A potential 2028 bond has been pushed back to 2029 or 2030 to align with the expiration of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 2. This move will free up enough financial capacity to pay for the new debt without instantly raising property taxes, Pearland City Manager Trent Epperson said.

What you need to know: TIRZ 2 is scheduled to expire at the end of 2028, Epperson said. When this happens, all of that captured property value is released back onto the city’s general tax rolls for fiscal year 2029-30.

Diving in deeper: The plan to push the future bond election back was discussed at City Council’s special June 22 meeting. In that meeting, city officials outlined FY 2027-31’s capital improvement plan, or CIP. From FY 2027-31, Pearland plans to allocate roughly $524 million to streets, drainage, facilities and parks with nearly 55 projects.

IKEA is opening its 10th store in Texas in Webster on June 26, according to a June 22 news release from the Swedish furniture retailer.

The details: According to the release, the 93,000 square-foot facility is the third IKEA to open in Texas this year, and will offer the following: 

• 7,000 products with 4,800 products for immediate takeaway

• 800 smaller furniture items

• Free in-store pickup or low-cost home delivery

• Swedish restaurant

• An as-is department, offering gently used products, discontinued items and more affordable furnishings

What else: The new store will host a grand opening celebration from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the release. 

• 19801 Gulf Freeway, Webster

Texas education officials gave preliminary approval June 23 to the state’s first mandatory reading list, which includes nearly 200 literary works that public school students would begin reading as soon as 2030.

The overview: The proposed list incorporates about a dozen stories from the Bible, including the tale of David and Goliath in second grade and direct biblical excerpts beginning in fourth grade. In total, students would be required to read more than two dozen texts in early elementary grades and about 10 literary works per year from sixth grade through high school.

What's happening: Members of the Republican-led State Board of Education voted 9-5 to cut several titles from the reading list June 23, following nearly eight hours of public testimony a day earlier.

More than half of those who testified June 22 asked the board to shorten the list, include more diverse authors and remove religious references. Others praised the SBOE for creating a list that they said would teach students about “American exceptionalism” and prioritize classical literature.