HTX-KTY: Impact 10/1/2025

Fort Bend County is moving forward in its redistricting process following the submission of its first maps to county officials.

The Fort Bend County Citizens Redistricting Advisory Committee met Sept. 29 to discuss 13 maps, advancing five, which will be reviewed by Commissioners Court. Each committee member was given the opportunity to submit a map, CRAC Chairman Jacob Lee previously said in an email.

Zooming in: The top map, drawn by Lee, represents how people vote across the county. The map has three safe precincts—one Republican and two Democratic—with Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers’ district projected 53.54% red, below the 10% margin needed to be considered safe.

Another map drawn by Meyers' appointee Mike Gibson and amended by Lee finished in second place in voting. The map sees the same three safe precincts, with Meyers’ district projected at 53.61% red.

What’s next: Commissioners are set to review the five maps at their next meeting, currently scheduled for Oct. 9, Lee said.

Coco Crepes & Coffee has opened its 10th location in the Greater Houstin area at The Market at Katy Park.

The Katy location, which is managed by Bella Restaurants Group, is slated for a grand opening Oct. 16, officials said.

On the menu: The fast-casual cafe is known for its made-to-order sweet and savory crepes and waffles, with a menu featuring specialty coffee beverages, paninis, salads, soups, smoothies, homemade gelato and sorbet, according to its website.

Zooming out: Founded in 2005 by chef Youssef Nafaa, Coco's opened in Midtown and has three more three more locations planned in the Houston area through 2027, Community Impact reported.

• 24818 Morton Ranch Road, Ste. 800, Katy

Base Power, an energy company founded in 2023 and headquartered in Austin, officially launched in Houston on Sept. 24, according to a news release. 

Community Impact previously reported that the energy company originally opened in the Cy-Fair, Spring, Cinco Ranch and Mission Bend communities following its launch in Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth.

What you need to know: Co-owned by Zach Dell, Base Power is the only Texas energy provider that comes with a home backup power, according to the news release. The energy company offers an all-in-one energy plan that includes an entire home backup battery. When the grid goes down, the battery automatically powers the home, according to the release. 

Quote of note: “Houston has long been the energy capital of Texas, yet it has also endured some of the nation’s most painful lessons about unreliable power,” dell Said.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has reduced the number of jail inmates housed outside of the county since June, a Sept. 18 quarterly jail data report shows. However, outsourcing inmates at other facilities was still a top expense in the fiscal year 2025-26 county general fund budget, approved Sept. 24.

What’s changed: HCSO oversees four different facilities in downtown Houston, with two jail facilities outsourced in Louisiana and Mississippi. As of Sept. 9, the Harris County jail was outsourcing about 16%—or 1,388 inmates—of 8,793 total inmates to facilities outside the county or state.

Cost to the county: Outsourcing inmates to jails outside of Harris County’s overcrowded jails is the single most expensive budgeted item taxpayers pay for. The county set aside $48 million in its FY 2025-26 budget for inmate outsourcing, about an 8% drop from the $52 million budgeted in FY 2024-25.
 

The Houston rental market had a record number of available listings in August, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ August 2025 Rental Market Update released Sept. 17.

A closer look: According to the release, there was a 3.1% increase in the number of single-family homes leased this August compared to the same time last year. At the same time, active listings surpassed 10,000 units in August.

Rental properties are taking a little longer to lease, however, with an average of 35 days on the market compared to 32 days a year ago.

What they’re saying: “Houston renters are in a strong position right now with more choices and stable lease prices,” HAR Chair Shae Cottar said. “As mortgage rates continue to ease, we expect to see more renters exploring their dream of homeownership in the coming months.”