Klein ISD board members approved a budget June 8 for fiscal year 2026-27, estimated to bring no change in the property tax rate.

KISD Chief Financial Officer Dan Schaefer said the district won’t receive official median homestead values from the Harris County Appraisal District until after the new fiscal year begins July 1.

Current situation: The KISD board of trustees unanimously adopted the FY 2026-27 budget after the previously projected shortfall was offset by FY 2025-26’s projected $20 million surplus, as previously reported by Community Impact.

The board of trustees held a public hearing at the meeting regarding the FY 2026-27 budget, but received no public participation.

The projections: The adopted FY 2026-27 budget was based on an estimated tax rate of $1.0119 per $100 of property value, which is the same rate as FY 2025-26. However, the actual proposed tax rate will be determined in September or October once the district receives verified property values from HCAD, meeting documents show.

Harris County commissioners are set to discuss the creation of a new committee aimed at improving communication and efficiency across county departments June 11, alongside the creation of a chief infrastructure officer position for the county.

The breakdown: Harris County precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia will also put forth a plan to create an Infrastructure Coordination and Performance Committee that will "streamline departmental execution to support effective and timely implementation of and progress on Commissioners Court’s infrastructure-related priorities."

What else? Commissioners are also set to continue discussion on a plan being presented by the Harris County Flood Control District to move forward on several flood mitigation projects funded by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development before losing access to the funding.

Stay tuned: Harris County Commissioners Court meetings are held at 9 a.m. in Downtown Houston. The administration building is located at 1001 Preston St., Houston. 

On June 4, a $25 million funding increase was approved for Lone Star College System’s textbook program in order to continue the services through fiscal year 2026-27.

In a nutshell: The maximum amount to be spent to fund LSCS’ textbook program’s was raised to $79.24 million total, according to June 4 meeting documents. The maximum amount was last increased by $34.24 million to about $54.24 million in December 2024 to cover the program through FY 2025-26.

In case you missed it: However, the new textbook program allotment total includes services that have been evolving at the college system since 2023, according to a June 4 presentation from Kristy Vienne, LSCS’ vice chancellor for finance and administration. The current iteration of the program, dubbed the STAR Bundle, officially launched in the fall of 2025 and:

• Automatically provides students with their required textbooks and class materials by the first day of class
• Costs $24 per credit hour enrolled, no matter the actual textbook costs

In 2023, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 2127, a sweeping regulatory measure designed to prevent cities and counties from adopting local ordinances that conflict with various sections of state law. Three years later, there is confusion about what local governments can and cannot do under the law.

The background: At the time, some legislators and other proponents of the bill said it would ensure consistency among Texas cities, citing ordinances passed by “liberal blue cities” that they said made it hard to run a business. Opponents of HB 2127, including some local leaders, said the law would prevent cities from addressing residents’ needs while undermining local worker safety provisions and nondiscrimination ordinances.

What's happening: During a June 4 hearing, the law’s critics said it has had a “chilling effect” on some local actions, while those who support the law expressed concerns that cities have not removed ordinances that are preempted by the state.

Ahead of the 2027 state legislative session, lawmakers are considering whether changes are needed to clarify or better enforce the law.