HTX-KTY: Impact 10/15/2025

Fort Bend County’s months-long redistricting process has come to an end, with commissioners voting 3-2 to approve a new map at an Oct. 13 special meeting. Precinct 2 Commissioner Grady Prestage and Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy cast the dissenting votes.

Zooming in: The new map was one of five submitted to the court by the Citizens Redistricting Advisory Committee and keeps all elected officials within their districts, but will displace the Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace office, CRAC Chair Jacob Lee said.

What they’re saying: In Oct. 13 statements, George, Morales and Meyers praised the new map, with Morales calling it an “honest representation” of the county.

However, both Prestage and McCoy voiced concerns about the maps and possible repercussions of redistricting, including potential litigation against the county, at press conferences after the Oct. 13 meeting.

What’s next: Redistricting will be in the limelight in Fort Bend County again following the 2030 U.S. Census, when drawing new maps is mandatory.

Ann Taylor Factory Store, a nationwide women's clothing brand, is coming to Katy Mills Mall.

Zooming in: The chain, which has 219 stores nationwide, sells clothing, shoes, jewelry and more, according to its website.

Another note: The brand is one of several new stores coming to the mall, including Cabi, Pika Park and Primark, mall officials announced in a Sept. 15 news release.

• 5000 Katy Mills Circle, Ste. 321, Katy

In June, Fort Bend County commissioners approved a five-year extension to allow the sale of fireworks ahead of the Diwali holiday through 2030.

The extension builds on last year’s first-ever sale of fireworks for the holiday in Fort Bend following the Texas Legislature’s approval of House Bill 608, passed in 2023, which allows commissioners courts statewide the ability to allow firework sales during the Diwali season, Community Impact reported.

Why it matters: “We found out that people were buying fireworks during July 4, storing them at their home, which is very, very unsafe, so that they would have them to be able to use during Diwali,” Commissioner Dexter McCoy said. “And we knew that wasn't right.”

What they're saying: With so many diverse communities in Fort Bend County, the ordinance gives hope to voices that previously wouldn’t have a chance to shine through, Purav Patel, a volunteer for BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Stafford, said.

Looking ahead: Fireworks can be sold by permitted retailers from Oct. 13-23, according to agenda documents.

Harris County commissioners will meet Oct. 16 with more than 500 agenda items on the docket, including potential discussions on the countywide hiring freeze, the broadband task force and regulations on panhandling and roadside vending in unincorporated Harris County.

What you need to know: In the first meeting since Harris County commissioners adopted the $2.7 billion fiscal year 2025-26 budget Sept. 26, county administration officials will request to discuss hiring freeze exemptions.

Also on the agenda: Updates with the county’s broadband task force are also slated for discussion. Commissioners adopted the creation of the task force in late June that aims to target internet access inequity throughout the county.

Also of note: Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey has an agenda item to create regulations on panhandling and roadside vending in unincorporated Harris County. Ramsey’s discussion item comes as House Bill 2012, which was passed during the last state legislative session and allows counties to enforce regulations against roadside vendors, takes effect.

Over one year after Hurricane Beryl, 1 in 8 Houston-area residents reported their lives were still “very” or “somewhat” disrupted by Beryl, according to an Oct. 2 report from the Houston Population Research Center at the Kinder Institute.

Looking back: According to the report, Beryl caused an estimated $2.5 billion to $4.5 billion in property damage.

Quote of note: “Now, a year down the road, residents are having to grapple with the reality of repairs that are still needed, credit card bills from unexpected hotel rooms or refilling the fridge that are still unpaid, and their expectations that these things should already be resolved but they’re not,” Dan Potter, co-director of the research center and lead researcher on the survey work, said in the report.

Going forward: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has delivered the majority of its disaster aid, but there is still a gap to fill. As of early 2025, federal estimates suggested there was about $800 million in repairs needed between the destruction from Beryl and the May 2024 derecho.