Bellaire City Council approved several items to move forward with city projects related to transportation, drainage and the city's lift station at its June 1 regular meeting.

The overview: Council members, except for Ross Gordon and Mayor Gus Pappas, who were absent, voted on four ordinances that will allow important city projects to continue with the next steps. Ordinances that were approved include:

• $87,724 for project management services for the Bellaire Lift Station and Texas Department of Transportation Highway Safety Improvements Capital Projects
• Amending the fiscal year 2025-26 budget to allow the city to hire a design consultant for the LED Traffic Signal Head Replacement project to improve traffic signals at 14 intersections across the city
• A $362,393 proposed contract to demolish two properties—4503 and 4300 Beechnut Street—to install stormwater assets for the Regional Drainage Improvement Program
• Purchasing a new police vehicle to not exceed $98,704 from Silsbee Ford

Floor & Decor recently opened a new 56,208-square-foot store in Meyerland, the 13th Houston-area store to date for the interior design and flooring retailer.

Zooming out: Floor & Decor first entered the Houston market in 2004, shortly after the company began in 2000, and has continued to grow its presence across the region and state, adding locations in Fresno, Webster and Grapevine, according to previous reporting by Community Impact. 

Floor & Decor offers tile, stone, wood, laminate and vinyl flooring, as well as fixtures such as vanities, faucets and lighting, according to its website.

Also of note: The Meyerland location occupies the space of the former Randall's supermarket in Meyer Park, which closed in August 2025, according to previous reporting. The store will open with a team of approximately 40 associates, and is led by Chief Executive Merchant, Chadwick Gunner, according to a May 28 news release from the company. 

• 4800 W. Bellfort Ave., Houston

Nearly 80% of Houston residents who participated in a budget survey said they would like to see more spending on infrastructure.

What happened: During the June 2 Budget and Fiscal Affairs Committee meeting, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research presented the findings of the city’s Your Two Cents budget survey.

The survey, which was live from April 14 to May 27, received around 920 responses, which many council members found disappointing, and said they would like to have more participation next year.

By the numbers: Infrastructure—categorized as roads, better drainage and pipes and electric grids—was a category that most residents wanted to see more funding for, Simburger said. Only 10% said they would be okay with less spending on infrastructure due to budget constraints.

The survey also found that nearly 58% of respondents want the city to spend more on Solid Waste Management and programs addressing homelessness.

As extreme weather events become more frequent, CenterPoint Energy announced June 1 that it is expanding its storm preparedness efforts through a partnership with Technosylva, a provider of weather, wildfire and flood modeling software.

Quote of note: “Preparing for extreme weather today requires earlier insight and better coordination than ever before,” said Jason Wells, chair, president and chief executive officer of CenterPoint Energy. “Our goal is to build the most resilient coastal grid in the nation to benefit our customers and communities.”

The overview: Technosylva's platform combines outage forecasting, storm modeling, flood risk analysis and wildfire monitoring into a single system. According to a news release from CenterPoint, the platform helps teams track weather conditions several days in advance, position crews and equipment before storms arrive and improve restoration planning. The National Weather Service forecasts eight to 14 named storms in the Atlantic basin this season, including three to six hurricanes, according to CenterPoint.

Nearly $8.4 billion in new state funding was not enough to save Texas public school districts from budget shortfalls and campus closures, school administrators said June 1.

What happened: During a 10-hour public hearing at the state Capitol, school district leaders spoke of efforts to stretch their budgets amid high inflationary costs as teachers explained their decisions to leave the classroom due to pay cuts and large class sizes.

The big picture: Last year, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 2, a $8.4 billion school finance bill designed to increase educator salaries, create a new pot of money for fixed costs, provide more training for teachers and boost special education resources.

Roughly one year later, districts across Community Impact’s coverage areas are cutting staff and closing campuses, citing enrollment declines and budget shortfalls. 

Quote of note: "This funding deficit is the final straw for me, and it will be for countless other educators across the state who must leave or who lose their jobs," Austin ISD French teacher Rachel Preston told lawmakers June 1.