Clear Creek ISD trustees adopt $12.5M shortfall for FY 2025-26
Clear Creek ISD’s board of trustees adopted a $12.5 million shortfall for fiscal year 2025-26 at its Aug. 25 meeting.
Budget explained: CCISD will have $416.8 million in revenues and $429.3 million in expenses, landing the district in a possible shortfall of $12.5 million, according to budget documents.
Diving in deeper: Benzaia confirmed that this shortfall is the “worst case scenario” and the district will continue to attempt to balance the budget throughout the fiscal year. Goals to address the shortfall include conducting staffing studies to analyze staffing levels, Benzaia said.
Also of note: The district will bring a tax rate of $0.9690 per $100 valuation of a home to the board for consideration at its Sept. 22 meeting, Benzaia said. At this projected tax rate, a home with an average market value of $406,500 would owe about $2,140 in taxes, according to district documents.
Farmers Insurance opens new branch office in League City
A new Farmers Insurance location opened in League City in August, according to a social media post from staff.
The details: Farmers Insurance offers insurance coverage, including auto, home, renters, life, business and specialty insurance, along with financial products like mutual funds and annuities, according to the company's website.
Frontier Airlines announces 8 new routes from IAH airport
Starting in late November, Houston travelers flying on Frontier Airlines will have new routes from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
The framework: Josh Flyr, vice president of network and operations design, said in an Aug. 26 news release that the company is thrilled to add new routes from Houston as part of its aim to expand low-fare carrier options in the top 20 metros in the country.
“With new nonstop routes to exciting domestic and international destinations, now is a better time than ever for Houston-area travelers to fly with Frontier and enjoy the convenience, comfort and signature affordability we offer,” Flyr said.
What you need to know: The Denver-based airline company announced the following new IAH domestic and international routes launching in late 2025 through early 2026:
Texas House moves to require cities, counties to seek voter approval for tax hikes exceeding 1%
Texas House lawmakers voted Aug. 25 to tighten limits on local property tax growth, advancing a bill that would require cities and counties to seek voter approval before raising tax rates by more than 1%. Cities and counties can currently increase taxes by up to 3.5% annually before going to local voters.
What happened: House lawmakers substantially amended Senate Bill 10 before returning it to the Senate. State senators sought to tighten the voter approval rate to 2.5% and impose the changes only on cities and counties with more than 75,000 residents. House lawmakers voted to apply a 1% threshold to all cities and counties, regardless of size.
Cities and counties' public safety expenditures, such as salaries and equipment for police, firefighters and paramedics, would not be subject to the 1% limit.
