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The Woodlands!

Today's weather ☀️ High 99, Low 80

TOP STORY

'We've never had a year quite like this one': Montgomery County facing $2.3B tax value loss

A record number of tax appraisal lawsuits along with rising home values and a backlog of 11,000 homestead exemptions has led to a $2.3 billion tax value loss for Montgomery County, resulting in an $8.8 million shortage in tax revenue.

What you need to know: The Montgomery County Commissioners Court met Aug. 1 to accept the statutory tax rate limits ahead of budget workshops starting Aug. 8. These limits provide guidelines for the court when it comes to setting the tax rate, such as when voter approval is necessary and what the no-new-revenue rates are.

The context: During the meeting, Montgomery County Tax Assessor-Collector Tammy McRae informed the court of a $2.3 billion taxable property value loss due to a number of factors McRae said emerged from the previous Montgomery County Appraisal District administration.

How we got here: According to McRae, Montgomery County has seen a record number of lawsuits over property tax appraisals since 2022.

• 250 lawsuits filed in 2022
• 700 lawsuits filed in 2023
• 19,500 protests from 2023 still under review, with more lawsuits anticipated

There’s more to the story — read it here.

CI FOODIE

25 eateries in The Woodlands area participating in Houston Restaurant Weeks 2023

Houston Restaurant Weeks kicked off Aug. 1 and runs through Sept. 4, offering two-, three- and four-course prix fixe meal options for brunch, lunch and dinner.

The impact: A portion of the proceeds is donated to the Houston Food Bank. In The Woodlands and the immediate surrounding area, 25 restaurants are participating this year.

The event marks its 20th anniversary this year. 🎉

A closer look: Restaurants in The Woodlands, including TRIS, Amrina and Kirby's Steakhouse, are among the participants as well as recently opened locations, such as Postino and Bosscat Kitchen & Libations.

💰 The meal prices and corresponding donations for 2023 are as follows:

• Dinner: $55 meal price, $7 donation, generates 21 meals
• Dinner: $39 meal price, $5 donation, generates 15 meals
• Brunch: $25 meal price, $3 donation, generates nine meals
• Lunch: $25 meal price, $3 donation, generates nine meals

Get the full scoop.

THIS JUST IN

Sarah Kouba takes general manager position at Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District

Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District announced the appointment of its new general manager, Sarah Kouba. 

🔎 A closer look: Sarah Kouba’s background includes engineering and program leadership.

The specifics: The general manager’s responsibilities include acting as primary district contact for staff, public relations and for outreach as well as building relationships with other stakeholders, legislators and the media. She will also coordinate technical studies, manage contracts and work with the board to develop a comprehensive management plan.

💬 What they're saying: "We are thrilled to welcome Sarah Kouba as the new general manager of the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District," said Jim Spigener, president of the board of directors, in a statement. "Sarah has the full support of the board of directors and the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District staff in her new role as general manager moving forward."

See the full report.

KEY INFORMATION

Burn ban now in effect for Montgomery County

A burn ban was put into effect for Montgomery County on Aug. 1 after weeks of excessive heat created dangerous fire conditions in the area. 🚫

What happened: Following several consecutive weeks of no rain and excessive heat warnings, the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office requested a countywide burn ban for all unincorporated areas of the county.

What you need to know: The ban will be in effect for 30 days unless extended by the Montgomery County Commissioners Court, however the fire marshal’s office does not require court approval to lift the ban once fire conditions are no longer hazardous.

📣 Quote of note

• Montgomery County Fire Marshal Jimmy Williams said: “We’ve reached those thresholds; most of the counties around us had to enact burn bans several weeks ago. Once we get some timely rains, we’ll get it down as soon as possible.”

Here’s what else you need to know.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Today's edition compiled by

Holly Galvan Posey

Multi-platform Journalist