Conroe residents will soon have more ways to give shelter dogs a break from their kennels following a pair of City Council approvals.

During its July 23 meeting, council unanimously approved the Texas Dog Days Out and Texas Paws Away Weekend programs along with a longer-term foster program for the Conroe Animal Shelter.

The details: Those participating in Dog Days Out can pick up an eligible dog between 9-11 a.m., spend the day visiting pet-friendly businesses, parks or other public spaces and return the animal by 4 p.m. The weekend program allows participants to pick up a dog by 4 p.m. Friday and return it by 4 p.m. Sunday.

Animal Shelter Manager Lesa West said the programs are intended for residents who may not be able to own a pet but still want to spend time with one. She added that getting dogs out of the shelter can reduce stress, increase their exposure to potential adopters and help staff learn more about how they behave outside a kennel environment.

Montgomery County Commissioners remained conflicted on how much funding to go for in a potential bond for the construction of a new justice center as the Aug. 6 deadline to call the election approaches.

By the numbers: Out of several scenarios, Budget Officer Amanda Carter said the preliminary bond number should fall between $300-$400 million. One option for a $300 million bond election in November 2026, would cause a $0.0137 increase in the debt service tax rate. For the $400 million scenario, the rate increase would be $0.0180; going from $0.0445 cents in 2026 and 2027 to $0.0625 in 2028.

A $350 million bond would be a $0.0160 tax rate increase by 2029, John Robuck, financial advisor for the county, BOK Financial Securities, Inc. said. Tax rates are also being evaluated and compared for different home values ranging from $100,000-$600,000.

The timeline: The two bond election timelines available are for November 2026 and May 2027.

Formerly known as Grand Central Church, The Sanctuary sold its previous property at 1115 Houston Street, Conroe, and closed the deal on its new one located at 1701 McCaleb Road, Montgomery, in mid-June, Community Pastor Vance Fellers told Community Impact.

Long story short: The Sanctuary held its first service inside its new space on June 14 and has since remained open to the public for a soft opening period.

What you need to know: Attendees can visit The Sanctuary for its grand opening event on Sept. 13, the community pastor confirmed.

The church’s lead pastor is Tim Barosh, and Sunday services begin at 10 a.m.

• Opening Sept. 13 (grand opening)
• 1701 McCaleb Road, Montgomery

Texas lawmakers are considering cutting a costly, decade-old tax break for the state’s booming data center industry.

The overview: Texas spends more than $1 billion annually on the sales tax exemption, and the comptroller’s office estimated in 2025 that due to the program, the state will lose about $3.2 billion in sales tax revenue over the next two years.

The Lone Star State is home to the nation’s fastest-growing data center market, and the Data Center Coalition, which advocates for the industry, has argued that the tax break program is key to maintaining that title. Senators and members of the public who spoke at a July 27 hearing disagreed.

Looking ahead: Amid a bipartisan push for more regulation of data centers, senators indicated that they intend to add more strings to the tax exemption program or eliminate it entirely.

"The question is whether or not we need to have a special session where all of us are focusing in on this," Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, said.

“We do,” Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, replied.