East Montgomery County Improvement District OKs 10-year tax rebate for Porter shopping center
The East Montgomery County Improvement District’s board of directors has approved a 10-year retail tax rebate incentive agreement for a shopping plaza planned for Porter. In a nutshell: Porter Retail, a shopping center being developed by Stafford-based firm Dhanani Private Equity Group, is slated to be built starting this summer or fall. EMCID’s agreement will offer Porter Retail a rebate of $0.0025 on the total sales and use tax revenue from businesses located within the plaza each calendar year for 10 years. Quote of note: “Incentive agreements are used in various ways to attract various development,” said Kelley Mattlage, EMCID’s vice president/chief communications officer, via an Aug. 22 email. “In a retail/commercial development, the sales tax rebate can be used by the developer to make upgrades, allow for a lower rental rate for tenants, or be given to the tenants as a way to attract a company.”
Grand opening delayed for Lumos entertainment venue in New Caney
Construction is still ongoing for the Lumos slated to open in New Caney, said a spokesperson for the business via email Aug. 25. The grand opening was tentatively slated for Aug. 21, but has since been delayed.
What to expect: Lumos is a private 45,000-square-foot event and entertainment venue that will feature a 6,000-square-foot arcade with an Omni Arena for virtual reality and a dining area with 40-60-foot LED screens, as previously reported. The venue will also offer ax throwing, bowling, an arcade, billiards and laser tag.
Montgomery County Commissioners Court approves creation of new criminal district court
Montgomery County commissioners voted in support of the creation of the 523rd Criminal District Court, citing growing caseloads and overcrowding at the county jail.
Quote of note: “We're growing significantly here in Montgomery County, and that trickles down to all of us, and we are at the point now where we need a new criminal District Court, and the reasons are clear,” Judge Phil Grant said. “I think you guys have been talking a lot over the last few months about jail overcrowding. We are seeing longer and longer times before we can get cases to trial.”
The details: Grant said, according to a weighted caseload study by the Texas Office of Court Administration, Montgomery County is “significantly short” on courts needed to keep up with filings. In 2024 alone, about 7,500 new felony cases were filed, while the county’s four existing criminal district courts disposed of about 10,000 cases.
Grant said the largest percentage of people who make up the population in the Montgomery County Jail are pretrial detainees.
Communities in Texas’ Flash Flood Alley may soon have to install flood warning sirens
Some communities in Flash Flood Alley, which stretches through Central Texas and includes the Colorado and Guadalupe River basins, would be required to install flood warning sirens under a bill advanced by state House lawmakers Aug. 26.
The details: Under Senate Bill 3:
The Texas Water Development Board would identify areas impacted by the deadly July 4-5 floods that have “a history of consistent or severe flooding.”
Local governments in the identified areas would be required to install flood warning sirens if they are not already present.
The state would distribute up to $50,000 in grants to help cities and counties install warning systems.
Lawmakers have said they were concerned that some Hill Country residents and visitors missed or did not receive emergency alerts related to the July 4 floods, which began before sunrise.
Next steps: House lawmakers passed SB 3 unanimously Aug. 26, returning it to the Senate with a minor amendment. If senators sign off on the amendment, the warning siren bill will head to the governor’s desk.
