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Conroe ISD projecting $770M balanced budget for FY 2026-27

Conroe ISD is projecting a balanced budget of $770.42 million for fiscal year 2026-27, according to a presentation by CISD Chief Financial Officer Karen Garza at the April 21 regular board meeting

The framework: Garza presented the proposed $770.42 million budget, which projects a $8.36 million increase in both revenues and expenses compared to the beginning revenue and expense figure of $762.06 million. The increased revenue stems from increases to local property taxes and state funding, as well as special education intensity formula changes due to House Bill 2, Garza said. HB 2, according to previous reporting, gave an $8.4 billion boost to public educational funding.

More details: CISD also projects a tax rate of $0.9348 per $100 valuation, according to Garza’s presentation. The projected tax rate is $0.0148 less than the approved FY 2025-26 tax rate of $0.9496 per $100 valuation.

Some context: According to previous reporting, the district’s approved budget for FY 2025-26 was $761.05 million.

 
On The Business Beat
Wine & Design Montgomery closing April 30

Wine & Design in downtown Montgomery is set to close April 30, a representative confirmed.

The details: Officials announced the closing in an April 9 Facebook post.

"Over the past two years as the owner, I have been so grateful to be part of this amazing community. Thank you for welcoming me and supporting this small business," the post states. "I will treasure all the memories we’ve created together. This studio has meant so much to me, and I will truly miss you all."

The business offered private parties, kids camps and hosted adult paint-and-sip art classes, according to the website.

The studio is running a closing sale on items including paints, wood signs, decor and more. Officials said the property owner is currently looking for a new tenant.

  • 202 McCown St., Ste. A, Montgomery
 
In Your Backyard
Neighborhood Fishin' program bringing catfish, rainbow trout to local lakes

Catfish and rainbow trout are now making their way to several community lakes in the Greater Houston area and across the state.

How it works: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is stocking 18 lakes in nine cities around Texas, including Austin, Houston and Bryan-College Station.

The Neighborhood Fishin’ lakes program is aimed at encouraging family fishing at 18 locations around the state that provide parking and are close to neighborhoods.

Quote of note: “Catfish are fun and easy to catch for anglers of all ages and experience levels. If you’ve never fished before, these are the perfect places to get started,” said Marcos DeJesus, East Texas regional director for TPWD’s Inland Fisheries Division, in a news release. “If you are an experienced angler, these are the perfect places to introduce fishing to a friend or family member.”

 

Your Weekend To-Do List

Check out these weekend events across the metro area.

Earth Day Family Day Market

Creativity Rocks - OZ!

April 25, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Spring

April 25, 6-9 p.m.
Humble

Learn more.

Learn more.

 

6th Annual Texas Mini Golf Championship

The Market at River Oaks District

April 26, 9 a.m.
Montgomery

April 26, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Houston

Learn more.

Learn more.

 
To submit your own event, click here.

CI Texas
ERCOT forecasts quadruple growth in electric demand, warns estimate is likely overinflated

Demand on the Texas power grid could more than quadruple in the next six years, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas announced April 15.

The details: The state grid operator projected that peak electric demand could hit 367,790 megawatts by 2032—more than four times the current demand record of 85,508 megawatts, which was set during an August 2023 heat wave. Much of this forecasted growth is due to data centers, according to ERCOT documents.

However, ERCOT leaders warned that the growth forecast is “preliminary” and needs adjustments.

What's happening: During an April 17 meeting, ERCOT officials told the Public Utility Commission of Texas that they plan to work with utility providers to issue a revised forecast in the coming weeks.

“I think it's clear we need to engage in the process and look at ways to refine this number to something that's more usable,” PUC Chair Thomas Gleeson said.

Stay tuned: ERCOT said it expects peak electric demand on the grid this summer will hit between 90,500-98,000 megawatts, which would shatter the current demand record.

 

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General Manager

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