HTX-KTY: Impact 10/16/2025

Residents in the Fulshear Simonton Fire Department will have an additional ballot proposition in the Nov. 4 election as the department seeks additional revenue sources to support the growing population in its service area.

What residents need to know: The Nov. 4 ballot proposal seeks to allow the department to collect a 2% sales and use tax in addition to the state’s 6.25%, according to sample ballot documents.

However, sales tax may not exceed 8.25% in any area so the department would not be able to collect sales tax in some areas of the county including the city of Fulshear and where other assistance or emergency districts already have a tax imposed, a spokesperson for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts previously said.

By the numbers: The district, which is funded solely by property tax, collected $19.93 million, up 17.41% from 2023, according to financial audits. The increased revenue comes from the growing number of homes in the area, although officials previously said they don’t believe property tax revenue can sustain future department growth.

Affordable 4D Ultrasound has relocated its services to Katy. 

The company, which offers diagnostic scans as well as 2D, 3D and 4D ultrasounds for expecting parents, was previously located at 9301 Southwest Freeway, Houston. 

The overview: The business offers several services for pregnant mothers such as heartbeat confirmations, gender reveals and videos of babies in the womb, according to the company’s website. 

• 410 W. Grand Parkway S., Ste. 240, Katy

Larry Callies’ Black Cowboy Museum will soon have a new home in Kendleton.

At an Oct. 9 meeting, Fort Bend County commissioners approved a nearly $4 million construction agreement with Construction Ltd. to build a new facility for the museum at Bates Allen Park, located at 630 Charlie Roberts Lane.

Zooming in: The museum, which opened in September 2017, will move to a 1.5-acre site with a two-story building totaling approximately 9,780 square feet, a large jump from its 900-square-foot Rosenberg location, according to its website.

According to agenda documents, the new site will feature:

• A showroom gallery for artwork and historical artifacts
• Outdoor dining and kitchen area
• 50 parking spaces

The Texas House and Senate are launching new legislative committees to “get to the bottom of exactly what occurred” during this summer’s deadly Central Texas floods, state leaders announced Oct. 13.

The details: The bipartisan panels, known as the House and Senate General Investigating Committees on the July 2025 Flooding Events, will meet jointly to conduct “a comprehensive and thorough review” of the floods, House Speaker Dustin Burrows and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said.

Lawmakers will be tasked with:

• Identifying strategies to strengthen Texas’ disaster preparedness
• Helping communities respond to future floods
• Examining actions taken at summer camps in the flood zone