The Woodlands Township board of directors held a strategic planning session meeting May 15 to discuss short- and long-term goals as they begin discussing the fiscal year 2027 budget, according to the meeting agenda.

Items worth mentioning: Township President and CEO Monique Sharp introduced the board's short-term and long-term goals from last year's strategic planning meeting, noting that the strategic meeting discussion will help determine the 2027 budget process and allow the board to review progress on key focus areas and priorities.

Meeting highlights: The board discussed several options for the FY 2027 budget, including the potential effects of increasing the current property tax exemptions. The fiscal year runs from January to December.

What else: The board also discussed potential upcoming budget initiatives, which will be considered apart from the base budget.

Sky Zone has opened a new location in the Spring area on Sawdust Road.

The gist: The entertainment facility offers attractions featuring trampolines, slides and various course challenges, according to its website.

• Opened May 8
• 425 Sawdust Road, Spring

The city of Shenandoah will replace its drive-by water metering system with a new system for $2.04 million, a figure higher than the $1.5 million originally planned, but one that officials said is needed. 

The city approved infrastructure company Ameresco for construction on the new system, which will be Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI, and will provide hourly data on water usage to residents and city staff.

What it means: City Council approved the expense at the May 13 meeting following a presentation by Chad Nobles, representing Ameresco. He said work on the system would begin in August and take about three to four months to install.

The details: The improvements will reduce water loss as well as give each customer access to an information portal allowing them to track water consumption, receive alerts about leaks and monitor remotely, according to information at the meeting. Information will be relayed from the meters via secure cellular data transmission, reducing staff hours needed for traveling and re-reading meters, according to meeting agenda information.

The Harris County Flood Control District intends to work with the Texas General Land Office to extend funding deadlines for disaster recovery projects related to Hurricane Harvey, as about half are not on track to meet the timeline, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen told Commissioners Court May 14.

The overview: According to a May 1 report from the flood control district, six of the 11 Hurricane Harvey recovery projects have an estimated completion date beyond the GLO’s Feb. 28, 2027, deadline.

Petersen said HCFCD will seek a nine-month extension and discuss contingency planning with the GLO. This will not be the first time Harris County asks for more flexibility, as the flood control district previously received a nine-month extension in March 2025, she said. 

Also of note: HCFCD is also working to deliver 17 flood mitigation projects, which aim to build resiliency against future extreme weather events, by a March 31, 2028, deadline. However, at least 12 projects are scheduled to run past the deadline, per the report, some of which extend well into 2029.