Houston-based rocket propulsion company Venus Aerospace opened a new propulsion test stand at the Houston Spaceport on Sept. 10.

The gist: The new test stand is a part of "critical infrastructure to support the continued development and maturation of its rotating detonation rocket engine technology," according to a Sept. 10 news release from the company.

The $3.9 million test stand was funded through the Texas Space Commission's Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund, which is part of the state's investment in growing Texas' aerospace and space economy, the news release notes.

Quote of note: “Building and testing propulsion systems at this pace requires the right infrastructure around the technology,” CEO and Co-Founder Sassie Duggleby said. “We’re grateful to the Texas Space Commission and the state of Texas for investing alongside companies like Venus."

House of Pies is opening a new location in Webster, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Registration.

An official opening date has not yet been announced.

What you need to know: The eatery specializes in pies and cakes, but also serves breakfast all day, sandwiches, soups, salads, burgers, chicken fried chicken, steak and spaghetti, among other dishes, according to its website.

📍160 W. Bay Area Blvd., Webster

The Harris County Commissioners Court is moving forward with a 7.6% property tax rate increase compared with last year, marking one of the largest tax hikes in the county’s recent history.

The overview: The court approved a tax rate of about $0.67 per $100 in taxable property value in a 3-2 vote during its Sept. 8 meeting. County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey opposed the rate recommended by the county’s Office of Management and Budget.

The increase will add about $193 to the average homeowner’s property tax bill, OMB Director Daniel Ramos said.

Looking ahead: With a projected shortfall of about $180 million, the court is expected to adopt its 2026-27 fiscal year $3.09 billion budget during the Sept. 17 meeting. The court is expected to also take a final vote on the proposed tax rate, adopting it before the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

The Harris County Commissioners Court denied a recommendation for County Treasurer Carla Wyatt to receive a 30% raise. As a result, Wyatt will not join the slate of other county elected officials who received pay raises this year.

What happened: The county’s eight elected constables, the district attorney, county attorney, district clerk and tax assessor-collector will earn $305,000 annually.

The court approved those raises in August. Per an Aug. 24 press release, Harris County Clerk Teneshia Hudspeth denied the raise.

Zooming in: The recommendation came as the county seeks to shutter the treasurer’s office. As part of its legislative priorities, Harris County officials will ask the state House and Senate to approve cutting the office. Other large counties in Texas, such as Galveston and Tarrant, have eliminated their treasurer’s offices.

Across Texas, the taxes that homeowners pay to their local school districts went down by about 13.6% in 2025, one state senator found.

The overview: Across the board, many Texas counties mailed out reduced property tax bills for the 2025 tax year, Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, reported. During a Sept. 1 hearing of the Senate Local Government Committee, he said the average homeowner's property tax bill went down by about $140 last year, falling from $1,037 per year in 2024 to $896 per year in 2025.

Texas' 2026-27 budget includes $51 billion in property tax relief, previous Community Impact reporting shows. Unless the legislature rolls back existing tax exemptions, the state will be required to spend that much or more on tax relief in future bienniums.

How it works: The state does not charge property taxes, meaning homeowners are taxed by local entities such as school districts, cities, counties and municipal utility districts. The Texas Legislature, however, can place limits on how much local governments raise taxes annually and require tax exemptions for certain groups.