Fort Bend County residents will see a decrease in property taxes in fiscal year 2026-27.

What readers need to know: At a Sept. 10 meeting, Fort Bend County commissioners approved an $841.41 million budget for FY 2026-27 in a 3-2 vote with commissioners Grady Prestage and Dexter McCoy dissenting due to ongoing concerns with recent adjustments in the judiciary’s budget.

The details: The highest-funded government function is general administration with about $200.39 million in the proposed budget, followed by debt service and then public safety.

What else: Commissioners also approved a $0.407 tax rate per $100 property valuation in a 4-0 vote with McCoy abstaining from the vote due to leadership concerns. The new rate is a 1.21% decrease from last year’s tax rate of $0.412.

“Across our region, we are seeing higher property taxes proposed or adopted,” Interim County Judge Daniel Wong said. "Fort Bend County does not have to follow that trend. Affordability isn't just a national issue, it is a Fort Bend County issue.”

Fort Bend ISD residents could see a decrease in the district’s tax rate in fiscal year 2026-27.

What’s new: Fort Bend ISD officials have proposed a tax rate of $0.9969 per $100 valuation for FY 2026-27, which is a 5.68% decrease from $1.0569 in FY 2025-26.

The details: The proposed tax rate includes $0.7169 per $100 valuation for maintenance and operations, which funds the district’s daily operations, and $0.2800 for the interest and sinking rate, which funds the district’s outstanding debt.

Stay tuned: The board of trustees is set to vote on the tax rate at its Sept. 18 meeting beginning at 6 p.m. at the Fort Bend ISD Administration Building.

Paris Baguette is continuing its expansion in the Greater Houston area with a new location in Missouri City’s Colony Lakes Shopping Center, officials announced in an Instagram post.

On the menu: The bakery offers a variety of cakes including a cappuccino cake and a blueberry chiffon cake, and pastries such as flavored croissants, danishes and tarts, per its website. It also has savory options including sandwiches, quiches and croquettes.

Year-round drinks include flavored matchas, lattes, frappes, teas and coffee.

Zooming out: The franchise has over 300 locations in the U.S. with a goal of reaching 1,000 by 2030, per its website.

• 6266 Hwy. 6, Missouri City

Texas does not have a single system to connect first responders in emergencies, meaning local and state agencies often operate on a network of radio systems that are not always compatible with one another.

The big picture: State leaders said there are more than 50 different radio systems used by first responder agencies across Texas.

"We have situations where counties and cities are on separate ones, and they never know it until they have to [communicate with] each other," state Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, said during a Sept. 14 legislative hearing.

Looking ahead: King has vowed to pass a bill to integrate first responder communications under a statewide system during the 2027 legislative session, with some emergency management experts calling interagency communications "the No. 1 issue" in the aftermath of disasters.

"[This] is not simply a communication issue—it's a responder safety issue and an operational effectiveness issue," said Kyle Mills, head of planning and preparedness for the Texas A&M Forest Service.