Read on to learn more about the top stories this year. The following stories are not listed in any particular order.
1. Proposed hospital expansion could impact Hermann Park
Bond funding also allowed for the renovation of Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital in northeast Houston, an expansion project is on track for completion by fall 2028.
Read the full story about Ben Taub Hospital here and read the full story about LBJ Hospital here.
2. Harris County commissioners approve $2.7B FY 2025-26 budget prioritizing pay parity, public safety
Early in the budget process, county officials projected a $200 million-plus shortfall in FY 2025-26, and over the last eight months leading up to the September budget adoption, commissioners and department leaders weighed how to offset at least $102 million in cuts and other savings.
What resulted was the decision to implement a yearlong hiring freeze to save at least $25 million and for the department leaders to identify at least 10% in cost savings within their current level of services.
Read the full story here.3. Harris County Flood Control District advances $3.5B in approved projects stemming from 2018 flood bond
More than 145 flood mitigation projects in high flood risk areas across Harris County advanced with local, state and federal funding partnerships after the unanimous approval from Harris County Commissioners as part of a restructured proposal built upon the work completed from the 2018 flood bond.
At the Sept. 18 court meeting, HCFCD Executive Director Christina Petersen addressed commissioners on the updates and debuted the new 2018 flood bond dashboard—a public website where users can find flood project schedules, funding sources, completion dates, prioritization scores, locations and lifecycles for all projects that will be updated quarterly, according to Petersen.
Read the full story here.4. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo won't seek third term ahead of 2026 election
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo formally announced she will not seek reelection for a third term as judge of Texas’ largest county in a Sept. 15 news release.
“I ran for office as a change maker to challenge the establishment and bring a fresh perspective to a Harris County government. I never ran for office to build an empire, which is why I am keeping my promise not to serve more than two terms,” Hidalgo said.
Hidalgo has served as county judge since 2019 and was reelected after winning the county seat during the November 2022 general election. Her current four-year term ends Dec. 31, 2026. In the year leading up to the 2026 general election, several candidates publicly announced their campaigns for the county judge seat, including:
- Former Houston Mayor Annise Parker
- U.S. Rep. Erica Lee Carter, daughter of U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
- Houston Firefighters Union President Marty Lancton
- Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer
- Spring Branch resident Warren Howell
Read the full story here.
5. Harris County looks to close inmate outsourcing amid high costs
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has reduced the number of jail inmates housed outside of the county since June, a Sept. 18 quarterly jail data report shows. However, outsourcing inmates at other facilities was still a top expense in the fiscal year 2025-26 county general fund budget approved Sept. 24.
Jail officials said in June they were working on reducing the number of inmates who are outsourced to jails outside the county and state by the end of 2025. Overcrowding and understaffing remains an issue that has led to failed state safety inspections and fatal outcomes at the jail.
Read the full story here.
6. Harris County commissioners negotiate $81K pay raise for county's 8 elected constables
A motion to increase each elected constable’s salary to $260,000 also passed in September. The last salary increase awarded to the county’s eight constables was implemented in September 2024.
“Our county cannot fall behind in providing public safety to our growing population,” Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said in a May 22 news release. “This has to be our top priority, and we are absolutely committed to getting officer pay to a competitive rate.”
Read the full story here.
7. Harris County commissioners authorize letter urging updated flood maps from FEMA
Harris County commissioners are urging officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to release updated floodplain maps.
The last time frame FEMA issued regarding the release of Harris County’s preliminary flood insurance rate maps was in 2023, according to Harris County Flood Control District officials, as previously reported in Community Impact. Previously, the HCFCD projected FEMA would release maps in the spring or summer of 2022 but has continually pushed back its estimate.
Read the full story here.
8. Harris County commissioners to appoint new county attorney to fill Christian Menefee’s vacancy
Harris County commissioners will be appointing a new individual to fill the vacant county attorney position after Christian Menefee formally resigned from his position in March with the announcement of his campaign to run for U.S. Congress District 18 position.
Menefee is one of the two Democratic candidates for Texas' 18th Congressional District who are headed to a runoff election in January, according to unofficial results posted on the Harris County Clerk's website.
Read the full story here.
9. Houston Humane Society houses dogs from flood-affected shelters in Central Texas
Members of the Houston Humane Society headed to Central Texas after the July 4 weekend to team up with the Hill Country Humane Society and other partner organizations in the area to relocate more than 40 puppies and dogs from the already-strained animal shelters.
Some pets were surrendered by families who lost everything in the flood and could no longer care for them, HHS officials said. The newly transferred pets in Houston were housed in temporary air-conditioned spaces to free up extra space in the Central Texas shelters, which were used for pet and family reunion efforts.
Read the full story here.
10. School district enrollment trends, closures
School district reports show students are increasingly transferring out of Cy-Fair ISD to pursue other education options, such as charters, private schools and homeschooling. CFISD has seen a 59.1% increase in students leaving the district to enroll in charter schools since fall 2017, according to an analysis conducted this year by data consulting firm Population and Survey Analysts. More students are also leaving the district to pursue virtual learning and other districts, the report found.
In Spring ISD, two schools will be closing starting next school year as the district faces falling enrollment and a $13 million fiscal year 2025-26 budget shortfall, according to a Dec. 10 SISD news release.
The current growth rate at Tomball ISD—about 1.8%—was the lowest in 12 years, Mark White, the district’s assistant superintendent of accountability, said during trustees’ Nov. 10 workshop meeting.
