HTX-TOM: Impact 10/21/2025

Magnolia City Council on Oct. 14 approved an agreement with engineering firm Freese and Nichols Inc. to begin developing a two- to five-year capital improvement master plan aimed at prioritizing and planning the city’s future infrastructure needs.

The plan will guide capital spending, support long-term water and wastewater management and help position the city for future funding opportunities.

Two-minute impact: The $805,000 agreement—approved under a Master Professional Services Agreement pending City Attorney Leonard Schneider’s review—authorizes Freese and Nichols to assist the city with identifying projects for its fiscal years 2026-28 Capital Improvements Plan and to prepare a comprehensive water and wastewater master plan.

The approach: According to city documents, the work will be completed in two phases. The first phase will evaluate and update cost estimates for existing water, wastewater, transportation and drainage projects while identifying additional immediate priorities to include in Magnolia’s upcoming capital plan.

Johnson Development has opened The Boot House, a 3,000-square-foot welcome center in its new Magnolia community, Kresston, according to an Oct. 16 news release.

Explained: The center serves as the starting point for tours of the 1,465-acre community. Visitors can meet with staff, view the 10 open model homes and learn about upcoming amenities, per the release. Featuring rustic wood paneling, leather furnishings and a stone fireplace, The Boot House will also house members of the Kresston development and HOA teams.

One more thing: The center is part of the 10-acre Legends Pointe amenity complex, which opens Oct. 24 with a splash pad, pickleball court and playground. The area will connect to Liberty Junction, a future 20-acre district planned to include an aquatic center, live music pavilion and indoor recreation space.

Montgomery County officials adopted a $508.1 million budget for fiscal year 2025-26 alongside a reduced property tax rate of $0.3770 per $100 valuation. County leaders said this year’s budget, adopted Sept. 5, was designed with growth, public safety and modernization in mind.

The details: While the rate is slightly lower than last year’s rate of $0.3790 per $100 valuation, it remains 2.09% above the no-new-revenue rate, meaning some taxpayers could still see higher bills depending on property values. For a home at the county’s average value of $335,928, the county’s portion of property taxes will amount to about $1,266, Tammy McRae, Montgomery County’s tax assessor-collector, said.

A closer look: The budget also covers the second year of the county’s transition to a medical examiner’s office, with the addition of two full-time positions and one part-time position. Information technology funding increased from $19.1 million to $20.6 million with a focus on cybersecurity, storage and software renewals.  

In November, Harris County Commissioners Court will consider a worksite safety policy proposal seeking to standardize safety protocols countywide in order to reduce injuries and strengthen worker protections on authorized construction sites. 

By the numbers: Workplace injuries in 2021 cost $167 billion and amounted to $47.4 billion in wage and productivity losses, according to a 2024 report from a Houston-based Occupational Safety and Health Administration training organization.

The experts: Linda Morales is the organizing coordinator at the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation. Harris County’s current contractor safety record policy is taken into account during the bidding process, Morales said, where contractor and subcontractors must show a proven safety record that complies with industry standards.

In their words: “What it does is that it helps prevent habitual violators of health and safety standards from operating on Harris County projects, but what they don’t have is a policy that addresses real-time safety issues that arise on county projects," Morales said.

The nonprofit Harris County Public Library Foundation has officially launched, a press release from the organization announced. 

What to know: The nonprofit is dedicated to supporting and enhancing library services for the more than 5 million residents of Harris County and was established to champion the library's mission and secure financial support to expand its services and collections of materials and resources according to the foundation's website.

What else: The HCPL Foundation will hold its first annual Booked for Lunch event on Nov. 10 at the Junior League of Houston. The 2025 Booked for Lunch event is specifically focused on raising funds to increase the quantity of both printed and digital books in the Harris County Public Library collection and reduce wait times for borrowers.