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Pearland City Council struck down a resident’s request to build an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, following a denial of a similar request from another resident in February.

The details: City Council voted unanimously at its May 11 meeting to deny Mario Moreno’s conditional use permit request to build a 1,856 square foot ADU on his 1-acre lot.

In case you missed it: In February, City Council denied a conditional use permit request to build an ADU in Pearland’s Green Tee Terrace neighborhood, citing concerns that the space could be used in the future to rent to non-family members, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.

Looking ahead: The Planning and Zoning Commission will host a joint workshop May 18 with council to discuss the ongoing rewrite of the city’s unified development code, focusing on the city’s rules about ADUs.

Pearland resident David Deriso said he had no idea that filing a permit request in December to build an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, to house his aging mother would be “controversial.”

An ADU is a detached building with a living area, kitchen and a restroom.

Current situation: City Council denied Deriso’s request in a 4-3 vote in February, citing concerns that the ADU would eventually be turned into a short-term rental, with council members Tony Carbone, Clint Byrom and Rushi Patel voting for the ADU, while council members Joseph Koza, Layni Cade, Mona Chavarria and Rick Fernandez voted against it.

Why it matters: Deriso said being without the kitchen won’t be ideal for his mom, especially as she gets older.

“My mom deserves to be able to cook or boil an egg,” Deriso said. “When I think about what that looks like for the rest of her life, it’s like every meal she’s ever cooked, she’s going [to] have to walk outside and whatever the elements are that day to come eat.”

Friendswood ISD’s board of trustees approved staff pay increases and expanded stipend allocations at its May 11 meeting as part of an update for the district’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget.

What you need to know: For FY 2026-27, the district is projecting nearly $70.9 million in revenues and nearly $70.6 million in expenses, according to budget documents. 

The projected tax rate for FY 2026-27 is $1.0040 per $100 valuation of a home, including $0.7609 for maintenance and operations, or M&O, which funds daily operations, and $0.2431 for interest & sinking, or I&S, which pays bond debt. Based on a median home value of $424,611, the estimated annual property tax bill will be around $4,300, according to budget documents.

Democratic candidates Christian D. Menefee and Al Green will face each other once again in the May runoff election for Congressional District 18 after no candidate received more than 50% of the vote in the March 3 primaries.

The overview: In a four-way primary race, Green secured roughly 47% of the vote while Menefee garnered about 41% of the vote. The winner of the May 26 runoff will face the Republican nominee—Ronald Dwayne Whitfield—in November.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are elected for a two-year term with no term limits. Following congressional redistricting, which will take effect in January 2027, District 18 will cover portions of southwest, central and northeast Houston.

Preparing for the polls: Texans can vote early in the runoff election from May 18-22. Runoff election day is May 26.

Following pressure from summer camp operators, lawmakers and legislative leaders, Texas is suspending a requirement that all camps install “end-to-end” fiber-optic internet infrastructure before opening this summer.

The background: After catastrophic flooding in Central Texas killed more than 130 people—including 28 deaths at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian camp—last July, state lawmakers passed a pair of laws designed to strengthen safety and emergency preparedness requirements for all Texas summer camps. One provision of the laws requires that camps install two types of broadband internet, including a fiber-optic system.

Nineteen camp operators sued the state over the fiber-optic rule in April, citing million-dollar installation fees and limited access to fiber-optic services in rural parts of Texas.

What's happening: The Department of State Health Services, which licenses youth camps, said it reached an agreement with the camp operators May 7. Under the agreement, Texas camps that maintain “redundant” broadband internet services—such as cellular, microwave or satellite technology—will not have their license revoked or denied as long as they meet all other safety requirements.