Construction on a new Great Clips in Humble began in August, according to a July 24 TDLR filing. 

The details: Construction on the $120,000 project will consist of renovating an existing 1,200-square-foot facility, according to the filing. 

What they offer: Great Clips provides haircuts for men, women, kids and seniors and offers additional services including neck trims, beard trims, bang trims and shampoos, according to the company's website. 

The timeline: While the filing did not include a projected opening date, construction on the project is expected to wrap up in October. 

• 15906 Woodland Hills Drive, Ste. 300, Humble

The Coastal Water Authority, which provides untreated water to municipalities in Harris, Chambers and Liberty Counties, has selected Jonathan Mathers as its new government relations manager. According to an Aug. 21 news release, Mathers will focus on engaging policymakers and stakeholders in his new role.

Career history: Mathers has a background in Texas water and legislative affairs, which includes:

• Most recently working for the Texas Water Development Board

• Serving as chief of staff for former Texas Rep. Bill Callegari

• Serving as a staff member for Texas Sen. Drew Springer

Some context: The Coastal Water Authority is a conservation and reclamation district that provides raw surface water to municipalities, including Houston, Baytown and Deer Park.

Candidates Abbie Kamin and Jacqueline Lucci Smith are set to face off in November’s election for a chance to lead Harris County’s chief civil law office.

What you need to know: The Harris County Attorney’s Office works on the county’s behalf in civil litigation, also providing legal counsel to county elected officials, employees and departments, according to its website.

Early voting begins Oct. 19 and runs through Oct. 30, according to the Texas Secretary of State's website. Election day is Nov. 3 and polls will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Registered voters can cast their ballot at any polling location during early voting and election day.

Lone Star College System leaders are aiming to pay off $404 million in bond debt by approximately 2030 or 2031. To help achieve this, Kristy Vienne, the vice chancellor of administration and finance, proposed an interest and sinking tax rate of $0.0219 per $100 valuation for fiscal year 2026-27. This proposed rate would bring the outstanding bond debt balance to about $311 million.

Explained: The college system's proposed total tax rate for fiscal year 2026-27 is $0.1058 per $100 valuation, which is lower than the current rate of $0.106. While some taxpayers in the Harris Central Appraisal District are expected to see a drop in their annual property tax bill, others in the Montgomery Central Appraisal District and the San Jacinto County Appraisal District are expected to see higher bills due to increased median property values. Taxpayers could also see higher bills if:

• Their home or land value increases

• They lose a property tax exemption

• Their property value exceeds the 10% appraisal cap

Going forward: A public hearing on the proposed tax rate is scheduled for Oct. 1.

Some Texas Republican leaders have vowed to get rid of the property taxes that homeowners pay to their local public school districts, and lawmakers are analyzing how much it would cost to do so.

The big picture: Texas school districts collect about $29 billion per year in maintenance and operations taxes, which cover schools' daily expenses.

Of that $29 billion in school tax revenue, the state comptroller's office estimates that about $8.6 billion is paid by homeowners, and the rest comes from commercial and industrial property taxes.

This means the state would need to spend at least $8.6 billion annually to zero out homeowners' school property tax bills, officials said.

Quote of note: "Broadly speaking, you have a question about how much you want to fund schools, and then separately, where does that money come from?" Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said during a Sept. 15 legislative hearing. "If you have a target of how much you want to spend, you need to make sure you have enough variable revenue sources to reach that."