On Sept. 10, the Conroe City Council adopted a $389.9 million operating budget for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 in a 4-2 vote. The budget includes approximately $374.6 million in revenue and maintains the property tax rate at $0.4272 per $100 of valuation. The council also adopted a $184.3 million capital improvement budget.

Breaking down the budget: The budget allocates about $2.87 million for police civil service salary increases, including annual raises of:

• $13,137 for police officers

• $16,711 for sergeants

• $17,500 for lieutenants

• $31,458 for captains

• $32,000 for the police chief and deputy chiefs

It also includes $1.1 million for the police step-pay program and $1.7 million for a 3.5% raise for other city employees.

Diving in deeper: The budget retains $130,000 for Flock Safety license plate readers. Council members David Hairel and Shana Arthur raised concerns regarding privacy and constitutional implications, but Police Chief Jon Buckholtz defended the cameras as an effective tool that assists officers daily.

Business officials with Eyemart Express confirmed that the national retailer opened a new location in Conroe on Sept. 8.

The details: Located at 1302 W. Davis St., Ste. G, the retailer specializes in offering same-day glasses services. Eyemart Express provides the following services:

• Eye exams

• In-house lens adjustments

• In-house lens creation

In their words: “As the first Eyemart Express in Conroe, our team is proud to bring a new standard of convenient and affordable eye care to the community,” Joseph Yenger, general manager over the Conroe location, said.

Over 100,000 students have enrolled at Lone Star College System for the fall semester, marking a milestone for the college system, according to a Sept. 14 news release.

A new chapter: For the fall semester of the 2026-27 school year, 100,023 students are enrolled to take courses at LSCS, according to the release.

LSCS's current enrollment represents an increase of 2.8% compared to the fall enrollment for 2025, which was 97,294, according to the college system's website. Enrollment has grown 17.45% compared to the fall of 2022.

Notable quote: “We are proud to serve each of these students, equipping them with the tools they need to pursue their dreams,” said Christina Hagerty, LSCS senior associate vice chancellor of curriculum and instruction, via the release.

Several notable events occurred across the northern part of the Greater Houston area from Sept. 4-11:

• Montgomery County Commissioners approve tax rate increase, budget

• Trader Joe’s to set up shop in Spring

• The Woodlands residents speak out on township agreement with mounted patrol; 2027 budget approved

• Waygood coffee shop coming soon to Tomball

• Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital places final beam atop North Tower

• Harris County ESD 9 to discuss FY 2026-27 budget, insurance policies

• Construction on 7 Brew Coffee in Humble projected to begin in October

• Lone Star College System cancels November election for 3 unopposed trustees

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.