HTX-COM: Impact 9/8/2025

Conroe City Council voted Sept. 4 to maintain the city’s current property tax rate at 0.4272 per $100 valuation and approved a 6% cost-of-living adjustment for all city employees.

What you need to know: The decision followed extensive debate on whether to increase police salaries beyond the across-the-board raise. Police leadership and some council members voiced concerns that Conroe officers are at risk of leaving for higher-paying agencies, with Montgomery Countyapproving raises for its deputies following the city of Houston and Harris County doing so as well. 

A poll shared with council showed that about half of Conroe police officers would consider leaving if the city did not reach pay parity. 
Greg Tullis, who spoke on behalf of the Conroe Police Officers Association, said of the city’s officers: 

• 50% would leave 
• 30% would consider leaving 
• 20% would not consider leaving

State Sen. Brandon Creighton was officially named the sole finalist for the position of chancellor and CEO for the Texas Tech University System at a Sept. 4 board of regents meeting, according to a Sept. 4 news release.

Quote of note: “The Texas Tech University System has a proud history and limitless potential,” Creighton said via news release. “From research and innovation to nationally prominent academic programs, it represents the very best of Texas. I am honored to be named sole finalist for chancellor and look forward to building on this momentum and leading the TTU System into its next era of success.”

What else: During a Texas Senate session on Sept. 3, Senate Resolution 87, which congratulates Creighton on his appointment, was read. Leadership Montgomery County will also honor Creighton during the nonprofit’s Leadership Summit on Sept. 19 at the new Kevin Brady Library and Community Center.

The Montgomery County Commissioners Court adopted a balanced fiscal year 2025-26 budget and set a property tax rate of $0.3770 per $100 valuation during a special meeting Sept. 5.

As previously reported, the FY 2024-25 approved tax rate was $0.3790 per $100 of home valuation, making the FY 2025-26 tax rate a 0.53% decrease.

The details: The adopted balanced budget totals $508.1 million with allocations including law enforcement pay parity with the city of Houston and Harris County, additional staffing across departments, expanded IT and cybersecurity funding, jail inmate medical and food services and a contribution of nearly $5.4 million to the county’s capital improvement plan, Budget Officer Amanda Carter said.

A last-minute adjustment added $850,000 in expected revenue that had been excluded in earlier drafts. Commissioners debated whether to use the funds to further reduce the tax rate or bolster contingency reserves. Ultimately, the court opted for a compromise: most of the money was applied to lower the rate, with about $74,757 added to contingency, bringing that line item to $150,376, Carter said.

Two months after 25 campers and two counselors died in the historic July 4 flooding at Camp Mystic, Gov. Greg Abbott signed three new laws Sept. 5 that he said will “make youth camps safer” and ensure Texas communities are better prepared for future disasters. The flood victims' families attended the Sept. 5 bill signing ceremony in Austin.

The details: Under the two-pronged camp safety package, summer camps are required to remove existing cabins from floodplains by Jan. 1.

Camps must also develop and annually update comprehensive emergency plans, set up warning systems to notify campers if something is wrong and install ladders so campers can climb on cabin roofs during floods.

Looking ahead: Two other disaster preparedness bills, as well as legislation designed to regulate Texas’ multibillion-dollar THC industry, did not pass during the recent special legislative session, which ended around 1 a.m. Sept. 4.

When asked Sept. 5 if he planned to call a third legislative overtime to continue work on those policies, Abbott told reporters to "stay tuned."