Magnolia ISD approves $157.4M balanced budget including teacher pay raises
Magnolia ISD approved a balanced general fund budget of $157.4 million for fiscal year 2025-26 at its regular meeting Aug. 25. The district also approved its tax rate and a $500 stipend for all its employees.
Breaking it down: In the approved budget, MISD allotted $157.41 million in both revenue and expenses, which is about a $14 million increase compared to FY 2024-25, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Also on the agenda: District officials also approved a total tax rate of $0.9583 per $100 valuation for FY 2025-26 at the meeting. The approved tax rate is lower than the FY 2024-25 tax rate, which was $0.9595 per $100 valuation, according to MISD.
One more thing: As part of the 2025-26 compensation plan that was approved June 10, the board authorized a $500 payment for all employees that will be paid on Sept. 15. MISD officials said for all staff pay raises not included in HB 2, it would use local funds to fill any gaps.
Tomball’s Worthley’s Home Appliances to open bigger showroom on East Main Street
Worthley’s Home Appliances, a family-owned appliance store, will stay in Tomball but move to a new showroom on East Main Street after serving in its location on West Main Street since 1982.
The details: Owner Eric Lunsford said they have outgrown the original space. The new location will have a bigger showroom and more parking for customers. The store offers parts, services and sales, with brands including Whirlpool, KitchenAid and Speed Queen. Lunsford said they are targeting to open the new showroom in November; however, current customers can still shop at the West Main Street location or on the store website for the time being.
Montgomery County Commissioners Court approves creation of new criminal district court
Montgomery County commissioners voted in support of the creation of the 523rd Criminal District Court, citing growing caseloads and overcrowding at the county jail.
Quote of note: “We're growing significantly here in Montgomery County, and that trickles down to all of us, and we are at the point now where we need a new criminal District Court, and the reasons are clear,” Judge Phil Grant said. “I think you guys have been talking a lot over the last few months about jail overcrowding. We are seeing longer and longer times before we can get cases to trial.”
The details: Grant said, according to a weighted caseload study by the Texas Office of Court Administration, Montgomery County is “significantly short” on courts needed to keep up with filings. In 2024 alone, about 7,500 new felony cases were filed, while the county’s four existing criminal district courts disposed of about 10,000 cases.
Grant said the largest percentage of people who make up the population in the Montgomery County Jail are pretrial detainees.
Houston available rentals up more than a third from last July
The number of leased listings for single-family homes and rentals available in the Greater Houston area both increased compared to last year in July, according to the Houston Association of Realtors’ July 2025 Market Update released Aug. 20.
The details: Leased listings rose 6.5% compared to July 2024, with a total of 4,645 single-family rentals leased in July this year, according to the report.
Texas House moves to require cities, counties to seek voter approval for tax hikes exceeding 1%
Texas House lawmakers voted Aug. 25 to tighten limits on local property tax growth, advancing a bill that would require cities and counties to seek voter approval before raising tax rates by more than 1%. Cities and counties can currently increase taxes by up to 3.5% annually before going to local voters.
What happened: House lawmakers substantially amended Senate Bill 10 before returning it to the Senate. State senators sought to tighten the voter approval rate to 2.5% and impose the changes only on cities and counties with more than 75,000 residents. House lawmakers voted to apply a 1% threshold to all cities and counties, regardless of size.
Cities and counties' public safety expenditures, such as salaries and equipment for police, firefighters and paramedics, would not be subject to the 1% limit.
H-GAC bringing back ‘Free Fare Fridays’ to Greater Houston area in September
The Houston-Galveston Area Council announced the return of a campaign focused on reducing air pollution levels by providing free use of certain mass transit routes on Fridays in September.
What you need to know: As part of Ozone Action Month, multiple transit agencies across the Houston region will allow riders to use mass transit routes free of charge on Fridays in September, according to H-GAC’s website. The initiative aims to reduce the amount of air pollution generated by vehicles on Houston area roads.
The participating agencies include:
Harris County Transit: All routes
Fort Bend Transit: All routes
City of Conroe: Fixed and paratransit routes
The Woodlands Township: All routes
What else: For residents unable to use the transit options, H-GAC officials also suggested other measures to reduce air pollution, including carpooling, reducing the number of trips and biking when possible.
Houston region receives additional $2.2 billion in state funds for major transportation projects
The Texas Transportation Commission officially approved the 2026 Unified Transportation Program on Aug. 21, outlining an additional $2.2 billion in state transportation funds for the Greater Houston area.
The big picture: The UTP is a 10-year project plan crafted and funded by the Texas Department of Transportation, and reviewed and updated on an annual basis according to feedback from communities and metropolitan planning organizations. The 2026 UTP allocated an additional $2.2 billion for projects in the Houston region through 2035.
Quote of note: "This more than $146 billion investment in our roadways will help Texas meet the critical needs of our growing state as more people and businesses move here for the freedom and opportunity they can’t find anywhere else," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release. "We must strengthen our roadways and improve congestion and safety to keep our economy booming and keep Texans moving. By investing billions of dollars in our transportation network today, we will build the future of Texas for generations to come."
