Bellaire City Council gathered for a public hearing Aug. 3 that expanded upon amendments to the Corridor Mixed Use zoning district that were already approved by the council back in March.

The background: In March, Bellaire officials approved a set of amendments related to the CMU district in the city’s code of ordinances, which were recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Additionally, Bellaire City Council came to a collective agreement during discussion that single-family detached dwellings and townhouses should be permitted as stand-alone uses or as part of a mixed-use development in the district, according to agenda documents.

Meeting highlights: At the Aug. 3 public hearing, Director of Development Services Travis Tanner informed the council that the P&Z Commission ultimately recommended approval of the new changes on June 4.

Alongside this recommendation, Tanner said the commission and city staff also proposed the following general provisions, completely separate from the permitting of single-family detached dwellings.

Arôme, a locally owned bakery with old-fashioned menu options, is on its way to Kirby Drive.

What you need to know: According to a June 26 post on its official Instagram, the bakery is anticipated to open sometime this fall.

What's special about it: Arôme’s café concept follows an organic approach to traditional French goods, per information posted by the business online.

Using fresh ingredients, the bakery specializes in baked breads, caffeinated beverages and other savory items. Its offerings of organic crepes, also known as galettes, are an Arôme staple, which can be filled or topped with elements such as egg, mushrooms, bacon strips and more.

• 5812 Kirby Drive, Houston

West University Place officials unanimously supported revisions to the city's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget during a July 30 workshop.

During the meeting, Finance Director Marie Kalka gave officials the updated property tax estimates, which increased projected revenue by about $342,000. The increase gave the city additional flexibility as it prepares to adopt next year's spending plan. This also allows the city to remain within the state's voter-approval tax rate.

What’s changing: The proposed budget increases employee merit raises from 2% to 3%, adds two police officer positions and uses reserve funds to cover one-time startup costs associated with the new hires, including equipment and vehicles. Officials said ongoing personnel costs would be funded through the city's operating budget.

Council also reviewed the proposed Solid Waste Fund, which includes an 8.5% rate increase for both standard residential customers and senior or disabled residents.

One more thing: Budget discussions and workshops will continue throughout August and September, with officials voting on the budget no later than Sept. 28.

Ahead of the 2026 school year, the Texas Comptroller’s Office encourages all taxpayers to support Texas businesses while saving money on tax-free purchases on most clothing and school supplies during the annual tax-free weekend from Aug. 7-9. 

What you need to know: A variety of school supplies and clothing items can be purchased from a Texas store or an online or catalog seller doing business in Texas. In most cases, exemption certificates are not required to buy qualifying items tax free, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. 

Qualifying items include:

• Clothing
• Footwear 
• School supplies
• Face masks
• Backpacks

At least 85,000 students will use Texas' new education savings accounts during the 2026-27 school year, an Aug. 3 report shows. Enrollment may grow as the school year kicks off and more families opt in to the program.

The overview: The Texas Education Freedom Accounts program gives families state funds to send their children to private schools or homeschool them, with priority going to students with disabilities and children from low-income households.

About 24% of students participating in the TEFA program have a disability, according to state data, and 80% of participants are from low-income families.

Zooming in: The largest numbers of students participating in the program live in Texas’ largest school districts, data shows. The report lists that 3,327 participants live in Houston ISD’s boundaries, followed by 2,645 participants from Dallas ISD, 2,271 participants from Northside ISD and 2,024 participants from Fort Bend ISD.

Previous state data showed that about 43% of students selected for the program had previously attended a Texas public school, although the Aug. 3 report did not include that information.