopted a $508.1 million budget for fiscal year 2025-26 alongside a reduced property tax rate of $0.3770 per $100 valuation. County leaders said this year’s budget, adopted Sept. 5, was designed with growth, public safety and modernization in mind.

The details: While the rate is slightly lower than last year’s rate of $0.3790 per $100 valuation, it remains 2.09% above the no-new-revenue rate, meaning some taxpayers could still see higher bills depending on property values. For a home at the county’s average value of $335,928, the county’s portion of property taxes will amount to about $1,266, Tammy McRae, Montgomery County’s tax assessor-collector, said.

A closer look: The budget also covers the second year of the county’s transition to a medical examiner’s office, with the addition of two full-time positions and one part-time position. Information technology funding increased from $19.1 million to $20.6 million with a focus on cybersecurity, storage and software renewals.  

As water restrictions and shortages become more common in Texas communities, state lawmakers are asking voters to approve $20 billion to fund new water supply projects and improve existing systems over the next 20 years.

The overview: If voters approve State Proposition 4, which is on the November ballot, the state will create a dedicated funding stream to help local utilities access more water and upgrade their infrastructure. Without the new funding, Texas’ water crisis could deepen, experts say.

“We’ve got 1,500+ people moving to Texas every day, and not one of them is bringing a single drop of water with them,” Dean Sharp, who leads the management division of the Texas American Water Works Association, said Oct. 16.

Key takeaway: Despite the $1 billion annual price tag, Proposition 4 would not create any new state taxes or increase costs for Texans, lawmakers and experts said. Beginning in 2027, the money would come from existing sales tax revenue and be deposited in the Texas Water Fund, a state account that voters approved in 2023.